Dark Origins (Level 26, #1)

Jan 16, 2011 Michael Hypnotoad rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book came in the mail--I received it as part of Dorchester Publishing's book club, because they have stopped sending out their own books (they have moved to a "download" only model, reflecting the current economic squeeze). So far, what do I think---it reminds me of a scene in "Spinal Tap" ("This one goes to 11").

page-turning yes, but also gimmicky, gratuitous, cartoonish and only "adequately" written. Much of it is highly implausible, even ridiculous. The problem may be that is not really...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Gary Sedivy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I regret that I have to say I finished this book. I don't particularly like slasher/torture books, for the same reason I don't go to slasher movies. I should have stopped at the book cover. Unfortunately once I start a book, I almost feel compelled to finish it. Sigh... Oh, well - warning there is a spoiler later on in this review.
The bad guy is creepy, extremely so. The good guy, named Dark, is an emotional wreck, based on a previous encounter with the bad guy. How's that for a natural set up?...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Marlène rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american-literature, français, crime-thriller-suspense, horror

Level 26 est incontestablement un "page turner". Je les ai d'ailleurs tournées très, très vite. Je ne suis pas certaine de la raison : tension horrible constante? Surenchère de violence gratuite (je le sais bien, c'est une histoire de tueur en série d'une incomparable cruauté)? Construction et accélération de l'intrigue comme celle d'une série dont il est le scénariste? Probablement un peu de tout ça.
Les séquences vidéo sur le site officiel entrecoupant les chapitres du livre sont une bonne idée...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Exanimis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure

What a concept, read the story and watch short videos online that enhance the story. I really wanted to like this book but found myself disgusted with the cliche's early on. An old, hard as nails, cop who is only months from retirement and a washed up drunk who is suddenly the only person in the world who can catch a killer, are teamed up to solve the case. The killer has a God complex and thinks he has been sent by god to commit these crimes. I've read that all before. I was ready to give up on...more What a concept, read the story and watch short videos online that enhance the story. I really wanted to like this book but found myself disgusted with the cliche's early on. An old, hard as nails, cop who is only months from retirement and a washed up drunk who is suddenly the only person in the world who can catch a killer, are teamed up to solve the case. The killer has a God complex and thinks he has been sent by god to commit these crimes. I've read that all before. I was ready to give up on this book early but I really hate having books in my abandoned list so I continued reading. The story is full of holes and there are things that are never explained, we never find out where the killer gets his money for example. The online videos were barley worth the effort to watch, the directing was extremely bad, the acting was fair with some known actors in small parts, the problem was the information. Some of the videos show you information before it appears in the book and some of them are from scenes that are not even in the book. I had hoped that the videos would give hints and clues that would add to the story but you could read the book without going online and not miss anything.

Once I decided that I was not going to abandon this book, I discovered that everything in the book didn't have to be perfect for me to enjoy it. When I read stories about people visiting alien worlds, I have to suspend reality to a certain degree, I had to do the same with this book before I could enjoy it. Once I got past a few of the boring cliche's, I realized that despite myself, I was completely caught up in the story and couldn't wait to get to the next video.

Level 26 was a weird experience for me. After reading the jacket cover, I thought this was a fantastic idea and I couldn't wait to start reading it. After reading the first four chapters I was ready to abandon Level 26 because it didn't seem to have anything new in the storyline worth the effort to read it. Now that I have finished Level 26, I think it was a pretty interesting experience and I will probably continue reading the trilogy.(less)

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Apr 11, 2012 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

• Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Level 26?

"Même si je dois bien avouer que je frôle aujourd'hui l'overdose, je suis une fan de la première heure des Experts. Alors quand son inventeur se met à écrire des livres, difficile de résister."

• Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...

"Un monstre meurtrier sévit dans le monde entier de façon si horrible qu'un nouveau niveau de classification a été inventé pour lui, le Level 26. Le seul à l'avoir quelque peu approché est...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Die multimediale Dimension des Bösen ist unter Anthony E. Zuiker (Erfinder der CSI-Serien) erwacht. Im gedruckten Buch geht es um einen auf perfides Töten spezialisierten, kaltblütigen Killer names Sqweegel, der keine Spuren hinterläßt und scheinbar wahllos seine Opfer aussucht. Gejagt wird dieser von einer Gruppe Ermittlern "Special Circs", welche Kriminelle in gewisse Ebenen einstuft, je nach Grad der Grausamkeit. Steve Dark, ein vom Leben enttäuschter Ex-Agent, wird daraufhin reaktiviert und...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Joana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

Bis jetzt sind den Strafverfolgungsbehörden 25 Kategorien von Mördern bekannt. Von Zufallstätern der Stufe 1 bis hin zu Folterern und Schlächtern der Stufe 25, deren Grausamkeiten sich dem normalen Begriffsvermögen entziehen. Doch seit kurzem gibt es eine neue Kategorie, eine Dimension des Schreckens, die so noch nicht bekannt war, es gibt Level 26.

Seine Opfer: Jeder
Seine Methoden: Alles, was ihm geeignet erscheint
Sein Alias: Sqweegel

Sqweegel verbreitet Angst und Schrecken auf der ganzen Welt,...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Meike rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. **spoiler alert** Not really.
Not for me, please go away.

Didn't like the book. Didn't like the whole experience, and if I could, I would give this book less than 1 star.

I bought this book because I was very curious about the cross-media-experience they promised me:
Buy a book in which "cyber-bridges" are contained; you get certain URLs at certain places in the book, you go online and look what's behind the links. Love that cross-media-idea!
So I bought the book and started reading - this last...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Katisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Steve Dark is a retired criminologist. The case that broke him and sent him running away with his sanity in tatters is back to haunt him. Sqweegel wants to play some more, and only his old adversary knows the rules well enough to be a worthy adversary. Can Steve Dark do this again though? Can his new life--his life with Sibby Dark and their as-yet unborn baby--take the strain of him climbing back inside an horrific serial killer's warped brain? You'll have to read the book to find out.

I wasn't s...more Steve Dark is a retired criminologist. The case that broke him and sent him running away with his sanity in tatters is back to haunt him. Sqweegel wants to play some more, and only his old adversary knows the rules well enough to be a worthy adversary. Can Steve Dark do this again though? Can his new life--his life with Sibby Dark and their as-yet unborn baby--take the strain of him climbing back inside an horrific serial killer's warped brain? You'll have to read the book to find out.

I wasn't sure about this 'diginovel' when I first started reading it. Could I trust that the website with the 'bridges' would be there when I logged on? Would the videos add to the book, or detract? In the end, the experience of reading my (and the world's?) first 'diginovel' was an enjoyable one. Admittedly, being a fast reader, I kept my computer up whilst reading, so that I didn't have to keep logging on. I just entered the codes for the bridges as I came to them, every half hour or so, and it was still a bit irksome til I got used to the idea. The videos were pretty good, so that eased the pain. Did the videos enhance the book? Well the performance given by Daniel Browning Smith definitely made Sqweegel a very disturbing bad guy for me. Not sure about the rest of the casting though. The version of Steve Dark that I had in my head was a lot more dishy, and more complex, than his celluloid portrayal. That's the joy of books, the characters and the settings are exactly as you imagine them to be.

Anthony E. Zuiker has presented us with a 'novelty' novel by interspersing his text with online video pieces. The videos reminded me of (the even darker) 'Girl Number Nine' short, featuring Gareth David-Lloyd. The book, which could be read without bothering to watch the videos--though I recommend that you do view them--is a quite good, dark crime novel. The hero is pleasantly flawed, the psycho is suitably barking yet clever, the heroine is brave. I will definitely be looking to read the next in the series and can recommend that others try out the 'diginovel' experience for themselves. I do hope, though, that if the idea catches on the use other authors may put the format to has equally good acting and production values as well as using the 'bridges' appropriately.

Best bit of the book? What Riggins learns but doesn't tell Dark.(less)

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May 14, 2011 Chip rated it 2 of 5 stars

I guess Zuicker (and his ghost-pal Swierczynski) figure anyone who saw Michael Mann's "Manhunter" is too old to use a computer and wouldn't realize this book is just a rehash of that plot (with a twist of "Seven" thrown in at the end), down to the beach, the "we can't solve this without you" will he or won't he moment, the threat to the hero's wife and child, the antagonist with superhuman strength... the heroes of both stories even sport a beard, for God's sake... too many parallels to be a coi...more

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May 09, 2011 Elizabeth Nesbit-comer rated it 1 of 5 stars

There are so many errors in this book that it's almost unreadable. The timeline makes no sense. Some things are refernced as 20 years ago, but the current year makes it impossible, shoddy editing at best. Also, I don't think anyone can put together two shatter glass doors by himself in just a few hours.
I thought that a digi book by the creator of one of my favorite shows would be amazing, but all i got from this was boring and predictable. The videos were cheesy and I stopped logging in early...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Chris Moysey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

There are 25 levels of classification given to murderers by law enforcement according to the extent of their evil, or so they thought. Enter Sqweegel, whose killings are so sick and twisted that he has been given a new level of classification - Level 26.

Deemed a national security risk, the U.S. Defence Secretary gives Tom Riggens of the Special Circs division at Quantico an ultimatum – catch Sqweegel or be executed. Riggens knows he needs to recruit Steve Dark, the only person who has ever come...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Fatuma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense-thriller

Review ex-posted on my blog:

Before I even start, let me just get it out there:

LEVEL 26 IS A MUST READ!!! DON'T HESITATE OR CONTEMPLATE, JUST GO GET IT!!!!!!

Alright, reading this book is like nothing else that you're ever read. It is an experience. You don't simply read this novel, you live it! You fear for the victims, an you're scared crapless by the killer. Every 20 pages or so of the novel, provides with a code that you put in at level26.com. This unlocks a video clip that enhances the readi...more

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Sep 08, 2009 Bridget rated it 5 of 5 stars

Currently there are 25 levels to categorize serial killers. One is someone who just stumbles into killing. Twenty-Five would describe the sadistic psychopaths who find pleasure in suffering. Now imagine that one person has become even more evil than the serial killers you've heard about in the past? Imagine someone who has absolutely no compassion, no feeling, not even a soul. A person lacking all these characteristics is out there and because he doesn't seem to show any of the "normal" traits o...more Currently there are 25 levels to categorize serial killers. One is someone who just stumbles into killing. Twenty-Five would describe the sadistic psychopaths who find pleasure in suffering. Now imagine that one person has become even more evil than the serial killers you've heard about in the past? Imagine someone who has absolutely no compassion, no feeling, not even a soul. A person lacking all these characteristics is out there and because he doesn't seem to show any of the "normal" traits of a killer it impossible to catch him. This psycho has a name. It's Sqweegel.

The one person who has the ability to catch this criminal is Steve Dark. In a state of mourning, thanks to the psycho, Dark is through with law enforcement and wants no part of the chase. But when the lives of his friends at the department are threatened, Dark decides to step in again. Will he be able to stop this madman before several other murders take place? Or will the world live in fear of Sqweegel until the day they die?

To sum up this book in one word, is impossible. But for some reason, I'm the type of person that loves the impossible and do everything I can to try and make it possible. So as you've probably guessed, I've been doing some hardcore thinking (I know what your thinking, and yes it caused a massive headache, LOL) so as I pondered and looked through the dictionary (no I didn't really look in the dictionary but shhh, it's our secret) and the word that jumped out at me was: WOAH! Yes, all caps and an exclamation point.

This is really difficult to review. Not only is there a book to read but at about every twenty pages, you can log onto www.level26.com and enter a password & watch a clip that will tie in with that section of the book. If you're a CSI fan, this book is probably shouting at you through your monitor, right now, saying "BUY ME, READ ME, LOVE ME". The author Anthony E. Zucker is the award-winning creator, producer, and writer of CSI, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY.

So, to be completely honest, this book scared the crap out of me!
(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read more reviews here!

3.5 stars

Two years ago, Steve Dark got the closest anyone had ever gotten to Sqweegel, a serial killer so heinous that he reached a level off the scale. As a result, Sqweegel killed his foster family. Now, Dark is out of the game... until his old boss shows up to ask him back. He refuses until he finds out that Sqweegel is already inserting himself into his life and posing a huge threat to his pregnant wife. Sqweegel is playing a game with him and he has to put himself in...more Read more reviews here!

3.5 stars

Two years ago, Steve Dark got the closest anyone had ever gotten to Sqweegel, a serial killer so heinous that he reached a level off the scale. As a result, Sqweegel killed his foster family. Now, Dark is out of the game... until his old boss shows up to ask him back. He refuses until he finds out that Sqweegel is already inserting himself into his life and posing a huge threat to his pregnant wife. Sqweegel is playing a game with him and he has to put himself in the mind of a twisted killer to defeat him.

Dark Origins is by the creator of CSI. In fact, there was an episode (s11e4) of CSI that featured the character of Sqweegel. It was actually an interesting episode and it kind of left me hanging because it was the only one with the character. I didn't realize this at the time, though, so I didn't get this book because of that. The book advertizes, though, that it is by the creator of CSI and that should have given me a clue as to how the book would read.

I thought the book was pretty good, but I was honestly disappointed. It read like any episode of CSI or any similar show. It kind of glosses over the murders (in both the videos and the book), making it seem far less gruesome than it's supposed to be. For someone who doesn't like details, this book would probably be sufficiently gory. I, however, really wanted something far more in depth. There were also some twists that I figured out fairly early on, so I wasn't surprised in the end.

One thing it did have that I did not like was animal violence. There were two instances in the book and one in the videos that I just skipped. I don't like to read about animal murder, even if the animals are small.

The video aspect of the book was an interesting addition, but ultimately not actually necessary. Initially, it was kind of neat but it became a little bit annoying. There were 20 videos with this novel and, for the most part, they gave you a code in the book about every 30 pages. The problem with this was that I didn't want to sit with my computer next to me or to stop every 30 pages to watch another video. Also, the videos didn't give information that wasn't in the book. What I ended up doing was skipping several codes then going back later to watch the videos.

Ultimately, it was a pretty good book. The characters were good- very much like characters on a cop show. The story was decent, though a little tame for what I was really looking for. I do think that I'm going to eventually read the next two.(less)

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Mar 24, 2011 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Introducing the first DIGI-NOVEL! I love the concept of this…about every 20 pages or so you’re given a code to use at level26.com — once there you will access a video that goes along with the story.

But like I said, love the concept—the reality of it is a little lacking. The video quality is high on the scale of soft-core porn—cheesy acting, cheesy lines, etc… As well, I usually read at work on break and before I go to sleep—not able to get to a computer when a code comes up. At first, I put my r...more

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Mar 09, 2010 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads

Level 25 refers to the FBI’s classification of the most heinous of criminals. In this book we encounter a serial killer who needs a new classification:

His targets – anyone
His methods – unlimited
His alias – Sqweegel
His classification – Level 26

From the creator of the CSI television series comes this book advertised as a “digi-novel”. At certain points throughout the book, usually at interesting or suspenseful plot points, the reader is directed to a website. This makes the book somewhat inter...more

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Oct 23, 2009 Shelly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of CSI, people who enjoy a decent romp through serial killer's heads

Shelves: borrowed-from-the-library, finished-in-2009

Sqweegel. The only man assigned a Level 26 classification on the 'evil' scale for murderers. His targets seem to have no rhyme or reason, nor does he have a specific MO. The only man to even come close to capturing him is Steve Dark and he is no longer working for the Special Circumstances team... until it is made clear that they want him back at any cost.

This book is touted as the first ever digi-novel and is an interesting experiment to say the least. Every 20 or so pages you are given a passw...more

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Sep 30, 2009 Carmaletta Hilton rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I started out with high hopes for this book, but the further I got into it, the worse it became. It's in the category of great idea, poorly executed. There's so much wrong with this book I don't even know where to begin. First of all, the idea of a Level 26 killer. It's interesting, but in the end, he's no different than one of Dr. Michael Stone's Level 22 killers. The only thing that makes him "special" is that they couldn't catch him for 30 years. Well, look how long it took to catch BTK and h...more I started out with high hopes for this book, but the further I got into it, the worse it became. It's in the category of great idea, poorly executed. There's so much wrong with this book I don't even know where to begin. First of all, the idea of a Level 26 killer. It's interesting, but in the end, he's no different than one of Dr. Michael Stone's Level 22 killers. The only thing that makes him "special" is that they couldn't catch him for 30 years. Well, look how long it took to catch BTK and he's only a 22. Also, his motives weren't even anything new, just the same old religious nutcase ramblings of most other fictional serial killers. Squeegle was creepy as hell, I'll give you that, but I couldn't even call him terrifying because sometimes, he was just plain comical, especially when the videos are added in.

The continuity errors are the biggest problem in the book. If you go to the book's website, you'll see that Zuiker has started a contest for finding the most errors. I thought this was kind of funny at first, but really... There shouldn't BE that many errors, especially that many huge errors. I was pulled out of the story so often by the errors that it was hard to really just go with it. The biggest mistake he made was trying to give timelines. None of his timelines match up. He tells us in the beginning about one of Squeegle's "earliest" kills... In 1990. This is the mother in the car wash. Except, it's 2009 in the story. A couple pages before 1990, he tells us Squeegle has been killing for over twenty years. 1990 to today is less than twenty. Then, later, we're told his earliest is 1979, which makes it 30 years. Also, he tells us that Dark spent a year after his family's murder on a rampage, trying to find Squeegle. It's made clear that it was either a full year or a better part of a year. So how is it that Dark has been with Sibby for a year and a half, when he met her AFTER the year he spent in various places? Continuity is a HUGE problem here, and I expect better. There is no way a book like that, priced so high, should make it onto the shelves with as many problems as there were.

On top of all that, some things just don't make sense. Most of Wycoff's actions don't make sense, neither does his ability to do these things. Much like Squeegle at times, Wycoff was mostly just cartoonish, reminding me of some mustache twirling villain in a cartoon. I just could not like this book. The further I went in, the more I wished it was over. I stopped watching the videos about halfway through. They were mostly unnecessary, and sometimes they even made the continuity issues worse. I give Zuiker credit for the concept. He tried something new. It just didn't work, at least for me. I will be staying away from future digi-novels, and unless the editors working with him learn how to do their jobs, I'll not be reading anything else Zuiker puts out. I just can't have respect for an author that doesn't have enough respect for me as a reader to give me quality work. Next time, he should be more focused on the actual writing and not just on his super cool new idea.(less)

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Feb 10, 2010 Laurie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: anthony-zuiker

Level 26 was a breathtaking psychological thriller. Steve Dark is a former member of Special Circumstances, a section of the FBI that the public will never hear about. Special Circs investigates the worst of the worst in serial killers and often its agents are short-time members due to burnout, insanity or death. Steve Dark left because of all three. As the best agent, he was assigned the most difficult cases and his last case was to hunt down and eliminate a Level 26 killer named Sqweegel. Unfo...more Level 26 was a breathtaking psychological thriller. Steve Dark is a former member of Special Circumstances, a section of the FBI that the public will never hear about. Special Circs investigates the worst of the worst in serial killers and often its agents are short-time members due to burnout, insanity or death. Steve Dark left because of all three. As the best agent, he was assigned the most difficult cases and his last case was to hunt down and eliminate a Level 26 killer named Sqweegel. Unfortunately, the predator became the prey and after a close encounter between the two where Dark almost killed Sqweegel, the killer took revenge by gruesomely murdering Dark's entire foster family. This led to Dark's departure until he is forced to return by the highest members of government and Sqweegel himself. Their cat-and-mouse game of death and destruction pushes Dark to the furthest reaches of his mind and soul leaving a wake of destruction that can be compared to nothing seen before.
This story was filled with dynamic characters, eerie settings and a lightning paced plot that kept me gasping for more. Coupled with the unique internet clips which are accessed using codes found throughout the book, Level 26 was an unstoppable thrill ride. Steve Dark is an ideal protagonist. He is damaged and moody and fills the shoes of a traumatized agent brilliantly. His intensity sets the tone for the book and his interactions with the secondary characters are riveting. Tom Riggins and Constance Brielle are stellar in their understated way of sympathizing with Steve and understanding his past and present transgressions. Steve Dark is a man on the edge of sanity and his counterpart Sqweegel is a perverse version of insanity. Sqweegel is the most evil of all killers ever to be found on the planet. His killing is indiscriminate and his methods are brutal and often disgusting. The trail of violence left in his wake is astounding and oftentimes I found myself stunned by the level of creepiness the author was capable of putting into words. Pitting these two men against each other is fantastic. Their cat-and-mouse chase is terrifying and the constant shifts in the plot left me off balance far into the book. A real question of who will win the battle is laid forth and the battle itself is astounding. Throw in a satisfying yet tantalizing ending and the promise of a second book in the series and Level 26 is easily one of the best books I have encoutered in a while. A solid 5 star rating if I have ever read one. I would highly recommend this book to fans of the thriller genre however I will throw a warning in there for those who dislike gore. This book is disturbing in its content at times and is not for the faint of heart! (less)

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Jan 25, 2010 Steve Mount rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zuicker and his co-writer introduce a very compelling concept, linking the book with video clips on a web site, accessible in sequence as you read. A few of the "cyber links" were a little lame - a text message and an email - but most of them were good video clips filling in gaps between the chapters. A few of the videos, BTW, are NSFW.

The book was a little rushed. The villain, Sqweegel, was a bit too superhuman, able to fly from one coast to the other in record time. The book explained this, bu...more

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Oct 04, 2009 Laren rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: procedural-crime-fiction

This book uses a new concept designed by the primary author, who is the creator of the TV show "CSI". The idea is that the book can stand alone as the first in a planned series of books, or the reader can choose to further immerse into the story via a website where you can see short films that purportedly bridge some small gaps between chapters in the story.

Honestly, I wasn't that interested in the multimedia experience, but I was interested in what the creator of one of my favorite TV shows wou...more This book uses a new concept designed by the primary author, who is the creator of the TV show "CSI". The idea is that the book can stand alone as the first in a planned series of books, or the reader can choose to further immerse into the story via a website where you can see short films that purportedly bridge some small gaps between chapters in the story.

Honestly, I wasn't that interested in the multimedia experience, but I was interested in what the creator of one of my favorite TV shows would write. The story is about the hunt for a serial killer so heinous that the FBI created a new level just to rank him properly (Currently there are 25 levels, with 25 considered to be the worst, but this one is given level 26, hence the title of the book). They call him "Sqweegel", and only one man, Steve Dark, has come close to catching him. But Dark left the job when his personal price became too high. Now the FBI wants to lure him back to the job so he can get rid of this killer for good.

In my opinion, the book's biggest problem is that Sqweegel is not markedly worse than any other killer you may have happened across if you read a lot of crime books, true or fictional. It defies credulity in many parts, but it's not a non-fiction book either, so if you just go with it, you might be fine.

However, I'm on the fence about if I would read the next in the series when in comes out. This is because I made the mistake of going to the website to get the full multimedia experience. First, it forced me to sign up for an account, which I am never a fan of when I intend to be a passive viewer and not a participant, even if it is free. But that aside, the videos ruined the whole thing for me. It was badly overacted from the very first video. Sqweegel was more clownish than scary due to the film's insistence on using the actor's bizarre movement skills even when completely unneccessary, and such skills weren't in the book at all. For some films, the book promises aren't delivered on. For example, it says the reader will see security footage, but the clearly edited filming from multiple angles negated any belief that it was just simple security camera footage. Finally, many of the films didn't add anything to the storyline at all. For example, do we really need to see a video of a text message on a phone? The multimedia part seems to be geared towards readers who lack imagination.

If the full experience gets people to read when they don't normally read, then I don't suppose it's all bad, but I would recommend that others stick to the book and don't deviate like I did! Once you see the first video, you can't take it back, and it will likely color the rest of your reading experience if you haven't already finished the book.(less)

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May 11, 2011 Emilie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller, horror, mystery

I love all the CSI series so when I discovered Anthony E. Zuiker had written a book I was intrigued.
Unfortunately, I loved the episode of CSI with Sqweegel so I was expecting a lot from it and ended up disappointed.

While the novel isn't that bad, there were too many inconsistencies, some things were simply illogical and while you can disregard those in a TV series, it's impossible in a book when you have time to ponder.
Moreover, in my opinion, the author failed in creating a terrifying villain....more

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Nov 29, 2009 Laura rated it 2 of 5 stars

Didn't love this. It was not particularly well written: the characters were shallow and there was no effort made to give back story or an explanation for how the villain became the man he was. It was full of stock characters and charicatures. What there was was an effort to disgust and offend the sensibilities of any decent person by listing horrible crime after horrible crime then describing the horrors of the killer's secret chamber at the end. It was the written equivalent of a slasher film,...more

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Oct 07, 2009 Tabitha Beck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-reading

The first ever "digi book".
Interactive via the web.
The book can stand alone. But supposedly the video clips online add so much to the experience.
I read something about the site sending emails, possibly even phone calls.
I never got to that point.

The book itself is mediocre. I was highly disappointed at the end. The last few chapters were too predictable. Way too predictable. Maybe I watch too much CSI or something to not be jaded...

The video clips. They detracted more than they added. The clips t...more

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Mar 04, 2012 David rated it 2 of 5 stars

Interesting concept and villian but not much else. I found the villian of Sqweegel to be an interesting and quite compelling character. Everything else though was standard throw away serial killer/profiler characters.

Chip points out there are are similarities to Dark Origins and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (he refers to the film Manhunter, which is based on Red Dragon). Aside from the called out of retirement aspect I didn't see too many similarities for it to be the blatant rip-off he implies....more

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Mar 19, 2013 Sean Harding rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 28, 2012 Cate rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

This is a Reading Good Books review.

If I want to take a break from wild, heavy, and colorful books, I go back to my “comfort zone” genre, mystery/thriller. It’s dark but to me, they’re very straightforward and simple. Most mystery novels follow a certain pattern, a formula, that doesn’t take that much to understand and enjoy. But once in a while, a book comes along and veers away from that convention.

Dark Origins is the first book in the trilogy, Level 26, penned by CSI’s Anthony Zuiker and Dua...more This is a Reading Good Books review.

If I want to take a break from wild, heavy, and colorful books, I go back to my “comfort zone” genre, mystery/thriller. It’s dark but to me, they’re very straightforward and simple. Most mystery novels follow a certain pattern, a formula, that doesn’t take that much to understand and enjoy. But once in a while, a book comes along and veers away from that convention.

Dark Origins is the first book in the trilogy, Level 26, penned by CSI’s Anthony Zuiker and Duane Swierczynski. It follows operative Steve Dark as he follows the trail left to him by his nemesis, a serial killer nicknamed “Sqweegel”. Law Enforcement has come up with different levels of evil. Originally, there were 25 levels. But this Sqweegel is the first and only one to occupy a spot higher than that, Level 26.

The one thing that separates this book from other mystery novels is that it is an interactive “digi-novel”. It is an interesting concept. As explained, every twenty pages or so, the reader can log on to Level26.com and enter a code to watch a short video continuing where the chapter left off. You can choose not to watch these as you read, just catch up later, but I found that the videos added to the experience. Sqweegel is definitely a character that you have to see to believe. The visuals made it creepier and exciting. Sure, it wasn’t very good either but at least it provided something to look forward to.

But apart from the “cyber-bridges”, the novel was pretty typical. It has a lot of cliches – a crazy serial killer going after the one agent that got closest to apprehending him, ruining his life and still wants to play. I can see this as a full TV show episode. The cast of characters was okay. The novel itself is fast-paced, so much so that it breezed through the ending. It came and went by so fast that I was left thinking, “That’s it?” It has pretty much the same faults as CSI has. Some things were rather vague, some bordering on ridiculous and impossible.

To me, it was more Criminal Minds than CSI. (Coincidentally, both shows are aired by the same network, CBS.) It talks of Steve Dark going inside the mind of the killer which reminds me of the stuff they do on Criminal Minds. CSI is more on following the physical evidence. Sqweegel was even featured in season 11, episode 4 of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Zuiker explained that that episode goes in between the first and second books of the trilogy. I have since rewatched that episode and I found it disconnected to the book-verse. Surely, Sqweegel is in all criminal databases so why didn’t the LVPD call in Dark and friends? But I digress.

I’m all for mixed media, as gimmicky as it can be. I quite enjoyed the cyber-bridges. These short films serve as Zuiker’s directorial debut. As an avid CSI/TV viewer, I even noticed some familiar faces and places such as the crime lab in CSI: New York, one of those werewolf guys in True Blood (Daniel Buran) and Alias‘ Marshall Flinkman (Kevin Weisman). I have to work on distancing this from Zuiker’s other works but those one just had so many CSI parallels. Nevertheless, it captured my interest. It wasn’t much but it was enough for me to decide to read the rest of the trilogy.

Rating: 3/5.

Recommendation: It’s something different in the mystery/thriller genre. Not so much a different story or framework, but at least this has the videos to go along with it.(less)

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Aug 12, 2011 Joey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up, looking for something different but keeping it in the serial killer / thriller genre. The idea of a Level 26 Serial Killer, one who has gone beyond the demented limits of those who killed before him, is what really caught me (also, Zuiker writing CSI helped) as I browsed Borders and Books looking for a good read.

Anthony Zuiker has you chasing a LEVEL 26 serial killer, who has surpassed the twisted and sick minds of anyone that has killed before him. The thrilling story line...more

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Jul 23, 2011 John Parker rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, so actually, this book wasn't as terrifying as I was afraid it would be.

I should have known better than to be afraid. But, I think I may have mentioned before, I'm very very impressionable, so things effect me. Like, once I listened to Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" driving around in the car for about a month, and I think I was close to being a serial killer.

Anyway, I stuck with this, and it was pretty good. (I was listening to the audio book version, by the way.) I found myself taking t...more

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Dark Origins (Level 26 #1)

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