I was searching for SH goodies on Ebay this morning and I stumbled upon a book that seems to all about Silent Hill. I had absolutely no idea that this existed at all, but I think it sounds very interesting. Has anyone here ever read it before or even heard of it?

Here's a link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Silent-Hill-Terro ... d_add_1_dp

Sadly it only has one review...

Oooh - good find. It's published by Michigan University Press, so it may well be a thesis/dissertation or something. In any case, it's interesting - pricy, but interesting.

I've seen that before but like you said it's pricey and I have several books I need to read already so I decided not to get it.

It is pretty high but I think I'd like to give it a read just for fun.

So I caved and went ahead and ordered this. I'll write a review or something like that once I'm done with it, though I have no idea how long that will take since I've got other books I'm currently reading.

^ I'm having a similar issue. I have four books that I need to read before this one but maybe I'll bump it up to number one if your review is positive.

Ya know, you can read this book online..........for free:

http://www.digitalculture.org/books/silent-hill

So far I've only read the Introduction, it seems very promising. A real academic, sophisticated, intellectual and analytical examination on the SH games 1 - 3 and the series as a whole. Wouldn't mind having a physical copy of the book myself though, to be perfectly honest.

Well I just paid 25 bucks for it. It would have been nice to know that earlier.

The hardcover is more like 55 dollars on Amazon.

AWESOME. Thanks for the link.

I've just finished reading it. Minus a couple of times where he goes into to much detail and over analysis on what the human mind thinks, this book was well worth the £17 I paid for it.

I skimmed some parts and I must say that from a first look it seems frankly interesting.

As soon as I find some time I'll be taking a closer look to the thing. I'd like to see the interpretation of SH from an academic point of view.

It is a great read, like. But a couple of times it drags on abit. Like he'll talk about 'camera direction' for example, and it's really interesting, but then in the next paragraph he'll then bring up a quotation from someone talking about what your thinking when looking at the TV screen, or something like that. And the first couple of times it is interesting, but it happens quite often in the book and towards the end you start to think, "he's putting these bits in just to fill the book."

When he talks about his experiences of the games it's a brilliant read. Just little niggles like that that let it down a little for me. I'd give it a 7/10.

I picked up the physical copy of this book.

If anyone is still wondering about it, this is the review I left for the book on Amazon. Anyone who cares enough about Silent Hill to haunt the forum will find nothing new here. I was hoping it would read deeply, and be on the level of quality and thought that Advisory or whoever-he-is-now's posts are. Honestly, there is more substance in a couple of his posts than the entirety of this book. It feels very surface. Review below.

"I have read this book a few times and waited to review it. I really wanted to give a stellar review, as I cannot stress how important academic literature on video games is.

In fact, I was looking very much forward as using this as a staple reference when discussing gaming as a legitimate art form on the same level as film and books. There is a much larger cultural understanding that gaming can be a serious and effective medium, a far cry from Duck Hunt days.

But *I* know that. And that is where this book falls short. It is preaching to the choir. The author assumes that the reader is familiar with the series, plots and characters. He often refers to characters and situations by name with no context, relying on the player to remember the experience. That doesn't work for someone who has never played Silent Hill, let alone many or any games at all.

And those are the people who would benefit most from a book like this. As it stands, and as a hard core Silent Hill fan my reaction throughout was "well... Yeah." There is nothing new here.

The author's position as a film academic makes his voice extra persuasive and authoritative to an audience who respects film, but not gaming.

I am glad that I bought it. It was well written and as an avid fan I am happy to display it on the shelf. But if you are looking for a way to introduce someone to the complexity and depth of the Silent Hill series, look elsewhere."