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Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings: The rise and fall of Sierra On-Line Paperback – July 24, 2020

by Ken Williams (Author)

4.5 615 ratings

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Sierra On-Line was one of the very first computer game companies and at one time dominated the industry. The author, Ken Williams, founded Sierra On-Line Sierra with his wife Roberta who went on to create many of the company's best selling games. Sierra grew from just Ken and Roberta to over one thousand employees and a fan base that still exists today, despite the fact that the company was torn apart by criminal activities, scandal and corruption that resulted in jail sentences and the collapse of Sierra. This is the behind-the-scenes story of the rise and fall, as it could only be told by the ultimate insider.

Reading age

1 year and up
Print length

408 pages
Language

English
Dimensions

5.98 x 0.96 x 9.02 inches
Publication date

July 24, 2020
ISBN-10

1716727367
ISBN-13

978-1716727368
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lulu.com (July 24, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 408 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1716727367
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1716727368
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.96 x 9.02 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #465,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #66 in Computer & Technology Biographies
- #273 in Game Programming
- #1,394 in Biographies of Business & Industrial Professionals

Customer Reviews:
4.5 615 ratings

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Ken Williams

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Ken Williams is a USCG 100 Ton Master, as well as having a European Yachtmasters license.

He has crossed both the Atlantic and Pacific.

In his earlier days, Ken was best known as the founder and CEO of Sierra On-Line Inc, a leading publisher of computer games. Sierra published 100s of different games, including Leisure-Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, Kings Quest, Phantasmagoria and Half-Life.

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4.5 out of 5

615 global ratings

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Richard V

Great read for a Sierra fan

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024

Verified Purchase

I grew up playing King's Quest and loved Sierra and Roberta Williams. I often wondered what happened to them. It was fascinating to hear the story directly from the founder himself, Ken Williams. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Helpful

J. Delzer

From the words of Ken Williams himself, Sierra's rise and fall

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2023

Verified Purchase

It's fair to say that this novel might have benefitted from a writer's touch and a bit more editing, but I'm glad to have heard the history of what might be the most impressive lineup of software titles from the early days of electronic gaming and computer-based adventure games. The account of Sierra Online comes directly from Ken Williams and quotes from his best-selling game creator wife Roberta, makers of King's Quest and other industry-defining titles of the 1990s. It's a good read but I am curious why a literary publisher might not have asked the Williams's for their first hand account to give the story a proper release and polished finish.

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Lily pope

This was the Sierra Online Account all of us have been looking for!

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

Some of you may know me as the guy working on the SpaceVenture game with Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy. aka Spacepope. This is the review I sent Ken, and I thought I'd share it on Amazon as well:

"I finished your book! [...] I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can tell you that you gave me what I wanted, which was lots and lots of answers. I feel like I understand more about what made Sierra special as well. The company really did come off to me as Disney like. In fact, for years I have always told people that Sierra was the Disney of the gaming industry during it's golden years. [...] I really like the feel of the paper on the cover and am glad you didn't go with the traditional glossy feel that lots of authors go with. My only complaint is I would love it to be in hardback. [...] The pictures in the book were fantastic and I already told you I loved the interludes and am glad you didn't toss them at the end of the book. There was lots of wisdom to be gleaned from some of the sections there and other nuggets of history that you threw in that I had no idea about. From a fan perspective, one of the coolest parts of the book was getting to learn more about you and your thought processes as you navigated the software industry during it's growing times. Something that was very important to me was your self deprecating honesty. Fans reading your book I feel can empathize with some of the difficult situations you were in, even though probably none of us have run multi million dollar companies.

Another thing that I think hardcore Sierra fans will appreciate is your explanation on why you needed to leave Oakhurst in order to improve the company. A lot of fans out there believe that the downfall of Sierra began when that happened. Clearly that was the right move after reading what you wrote on the subject. I didn't realize how much growth Sierra experienced after the move but your book helps solidify how all that played out. I guess the only argument for that being the downfall was all the success that occurred which made the company look even better in the eyes of other public companies such as CUC. Something else I really enjoyed was learning more about Roberta. I always knew she had to be a strong woman in order to produce the magical worlds she created, but your book paints the picture of an even more incredible (not to mention feisty) woman than I imagined. If you can, please pass along a thank you from me. Amongst her other games, King Quest was such a HUGE part of growing up for me. Countless hours were spent playing her games and I enjoyed every single one of them. There will never be another game developer like Roberta Williams! So what did I not like about the book? That's a tough question. I guess I wish it were longer lol. But that is just my thirst for more knowledge about the past. The main thing for me though that I wanted out of your book was to understand the downfall and I got that. I don't believe anyone but you could give me the closure that I've wanted all these years. So again, thank you for that. I feel I won't be the only person that appreciates that I'll bet."

Thanks for reading this wall of text I wrote lol. I hope something from it was helpful in regards to seeing what a Sierra fan thought of your book.""

11 people found this helpful

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TonyD

Fantastic story, easy to read, and one of fastest read books I've ever owned

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

Many books take me weeks to get through fully, and describing a book like a "page turner" is usually reserved for fiction, but this story is better than fiction, and it's extremely well written using a fun, casual tone.

-Who will like this book-

I have nothing critical at all to say about this book. But it could be a confluence of several things about me more than the book. Those things are:
I like biographies,
I loved Sierra as a kid,
I wondered a lot why Sierra just disappeared,
I love software development,
I love business strategy and business profiles,
Roberta and Ken Williams were like heroes to me as a kid.

So, to me, this book:
- answered questions that have nagged me for decades,
- was a biography about my heroes,
- was about my favorite topics of software development and business development,
- and was about my most beloved company as a kid.

So, a confluence like that will probably not happen for everyone, but maybe if a couple of them resonate with you, you'll enjoy this book.

-Will you like this book-

If you have a kindle, just download the free sample. He gives away enough of a sample so you can tell if you'd like the book and you don't have to bother reading anymore reviews and can instead form your own opinion.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

JJ Fritz

Mission Accomplished!

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Williams book and in response to the last chapter, thank you!

Although I do not work in the software industry, but I am, just as almost everyone in this world, a consumer of. I grew up playing King’s Quest, which then sparked interest into the Space Quest and Police Quest series. I learned how to type through these games which equipped me to finish my first year of computer keyboarding in HS within the first week. With that said, I could write a book on the impact Sierra had in my life and I am forever thankful for what the Williams created and maintained for many years.

I walk away from this book with much wisdom in many areas of business and life, alongside incredible memories I experienced through the Sierra family’s adventures.

Thank you Mr. Williams for your insight and openness; I will read this book again. I also must thank Ms. Williams for her King’s Quest series, KQ3 holds a special place in my heart, and I will never forgive you for the hours (as a kid) I spent trying to get down that winding trail from the Wizard’s home on the hill! Thank you both!

Whether you are a fan of Sierra, looking to enter the gaming industry, or starting your own business, this is a great read regardless, well worth picking up!

6 people found this helpful

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Andrew Wood

Must read for all Sierra fans

Reviewed in Canada on January 18, 2024

Verified Purchase

The quintessential read for all die hard Sierra fans! From the big man, Ken Williams himself. Worth every penny and happy to give the Williams’ my money after all the years of joy they brought to my life. Great story.

Jorge E O Storace

A história da Sierra pelo seu fundador

Reviewed in Brazil on August 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

O livro é excelente, reminiscências divertidas e nostálgicas do fundador da Sierra, Ken Williams - uma leitura obrigatória para quem curtia a Sierra e a era de ouro dos computadores pessoais nos 80s e 90s.

One person found this helpful

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J. Bond

Personal enough without feeling invasive, but detached enough to feel honest.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

Absolutely enthralling read, have devoured it. I think the expert reviewers may have had a point telling Ken to put the interspersed off topic chapters elsewhere they break up the flow a little, and I find after the first two they get longer so rather than miss the timeline main thread I've set myself skipping them (but leaving a post-it on the page to go back).

Not about the games, so don't expect that, this is about the business, and very much about the feel of the company and how it was put together and ultimately undone.

It's just personal enough without feeling invasive, but detached enough to feel honest.

alex12345

Great book

Reviewed in Germany on November 29, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great book with many interesting details about the history of sierra i did not know until today, especially about the fall in the end of the 90s

Pal

Una gran historia contada de forma muy amena

Reviewed in Spain on October 24, 2020

Verified Purchase

Como dice el propio autor acerca de este libro, la historia de Sierra OnLine es demasiado buena para no ser contada, y de primera mano. El libro tiene muchas anécdotas sobre la forma en que Roberta y Ken crearon de la nada una de las compañías de software lúdico más prestigiosas de los años 80 y 90.

Con un estilo directo y entretenido, Ken Williams relata su experiencia y sus vivencias al frente de la compañía. No hay entrevistas con los desarrolladores ni guías de los videojuegos que crearon, pero da bastantes detalles de cómo los idearon y los construyeron.

Imprescindible para todos los que disfrutamos de sus creaciones (tanto hace 30 años como ahora)

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