david kushner books

• Computers & Technology
• Games & Strategy Guides

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Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture Hardcover – May 6, 2003

• Print length 352 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Random House
• Publication date May 6, 2003
• Dimensions 6.38 x 1.16 x 9.54 inches
• ISBN-10 0375505245
• ISBN-13 978-0375505249
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com review.

Topics covered : The biographies of John Carmack and John Romero, and of their company, id Software. The development and marketing of all major id games (including Wolfenstein, Doom, Doom II, and Quake) get lavish attention.

From Publishers Weekly

From school library journal, from booklist, from the back cover, about the author, excerpt. © reprinted by permission. all rights reserved., product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House; 1st edition (May 6, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375505245
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375505249
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.32 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.16 x 9.54 inches
• #748 in Video & Computer Games
• #871 in Computer & Video Game Strategy Guides
• #35,192 in Biographies (Books)

About the author

David kushner.

David Kushner is an award-winning journalist and author. His books include Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids: How a Gang of Geeks Beat the Odds, Stormed Las Vegas, Levittown: Two Families, One Tycoon, and the Fight for Civil Rights in America’s Legendary Suburb, Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto, Alligator Candy: A Memoir, and The Players Ball: A Genius, a Con Man, and the Secret History of the Internet's Rise.

Kushner is also author of the graphic novel Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D, illustrated by Koren Shadmi, and the ebook, The Bones of Marianna: A Reform School, a Terrible Secret, and a Hundred-Year Fight for Justice. Two collections of his magazine stories are available as audiobooks, The World’s Most Dangerous Geek: And More True Hacking Stories and Prepare to Meet Thy Doom: And More True Gaming Stories.

A contributing editor of Rolling Stone, Kushner has written for publications including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, New York Times Magazine, New York, and GQ, and has been an essayist for National Public Radio. His work is featured in several “best of” anthologies: The Best American Crime Reporting, The Columbia Journalism Review’s Best Business Writing, The Best Music Writing, and The Best American Travel Writing. He is the winner of the New York Press Club award for Best Feature Reporting. His ebook The Bones of Marianna was selected by Amazon as a Best Digital Single of 2013. NPR named his memoir Alligator Candy one of the best books of 2016. He has taught as a Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, and an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.

For articles and info, visit his website www.davidkushner.com.

Customer reviews

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the book really enjoyable and compelling to read. They also say the writing quality is very well written and keeps it light. Readers say the book is well researched and gives new perspectives on gaming, business, and the human psyche. They appreciate the detail level and pacing.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book enjoyable, good, and worth the roller-coaster ride. They also say it's fun to read these names and think about where they ended up.

"...It's a lot of fun to read these names and, in hindsight, think about where they ended up...." Read more

"...and thoroughly researched, doesn't play favorites, is super entertaining to read , and if you're interested in the audiobook version, Wil Wheaton is..." Read more

"Overall, the content of the book is very entertaining and interesting, but the writing suffers from poor readability and a lack of flow...." Read more

" Really great book , I kind of like it!..." Read more

Customers find the storyline compelling, interesting, and hooking. They also say the narrative doesn't seem contrived and provides a great story into the evolution of gaming. Readers also mention that the book never boring or lacks interesting information.

"...The result is a gripping account of every crucial moment in the company's history that is so detailed it feels like you are there in the room as..." Read more

"...The book presents the story in an extremely hooking manner - you won't want to put the book down...." Read more

"Overall, the content of the book is very entertaining and interesting , but the writing suffers from poor readability and a lack of flow...." Read more

"...for each technological or business breakthrough, yet the narrative doesn't seem contrived ...." Read more

Customers find the book well written, well dialogued, and fair. They also say it's a light read that frequently accomplishes nice turns of phrase.

"Kushner’s writing is so vivid and fluid , you are immersed in the rise and fall of the Two Johns...." Read more

"...The book is very well written and thoroughly researched, doesn't play favorites, is super entertaining to read, and if you're interested in the..." Read more

"...He frequently accomplishes nice turns of phrase , such as one scene in which Romero and crew are on the floor rolling in laughter and giddiness at..." Read more

"A standalone book, no sequel or prequel. I read the well printed and well bound trade paperback published by Random House in 2004...." Read more

Customers find the book well-researched, with firsthand accounts from Romero and Carmack. They also say it's a good bridge between technical and non-technical topics, and a solid read about a group. Customers also mention that the author does a great job of being impartial.

"...The book has in-depth footnotes , and while I wondered about the origin of certain quotes, Kushner says he did his best to reconstruct conversations..." Read more

"...Long and well-researched account of an important part of the history of the subculture of violent and high tech video games and their creators,..." Read more

"This is a very well written and researched book about an important time in my life, my adolescence...." Read more

"...I was really surprised by how well the book was written and researched ...." Read more

Customers find the book full of detail, vivid, and engaging. They also say the realism puts them right there with the characters and the storytelling is easy to follow. Readers also mention that the characters are described vividly and the events seem schoolboy.

"...Still this book provided a really fun, detailed , and fast-moving story about them...." Read more

"...but I was really fascinated with the technology, the immersive illusion of virtual reality I felt when playing the previous game, Doom, even with..." Read more

"...of the heady days of id and the acts of its primary creators it was quite boring and lacking in the area of commentary by the side characters the..." Read more

"...Be assured, the pace of the story is good, the personalities are described vividly and the events seem schoolboy Machiavellian at times. Excellent." Read more

Customers find the book fast-paced and interesting. They also appreciate the fast shipping and good quality.

"...It feels and paced like a good Netflix series , and this was written before Netflix." Read more

"...Still this book provided a really fun, detailed, and fast-moving story about them...." Read more

"...Each new software game was incredibly innovative, speedy , and released to great praise...." Read more

"...Be assured, the pace of the story is good , the personalities are described vividly and the events seem schoolboy Machiavellian at times. Excellent." Read more

Customers find the biography fascinating and awesome. They also mention it's an account of interesting characters and an unique time in history.

"...Masters of Doom" benefits from its colorful cast of characters ...." Read more

"...Carmack is a fascinating individual ...." Read more

"...Well dialogued and incredibly fair, all the personalities and aspects are covered thoroughly ...." Read more

"...John Carmack is an incredible programmer and an interesting person , well worth reading about...." Read more

Customers find the background of the book terrific and do a good job setting the scenes.

"...is one of the greatest games ever created and just how ingenious its level design really is ...." Read more

"...This story real hits home and gave a great inside view of what was going on the creation of these games and how the two John's progressed in their..." Read more

"This book is a phenomenal look into the creation of one of gaming most innovative companies ever!..." Read more

"...Amazing read! It was a fascinating look at the early world of gaming and the two guys who helped revolutionize it. Buy it!" Read more

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Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to co-create the most notoriously successful game franchises in history—Doom and Quake—until the games they made tore them apart.

Americans spend more money on video games than on movie tickets. Masters of Doom is the first book to chronicle this industry’s greatest story, written by one of the medium’s leading observers. David Kushner takes readers inside the rags-to-riches adventure of two rebellious entrepreneurs who came of age to shape a generation. The vivid portrait reveals why their games are so violent and why their immersion in their brilliantly designed fantasy worlds offered them solace. And it shows how they channeled their fury and imagination into products that are a formative influence on our culture, from MTV to the Internet to Columbine. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry—a powerful and compassionate account of what it’s like to be young, driven, and wildly creative.