In 1975, businessman Boris Carlisle, born Boris Korova to Russian
immigrant parents, bought Modern Amusements, a company that manufactured
pinball machines and arcade games. With the Pong craze sweeping the nation,
Boris gambled his life savings on developing a home video game system that
could be played on a television set. For the prototype, he chose Spyder Web,
one of Modern's most obscure arcade games. A quarter bought the player three
chances to defeat the red-eyed, hairy-legged "spyder" before it trapped him
or her in its expansive, treacherous web and drained his or her blood. Boris
thought it had potential... and sensing a potential smash hit, he christened
his new company Spyder Games.
Boris was right. He eventually built Spyder Games into a formidable rival
for Atari and Nintendo. Spyder Web continued to be a best seller, along with
a dozen other titles created by Boris' staff of game designers. From 1978
to 1990, the company ruled the home video game market. Its success made the
Carlisles the richest family in the small college city of Fort Kent.
In the early '90s, sales began to dwindle, as video game fans traded up
their console systems for faster, more sophisticated computer-based
entertainment. Boris stubbornly insisted CD-ROM was a passing fad and
refused to explore this rapidly exploding arena. Getting meaner and more
rigid as he entered his fifties, Boris started coasting on his reputation and
the fortune he had made while his company stagnated. His daughter,
Natalia, served as Vice President of Creative Affairs, but despite her talent
and drive, the title was basically meaningless--Boris' beloved (and
attitude-impaired) executive assistant Merna had more power than Natalia, who
could not convince her father to upgrade his company for the new millennium.
Boris Carlisle's lack of foresight, which cost his company millions of
dollars, ultimately cost him much more on the night before his son Ivan's
wedding...
Fort Kent:
Fort Kent is a mid-size city in a lovely state. Until about 25
years ago, its only attractions were Eagle Lake and a small, liberal state
university, but then Boris Carlisle arrived. He chose Fort Kent as the
headquarters of his burgeoning home entertainment company, and the game
Spyder Web became Fort Kent's claim to fame.
These days the city's rapidly growing student population (almost everyone
you see on the street is under 25) has attracted a lot of other
entrepreneurs to the town, such as young fashion designer Daphne
Wallace, who chose to launch
a boutique called Come-On's in Fort Kent's tiny arts district.
Despite its recent growth, Fort Kent still retains that small-town feel--
you can run into just about anyone at the Euphoria coffeehouse, Antonio's
Fine Italian Dining or the falafel joint across from Come-On's. But the
city is also home to an international airport, a large Cuban population and a
state-of-the-art recording studio. Tourist attractions include a luxurious
day spa and some breath-taking scenery.
And then there's some other stuff going on in Fort Kent--darker, sexier, dangerous
stuff--that you're just going to have to see for yourself.
