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Official Minecraft Novels #1
Minecraft: The Island: An Official Minecraft Novel
In the tradition of iconic stories like Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island, Minecraft: The Island will tell the story of a new hero stranded in the world of Minecraft, who must survive the harsh, unfamiliar environment and unravel the secrets of the island.
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 18, 2017
About the author
Max Brooks
88 books7,339 followersMax Brooks is The New York Times bestselling author of The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z. He has been called ”the Studs Terkel of zombie journalism.“
Brooks is the son of director Mel Brooks and the late actress Anne Bancroft. He is a 1994 graduate of Pitzer College. His wife, Michelle, is a screenwriter, and the couple have a son, Henry.
Brooks is the son of director Mel Brooks and the late actress Anne Bancroft. He is a 1994 graduate of Pitzer College. His wife, Michelle, is a screenwriter, and the couple have a son, Henry.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 847 reviews
July 28, 2017
😃I enjoyed this book because I liked the part when the main character finally found land after he was drowning.😃 I also enjoyed this book because I liked the part when he named the cow "Moo."😃 I also enjoyed this book becase I liked the part when he also made friends with sheep; one blue sheep, one white sheep, and one black sheep.😃 He named the blue sheep "Rainy," the black sheep "Flint," and the white sheep "Cloud."😃
I also enjoyed this book because I lllllllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee mincraft.😃
I also enjoyed this book because I lllllllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee mincraft.😃
August 28, 2017
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/08/27/...
I never thought I’d see a book like this, brought to us by the author of World War Z no less. A month ago, if you had floated me the idea of a Minecraft novel adaptation, I would have laughed and said it would never fly. I mean, what would it even be about? Won’t it just end up being a three-hundred-page instruction manual on how to play the game?
Well, apparently yes and no. This “first and only official Minecraft novel”, trumpets the publisher blurb, tells the story of a hero stranded on an island based in the Minecraft world. The book starts off with our unnamed protagonist (whom I will refer to as “he” since I listened to the version of the audiobook narrated by Jack Black) coming to consciousness in a freaky new reality where everything—the land, the trees, the animals, the sun, and even the character’s own body—is made up of square blocks. This shouldn’t be too hard to picture in your mind, if you’re familiar with Minecraft, though if you’re not, then this book—not to mention the rest of this review—is probably going to sound very strange.
Reading this story, I flashed back to early 2010 which was when I was first exposed to Minecraft. The game was in Alpha phase at this point, very early in its development cycle, and the only mode available was Survival where players must collect resources, build shelter, fend off hostile mobs, and manage your health and hunger in order to survive. Like the character in this novel, you literally started with nothing but the clothes on your back. To flourish and thrive, you had to explore and gather raw materials which can in turn be used to craft other items like tools, weapons, and furniture. At night, you wanted to be safely ensconced in a well-lit shelter because that’s when monsters like zombies would spawn, which our protagonist discovers to his horror and dismay. This book is essentially the story of his experience and serves as a proxy for a new player who might be seeing this confusing and disorienting game world for the first time—except, of course, there are no game guides or online wikis to help him out.
As surprised as I am to admit it, Minecraft: The Island ended up being very good. Much of the enjoyment came from listening to the audiobook, I am sure (which I will go into later), but I was overall quite impressed with how the author managed to dramatize the new player experience, making even the most mundane tasks feel like a race against time. Brooks also did a great job capturing the spirit of the game, perfectly portraying that giddy sense of excitement whenever you make a new discovery, or even that satisfying feeling of accomplishment when you survive your first night without being killed by a zombie.
For a story based on a desert island scenario, the tone of the narrative was also much more enthusiastic and upbeat than I expected. Thanks to unconventional personalities like Moo the cow and other barnyard animals that our protagonist befriends (hey, it sure beats talking to an inanimate volleyball), we avoid the usual problems involving loneliness and tedium. As this book is geared towards children and young adults, the humor we get is light and clean, though I’m also confident that readers of all ages will be able to appreciate the story’s universal themes. The table of contents, which ostensibly reads like a list of guidelines to help you succeed in Minecraft, show chapter headings like “Never Give Up”, “Details Make The Difference”, “Take Life In Steps”, “Take Care of Your Environment So It Can Take Care Of You”, “It’s Not Failure That Matters, But How You Recover”, or “Books Make the World Better”—all good lessons that can be applied to the real world, no matter how old you are.
Bottom line, Minecraft fans will undoubtedly get the most out of this, but it would also be a shame to dismiss it out of hand. Having sunk plenty of hours into this game back in Alpha, reading Minecraft: The Island was a nice shot of nostalgia, with the main character’s challenges reminding me lot of those early days where no one really knew what was going on and any progress was made mostly through experimentation and sheer dumb luck. Overall, I thought this was a fun little book filled with tons of game lore and Minecraft-y goodness—along with a surprising amount of introspection, which is always a nice bonus.
Audiobook Comments: The audiobook for Minecraft: The Island comes in two versions—one narrated by Jack Black, the other narrated by Samira Wiley. Since the protagonist is undefined by gender, this allows the reader/listener to select their own “character”, so to speak. I personally went with the Jack Black version because I love his work as an actor and comedian, and it was a choice I did not regret at all. His energy was a great fit for Max Brook’s humor and writing style, and his voice acting really took the story to a whole new level. I also liked how the audiobook incorporated sounds from the game, and though the music could get a bit loud and distracting at times, I doubt I would have enjoyed myself as much if they hadn’t included these nice little touches. Indeed I am happy that I decided to go with the audiobook, and I would not hesitate to recommend this format to anyone thinking of checking out the novel.
I never thought I’d see a book like this, brought to us by the author of World War Z no less. A month ago, if you had floated me the idea of a Minecraft novel adaptation, I would have laughed and said it would never fly. I mean, what would it even be about? Won’t it just end up being a three-hundred-page instruction manual on how to play the game?
Well, apparently yes and no. This “first and only official Minecraft novel”, trumpets the publisher blurb, tells the story of a hero stranded on an island based in the Minecraft world. The book starts off with our unnamed protagonist (whom I will refer to as “he” since I listened to the version of the audiobook narrated by Jack Black) coming to consciousness in a freaky new reality where everything—the land, the trees, the animals, the sun, and even the character’s own body—is made up of square blocks. This shouldn’t be too hard to picture in your mind, if you’re familiar with Minecraft, though if you’re not, then this book—not to mention the rest of this review—is probably going to sound very strange.
Reading this story, I flashed back to early 2010 which was when I was first exposed to Minecraft. The game was in Alpha phase at this point, very early in its development cycle, and the only mode available was Survival where players must collect resources, build shelter, fend off hostile mobs, and manage your health and hunger in order to survive. Like the character in this novel, you literally started with nothing but the clothes on your back. To flourish and thrive, you had to explore and gather raw materials which can in turn be used to craft other items like tools, weapons, and furniture. At night, you wanted to be safely ensconced in a well-lit shelter because that’s when monsters like zombies would spawn, which our protagonist discovers to his horror and dismay. This book is essentially the story of his experience and serves as a proxy for a new player who might be seeing this confusing and disorienting game world for the first time—except, of course, there are no game guides or online wikis to help him out.
As surprised as I am to admit it, Minecraft: The Island ended up being very good. Much of the enjoyment came from listening to the audiobook, I am sure (which I will go into later), but I was overall quite impressed with how the author managed to dramatize the new player experience, making even the most mundane tasks feel like a race against time. Brooks also did a great job capturing the spirit of the game, perfectly portraying that giddy sense of excitement whenever you make a new discovery, or even that satisfying feeling of accomplishment when you survive your first night without being killed by a zombie.
For a story based on a desert island scenario, the tone of the narrative was also much more enthusiastic and upbeat than I expected. Thanks to unconventional personalities like Moo the cow and other barnyard animals that our protagonist befriends (hey, it sure beats talking to an inanimate volleyball), we avoid the usual problems involving loneliness and tedium. As this book is geared towards children and young adults, the humor we get is light and clean, though I’m also confident that readers of all ages will be able to appreciate the story’s universal themes. The table of contents, which ostensibly reads like a list of guidelines to help you succeed in Minecraft, show chapter headings like “Never Give Up”, “Details Make The Difference”, “Take Life In Steps”, “Take Care of Your Environment So It Can Take Care Of You”, “It’s Not Failure That Matters, But How You Recover”, or “Books Make the World Better”—all good lessons that can be applied to the real world, no matter how old you are.
Bottom line, Minecraft fans will undoubtedly get the most out of this, but it would also be a shame to dismiss it out of hand. Having sunk plenty of hours into this game back in Alpha, reading Minecraft: The Island was a nice shot of nostalgia, with the main character’s challenges reminding me lot of those early days where no one really knew what was going on and any progress was made mostly through experimentation and sheer dumb luck. Overall, I thought this was a fun little book filled with tons of game lore and Minecraft-y goodness—along with a surprising amount of introspection, which is always a nice bonus.
Audiobook Comments: The audiobook for Minecraft: The Island comes in two versions—one narrated by Jack Black, the other narrated by Samira Wiley. Since the protagonist is undefined by gender, this allows the reader/listener to select their own “character”, so to speak. I personally went with the Jack Black version because I love his work as an actor and comedian, and it was a choice I did not regret at all. His energy was a great fit for Max Brook’s humor and writing style, and his voice acting really took the story to a whole new level. I also liked how the audiobook incorporated sounds from the game, and though the music could get a bit loud and distracting at times, I doubt I would have enjoyed myself as much if they hadn’t included these nice little touches. Indeed I am happy that I decided to go with the audiobook, and I would not hesitate to recommend this format to anyone thinking of checking out the novel.
September 13, 2017
Terrible! Just terrible. The second I heard Brooks on NPR peddling his new book, I put it at the top of my short list. I loved World War Z, The Zombie Survival Guide and The Harlem Hellfighters, so I assumed that I would enjoy this too. I was wrong. This book was so boring and the writing was sophomoric at best. This is a first person narration with a single character a la The Martian except without being enjoyable. It is so bad that I am refusing to believe that Brooks actually wrote it. I am hoping that he sold out and put his name on this shit piece of branded work.
A total disappointment and waste of 300 pages. Do not read this. However, you should totally read everything else Brooks wrote.
A total disappointment and waste of 300 pages. Do not read this. However, you should totally read everything else Brooks wrote.
December 15, 2019
In The Island, a plucky guy from our world wakes up and finds himself in the strange Minecraft world of blocky Moos, scary Spiders, angry Zombies, and dangerous Blasties. He writes this book with popular maxims for survival for whoever comes after him. While the idea was interesting, my experience with Minecraft was one of wane bewilderment while my son found it only mildly interesting. So a book about it? Well, it was underwhelming and felt a bit redundant at times. The tone is very millennial with lots of “Dudes” and “Oh man!” on every page which was taxing as well. So, three stars for originality and a book with life lessons, but not four or five because it failed to keep me interested.
October 11, 2017
I don't think I was the right person for this book. I mean I have put in TONS of hours playing, but I'm not super obsessed with all things Minecraft. You either need to know a bare minimum of facts about Minecraft or be obsessed to really enjoy this book.
May 18, 2023
My kid got fully hooked by the audiobook (read by Jack Black!) and wanted to sit and listen to it for a long long time.
August 24, 2017
My original Minecraft: The Island audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
If you are a fan of the game Minecraft, this book will fill the void when you are unable to play. Minecraft: The Island, written by Max Brooks (World War Z), takes our main character from day one in the world of Minecraft to feeling somewhat comfortable with his new surroundings. The audiobook version can be purchased narrated by either Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda) or Samira Wiley (Orange is the new black). I’m reviewing the version narrated by Jack Black, which I enjoyed very much. If you are under fifty, nearly everyone under this age has either played Minecraft or knows what the game is about. If you are coming to this book without prior knowledge of Minecraft the game, I recommend you first get some hands-on experience as it will make the book that much more enjoyable. Not having firsthand knowledge of the landscape, creatures, day and night cycles, etc., you may lose out on what makes this book fun and interesting. It should be noted that the book is written at an eight to ten year-old level and is classified as a kids book. You will be sadly disappointed if you are coming to this book with hopes of adult deep character development, storyline, or romance. If you like Minecraft and can put up with some of the silly and light-hearted humor expected in a book of this genre, I think you should pick up the book.
This book contains everything that makes the game of Minecraft interesting. It is full of discovery, crafting, building and of course survival. For those familiar with the game, you may find it interesting that the main character’s discovery process was unlike what most who start the game experience. It was not simply seeking shelter, building a fire, survive the first night one is accustomed to, but more a unique discovery and journey from the norm; for me that was refreshing and new. Those who enjoy the Literary RPG (LitRPG) genre, you will find this is right in that niche with a Minecraft focus. Like with the game itself, the book is full of new and wonderful discovery told in a way that is engaging and fun. The game of Minecraft is very interactive, and this book has that same feel when you read or listened to it. Overall it is a clean, fun, action-packed story that is targeted towards players of the game. I was excited to learn that the author kept to the roots of the game and it is the first book released approved by Mojang.
Although Minecraft is an open world where the player is able to take whatever action desired, knowing there may be consequences, the book has that same feeling of being vast and open-ended. I like that it was not all about survival and monsters. You get a sense of the complexity of the game and scale of the world itself as he character experiences the world around him. The author included many not required additional aspects making the book interesting and fun. For example, our player befriends some of the local livestock early in the game and they take this wonderful journey along with him; except during his mining. The book is ripe with friendships, sacrifice, and exploration.
As with the game, this story is full of encounters, disasters, and a time of recovery. Encounters can include anything from the standard monsters (mobs), items (books, rugs, records, spawners, etc.) and so much more. Apart from one section where the main character references being “green” (referring to recycling), there were no agendas being pushed by the author, the book really is simply intended for shear entertainment. I often include in my reviews a section warning parents or young readers of any potential offensive or more adult subject matter. Even with a few sections of the book containing crude childish humor, the book’s age is appropriate for its intended audience. The humor is what would be expected in a book of this type and category. I will say that a few quips made me laugh out loud as I imagined the character being frustrated that he was unable to put his hands on his hips; for example.
Let me turn to the narration by Jack Black (voice of Kung Fu Panda). Even though he has not narrated many other audiobooks on Audible, his narration is professionally done; as expected from a person who does character voiceovers for a living. Random House, the publisher of this title on Audible, did not pull any punches when it came to lining up narration talent. I liked Jack Black’s rich and deeper voice making the story feel vaster and at times darker. The narrator had great inflection and the audio did not contain any noticeable issues such as swallows, page turns, etc. I also liked some of the added extras included in the audiobook edition. The inclusion of sound effects and music brought the book to life. They were not over used, but became the icing on top of the cake.
If you are a fan of Minecraft, your decision to pick up this book is something you will not be disappointed with. Although geared towards younger audiences, I think there is enough that nearly all ages can laugh and enjoy the book. It is so much better with existing knowledge of Minecraft itself, so make sure that if you plan on reading this book you have some prior knowledge of the game.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
If you are a fan of the game Minecraft, this book will fill the void when you are unable to play. Minecraft: The Island, written by Max Brooks (World War Z), takes our main character from day one in the world of Minecraft to feeling somewhat comfortable with his new surroundings. The audiobook version can be purchased narrated by either Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda) or Samira Wiley (Orange is the new black). I’m reviewing the version narrated by Jack Black, which I enjoyed very much. If you are under fifty, nearly everyone under this age has either played Minecraft or knows what the game is about. If you are coming to this book without prior knowledge of Minecraft the game, I recommend you first get some hands-on experience as it will make the book that much more enjoyable. Not having firsthand knowledge of the landscape, creatures, day and night cycles, etc., you may lose out on what makes this book fun and interesting. It should be noted that the book is written at an eight to ten year-old level and is classified as a kids book. You will be sadly disappointed if you are coming to this book with hopes of adult deep character development, storyline, or romance. If you like Minecraft and can put up with some of the silly and light-hearted humor expected in a book of this genre, I think you should pick up the book.
This book contains everything that makes the game of Minecraft interesting. It is full of discovery, crafting, building and of course survival. For those familiar with the game, you may find it interesting that the main character’s discovery process was unlike what most who start the game experience. It was not simply seeking shelter, building a fire, survive the first night one is accustomed to, but more a unique discovery and journey from the norm; for me that was refreshing and new. Those who enjoy the Literary RPG (LitRPG) genre, you will find this is right in that niche with a Minecraft focus. Like with the game itself, the book is full of new and wonderful discovery told in a way that is engaging and fun. The game of Minecraft is very interactive, and this book has that same feel when you read or listened to it. Overall it is a clean, fun, action-packed story that is targeted towards players of the game. I was excited to learn that the author kept to the roots of the game and it is the first book released approved by Mojang.
Although Minecraft is an open world where the player is able to take whatever action desired, knowing there may be consequences, the book has that same feeling of being vast and open-ended. I like that it was not all about survival and monsters. You get a sense of the complexity of the game and scale of the world itself as he character experiences the world around him. The author included many not required additional aspects making the book interesting and fun. For example, our player befriends some of the local livestock early in the game and they take this wonderful journey along with him; except during his mining. The book is ripe with friendships, sacrifice, and exploration.
As with the game, this story is full of encounters, disasters, and a time of recovery. Encounters can include anything from the standard monsters (mobs), items (books, rugs, records, spawners, etc.) and so much more. Apart from one section where the main character references being “green” (referring to recycling), there were no agendas being pushed by the author, the book really is simply intended for shear entertainment. I often include in my reviews a section warning parents or young readers of any potential offensive or more adult subject matter. Even with a few sections of the book containing crude childish humor, the book’s age is appropriate for its intended audience. The humor is what would be expected in a book of this type and category. I will say that a few quips made me laugh out loud as I imagined the character being frustrated that he was unable to put his hands on his hips; for example.
Let me turn to the narration by Jack Black (voice of Kung Fu Panda). Even though he has not narrated many other audiobooks on Audible, his narration is professionally done; as expected from a person who does character voiceovers for a living. Random House, the publisher of this title on Audible, did not pull any punches when it came to lining up narration talent. I liked Jack Black’s rich and deeper voice making the story feel vaster and at times darker. The narrator had great inflection and the audio did not contain any noticeable issues such as swallows, page turns, etc. I also liked some of the added extras included in the audiobook edition. The inclusion of sound effects and music brought the book to life. They were not over used, but became the icing on top of the cake.
If you are a fan of Minecraft, your decision to pick up this book is something you will not be disappointed with. Although geared towards younger audiences, I think there is enough that nearly all ages can laugh and enjoy the book. It is so much better with existing knowledge of Minecraft itself, so make sure that if you plan on reading this book you have some prior knowledge of the game.
Audiobook was provided for review by the publisher.
September 5, 2018
I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would.
Disclaimer**
I do not play Minecraft. I never saw the point.
That said, reading this book feels like what I imagine playing the game would be like.
I'm almost actually tempted to try it.
I enjoyed the writing style (in spite of it being in first person, which I ordinarily hate), and it had just the right amount of detail vs expediency to keep things moving and fun.
And lastly, the audiobook read by Jack Black is fan-freaking-tastic! I'm not a fan, but his narration of this book was top notch perfect!
Disclaimer**
I do not play Minecraft. I never saw the point.
That said, reading this book feels like what I imagine playing the game would be like.
I'm almost actually tempted to try it.
I enjoyed the writing style (in spite of it being in first person, which I ordinarily hate), and it had just the right amount of detail vs expediency to keep things moving and fun.
And lastly, the audiobook read by Jack Black is fan-freaking-tastic! I'm not a fan, but his narration of this book was top notch perfect!
January 25, 2018
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Minecraft. It provided new theories about the game and guides.
November 1, 2017
I am neither a Minecraft devotee (I've never played it, though I read an article about it in Time a few years back), nor the target demographic for this novel (it's for middle-graders), but I nonetheless enjoyed and admired what Max Brooks achieved with this project. He somehow translated the pixelated aesthetic of the videogame and made it integral to the fictional environment of The Island, and gave this open-ended "sandbox" adventure a narrative structure. And The Island even shares a worldview, hard as this may be to believe, with Brooks' apocalyptic horror novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War: It's about preparedness and resilience in the face of mortal danger. I admire Brooks for tackling a licensed intellectual property like this, so far removed from the genre for which he's known, and not only pulling it off, but endowing it with his own personality and preoccupations, at that -- no easy feat for a media tie-in.
The novel itself, much like a videogame, is intentionally episodic -- handled in self-contained stages -- as the nameless protagonist (whose gender is also unidentified, allowing readers of any sex to project themselves onto the hero) overcomes a series of obstacles à la Robinson Crusoe. The book will probably be most enjoyable -- most meaningful -- to young fans of the game; it is designed to encourage consideration -- and, hopefully, discussion -- of how to take a levelheaded approach to the inevitable adversities life throws in our path. In an era in which superheroes -- those great teachers of basic morals throughout the latter half of the twentieth century -- have been coopted, corrupted, and perverted by a generation of self-infantilized middle-aged men, Minecraft: The Island serves as an all-too-uncommon example of the kind of earnest fiction we need more of these days: youth-oriented, closed-ended, moral-of-the-story "edutainment" without a whiff of cynicism, despite, in this particular case, being based on a popular videogame. Kudos to Brooks for seizing an unorthodox opportunity to make old-fashioned storytelling relevant anew.
The novel itself, much like a videogame, is intentionally episodic -- handled in self-contained stages -- as the nameless protagonist (whose gender is also unidentified, allowing readers of any sex to project themselves onto the hero) overcomes a series of obstacles à la Robinson Crusoe. The book will probably be most enjoyable -- most meaningful -- to young fans of the game; it is designed to encourage consideration -- and, hopefully, discussion -- of how to take a levelheaded approach to the inevitable adversities life throws in our path. In an era in which superheroes -- those great teachers of basic morals throughout the latter half of the twentieth century -- have been coopted, corrupted, and perverted by a generation of self-infantilized middle-aged men, Minecraft: The Island serves as an all-too-uncommon example of the kind of earnest fiction we need more of these days: youth-oriented, closed-ended, moral-of-the-story "edutainment" without a whiff of cynicism, despite, in this particular case, being based on a popular videogame. Kudos to Brooks for seizing an unorthodox opportunity to make old-fashioned storytelling relevant anew.
September 2, 2018
In the beginning I really liked this book, couldn't put it down for a super long time. But closer to the end it started to get kind of boring and it was getting a little repetitive. But the end was super sad and I loved how the author put so many useful life lessons in each chapter. 👍
August 29, 2019
While it wasn't terrible, I felt a little misled by the Max Brooks part of this equation. I guess I shouldn't have expected World War M?
At any rate, I read this because my son is big into the game and I wanted to have something we could share. This was way more Y than A than most books and was almost a game guide at points. Very hard to read something that is telling you / describing to you how to manage inventory.
There was one truly laugh out loud moment when you meet the animals for the first time and the narrator hears a cow moo and then hears a goat and asks the cow if he's bilingual.
At any rate, I read this because my son is big into the game and I wanted to have something we could share. This was way more Y than A than most books and was almost a game guide at points. Very hard to read something that is telling you / describing to you how to manage inventory.
There was one truly laugh out loud moment when you meet the animals for the first time and the narrator hears a cow moo and then hears a goat and asks the cow if he's bilingual.
December 14, 2017
This book I would read over and over and over! If i could only read one book for a whole year, it would be this one. In the first chapter, there is so much feeling page by page. And the true survival story. This book represents Minecraft in the best possible way. In each chapter, the main nameless character learn a important survival lesson. Also these lessons are the type that you can relate back to your own life.
Example: Even if someone looks like you doesn't meen that they are not a friend.
All that I'm saying is this, MOO!
Example: Even if someone looks like you doesn't meen that they are not a friend.
All that I'm saying is this, MOO!
January 16, 2022
I read this book because my littlest sister, who’s ten, loved it. It was surprisingly fun! Our main character wakes up in Minecraft, but has no idea what Minecraft is, which means he’s very confused why the sun is a square and he can get wood from a tree when he punches it.
October 1, 2018
I think this book will be great for a select audience. My 6yo and 9yo loved it but I think anyone deeply immersed in the world of Minecraft or outside of it will be disappointed.
December 6, 2019
I was happily surprised by this book! When I first picked it up and started reading it I stopped at around page 70 and I couldn't keep reading, it was way too boring hahahah
However, when I discovered Jack Black was the narrator for the audiobook, I decided to give it a try! Besides Jack Black being an amazing reader, all the sounds effects and soundtrack were incredible! It truly brought this book to life! I've been playing Minecraft since I was 9 and when I heard about the plot of this book I was really intrigued. Anyway, okay book with a really good message! And it brought me back to late Sunday nights in 2011 when all I did was play Minecraft (:
"This is my home, too, and I'll carry its memories in my heart, because even if I don't find the answers I'm searching for, it's the searching that really matters."
What I've learned from The World Of Minecraft:
1. Keep going, never give up.
2. Panic drowns thought.
3. Don't assume anything.
4. Think before you act.
5. Details make the difference.
6. Just because the rules don't make sense to you doesn't mean that they don't make sense.
7. Figuring out the rules turns them from enemies into friends.
8. Be grateful for what you have.
9. It's not wisdom that counts but wisdom under pressure.
10. Too much confidence can be as dangerous as having none at all.
11. Take life in steps.
12. Friends keep you sane.
13. Conserve your resources.
14. Tantrums never help.
15. Nothing clears the mind like sleep
16. When looking for solutions, beating yourself up isn't one of them.
17. Don't dwell on mistakes; learn from them.
18. Great risk Lancôme with great rewards.
19. Fear can be conquered. Anxiety must be endured.
20. Courage is a full-time job.
21. When the world changes, you've got to change with it.
22. Always be aware of your surroundings.
23. There's nothing wrong with careful curiosity.
24. Take care of your environment, so it can take care of you.
25. Just because someone looks like you doesn't automatically make them a friend.
26. Just because someone doesn't look like you doesn't automatically make them an enemy.
27. Everything comes at a price. Especially if that price is your conscience.
28. It's not failure that matters, it's how you recover.
29. When you're trying to tell yourself something, listen.
30. Questions don't stay put; you can't just walk away from them.
31. Never put off the boring but important chores.
32. Sometimes you have to compromise an ideal in order to save it.
33. Books make the world bigger.
34. Revenge hurts only you.
35. Knowledge, like a seed, needs the right time to bloom.
36. Growth doesn't come from a comfort zone, but from leaving it.
However, when I discovered Jack Black was the narrator for the audiobook, I decided to give it a try! Besides Jack Black being an amazing reader, all the sounds effects and soundtrack were incredible! It truly brought this book to life! I've been playing Minecraft since I was 9 and when I heard about the plot of this book I was really intrigued. Anyway, okay book with a really good message! And it brought me back to late Sunday nights in 2011 when all I did was play Minecraft (:
"This is my home, too, and I'll carry its memories in my heart, because even if I don't find the answers I'm searching for, it's the searching that really matters."
What I've learned from The World Of Minecraft:
1. Keep going, never give up.
2. Panic drowns thought.
3. Don't assume anything.
4. Think before you act.
5. Details make the difference.
6. Just because the rules don't make sense to you doesn't mean that they don't make sense.
7. Figuring out the rules turns them from enemies into friends.
8. Be grateful for what you have.
9. It's not wisdom that counts but wisdom under pressure.
10. Too much confidence can be as dangerous as having none at all.
11. Take life in steps.
12. Friends keep you sane.
13. Conserve your resources.
14. Tantrums never help.
15. Nothing clears the mind like sleep
16. When looking for solutions, beating yourself up isn't one of them.
17. Don't dwell on mistakes; learn from them.
18. Great risk Lancôme with great rewards.
19. Fear can be conquered. Anxiety must be endured.
20. Courage is a full-time job.
21. When the world changes, you've got to change with it.
22. Always be aware of your surroundings.
23. There's nothing wrong with careful curiosity.
24. Take care of your environment, so it can take care of you.
25. Just because someone looks like you doesn't automatically make them a friend.
26. Just because someone doesn't look like you doesn't automatically make them an enemy.
27. Everything comes at a price. Especially if that price is your conscience.
28. It's not failure that matters, it's how you recover.
29. When you're trying to tell yourself something, listen.
30. Questions don't stay put; you can't just walk away from them.
31. Never put off the boring but important chores.
32. Sometimes you have to compromise an ideal in order to save it.
33. Books make the world bigger.
34. Revenge hurts only you.
35. Knowledge, like a seed, needs the right time to bloom.
36. Growth doesn't come from a comfort zone, but from leaving it.
June 12, 2023
How do you make a novel out of a world where there are no characters, no motives beyond keeping busy, and no peril that lasts longer than a single night? How can you structure a story in a way that builds up and pays off? And how can you depict such a singular game-world in a way that's compelling for people who've already played the game, and coherent for people who haven't? The answer to all of these questions is that you can't. The story is narrated by the player character, who wakes up in Minecraft one day with no idea what any of it is or means, and follows his stream of consciousness ramblings as he works out the mechanics of the world, has periodic existential crises, and imparts the most uninspiring life lessons ever put in a book. The unnamed 'character' has an existential crisis, struggling to come to terms with the strange cubular world they've found themselves in, and this is surprisingly compelling - but unfortunately it gets dropped within the first few chapters.
Without that dread, all you have is a series of tasks and moments of mild jeopardy, joylessly transcribed from the game into the book. One element of Minecraft that was crucial to it's success is agency - the player chooses what to make, and when to make it. With the author deciding for us, everything that was fun for a player begins to feel like a chore for a reader. This is nothing more than an extended description of somebody working. One of the most disheartening things about this is how closely the narrative aligns with my own experience of getting to grips with Minecraft - the narrator makes all the same mistakes, the same discoveries, and in almost the same order I did. Was my experience, which I thought was unique and depended on my own decisions, actually just universal?
I think this book goes beyond 'not good' and into 'actually bad' territory because it doesn't just rip off Minecraft, it cheapens it. It takes away the magic. And worst of all it seems to be written by a bemused parent who doesn't think too much of the game but knows their kids like it - if the narrator isn't baffled by the lack of real-world logic, or adding elements of his own that don't fit in with the Minecraft world, he's trying to impart life lessons on the reader. This book takes something that should be about pure discovery and creativity and sullies it, turning it into a lesson, a boring adult's didactic step-by-step guide to a kid's game, punctuated with chintzy morals and motivational quotes. There is no joy in here. It's all mine and no craft.
Without that dread, all you have is a series of tasks and moments of mild jeopardy, joylessly transcribed from the game into the book. One element of Minecraft that was crucial to it's success is agency - the player chooses what to make, and when to make it. With the author deciding for us, everything that was fun for a player begins to feel like a chore for a reader. This is nothing more than an extended description of somebody working. One of the most disheartening things about this is how closely the narrative aligns with my own experience of getting to grips with Minecraft - the narrator makes all the same mistakes, the same discoveries, and in almost the same order I did. Was my experience, which I thought was unique and depended on my own decisions, actually just universal?
I think this book goes beyond 'not good' and into 'actually bad' territory because it doesn't just rip off Minecraft, it cheapens it. It takes away the magic. And worst of all it seems to be written by a bemused parent who doesn't think too much of the game but knows their kids like it - if the narrator isn't baffled by the lack of real-world logic, or adding elements of his own that don't fit in with the Minecraft world, he's trying to impart life lessons on the reader. This book takes something that should be about pure discovery and creativity and sullies it, turning it into a lesson, a boring adult's didactic step-by-step guide to a kid's game, punctuated with chintzy morals and motivational quotes. There is no joy in here. It's all mine and no craft.
August 7, 2017
Wow, what a book!
This was the most astonishingly fu**ed-up book I've ever read. This is not even a novel, it's just a manual for Minecraft players who've never played with that game. If you follow this book, you'll learn how to play the game, but god for a novel? This was plain bad. The info-dumping was amateurish, the character was just lame, the world... while it works in the game, it DOES NOT in a book.
I really can't fathom why they couldn't write a story for Minecraft like the Telltale game. That was a good one, you got to know the world, how it worked, and still had a good story.
This one? This is nothing like that, and it breaks my heart. I wanted to like this so bad, I loved World War Z, but this? Shame on you, Max Brooks, I wouldn't even call this writing.
This was the most astonishingly fu**ed-up book I've ever read. This is not even a novel, it's just a manual for Minecraft players who've never played with that game. If you follow this book, you'll learn how to play the game, but god for a novel? This was plain bad. The info-dumping was amateurish, the character was just lame, the world... while it works in the game, it DOES NOT in a book.
I really can't fathom why they couldn't write a story for Minecraft like the Telltale game. That was a good one, you got to know the world, how it worked, and still had a good story.
This one? This is nothing like that, and it breaks my heart. I wanted to like this so bad, I loved World War Z, but this? Shame on you, Max Brooks, I wouldn't even call this writing.
January 30, 2018
Minecraft. La isla, como idea para novela es algo escasa, porque no tiene mucho que desarrollar; al menos, el estilo narrativo de Max Brooks consigue atrapar al lector lo suficiente como para avanzar.
Reseña completa en THE BEST READ YET BLOG
Reseña completa en THE BEST READ YET BLOG
November 20, 2019
Written to order portal fantasy with a Robinson Crusoe/Win to Exit spin where the protagonist was marooned inside Minecraft .
Full disclosure—I am both a fan of the author and of Mincraft. In addition, I normally eschew Children’s popular literature.
My ebook copy was a modest 277-pages with a 2017 US copywrite.
Max Brooks is an American writer of apocalyptic fiction and non-fiction as well as being an actor. He has more than twenty (20) published books in both series and stand alone. The last book of Brook’s I read was World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War . This is the first book in the Official Minecraft Series series. The series’ books are written by different authors.
TL;DR Synopsis
A children’s fantasy adventure piggy-backing on the phenomenally popular Minecraft computer game. I estimate it’s targeted at nerd-children ages 8 -11 years of age, although I couldn’t find this explicitly recommended. Some knowledge of Minecraft was needed to get it. This was despite the author’s best effort at introducing the Bizarro World of the game. The story uses a 2017 version of the game. Mature readers who are fans of the author and the game may find interesting his take on a The Minecraft Survival Guide vis-à-vis The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead along with his rendering of the game’s Dungeon Crawl. However, the author misses on writing a story entertaining to both nerd-adults and nerd-children. Note this book was part of a series. It ends unresolved.
The Review
Prose was OK. There was a single POV. The author has traditionally used an informal, style. That continues here, although it’s obvious he’s using a simpler more straightforward narration than in previous books. There was almost no dialog, given the story’s Robinson Crusoe-like premise. The protagonist’s inner narrative could be amusing at times, although I felt he was too pious. Descriptions are very detailed in the beginning. The book was a Primer on aspects of the game. However, the descriptions become less detailed as the story gets long. Action sequences were good, although not too complicated. Pacing was fine throughout.
There was no sex, drugs or rock’n roll in the story.
The main character was an unnamed man, possibly a young man. (I like unnamed protagonists.) He was the only character in the book other than the game's NPCs. At its heart, this was a Man Against Nature story, with an internal and external arc-of-discovery. The main antagonists are the vintage 2017 hostile Minecraft mobs . The mobs are a vaguely supernatural group of entities. The protagonist only encounters a small number of the game’s mob cadre for its Survival Mode of play.
The plotting follows the game’s SOP from the beginning to the just beyond mid-point of an unremarkable Survival Mode game of Minecraft. The protagonist: collects resources; builds tools and shelter; battles mobs, hunger and lack of sleep; and explores the world. The author constrains the story to a small island, versus the game's normal open world, to make his job easier. A dose of hipster agitprop was included. The protagonist tries and fails at a vegetarian diet. He also resolves to live "green" after greedily causing species extinction on the island. Some things did puzzle me. For example, why were there pages describing building a bathroom with running water, when Minecraft characters neither poop nor pee? Could I have rightly expected autoeroticism too? Finally, there are the Six (6) P’s. These are the essentials for a character's survival and a happy life: Planning, Preparing, Prioritizing, Practice, Patience and Perseverance. Presumably, a nerd-child will develop and exercise all these virtues as a result of reading this story and playing the game? The book finds an endpoint, and sets-up for the second book in the series.
One of the strengths of the book, was that in the beginning it was good Primer on 'how to' for the game. However, toward the end, the author lost this reader. I found myself scratching my head a few times, “How did he do that?” A major example of this was once the protagonist starting building Redstone devices. In the game, once you start building devices with Redstone, its like going from working with bear skins and stone knives to nuclear fusion. The protagonist effortlessly makes this jump. When I played the game, I found it to be one of the most difficult parts of the game to master.
This was a moderately entertaining primer on Minecraft couched as a story. I could see how a 9-year old nerd-child might be enticed to read a book using the lure of their Minecraft gaming addiction. I’ve played many hours of the game, although not recently. The story kindled some very vivid memories, and I learned a few ‘better ways’ I could have done things. The author did a good job at describing the joy of Mindcraft world building. The unnamed protagonist’s battles with game zombies were as good as the author’s World War Z combats, although less graphic. Toward the end, the author was less detailed in his descriptions and it became less useful as a learning experience for the game. A large problem I had was that, the author did not make a children’s book that would be consistently entertaining to adults. This is possible by interleaving two or more levels of meaning in the narration. That wasn’t accomplished. I don't think it was attempted? Sometime after the midpoint, despite my interest in the game, the story become boring. I know GoodRead’s members who thrive on reading children’s books. Perhaps my inner child is too deeply concealed? In summary, this was moderately entertaining in the beginning due to my interest in the game's world building. However, it did not go the distance for me.
I will not be reading the next book in the series Minecraft: The Crash
Full disclosure—I am both a fan of the author and of Mincraft. In addition, I normally eschew Children’s popular literature.
My ebook copy was a modest 277-pages with a 2017 US copywrite.
Max Brooks is an American writer of apocalyptic fiction and non-fiction as well as being an actor. He has more than twenty (20) published books in both series and stand alone. The last book of Brook’s I read was World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War . This is the first book in the Official Minecraft Series series. The series’ books are written by different authors.
TL;DR Synopsis
A children’s fantasy adventure piggy-backing on the phenomenally popular Minecraft computer game. I estimate it’s targeted at nerd-children ages 8 -11 years of age, although I couldn’t find this explicitly recommended. Some knowledge of Minecraft was needed to get it. This was despite the author’s best effort at introducing the Bizarro World of the game. The story uses a 2017 version of the game. Mature readers who are fans of the author and the game may find interesting his take on a The Minecraft Survival Guide vis-à-vis The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead along with his rendering of the game’s Dungeon Crawl. However, the author misses on writing a story entertaining to both nerd-adults and nerd-children. Note this book was part of a series. It ends unresolved.
The Review
Prose was OK. There was a single POV. The author has traditionally used an informal, style. That continues here, although it’s obvious he’s using a simpler more straightforward narration than in previous books. There was almost no dialog, given the story’s Robinson Crusoe-like premise. The protagonist’s inner narrative could be amusing at times, although I felt he was too pious. Descriptions are very detailed in the beginning. The book was a Primer on aspects of the game. However, the descriptions become less detailed as the story gets long. Action sequences were good, although not too complicated. Pacing was fine throughout.
There was no sex, drugs or rock’n roll in the story.
The main character was an unnamed man, possibly a young man. (I like unnamed protagonists.) He was the only character in the book other than the game's NPCs. At its heart, this was a Man Against Nature story, with an internal and external arc-of-discovery. The main antagonists are the vintage 2017 hostile Minecraft mobs . The mobs are a vaguely supernatural group of entities. The protagonist only encounters a small number of the game’s mob cadre for its Survival Mode of play.
The plotting follows the game’s SOP from the beginning to the just beyond mid-point of an unremarkable Survival Mode game of Minecraft. The protagonist: collects resources; builds tools and shelter; battles mobs, hunger and lack of sleep; and explores the world. The author constrains the story to a small island, versus the game's normal open world, to make his job easier. A dose of hipster agitprop was included. The protagonist tries and fails at a vegetarian diet. He also resolves to live "green" after greedily causing species extinction on the island. Some things did puzzle me. For example, why were there pages describing building a bathroom with running water, when Minecraft characters neither poop nor pee? Could I have rightly expected autoeroticism too? Finally, there are the Six (6) P’s. These are the essentials for a character's survival and a happy life: Planning, Preparing, Prioritizing, Practice, Patience and Perseverance. Presumably, a nerd-child will develop and exercise all these virtues as a result of reading this story and playing the game? The book finds an endpoint, and sets-up for the second book in the series.
One of the strengths of the book, was that in the beginning it was good Primer on 'how to' for the game. However, toward the end, the author lost this reader. I found myself scratching my head a few times, “How did he do that?” A major example of this was once the protagonist starting building Redstone devices. In the game, once you start building devices with Redstone, its like going from working with bear skins and stone knives to nuclear fusion. The protagonist effortlessly makes this jump. When I played the game, I found it to be one of the most difficult parts of the game to master.
This was a moderately entertaining primer on Minecraft couched as a story. I could see how a 9-year old nerd-child might be enticed to read a book using the lure of their Minecraft gaming addiction. I’ve played many hours of the game, although not recently. The story kindled some very vivid memories, and I learned a few ‘better ways’ I could have done things. The author did a good job at describing the joy of Mindcraft world building. The unnamed protagonist’s battles with game zombies were as good as the author’s World War Z combats, although less graphic. Toward the end, the author was less detailed in his descriptions and it became less useful as a learning experience for the game. A large problem I had was that, the author did not make a children’s book that would be consistently entertaining to adults. This is possible by interleaving two or more levels of meaning in the narration. That wasn’t accomplished. I don't think it was attempted? Sometime after the midpoint, despite my interest in the game, the story become boring. I know GoodRead’s members who thrive on reading children’s books. Perhaps my inner child is too deeply concealed? In summary, this was moderately entertaining in the beginning due to my interest in the game's world building. However, it did not go the distance for me.
I will not be reading the next book in the series Minecraft: The Crash
Read
February 25, 2021 "Minecraft: The Island" is a book filled with experience. It shows how fast a 'modern' human can live on his own in a 'semi-virtual world' that is Minecraft. The author is the same person who made WWZ and has amazing writing techniques. His writing techniques really fit into the theme of the book and is one of the best, if not the best Minecraft book ever.
The writer likes to put in a lot of quotes in the book. These can be simple everyday quotes to quotes that is only found in this book. I'd like to imagine them as individual checkpoints of the protagonists knowledge.
The author also makes this protagonist alone (besides a few non-human friends) which is a surprise to me since about every single book I've read in my life has at least 2 or more people going on some sort of adventure or even people that share the same intelligence.
In conclusion, this is a unique book with a great storyline and remarkable character development. This story is still amazing for 'non-Minecraft players' but the story is also marvellous when you know the mechanics/physics of this 'semi-virtual world' and seeing the protagonist doing something foolish is a special feeling you don't see in a normal book. It's my only book that I would read by myself. If thats not enough to sway you, I don't know what is.
The writer likes to put in a lot of quotes in the book. These can be simple everyday quotes to quotes that is only found in this book. I'd like to imagine them as individual checkpoints of the protagonists knowledge.
The author also makes this protagonist alone (besides a few non-human friends) which is a surprise to me since about every single book I've read in my life has at least 2 or more people going on some sort of adventure or even people that share the same intelligence.
In conclusion, this is a unique book with a great storyline and remarkable character development. This story is still amazing for 'non-Minecraft players' but the story is also marvellous when you know the mechanics/physics of this 'semi-virtual world' and seeing the protagonist doing something foolish is a special feeling you don't see in a normal book. It's my only book that I would read by myself. If thats not enough to sway you, I don't know what is.
May 13, 2024
THE CHILDREN YEARN FOR THE MINES.
Anyway. I'm not sure which of these sequences of events happened but it was one of them.
1. Max Brooks watched a 9-year-old play Minecraft and took copious notes, and then he showed to Mojang Studios and they said, "This is great, Max! But you don't have to include the UI."
And he said, "Oh no, I HAVE to include the UI."
2. or, he just sat down blind to play Minecraft for the very first time and novelized the whole Let's Play experience. He basically LARP-ed his way through 😂
Anyway, very fun. Definitely for children, but the good kind of "for children" where it's actually quite funny and a good time to read. 10/10 would give a copy of this to a child happily.
Anyway. I'm not sure which of these sequences of events happened but it was one of them.
1. Max Brooks watched a 9-year-old play Minecraft and took copious notes, and then he showed to Mojang Studios and they said, "This is great, Max! But you don't have to include the UI."
And he said, "Oh no, I HAVE to include the UI."
2. or, he just sat down blind to play Minecraft for the very first time and novelized the whole Let's Play experience. He basically LARP-ed his way through 😂
Anyway, very fun. Definitely for children, but the good kind of "for children" where it's actually quite funny and a good time to read. 10/10 would give a copy of this to a child happily.
October 4, 2017
I had a pretty serious Minecraft addiction for a few years, building a 30,000 block perimeter road around my kingdom that stretched 5,000 blocks east to west and 10,000 blocks north to south. Inside this boundary was a modest castle, sixteen fortified villages, a limited overworld subway system, a smaller netherworld subway system, a dozen desert temple homes, four jungle temple homes, an oasis house built around a well, an excavated end portal temple and a completely drained ocean temple, all connected by a cross grid of roads that went straight from one perimeter road to the other. I had plans to double the size of the perimeter road, turning my rectangle into a square, but I quit cold turkey a year or two ago when I realized living the Minecraft life was squeezing out the time I needed to live my real life and read books. So now I spend my free time compulsively writing Goodreads reviews (692 so far) of the 500+ books and graphic novels I manage to read each year.
That said, this book was a nice little fix after my long period of self-denial. It was great to read along as the character explored the Minecraft world and learned the ins and outs of crafting and mining. It reminded me of watching over my daughter's shoulder as she played the game and viewed YouTube videos posted by other players. I've glanced at some other Minecraft fanfic, and it always seemed like the writer was cramming a cheesy fantasy tale into a Minecraft setting. I like how Brooks is using his book to address the very nature of the Minecraft universe.
I could have done without the heavy-handed vegetarian theme and would have preferred a lighter touch with the self-help, character-building rules for life scattered throughout, but the rest was quite enjoyable. I'd certainly welcome a sequel.
That said, this book was a nice little fix after my long period of self-denial. It was great to read along as the character explored the Minecraft world and learned the ins and outs of crafting and mining. It reminded me of watching over my daughter's shoulder as she played the game and viewed YouTube videos posted by other players. I've glanced at some other Minecraft fanfic, and it always seemed like the writer was cramming a cheesy fantasy tale into a Minecraft setting. I like how Brooks is using his book to address the very nature of the Minecraft universe.
I could have done without the heavy-handed vegetarian theme and would have preferred a lighter touch with the self-help, character-building rules for life scattered throughout, but the rest was quite enjoyable. I'd certainly welcome a sequel.
May 17, 2018
As a big fan of World War Z I was excited to see that Max Brooks had written a book on my kids favorite subject. Imagine my disappointment when Brooks largely failed to both entertain me or my kids. As my seven year old said after the first 30 pages "Who is this book for? Anyone reading it already knows how Minecraft works." Exactly. I'm not sure who the audience is for this book since no one who isn't a huge fan of Minecraft would spend their time reading a fiction novel about it. Despite that Brooks spends at least the first third, and maybe as much as half, of the book painfully describing how the protagonist, through trial and error, figures out how Minecraft works. Let me tell you reading about someone figuring out how to create a crafting table is not thrilling.
Things pick up in the last third of the book once the main character figures out how everything works and gets serious about taking on zombies, creepers and spiders. Still, since the main character doesn't have a name, any memory of how he got to this Minecraft island or any background it's really hard to care at all what happens to him. In fairness there are passing comments about the main characters life before The Island but they are vague and foggy and not nearly interesting enough to make me care about that mystery.
Overall, I wish the book had been better but given some of the unofficial Minecraft books I've seen this one isn't bad. Then again those books were barely in English and may have been randomly assembled from blog posts about Minecraft so it wasn't a high bar to clear.
Things pick up in the last third of the book once the main character figures out how everything works and gets serious about taking on zombies, creepers and spiders. Still, since the main character doesn't have a name, any memory of how he got to this Minecraft island or any background it's really hard to care at all what happens to him. In fairness there are passing comments about the main characters life before The Island but they are vague and foggy and not nearly interesting enough to make me care about that mystery.
Overall, I wish the book had been better but given some of the unofficial Minecraft books I've seen this one isn't bad. Then again those books were barely in English and may have been randomly assembled from blog posts about Minecraft so it wasn't a high bar to clear.
May 24, 2024
An amazingly inspirational book about an early look into the game Minecraft. It's a good read for people who love Minecraft and is quite good form ages 8 - 22. Although It can be a bit confusing if you have not played the game it's still readable and just an all around amazing novel.
February 3, 2021
Okay, so a random dude wakes up in the middle of the ocean. He's drowning, blah,blah,blah! He doesn't know where he is, who he is, and why everything is made of blocks. He kinda freaks out a lot, makes a garden, builds a house. And the house goes boom! And that nearly was a tragedy. I mean, (he's on a small island) THE WHOLE ISLAND ALMOST BURNED! (not saying that would be a pretty sight...) Who befriends a cow? And names it 'Moo'? Umm... The main character's name was never mentioned! He was kinda stupid most of the time... HE MADE HIMSELF A TOILET WHEN HE COULDN'T EVEN USE IT! But it did end up saving his life. (What?!) Yes. He makes himself a very dangerous 'hot tub'. Who uses LAVA for hot tubs?! (I would) The lava was the who reason the island nearly burned! Oh, he also cuts down all of the trees that have apples! How stupid! He nearly killed himself in broad daylight when he sees a spider! We all know that spiders are neutral in daylight! HE EATS ROTTEN FLESH! FROM A ZOMBIE! *milk is a lifesaver* Anyway... he turns into a scientist, and goes loco! He was, like, "Hello black very skinny and tall dude! My name is, well, I don't know... What's your name?" And he looks into the Enderman's eyes! Sooooo stupid! DO. NOT. LOOK. INTO. AN ENDERMAN'S EYES!!! Well, he survives. He finds books. (good 'ol books.) And then tries to make the island mob-free. Bright idea, but it backfired. He died, but re-spawned. Lucky for him, this is Minecraft... The only smart thing he did was make cake, and eat it! Nom, nom, nom. Mmm...
And that's why I absolutely LOVED this book! Too bad the others are totally different stories...
And that's why I absolutely LOVED this book! Too bad the others are totally different stories...
September 26, 2018
I really enjoyed reading World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, so when I saw this book at our local library, I immediately borrowed it for our Minecraft-obsessed daughter. She liked the book, and I really didn't think much more about it.
That is, until I listened to the Nerdist podcast where Chris Hardwick interviewed Mr. Brooks (again) and I knew I had to check out the audiobook (it's narrated by Jack Black!!)
One of the fascinating things I learned by listening to the podcast is that there's another edition of the audiobook that is narrated by Samira Wiley, which is sure to appeal to girls.
interesting quotes (page numbers from hardcover edition with ISBN13 978):
"...mistakes can be a pretty good teacher. Maybe the best." (p. 186)
"It's not failure that matters, but how you recover, right?" (p. 240)
"" (p. )
That is, until I listened to the Nerdist podcast where Chris Hardwick interviewed Mr. Brooks (again) and I knew I had to check out the audiobook (it's narrated by Jack Black!!)
One of the fascinating things I learned by listening to the podcast is that there's another edition of the audiobook that is narrated by Samira Wiley, which is sure to appeal to girls.
interesting quotes (page numbers from hardcover edition with ISBN13 978):
"...mistakes can be a pretty good teacher. Maybe the best." (p. 186)
"It's not failure that matters, but how you recover, right?" (p. 240)
"" (p. )
September 4, 2023
Some parts are sarcastic just so you know:)
😡TRIGGGERRRRRRRR WARNINGGGGGGG😡
Chickens are the lower animal species?🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Animal abuse!!! 🐑🐰🦥🦫🦛
So this book.. Yeah, it is good, but the main character has issues. When he was in the caves and killed a baby zombie. That's OK. But then he started thinking of brutal ways to kill zombies, specifically babies. And I was like this feral kid is disturbing. Guess what. HE TALKS TO THE ANIMALS! So he meets a chicken a cow and sheep. He only kills the chickens. Like how? WHY THE COWS HAVE MORE SATURATION! HE COULD JUST BREED COWS! There is a 3rd cow on the spawn! OK, it was a good book, just major plot holes and stuff that do not relate to the real game. 3 out of 5! You should read it! (IF YOU HAVE TIME TO WASTE OR IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 9 OR SOMETHING) Ok it might be a bit disturbing if you think about it but if you don't it's fine :) Just don't think why he chose to kill the chickens more than the sheep and cow :)
😡TRIGGGERRRRRRRR WARNINGGGGGGG😡
Chickens are the lower animal species?🐔🐔🐔🐔🐔
Animal abuse!!! 🐑🐰🦥🦫🦛
So this book.. Yeah, it is good, but the main character has issues. When he was in the caves and killed a baby zombie. That's OK. But then he started thinking of brutal ways to kill zombies, specifically babies. And I was like this feral kid is disturbing. Guess what. HE TALKS TO THE ANIMALS! So he meets a chicken a cow and sheep. He only kills the chickens. Like how? WHY THE COWS HAVE MORE SATURATION! HE COULD JUST BREED COWS! There is a 3rd cow on the spawn! OK, it was a good book, just major plot holes and stuff that do not relate to the real game. 3 out of 5! You should read it! (IF YOU HAVE TIME TO WASTE OR IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 9 OR SOMETHING) Ok it might be a bit disturbing if you think about it but if you don't it's fine :) Just don't think why he chose to kill the chickens more than the sheep and cow :)
November 2, 2021
This is a tricky book to review... Because it sucked. And yet, my children to whom I read it, loved it (they pretty much love anything Minecraft though, to be fair).
The amount of effort Brooks put into this was pretty much zero. And that's what really sinks this. Minecraft has a lot of lore and a lot of potential for good stories, and Brooks didn't bother with any of it. Honestly, this book is so flat it's borderline offensive... to an adult anyway.
The kids loved the blow by blow descriptions of the stuff they do when they play. And there's nothing else to this but that. Seriously, watch a kid play. Describe what the do outloud and in english, viola, you're a novelist (evidently).
They want the next book in the series.
In the words of Moo: "Moooooo!"
The amount of effort Brooks put into this was pretty much zero. And that's what really sinks this. Minecraft has a lot of lore and a lot of potential for good stories, and Brooks didn't bother with any of it. Honestly, this book is so flat it's borderline offensive... to an adult anyway.
The kids loved the blow by blow descriptions of the stuff they do when they play. And there's nothing else to this but that. Seriously, watch a kid play. Describe what the do outloud and in english, viola, you're a novelist (evidently).
They want the next book in the series.
In the words of Moo: "Moooooo!"
January 15, 2019
As a family we play a lot of Minecraft in our house so it made sense to read this. If you have never played the game then it would probably come across as totally bizarre, but as a player it makes sense. It reminded me how it felt when I first created a world and had no clue what to expect. The story is slightly repetitive but then the game can be too depending on how you play. The plot only touches the surface of what Minecraft has to offer though, there are many more things to discover in the world.
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