S.

Presenting 'S.' by J.J. Abrams & Doug Dorst.

Here is the summary of the book:

One book. Two readers. A world of mystery, menace, and desire.

A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown.

THE BOOK: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V. M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey.

THE WRITER: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world’s greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumours that swirl around him.

THE READERS: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they’re willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears.S. , conceived by filmmaker J. J. Abrams and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst, is the chronicle of two readers finding each other in the margins of a book and enmeshing themselves in a deadly struggle between forces they don’t understand. It is also Abrams and Dorst’s love letter to the written word. 

A story with a story within a story. Brain-child of two creative geniuses J.J. Abrams & Doug Dorst and a development team too, 'S.' boasts of a successful full package of a mystery. It is basically Inception as a book because like the movie, S. works on multiple levels to bring in the packaged deal of creativity and mystery. But "how to read it?" that's the million dollar question .... We'll get to it soon ..... read on.....

S. holds a multi-tiered creation in its elusive slipcase covering. At the base is an old library book, 'Ship of Theseus' by a well known author(fictional), shrouded in mystery and intrigue, V.M. Straka. About a man named 'S' who wakes up without any knowledge of his before and goes on a very mysteriously strange journey for answers. Then there is the translator for the book who is apparently in a relationship with the author. It is unclear whether they ever meet but within the text of the book, they leave coded messages and ciphers in the main text and footnotes for readers and plainly communicating with each other through their words.

Up on level we have two readers of the book, Jen, an undergrad and former teacher-aide Eric conversing back and forth within the wide margins and spaces of the book. They conversation ranges from, about the book, the author Straka and all the conspiracies and theories regarding his books, eventually life in and their own feelings as we progress through the pages in varied quality of colored ink & lead to dictate the changes of time and their own realizations of romance through the pages.

The final, the top tier belongs to the number of extras and media add-ons: photos, letters, newspaper articles, postcards and one very detailed map drawn on a napkin, stowed away amongst the pages of the book brilliantly styled to mimic the look of an old forgotten library book with yellowed pages. Even the letters and the other extras boasts of a perfect look for the package, smudged ink, creased pages, coffee stains and the map on napkin drawn in black ink pen. Really goes to show the level of perfection, the publishing team put in, leaving no stone upturned.

And finally, we readers get the full package ready to be awed and astounded by its sheer brilliance. Taking it all in. This is a book that needs careful consideration before we begin reading. How to read it? ..... Well You can go about it your own way. You can finish the main text first, the read the margins and the extras. Go by the just now mentioned idea chapter by chapter or if you can then fire through it all simultaneously. Ultimately this is a gem that you will definitely never forget, the novel adventure of discovering every nook and cranny of this book's mysteries is something everyone should experience.

You can always visit this site here to know about all things Staka - https://whoisstraka.wordpress.com/

"A one of its kind package of intrigue"

Genre :     Adult Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: Mulholland Books 

Release Date: 29th October, 2013

My Copy: publisher & edelweiss

Rate:             5/5 (It was Amazing)

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