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trizie81's review against another edition
3.0
It was difficult to read I must admit. You have to stay with the story closely to finish-no reading other stuff in between. But the story was actually not that capturing..
hbrhjsmne's review against another edition
3.0
had such a fun time reading this book. its an experience! i feel so privileged to be able to buy this book secondhand with cheaper price. all the ephemera(?) makes my heart so happy!
ps: this book is the one that’s triggered my reading hobby. it all started with this one ✨
ps: this book is the one that’s triggered my reading hobby. it all started with this one ✨
quenquire's review against another edition
4.0
Not an outstanding piece of writing as it is, but it makes an attempt to be, and that attempt deserves respect. Certainly an experience worth the effort of actually reading it (the notes are confusing more often than not).
A kind and beautifully written love letter to creative expression and its power.
A kind and beautifully written love letter to creative expression and its power.
sweetsorrows's review against another edition
5.0
this book is so encapsulating and amazing. one of my favorite books i've read this year hands down.
thewordyhabitat's review against another edition
need to read it again when i have more brain space.
but i got the point of it. well done book.
but i got the point of it. well done book.
kristin_o's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Honestly, probably a 3.5 but rounded up because the experience of reading this and the sheer writing/publishing task made it extra. If you're very into puzzles and cyphers, this would probably be a 5. It feels like the kind of book that you could spend a decade of your life dissecting.
Read the physical book. Don't look up too much online.
It's slow paced because there are so many layers, not because it doesn't hold your attention.
Read the physical book. Don't look up too much online.
It's slow paced because there are so many layers, not because it doesn't hold your attention.
martzzmellow's review against another edition
4.0
Putting it simply, it’s a confusing book but so worth delving into.
The Ship of Theseus book part itself is interesting, it gets you thinking and puts a lot of life questions into perspective. Also the shifts in views and some of the footnotes really put you in all kinds of headspace’s.
The story of Eric and Jen is confusing and lacks pieces and is a puzzle that the reader definitely needs to figure out themselves. But at the same time these are notes in the margins, bits and pieces are going to be missed from them meeting up and what not. But it’s still there and still shows the difference in characters and what they go through while also hiding behind the pages when they can.
It’s cute, its /different/ and so it’s worth while. It’s definitely not like a book I’ve read before and it for sure is an experience <33
The Ship of Theseus book part itself is interesting, it gets you thinking and puts a lot of life questions into perspective. Also the shifts in views and some of the footnotes really put you in all kinds of headspace’s.
The story of Eric and Jen is confusing and lacks pieces and is a puzzle that the reader definitely needs to figure out themselves. But at the same time these are notes in the margins, bits and pieces are going to be missed from them meeting up and what not. But it’s still there and still shows the difference in characters and what they go through while also hiding behind the pages when they can.
It’s cute, its /different/ and so it’s worth while. It’s definitely not like a book I’ve read before and it for sure is an experience <33
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit that most of my stars for this book is because of the experience! I highly recommend it because its a fun one. Basically we have this book that two people are communicating with each other through the margins and random pictures, letters, postcards etc that they've slipped through the pages. Because of this there ends up being several stories that you're following in such a unique and fun way.
You've got the story of the book, the story behind the author of the book, and the story of the two people who are using the book to communicate.
NOW, I do have to admit that the actual plots of everything are a little meh. IF it wasn't for the really cool mixed media format I would have probably rated this lower. The book was fine, it had some pretty cool elements and interesting things happening but I didn't love it as much as I would like. And then the margin story (which felt like the real story to me) was missing a lot. I just wanted more from the theories and them.
Regardless I still recommend it because it was so much fun to read.
Also, I technically first started reading this back in November 2022 and read about half of it then and finished the other half in December 2023
You've got the story of the book, the story behind the author of the book, and the story of the two people who are using the book to communicate.
NOW, I do have to admit that the actual plots of everything are a little meh. IF it wasn't for the really cool mixed media format I would have probably rated this lower. The book was fine, it had some pretty cool elements and interesting things happening but I didn't love it as much as I would like. And then the margin story (which felt like the real story to me) was missing a lot. I just wanted more from the theories and them.
Regardless I still recommend it because it was so much fun to read.
Also, I technically first started reading this back in November 2022 and read about half of it then and finished the other half in December 2023
thecurseofchris's review against another edition
4.0
For those wondering how to read this: full "Ship of Theseus" text, then margins (read those in order too, by color; look online for the correct order). If you need help reading "Ship of Theseus," try the e-book or audiobook, which should be standalone.
I'm not going to waste time talking about what "S." is, as there are plenty of other explanations of it that do a better job at it than I could. So I'm just going to talk about the different aspects of "S."
SHIP OF THESEUS: For the most part, I found this novel to be rather boring, from a plot perspective. Had it been a real thing, I don't see how Jen or Eric (the margin writers) could be so captivated by it. There is potential there, but it's overly long and the narrative is just so slow that it makes it a chore to get through. That said, I think the novel is *supposed* to be boring/written in a specific way, because of things that are eventually revealed about it in the margins. I do wish it was more entertaining though.
ERIC & JEN: this was by far the more interesting part of "S." I found myself fully engaged in their story and their relationship, so much so that I really didn't care about their motivations (i.e. Who is Straka?). I just wanted to get to know them and see what their fate was. While many answers are explained by the end, be prepared to not learn everything and not have a solid conclusion (which I think is the point). It was pretty easy to follow their story by reading the colored writing in chronological order, so I recommend you do multiple passthroughs of the book for each set of colors rather than reading them all at once.
My gripe with the margin storyline is that I feel like it could have been presented much better/more smoother than what we got. Sure, it's understandable, but it requires a lot of "filling in the gaps" for events that the characters go through and know about in their universe, but aren't fully elaborated on to the reader (again, this makes sense because from their perspective, no one is supposed to be reading their notes, so therefore they have no reason to elaborate on something that would only benefit a third-party reader, aka us).
INSERTS: these are cool, but most of them really didn't offer much to me personally.
AFTER FINISHING: this book has been out for close to 10 years now, so there are real-world materials and resources out there that talk about some of the mysteries, clues, etc. that were left for the reader to discover. I've looked at some things and I'll admit they are pretty cool. It's just not my cup of tea to solve some of these codes and ciphers when there are so many other books out there to read.
"S." is not a traditional book. It is a multimedia experience. The concept itself is neat, and while I don't think the presentation is perfect, I don't regret it. "S." is definitely not for everyone, but if you want something different, give it a try.
I'm not going to waste time talking about what "S." is, as there are plenty of other explanations of it that do a better job at it than I could. So I'm just going to talk about the different aspects of "S."
SHIP OF THESEUS: For the most part, I found this novel to be rather boring, from a plot perspective. Had it been a real thing, I don't see how Jen or Eric (the margin writers) could be so captivated by it. There is potential there, but it's overly long and the narrative is just so slow that it makes it a chore to get through. That said, I think the novel is *supposed* to be boring/written in a specific way, because of things that are eventually revealed about it in the margins. I do wish it was more entertaining though.
ERIC & JEN: this was by far the more interesting part of "S." I found myself fully engaged in their story and their relationship, so much so that I really didn't care about their motivations (i.e. Who is Straka?). I just wanted to get to know them and see what their fate was. While many answers are explained by the end, be prepared to not learn everything and not have a solid conclusion (which I think is the point). It was pretty easy to follow their story by reading the colored writing in chronological order, so I recommend you do multiple passthroughs of the book for each set of colors rather than reading them all at once.
My gripe with the margin storyline is that I feel like it could have been presented much better/more smoother than what we got. Sure, it's understandable, but it requires a lot of "filling in the gaps" for events that the characters go through and know about in their universe, but aren't fully elaborated on to the reader (again, this makes sense because from their perspective, no one is supposed to be reading their notes, so therefore they have no reason to elaborate on something that would only benefit a third-party reader, aka us).
INSERTS: these are cool, but most of them really didn't offer much to me personally.
AFTER FINISHING: this book has been out for close to 10 years now, so there are real-world materials and resources out there that talk about some of the mysteries, clues, etc. that were left for the reader to discover. I've looked at some things and I'll admit they are pretty cool. It's just not my cup of tea to solve some of these codes and ciphers when there are so many other books out there to read.
"S." is not a traditional book. It is a multimedia experience. The concept itself is neat, and while I don't think the presentation is perfect, I don't regret it. "S." is definitely not for everyone, but if you want something different, give it a try.
jrabbit12's review against another edition
3.0
It is my love for book/reader interaction and history that initially attracted me to Ship of Theseus. I mean, I once spent an entire semester researching the marginal inscriptions of a book from the 1690's to discover, in the end, evidence of a newly wed rural woman in 1810 becoming literate and learning to spell and write her own name (sorry for the plug, I'm just really proud of that paper and like reliving the dream whenever I can). The presentation was also spot-on, with the 18th century publishers-cloth binding being so authentic in appearance (even down to the yellowed from the fore-edge-in text block paper) that I initially though someone had stolen the Abrams/Dorst book and put a thrift-store holder in its place. So, yeah, the idea of this book was really, really, appealing.
'Ship of Theseus' is a collaborative concept by J.J. Abrams, Doug Dorst, and fictional (? - oh so mysterious) author V.M. Straka. Typically, I am slightly turned off by more kitschy publications and find co-authorship a generally foreboding omen of quality. At this point, you're probably anticipating my saying 'However...' and launching into how this book defied my jerk-expectations. *coughs**clears throat*
Sooo, anyway, this book is actually fairly comparable to Abrams' 'Lost'. Abrams, who is truly talented at generating some pretty engaging and interesting ideas, begins strong - with plenty of momentum; plot ideas and narrative potential really take a solid and promising form. This exciting progress then slows a little over half-way and becomes a little repetitive, as if the story is trying to regain previous footing and return to the path its initial trajectory was promising. But sadly, in the world of Abrams, a lost path is never to be seen again and the story flails through the wild with the most tenuous grasp of what it was originally doing or where it was going. And like Lost, this book finishes with a 'huh' - of either the huh=meh or huh=WTF variety, depending on the reactants commitment to things like narrative arc, plot, and the general cohesion of ideas posed throughout the experience.
You'll have to excuse my tone, but it's so frustrating to see something with so much potential just kinda lay-down and quit. Instead of having a solid cohesive story, where all points intersect in a kind of everything-is-connected whole, the reader is left with fragmented pieces of various ideas that, with just a liiittle more fleshing out could have ended with a definitive *bang!* and not a *ttthhhhhhppp*.
I know it may not seem like it, but I did not dislike this book, it's just exactly what one has come to expect from J.J. Abrams - a strong start with a good solid set up and then...? It's not that it's a swing and a miss, it's more like a swing and a deep-field hit, but instead of running the bases, he just cracks a beer and watches Wheel of Fortune.
Abrams is an ideas-man, there is no doubting that. He's just not a finisher and thus I was left struggling to finish this book, and didn't even care by the end. In fact, I was kinda hoping, all the way up to the last pitifully corny page, that one of the wunderkinds of the marginalia emo couple would do something, I don't know, interesting. Huh=meh.
(On a professional note, I do feel woefully sorry for the Catalogers who have to deal with this. God speed, my friends.)
'Ship of Theseus' is a collaborative concept by J.J. Abrams, Doug Dorst, and fictional (? - oh so mysterious) author V.M. Straka. Typically, I am slightly turned off by more kitschy publications and find co-authorship a generally foreboding omen of quality. At this point, you're probably anticipating my saying 'However...' and launching into how this book defied my jerk-expectations. *coughs**clears throat*
Sooo, anyway, this book is actually fairly comparable to Abrams' 'Lost'. Abrams, who is truly talented at generating some pretty engaging and interesting ideas, begins strong - with plenty of momentum; plot ideas and narrative potential really take a solid and promising form. This exciting progress then slows a little over half-way and becomes a little repetitive, as if the story is trying to regain previous footing and return to the path its initial trajectory was promising. But sadly, in the world of Abrams, a lost path is never to be seen again and the story flails through the wild with the most tenuous grasp of what it was originally doing or where it was going. And like Lost, this book finishes with a 'huh' - of either the huh=meh or huh=WTF variety, depending on the reactants commitment to things like narrative arc, plot, and the general cohesion of ideas posed throughout the experience.
You'll have to excuse my tone, but it's so frustrating to see something with so much potential just kinda lay-down and quit. Instead of having a solid cohesive story, where all points intersect in a kind of everything-is-connected whole, the reader is left with fragmented pieces of various ideas that, with just a liiittle more fleshing out could have ended with a definitive *bang!* and not a *ttthhhhhhppp*.
I know it may not seem like it, but I did not dislike this book, it's just exactly what one has come to expect from J.J. Abrams - a strong start with a good solid set up and then...? It's not that it's a swing and a miss, it's more like a swing and a deep-field hit, but instead of running the bases, he just cracks a beer and watches Wheel of Fortune.
Abrams is an ideas-man, there is no doubting that. He's just not a finisher and thus I was left struggling to finish this book, and didn't even care by the end. In fact, I was kinda hoping, all the way up to the last pitifully corny page, that one of the wunderkinds of the marginalia emo couple would do something, I don't know, interesting. Huh=meh.
(On a professional note, I do feel woefully sorry for the Catalogers who have to deal with this. God speed, my friends.)