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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
This book was SO FUN. A chose-your-own-adventure graphic novel that takes you through time traveling, code-breaking, and ice cream. It was a delightful way to think about entropy/branching storyline. It's a little hard to track the tubes (how the panels connect with each other) at first; however, once you get used to it, the layout, going from scene to scene, is delightful. The storyline is just the right blend between mind-bending, "and I must scream" horrific, and humorous.
I spent a good two hours with this book. I'm a lil salty that I didn't immediately recognize the ending as the true ending, but it did lead me to flipping around more, which was its own reward.
Thank you, random YouTube commenter, for this delightful recommendation.
I spent a good two hours with this book. I'm a lil salty that I didn't immediately recognize the ending as the true ending, but it did lead me to flipping around more, which was its own reward.
Thank you, random YouTube commenter, for this delightful recommendation.
This book is a delightful toy! Cleverly formatted and simple to follow while still being devious in it's complexities.
I would describe it a Choose your own adventure flowchart. Choose between chocolate and vanilla ice cream to let the adventure begin! Look for secret codes and hidden paths. Don't get lost! But if you do, you can always go back to the ice cream shop at the beginning at try again.
I would describe it a Choose your own adventure flowchart. Choose between chocolate and vanilla ice cream to let the adventure begin! Look for secret codes and hidden paths. Don't get lost! But if you do, you can always go back to the ice cream shop at the beginning at try again.
By far the worst thing about this is that I didn’t think of it first. It’s extraordinary, continually refusing to accept any limitations for storytelling and joyfully breaking any and all conventions that come against it. It’s so charmingly inventive too, never too clever for its own good or smug, just brilliantly finding new ways to dash sequential storytelling cliches against the wall and find new and bizarre ways to put it back together again. It’s glorious
My friend Anne picked this book up one day at Comic Con, and I was so enchanted by it, I had to go get one for myself! And we lucked out, because the day we went back to the booth to get me one was the day Jason Shiga was there, signed his books and chatting. He is a cool, friendly guy, with a crazy-smart brain in his head. He has my new favorite collection - vintage choose-your-own-adventure books! This collection was clearly his inspiration for this book, which just so happens to be coolest choose-your-own-adventure book I've ever seen. What sets this book apart from others is not only the clever and seemingly infinite plots, but the mind-bendingly complicated and awesome style. I love the tabs on each page, and the way you follow pipes through the tabs to continue your story, sometimes only pausing on a page for a quick pipe loop before moving onto another tab.
This is a book you don't just sit down and read once. This is a book you buy, leave in a high traffic area of your home, and read through a different story every time you pass it. It's definitely not to be missed! :)
This is a book you don't just sit down and read once. This is a book you buy, leave in a high traffic area of your home, and read through a different story every time you pass it. It's definitely not to be missed! :)
Choose your own adventure comic book...amazing. The amount of work that went into writing, planning, and organizing this book boggles my mind. I've been reading it with my 5yo which is fun tho he likes to keep choosing the same options, so I may need to spend some time with it on my own... lol
It was hard for me to get more than a couple of the possible outcomes. I kept getting stuck in loops too, where I'd go back and do the same things over and over. But I will puzzle with it some more and see if I can get to some of the other endings.
My feelings about this book are complicated, and that's in part what it gets a star higher than I want to give it. Since finishing the book - which is a tough thing to say when it comes to this book - I've been mulling it over repeatedly. It's a frustrating book. And it's something that won't get out of my head.
What makes the book great is that it's a choose your own adventure style story (yes, it's a style because choose your own adventure is trademarked and thus can be litigated) in graphic novel format. Comics panels are connected by "tubes" taking you in all directions around the page, which is engaging in and if itself. Maybe a bit much for people who require linearity, but this works in favor of the story. "Tubes" branch out at points offering choices that let you explore the story. Your first time through, you're not going to get to an enjoyable ending. As you play around, though, you learn how to keep the story going and pick up on clues that advance things further.
In this way, the book is like a game. You take what you've learned on your last play to improve your performance. (Note: I've been playing the game Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter recently. It's an RPG in which failure is required to advance. You start all over with knowledge of what is to come to better prepare your adventurers...but you also keep your equipment, too. In this book, you have knowledge and keep the codes.) If you're into the story enough, which is essentially trying to save the world from your own mistakes, you'll be driven to try over and over again to do it right next time.
So what's wrong with this book? This is a semi-spoiler, but all of your effort is meaningless. When you realize that, it's disappointing. You're reading a time travel story about choices with things ultimately being fairly deterministic. Its possible that in other circumstances I'd find this brilliant. However, I stumbled across this book as a suggestion for 8 year olds. After multiple failures, my kid hated it. I was determined to find a good ending to point her toward. I think that shaded my view of this piece of work.
Then there are the pages you find while flipping back and forth. A clearly different ending. A different code. A squid! After some investigation, you realize that these are unreachable without cheating. You can't fully read the book without cheating. It's by design. It's an interesting choice.
In all my frustration with it, though, I keep thinking about the book as a piece of art, as a game, and as a story. The fact it has taken up space for so many hours is a good thing. Art you don't quickly discard after completion is worthwhile--even if it leaves you soured. So kudos to Jason Shiga for this accomplishment.
By the way, getting stuck in loops is frustrating and fun. Try using the SQUID device on yourself after finding the code that let's you scan back further than a few minutes.
What makes the book great is that it's a choose your own adventure style story (yes, it's a style because choose your own adventure is trademarked and thus can be litigated) in graphic novel format. Comics panels are connected by "tubes" taking you in all directions around the page, which is engaging in and if itself. Maybe a bit much for people who require linearity, but this works in favor of the story. "Tubes" branch out at points offering choices that let you explore the story. Your first time through, you're not going to get to an enjoyable ending. As you play around, though, you learn how to keep the story going and pick up on clues that advance things further.
In this way, the book is like a game. You take what you've learned on your last play to improve your performance. (Note: I've been playing the game Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter recently. It's an RPG in which failure is required to advance. You start all over with knowledge of what is to come to better prepare your adventurers...but you also keep your equipment, too. In this book, you have knowledge and keep the codes.) If you're into the story enough, which is essentially trying to save the world from your own mistakes, you'll be driven to try over and over again to do it right next time.
So what's wrong with this book? This is a semi-spoiler, but all of your effort is meaningless. When you realize that, it's disappointing. You're reading a time travel story about choices with things ultimately being fairly deterministic. Its possible that in other circumstances I'd find this brilliant. However, I stumbled across this book as a suggestion for 8 year olds. After multiple failures, my kid hated it. I was determined to find a good ending to point her toward. I think that shaded my view of this piece of work.
Then there are the pages you find while flipping back and forth. A clearly different ending. A different code. A squid! After some investigation, you realize that these are unreachable without cheating. You can't fully read the book without cheating. It's by design. It's an interesting choice.
In all my frustration with it, though, I keep thinking about the book as a piece of art, as a game, and as a story. The fact it has taken up space for so many hours is a good thing. Art you don't quickly discard after completion is worthwhile--even if it leaves you soured. So kudos to Jason Shiga for this accomplishment.
By the way, getting stuck in loops is frustrating and fun. Try using the SQUID device on yourself after finding the code that let's you scan back further than a few minutes.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Found it fun- but hard to put down and pick up later on while keeping my place...