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hdbblog's review against another edition
4.0
Do you ever read a book, and end up feeling slightly jealous at how much smarter the characters are than you? Well, prepare to feel that way when you pick up Kubrick's Game. Derek Taylor Kent has woven a story that is full to the brim with puzzles. Shawn and his friends are lead through twists, and turns, all tying into this insane game that focuses solely around Stanley Kubrick's movies. If you're a fan of books that make you ponder, then this one is definitely for you.
First off, I need to point out the fact that Kent obviously knows a lot about Kubrick and his cinematic legacy. Each and every part of this story is like a love letter to that creator, and his works. As Shawn delves deeper into the mystery surrounding this game, more and more love is given to the puzzle itself. There are so many clues, expertly created to lead right into the next. My head was spinning after the first few had been uncovered. As a person who has definitely seen Kubrick's movies, but isn't a raving fan, I can say that this book definitely prompted me to want to watch them again. I keep wondering if I can pinpoint all the clues myself.
Which of course, means that this book picks up speed and then won't let you slow down. Shawn was put in some fairly terrifying situations, all in the name of solving the mystery. I'll be honest, I didn't like him much at first. His blunt personality, and inability to understand relationships annoyed me a bit. Following him through this puzzle though soon made me appreciate his particular brand of focus. He was able to pull himself away from situations, and really see into what he needed to do next.
The absolute only reason that I rated this four stars, rather than five, was the fact that the ending felt rushed to me. After so much build up, so many puzzles cracked, and so much time with Shawn, I couldn't help but feel like the ending came and went without a big finish. There are strong ties to all manner of conspiracy theories here, and I would have loved to see some more of those really coming life. The villains here just felt flat, and I wanted more.
Overall though? This book was fairly fantastic. As I said, it's a testament to how well written this puzzle is that I was always five steps behind Shawn. He is a brilliant mind. I'll just step away, and let him do his thing.
First off, I need to point out the fact that Kent obviously knows a lot about Kubrick and his cinematic legacy. Each and every part of this story is like a love letter to that creator, and his works. As Shawn delves deeper into the mystery surrounding this game, more and more love is given to the puzzle itself. There are so many clues, expertly created to lead right into the next. My head was spinning after the first few had been uncovered. As a person who has definitely seen Kubrick's movies, but isn't a raving fan, I can say that this book definitely prompted me to want to watch them again. I keep wondering if I can pinpoint all the clues myself.
Which of course, means that this book picks up speed and then won't let you slow down. Shawn was put in some fairly terrifying situations, all in the name of solving the mystery. I'll be honest, I didn't like him much at first. His blunt personality, and inability to understand relationships annoyed me a bit. Following him through this puzzle though soon made me appreciate his particular brand of focus. He was able to pull himself away from situations, and really see into what he needed to do next.
The absolute only reason that I rated this four stars, rather than five, was the fact that the ending felt rushed to me. After so much build up, so many puzzles cracked, and so much time with Shawn, I couldn't help but feel like the ending came and went without a big finish. There are strong ties to all manner of conspiracy theories here, and I would have loved to see some more of those really coming life. The villains here just felt flat, and I wanted more.
Overall though? This book was fairly fantastic. As I said, it's a testament to how well written this puzzle is that I was always five steps behind Shawn. He is a brilliant mind. I'll just step away, and let him do his thing.
jfriday's review against another edition
5.0
Kubrick’s Game to Ready Player One is like Robopocalypse to World War Z.
XD
XD
theartolater's review
4.0
I think I’ll start by saying that this is a goofy book. There’s nothing wrong with goofy at all, but the way this book presents itself in contrast with the subject matter provided is just strange. With that said, this was a fun and light romp that ultimately hit a lot of my interest points, resulting in a really enjoyable read.
The story follows a college film student obsessed with Stanley Kubrick. He probably knows more than his professors do on the subject, and is quickly brought in on a “game” created by the director himself. The game involves a bit of a worldwide scavenger hunt, involves some of the great theories of Kubrick’s work, and threatens to uncover some interesting secrets that people in the know might never actually want out.
In terms of a straight fiction tale, as I said – kind of goofy. But when you approach the book as sort of a fun ARG simulation where an author can freely explore a few interests s/he has all at once, it makes a lot more sense. To approach this with that in mind made for a quick and breezy read that, as reveal after reveal occurred, kept me smiling throughout.
This will win no awards, but if you like crazy conspiracies or are a Kubrick nerd, there’s a lot here to enjoy.
The story follows a college film student obsessed with Stanley Kubrick. He probably knows more than his professors do on the subject, and is quickly brought in on a “game” created by the director himself. The game involves a bit of a worldwide scavenger hunt, involves some of the great theories of Kubrick’s work, and threatens to uncover some interesting secrets that people in the know might never actually want out.
In terms of a straight fiction tale, as I said – kind of goofy. But when you approach the book as sort of a fun ARG simulation where an author can freely explore a few interests s/he has all at once, it makes a lot more sense. To approach this with that in mind made for a quick and breezy read that, as reveal after reveal occurred, kept me smiling throughout.
This will win no awards, but if you like crazy conspiracies or are a Kubrick nerd, there’s a lot here to enjoy.
omnibozo22's review against another edition
5.0
Lots of fun if the reader loves solving puzzles along with the characters, especially if you know Kubrick's body of work well. The plot does get flaky when some time worn conspiracy theories are treated with far more import than they deserve, especially when the supposed film major experts employ, with straight faces, optical tools that won't do what we're supposed to believe they can do. (Scanning a frame or a print of a frame with an ultraviolet scanner will not reveal any subject matter in the original image that was not already visible. Duh. It might show some unexpected fluresence resulting from some chemical processes on the film... but that will have nothing to do with the original image... and then to lay that crap on us twice. Sheesh.) Still... lots of fun. While reading it I thought that the author would enjoy reading Ready Player One... turns out he cites it in the acknowledgements! Apparently the author ran an online version of the game... which appears to be over now.
molokovell0cet's review against another edition
4.0
Kubrick’s Game is exactly what it sounds like. An adventure/quest based on the films and life of Stanley Kubrick. I mean how cool does that sound? When I was approached to read this novel, I instantly accepted. It was marketed to me as perfect for those who loved Ready Player One, and that I did. Kubrick’s Game was fast-paced and full of adventure, and perfect for those who are fans of Kubrick and his work.
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What I Liked
The quest. I love a good adventure story. Even more so, I love a good puzzle adventure story. Sure, it’s not the most unique idea with existing stories like Ready Player One, National Treasure and The Da Vinci Code, but one thing that’s for sure is that these types of stories are always entertaining. This was no different for Kubrick’s game as I was on the edge of my seat the entire time the characters were trying to solve the puzzle.
The details. Derek Taylor Kent did his research when writing this book. Holy cow. The amount of Kubrick trivia within this novel was mind-blowing. There were so many things that I had no idea about and it really just made me want to watch even more of Kubrick’s films. I must admit, I’ve only seen A Clockwork Orange…I know *shame shame shame*, but after reading this book I absolutely need to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut + all of the others…like ASAP. Kubrick’s Game touches on all of Kubrick’s movies thoroughly and each one of them plays a huge part in uncovering the truth behind the puzzle.
The subject matter. Stanley Kubrick and his work has always been fascinating to me. As mentioned, I’ve only seen A Clockwork Orange, but it remains to be one of my favourite films (and books) of all time. When this book was pitched to me as Ready Player One, only it revolves around Stanley Kubrick, I knew I needed to read it.
The cameos. I absolutely LOVED that Malcolm McDowell, a.k.a. Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange, made a cameo in this novel. To have an actor that played on my favourite characters in one of my favourite films that happens to be the only Kubrick film I’ve seen made me feel so happy! I actually had the opportunity to meet Malcolm McDowell at a convention recently and visualizing him in this novel was fantastic! We also come across the one and only Steven Spielberg. It was cool to see people that exist in real life depicted in a fictional setting.
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What I Didn’t Like
The characters. For the most part they were pretty bland. Shawn had an interesting dynamic going for him as a character with Asperger’s, but I don’t think this idea was explored enough. Rather than becoming someone unique, he ended up feeling a lot like characters that already exist such as Sheldon Cooper or Spock/Data. There was a good amount of diverse characters, I will say that…but none of them really stood out to me as memorable or unique.
It was a little anti-climactic. After all the characters went through, the ultimate prize felt like a bit of a let down. I understand that, in theory, Kubrick would have wanted the students to receive the prize that they did, but I was kind of hoping for something a little more earth-shattering considering the lengths that these students went through to reach the conclusion of the puzzle.
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Overall, Kubrick’s Game delivered exactly what was promised: A Ready Player One-like puzzle solving adventure that revolves around the life and films of Stanley Kubrick. I had a lot of fun reading this one and I highly recommend checking it out!
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Initial post reading thoughts:
I initially started reading this book back in September of last year. While Kubrick's Game had an intriguing premise and I really did want to finish it, my head just wasn't in it. I didn't want to end up giving it a low star rating just because I wasn't in the right mood for it. I FINALLY decided to get back into it a few days ago and I am so glad that I waited to read it! This time I was totally in the mood and I really ended up enjoying it a lot.
Kubrick's Game was an endless adventure that was reminiscent of Ready Player One, only completely centred around the work of Stanley Kubrick. I want to call myself a fan of Kubrick, but in all honesty I've only ever seen A Clockwork Orange...mind you, it is one of my favourite movies of all time. I have wanted to watch the rest of Kubrick's films for quite a while and this book has only made me need to watch them even sooner!
nexusgoblin's review
4.0
Kubrick’s Game is a story in the same vein as The Da Vinci Code. It’s fast paced, full of puzzles and exceedingly well done in its execution.
I’ll be honest and say I fall asleep during Kubrick films. I can watch exceedingly long movies with no problem..but put in a Kubrick film and I’m out after the first 20 minutes. So I was hesitant going into this because I knew my appreciation for the puzzle solving would be automatically lessened due to my somewhat unwilling ignorance on the films themselves. However, I found that I had no issue what so ever following along and enjoy the ride! The puzzles are so engrained in the media they pull from that it makes you want to pop in the movies and start hunting yourself. The sheer amount of Kubrick trivia in this novel is just amazing, I went from knowing next to nothing about the main to knowing parts of his process and habits during filming. In fact, it sort of keyed me in on details I missed in my viewings of the films and made me appreciate them a bit more.
The main character, Shawn, provided a perspective that I have never read anything from nor was I was expecting. Shawn has Aspergers. I can’t speak to the authenticity of the voice itself, however, I really appreciated the viewpoint as he navigates his problems with social interactions, maintaining relationships, and learning more about himself.
The audiobook itself is narrator by Johnathan Franken and Yvette Nicole Brown. Franken, or Riker from Star Trek, provides the main narration for the book and Brown provides the voice of Desiree. It’s an odd style for an audio but as it is explained in the beginning this takes on a sort of radio show type feel to it and gives the book a bit of it’s own style. While I really did enjoy both Franken and Brown’s reading I will say that at points the quality dips a bit. The volume will randomly drop down in areas, so there was a lot of playing with the volume controls.
Overall I think this is a must for movie fans and for those who love a thrilling ride filled with riddles and danger
I’ll be honest and say I fall asleep during Kubrick films. I can watch exceedingly long movies with no problem..but put in a Kubrick film and I’m out after the first 20 minutes. So I was hesitant going into this because I knew my appreciation for the puzzle solving would be automatically lessened due to my somewhat unwilling ignorance on the films themselves. However, I found that I had no issue what so ever following along and enjoy the ride! The puzzles are so engrained in the media they pull from that it makes you want to pop in the movies and start hunting yourself. The sheer amount of Kubrick trivia in this novel is just amazing, I went from knowing next to nothing about the main to knowing parts of his process and habits during filming. In fact, it sort of keyed me in on details I missed in my viewings of the films and made me appreciate them a bit more.
The main character, Shawn, provided a perspective that I have never read anything from nor was I was expecting. Shawn has Aspergers. I can’t speak to the authenticity of the voice itself, however, I really appreciated the viewpoint as he navigates his problems with social interactions, maintaining relationships, and learning more about himself.
The audiobook itself is narrator by Johnathan Franken and Yvette Nicole Brown. Franken, or Riker from Star Trek, provides the main narration for the book and Brown provides the voice of Desiree. It’s an odd style for an audio but as it is explained in the beginning this takes on a sort of radio show type feel to it and gives the book a bit of it’s own style. While I really did enjoy both Franken and Brown’s reading I will say that at points the quality dips a bit. The volume will randomly drop down in areas, so there was a lot of playing with the volume controls.
Overall I think this is a must for movie fans and for those who love a thrilling ride filled with riddles and danger