Kubrick’s Game by Derek Taylor Kent
My rating: [rating=5]
Have you ever finished reading a great book that you enjoyed so much you have to tell everyone about it? The problem is you don’t know where to start. It was a problem I faced after reading Ready Player One, and it’s the problem I am facing after finishing Kubrick’s Game. Coincidentally Kubrick’s Game has been compared to Ready Player One, and rightfully so. It’s another puzzle-adventure novel whose clues and characters will keep you turning the pages.
Kubrick’s Game is about a brilliant UCLA film student named Shawn who receives a very unusual package. The contents will take him on a quest to solve a puzzle left behind by the late Stanley Kubrick. The answers he seeks are buried in the legendary filmmakers movies and his life. A prize awaits the first person that completes the game; a prize that will “change the course of history”. Shawn’s task isn’t going to be easy, there are other nefarious groups also on the quest and trying to stop him.
A Book For The Movie Nerd
I am a huge movie nerd and I love a great movie so I appreciate Stanley Kubrick’s films. Granted I haven’t seen all of them, but just a couple of chapters into this book and I was ready for a marathon! Many times I thought about popping in 2001 or The Shining just to see the clues for myself. Throughout the whole book I was trying to anticipate how it will end and what the prize will be. Just when you are convinced that you know what is going on the author throws in a twist as clever as Stanley Kubrick himself, and your mind is blown. A part of me was waiting for the cliché reward at the end but instead, it’s perfect. It’s a prize worthy of the puzzle and the man who created it.
Narrated by Jonathan Frakes (aka Commander Riker)
I had the privilege to read Kubrick’s Game before the publish date (on September 26th) and it’s definitely comparable to Ready Player One and other great puzzle books like The Da Vinci Code. The author uses a perfect balance of fiction and non-fiction similar to writers like Ernest Cline and Dan Brown. He collaborated with the founders of The Fantastic Race to create the film-based scavenger hunt. By the end, Kubrick’s Game easily claims a spot in my top 5. If you love movies, and especially if you love Stanley Kubrick’s films, then this book is a must read!
If audio books are more your speed then the treat gets even sweeter. Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek’s Commander Riker, provides the narration with Yvette Nicole Brown providing the voice of Desiree Jackson. The audio book will also be available September 26th on Audible and iTunes.
Additional Links
- Check out the trailer on YouTube: Kubrick’s Game – Book Trailer #2
- Here is the author’s website for additional information: Derek Tyler Kent
- There is even some cool Kubrick’s Game merchandise: KG Gear @ Zazzle
- Kubrick’s Game is available for pre-order: Amazon
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
– Dr. Seuss
If you’re a Star Wars troglodyte (aka a Trekkie – j/k Trekkies!), or just a newbie you may have no clue as to the story Rogue One will tell. I’ve also been reading a lot of fan theories trying to connect characters in Rogue One to The Force Awakens. While I admire the hypothesizing, I was never under the impression that there would be a lineage connection between any of the new faces in Rogue One with any character in The Force Awakens. All of these fan theories has given credence to how successful the story is in The Force Awakens. If the movie hadn’t been so cryptic as to the origins of Rey and Snoke, people wouldn’t be trying to find the answers in trailer subtext.
I did see Batman vs Superman. I have been talking smack about this movie since it came out and the reviews were so awful. I’ve mostly been doing it to those of my friends that give me a hard time about Star Wars (despite its $932 million in domestic box office sales). I’ve also been doing it because I knew I was going to see the movie. Typically I won’t be too quick to publicly judge a popular movie like this unless I intended to see it (after all, I did watch Titanic before I finally decided I didn’t like it). In the spirit of full disclosure, I probably wouldn’t have gone to see this movie if I hadn’t been invited by a friend and the real reason isn’t because of the reviews. I think ticket prices are awful! (Just to warn you, there is a little bit of a spoiler at the end.)
