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S. Hardcover – October 29, 2013
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"The best-looking book I've ever seen. . . . The book is so perfectly realized that it's easy to fall under its spell. . . . If you want to write a romantic mystery meta-novel in which two bibliophiles investigate the conspiracy around an enigmatic Eastern European author, you couldn't choose a better team." --Joshua Rothan, New Yorker
"Impressively smart, engaging . . . Filled with secrets and stories that are endlessly beguiling and inviting . . . Reading S., and trying to decode everything [was] an incredibly enjoyable, fun experience, as well as a particularly immersive one. . . . For all its mysteries and intrigues, this is a book about the value of books, and what they can offer us that other storytelling mediums cannot." --Wired
"S. is gorgeous, a masterpiece of verisimilitude. . . . The book's spiritual cousin is A.S. Byatt's Possession. . . . The brilliance of S. is less in its showy exterior than the intimate and ingeniously visual way it shows how others' words become pathways to our lives and relationships." --Washington Post
"Both as literature and as a physical object, S. is a profound and tremendous work of art. . . . Brilliantly conceived and perfectly executed, the book harkens back to a golden age of storytelling. . . . An audacious literary achievement that calls to mind Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire, Chris Ware's Building Stories and even Charles Portis' Masters of Atlantis." --Miami Herald
"Reading S. is fun, and the book feels alive . . . Gloriously embroidered with marginalia and jammed with artifacts inserted between its pages . . . A celebration of the book as a physical thing." --Chicago Tribune
"Both as literature and as a physical object, S. is a profound and tremendous work of art."—The Miami Herald
"Impressively smart, engaging . . . Filled with secrets and stories that are endlessly beguiling and inviting . . . Reading S., and trying to decode everything [was] an incredibly enjoyable, fun experience, as well as a particularly immersive one. . . . For all its mysteries and intrigues, this is a book about the value of books, and what they can offer us that other storytelling mediums cannot." --Wired
"S. is gorgeous, a masterpiece of verisimilitude. . . . The book's spiritual cousin is A.S. Byatt's Possession. . . . The brilliance of S. is less in its showy exterior than the intimate and ingeniously visual way it shows how others' words become pathways to our lives and relationships." --Washington Post
"Both as literature and as a physical object, S. is a profound and tremendous work of art. . . . Brilliantly conceived and perfectly executed, the book harkens back to a golden age of storytelling. . . . An audacious literary achievement that calls to mind Vladimir Nabokov's Pale Fire, Chris Ware's Building Stories and even Charles Portis' Masters of Atlantis." --Miami Herald
"Reading S. is fun, and the book feels alive . . . Gloriously embroidered with marginalia and jammed with artifacts inserted between its pages . . . A celebration of the book as a physical thing." --Chicago Tribune
"Both as literature and as a physical object, S. is a profound and tremendous work of art."—The Miami Herald
About the Author
Emmy-Award-winning filmmaker J.J. Abrams has produced, directed, or written films and television shows including Fringe, Lost, Alias, Felicity, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Mission: Impossible, and more.
Doug Dorst teaches writing at Texas State University-San Marcos. He is the author of the PEN/Hemingway-nominated novel Alive in Necropolis and the collection The Surf Guru. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Epoch, and elsewhere. Dorst is also a three-time Jeopardy! champion.
Doug Dorst teaches writing at Texas State University-San Marcos. He is the author of the PEN/Hemingway-nominated novel Alive in Necropolis and the collection The Surf Guru. His work has appeared in McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Epoch, and elsewhere. Dorst is also a three-time Jeopardy! champion.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
691 of 723 people found the following review helpful
By
Veltscroll
on November 6, 2013
Format: Hardcover
54 Comments
Sending feedback...
I read a lot of books, and I often love what I read, but I literally (no pun intended) have not been this excited about reading a book since I was a kid. It's not just the story (or should I say stories), or all the ephemera and the clever, well-produced presentation. It's how it all combines to actually make you feel like you're in on it. That you're trying to figure it all out right along with Jen and Eric. Reading and re-reading The Ship of Theseus for clues and inferences to what's happening in the "real world". The whole time watching as J&E's relationship evolves. Then, if you're really adventurous, and you start tapping Google to expand your research, you'll find that the experience goes beyond the book. (Google: Eotvos Wheel) ***I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU DO THIS***
I'll admit: when I opened the book for the first time, the second thought that went through my mind (after "How frigging cool is this?") was, "How the heck am I gonna read this?"
So, for those of you asking that same question, let me tell you how I went about it:
As cool as all the inserts are, trying to keep them from falling out of the book as you're reading is a pain, so take them out and use post-it notes to mark what page they came from, then put them in an envelope that you can easily access.
Now, J&E's notes are not entirely in chronological order. You can generally go by the color of the ink between them to tell what phase of their story you're at.
First, there's Eric's pencil notes to himself about the actual book. Then, the convo between J&E begins when Jen picks up Eric's book and sees his notes and begins commenting on them in the margins. He sees this and writes back.Read more ›
I'll admit: when I opened the book for the first time, the second thought that went through my mind (after "How frigging cool is this?") was, "How the heck am I gonna read this?"
So, for those of you asking that same question, let me tell you how I went about it:
As cool as all the inserts are, trying to keep them from falling out of the book as you're reading is a pain, so take them out and use post-it notes to mark what page they came from, then put them in an envelope that you can easily access.
Now, J&E's notes are not entirely in chronological order. You can generally go by the color of the ink between them to tell what phase of their story you're at.
First, there's Eric's pencil notes to himself about the actual book. Then, the convo between J&E begins when Jen picks up Eric's book and sees his notes and begins commenting on them in the margins. He sees this and writes back.Read more ›
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168 of 180 people found the following review helpful
By
H. Parker Smith III
on November 8, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Verified Purchase
4 Comments
Sending feedback...
S. is one of the best books I’ve read. Period. But I believe I feel differently than the average reviewer because I made the conscious decision that I was going to “believe” before I started reading. You see, you can only enjoy this book if you go in accepting that you are not its first owner and that what you are reading was not intended for your eyes. The ability to become an active participant instead of a passive reader, I would imagine, is the difference between loving this book and hating it. I fall so far onto the “love” side of the spectrum that I simply cannot wait to read it again.
S. is really a story about 6 principal characters:
• S. – The main character in the novel "Ship of Theseus" who is suffering from amnesia. The novel follows S. as he desperately tries to figure out who he is and what his significance is to both the Ship of Theseus and the various ports at which it docks.
• V.M. Straka – an enigmatic author of the novel Ship of Theseus, the book which serves as stage to this mystery.
• The Translator (FXC) – a historian of Straka’s works who not only translates his novels into a variety of different languages but also pens commentary in the form of footnotes throughout Ship of Theseus.
• Eric – an exhausted theorist who believes the mystery of “Who is V.M. Straka” can be solved via subtext clues cleverly embedded throughout Ship of Theseus
• Jen – a student who stumbles upon Eric’s copy of Ship of Theseus and who’s penchant for researching the obscure and who's fresh perspective on the tale helps reveal that the initial question of “Who is V.M. Straka” is only the tip of a very, VERY large iceberg.
• YOU – You are the 3rd handler of this book.Read more ›
S. is really a story about 6 principal characters:
• S. – The main character in the novel "Ship of Theseus" who is suffering from amnesia. The novel follows S. as he desperately tries to figure out who he is and what his significance is to both the Ship of Theseus and the various ports at which it docks.
• V.M. Straka – an enigmatic author of the novel Ship of Theseus, the book which serves as stage to this mystery.
• The Translator (FXC) – a historian of Straka’s works who not only translates his novels into a variety of different languages but also pens commentary in the form of footnotes throughout Ship of Theseus.
• Eric – an exhausted theorist who believes the mystery of “Who is V.M. Straka” can be solved via subtext clues cleverly embedded throughout Ship of Theseus
• Jen – a student who stumbles upon Eric’s copy of Ship of Theseus and who’s penchant for researching the obscure and who's fresh perspective on the tale helps reveal that the initial question of “Who is V.M. Straka” is only the tip of a very, VERY large iceberg.
• YOU – You are the 3rd handler of this book.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
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122 of 143 people found the following review helpful
By
Ian Steiner
on October 31, 2013
Format: Hardcover
8 Comments
Sending feedback...
Even with that as the background, the book is a bit overwhelming when you try to tackle it. There are all the clue pieces, the dialogue between Eric and Jen and then the story itself. I was having a tough time trying to read the story and the banter while keeping it all together in my head. I decided to pull out the clue pieces(catalog the pages they are stuck between, it's important) and just read the story ignoring Jen and Eric. It's hard to do but I think it helps. The idea being I will read the story first, as Jen did, then go over it a second time reading Jen and Eric's banter at which point the clue pieces will be introduced. This will give me a greater depth of knowledge when trying to put the clues together.
I have not completed the story and don't want to drop any spoilers so this review is more of a guide book on how I thought the best way was to tackle the mystery. I'm sure other people will have different ideas and my plan may change as I progress so I will add updates as I move through the process.
If anyone reading this has a better ideas or thoughts to share please comment below, would love your feedback.
Ian
EDIT:
1) If you elect to read the book as I am(story first), DO NOT read Eric and Jen's banter. Clues are dropped that you will not want revealed.
I have not completed the story and don't want to drop any spoilers so this review is more of a guide book on how I thought the best way was to tackle the mystery. I'm sure other people will have different ideas and my plan may change as I progress so I will add updates as I move through the process.
If anyone reading this has a better ideas or thoughts to share please comment below, would love your feedback.
Ian
EDIT:
1) If you elect to read the book as I am(story first), DO NOT read Eric and Jen's banter. Clues are dropped that you will not want revealed.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
44 of 56 people found the following review helpful
By
Ugo Strange
on December 19, 2013
Format: Hardcover
4 Comments
Sending feedback...
Okay, I'm going to be 100% Honest with you. MY REVIEW IS ENTIRELY PERSONAL! There is nothing wrong with this book. The idea is cool, but THE EXECUTION IS ALL WRONG! For starters this book will only be interesting to a certain kind of person (preferably English Literature students or anyone HEAVILY involved in English Lit), I'm not the demographic for this book. So why'd you buy it then, Ugo ? Good question. Well I thought I was getting something VERY different than what I got. So with that being said, let's get to the review.
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF V.M. STRAKA! THAT'S IT! THAT'S ALL! Doug Dorst said he was inspired to this book based on The Shakespeare Authorship Controversy and The B. Tavern Question. If I had known this, I wouldn't have brought this book as I don't think that concept is solid enough to hold my attention, and it unfortunately I was right. This would have been tolerable if the novel "Ship Of Theseus" was interesting...and unfortunately that's the worst thing about this book. I found it bland, pallid and void of depth. As someone who's used to reading Stephen King, I'm used to being able to engage and relate with the characters I'm presented; I could not relate to S, and none of the characters he encountered felt real enough for me to even care about. Also the pacing of this book is really weird and the structure of it completely sucks. Certain plot points seem to pop up out of nowhere and you're not sure if you should be paying attention to them and then when they do resurface it feels forced.
As far the world of the margins go, Eric and Jen are ONLY interesting when they're not talking about Straka, because after awhile it just becomes repetitive and annoying.Read more ›
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF V.M. STRAKA! THAT'S IT! THAT'S ALL! Doug Dorst said he was inspired to this book based on The Shakespeare Authorship Controversy and The B. Tavern Question. If I had known this, I wouldn't have brought this book as I don't think that concept is solid enough to hold my attention, and it unfortunately I was right. This would have been tolerable if the novel "Ship Of Theseus" was interesting...and unfortunately that's the worst thing about this book. I found it bland, pallid and void of depth. As someone who's used to reading Stephen King, I'm used to being able to engage and relate with the characters I'm presented; I could not relate to S, and none of the characters he encountered felt real enough for me to even care about. Also the pacing of this book is really weird and the structure of it completely sucks. Certain plot points seem to pop up out of nowhere and you're not sure if you should be paying attention to them and then when they do resurface it feels forced.
As far the world of the margins go, Eric and Jen are ONLY interesting when they're not talking about Straka, because after awhile it just becomes repetitive and annoying.Read more ›
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