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Ship of Theseus Hardcover – October 29, 2013

by J. J. Abrams (Creator), Doug Dorst (Author)

580 customer reviews

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The chronicle of two readers finding each other, and their deadly struggle with forces beyond their understanding--all within the margins of a book conceived by Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst.

The book: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V.M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey.

The writer: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world's greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumors that swirl around him.

The readers: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they're willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears.

S. contains 22 inserts and will be delivered in a sealed slipcase.

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Editorial Reviews

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"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

About the Author

Emmy-Award-winning filmmaker J.J. Abrams has produced, directed, or written films and television shows including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Fringe, Lost, Alias, Felicity, Star Trek, Cloverfield, Mission: Impossible, and more.

Doug Dorst teaches writing at Texas State University. 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.

Hardcover: 472 pages
Publisher: Mulholland Books; Slp edition (October 29, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316201642
ISBN-13: 978-0316201643
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.8 x 9.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 580 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mashups
- #59 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Sea Stories
- #93 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure > Sea Adventures

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Veltscroll

My Review and a Guide to Reading the Book. ***UPDATED***

November 6, 2013

Format: Hardcover

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. Those early messages are Jen: Blue Ink - Eric: Black Ink

At some point after they go through the book a first time, they go through again. This time Jen: Orange Ink - Eric: Green Ink.

Then a third time Jen: Purple Ink - Eric: Red Ink

Finally, a fourth time (which seems to be after the denouement, in which they retrospectively discuss what has transpired). These are less frequent, and both Jen and Eric are in Black Ink.

***Read each chapter of the main text of SoT, ignoring all of Jen & Eric's notes. Upon finishing each chapter, you're going to want to go back and read only the blue/black notes and any referenced inserts. Then, move on to the next chapter. After you finish the whole book, go back and read only the orange/green notes and referenced inserts. Then purple/red, then black/black.***

However you choose to approach it, you're in for a treat. Even after finishing it, I'm still going back and looking for anything I may have missed. The journey was fantastic and the the destination was, well you'll see.

C.

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Edward K. LankfordTop Contributor: Fantasy Books

no ordinary book

November 16, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Just finished a very unique novel called S. by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst. This book is very meta, by which I mean there are 3 levels of story. The core story is the book itself, Ship of Theseus by V. M. Straka, published in 1949, which is a story about an amnesiac, known only as S., who's trying to figure out who he really is after waking up in a strange city. S. is then kidnapped and trapped on a mysterious boat and becomes involved in a conflict between a violent, oppressive industrialist and his rebellious workers.

The second level of story is about the author of this novel himself, V. M. Straka, a secretive anarchist who seems to have written this book as an allegory of a real conflict and assassination conspiracy of which he was a part. But who was Straka really? No one, it seems, ever truly met him or knows his true identity before he was (supposedly) killed. Ship of Theseus was published posthumously by a long-time editor, F. X. Caldeira, who writes an introduction and includes various footnotes throughout the book, footnotes which seem to contain coded messages in an attempt to contact Straka, if he's still alive.

The third level of story is set in the modern day. A grad student, Eric, has been working on his own theory of who Straka was and has written his notes in the book margins. An undergrad student, Jen, who works at the college library, discovers the book and writes responses to his margin notes, which starts a long conversation between the two as they trade the book back and forth with new notes. It's these margin notes that make the book especially interesting because, as the couple delve into different theories, their relationship develops and they begin to encounter some danger by people who don't want the truth to be known.

As you can see from the pics, this is no ordinary book, and it includes all kinds of inserts (photographs, letters, etc.) that the college students leave one another as they try to figure out the S./Straka mystery. There are various ways you can decide to read S. but to read it you will need a lot of patience. But it's well worth it.

If you like the "meta" idea of this book and are looking for something almost as creative, I would also recommend House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, a horror meta-novel.

9 people found this helpful

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December 14, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is one of the few that I have read multiple times and have discovered something new each time.

How dare J.J. Abrams team up with an author and effectively rob me of my free time. Now who will make hamburgers at McDonald's when all of my time is spent flipping back and forth in this book trying to discover every conspiracy.... I can't believe I even found time for this review.... I've gotta go... the book is calling me.

10 people found this helpful

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John R Rice Jr

Solid read

Great book, a hard read with the footnotes on the side

Published 7 days ago

SarahTop Contributor: Fantasy Books

Interesting, interactive experience... less compelling story

9 weeks and 20 cents in late fines later I’ve finally finished this!! I’m happy I finished- but honestly, I’m not sure this was worth the effort it took to read.Read more

Published 12 days ago

J. W. Carvin

The writing is great, and the premise is great

The writing is great, and the premise is great, I really loved both. It wasn't meant to be an "easy read" and it sure isn't, but that didn't bother m, apart from the...Read more

Published 1 month ago

C. Gosselin

Interesting concept - but a bit disappointing. I wanted to love it.

I was very excited when I heard about this book and couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. In the end, I was disappointed.Read more

Published 1 month ago

Sweetheart Seer

Stunning work of art!

Perfect condition!!

I am so excited to add this literary work of art to my collection.

So stunning!!

Published 1 month ago

E. Taylor

An Experience more than a Book

A different kind of reading experience to be sure!
I owned this book for quite a while before finally diving in. I was intimidated by it as I've noticed others were.Read more

Published 2 months ago

Joshua Howell

Five Stars

This book is so fun

Published 2 months ago

Steve K

Confusing and amazing. I was so excited for this book and ...

Confusing and amazing. I was so excited for this book and it did not disappoint. It's a whole adventure, and really worth the price.

Published 4 months ago

Kirill Tokarev

Boring

painfully boring.

Published 5 months ago

Samantha Tank

Book looks interesting but came damaged.

The books looks rather interesting and I am looking forward to reading it. However, my book came open and damaged even though I ordered it new, so that was a disappointment.

Published 5 months ago

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