I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m reviewing “Minecraft: The Island” by Max Brooks!
I enjoy playing Minecraft, and when I found several books as part of the franchise, I knew I just had to read them! Here’s a quick summary so you know what it’s about:
“Washed up on a beach, the lone castaway looks around the shore. Where am I? Who am I? And why is everything made of blocks? But there isn’t much time to soak up the sun. It’s getting dark, and there’s a strange new world to explore! The top priority is finding food. The next is not becoming food. Because there are others out there on the island . . . like the horde of zombies that appears after nightfall.
Crafting a way out of this mess is a challenge like no other. Who could build a home while running from exploding creepers, armed skeletons, and an unstoppable tide of hot lava? Especially with no help except for a few makeshift tools and sage advice from an unlikely friend: a cow.
In this world, the rules don’t always make sense, but courage and creativity go a long way. There are forests to explore, hidden underground tunnels to loot, and undead mobs to defeat. Only then will the secrets of the island be revealed.”
Character Development: 4 out of 5 stars
We never find out the main character’s name in this book, but I think it’s intentional. Given that the reveal is that the reader is reading the main character’s journal, they probably never felt a need to name themselves in the journal as is. However, I did enjoy the development they had as they learned to survive and thrive in Minecraft, while learning more about themselves and how they act in various situations along the way. They were very self-aware, which helped them grow quickly.
Despite the premise, the cow does not get much development. It exists, but it’s mainly there for the protagonist to talk to and/or “rubber duck” their way through tough situations.
Plot Development: 3.5 out of 5 stars
The main story centers around the main character’s fight for survival and all the life lessons that they learn from it, after ending up int the world of Minecraft. This was fun to read, especially in the beginning. The protagonist had to figure out so many basic things about survival, and learned some great life lessons along the way.
However, the constant learning of life lessons throughout the book actually made the plot a lot more predictable than I expected. This especially occurred in the latter half of the book, when they eventually realized that they couldn’t stay in their current location forever. This resulted in them moving off the island, leading to the reveal that their story is what the reader is reading, and assumes the reader is also someone who ended up in the world of Minecraft to survive for real.
Overall, I’m rating this book 4 out of 5 stars!
This will be a fun book for Minecraft fans to read – both those new and experienced with the franchise!
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