Mary Jane has let us know that the Amazon web page has been updated with the cover and synopsis of the novel.One book. Two readers. A world of mystery, menace, and desire.
A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown.
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., conceived by filmmaker J. J. Abrams and written by award-winning novelist Doug Dorst, is the chronicle of two readers finding each other in the margins of a book and enmeshing themselves in a deadly struggle between forces they don’t understand, and it is also Abrams and Dorst’s love letter to the written word.
The two other images on this post are from the Barnes & Noble website and give a few more clues.You can see that the hardcover book comes with a slipcase and inside is seemingly the book entitled "Ship of Theseus" by V.M. Shraka that is mentioned in the synopsis.
So it appears that the book will consist of an original text and notes that expand that text into a second story fitting around the content of the book.
There are a few elements on the cover to explore so please start theorising and discussing in our comments below this post.
Here's the link to Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble image of cover of S.
ReplyDeleteIt shows title "Ship of Theseus" by V M Straka on the spine along with library indexing tag and publisher. If anyone can read the tag and the publisher, please add a comment.
The library book is slipped inside the book "S." outer sleeve. There is an seal, of sorts, with new artwork for "S" with compass and the names of the authors and an illustration of a capuchin monkey waving at us. ;-) So a book within a book, a story within a story.
We have the two readers: Jennifer and Eric (of the postcard), a mysterious author Straka and the book he wrote (maybe autobiographical?).
Eric is a disgraced grad student. What can you do as a grad student to get disgraced? Plagiarism comes to minds. He's off to locate Straka in Brazil, maybe?
The book is left in the same place each time, whenever.
The Stranger video is the tale of "Ship of Theseus." Maybe we will see more of these videos.
You guys may already know this but, The Ship of Theseus is a film article and a thought experiment. wiki
ReplyDeleteThe wiki link is a mobile link here's a desktop link. wiki
DeleteI have updated the post with the B&N images I love how it is packaged and really can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteI am really glad it isn't just a "book" but a multi layered puzzle box in it's own right.
And yes MJ I'm looking forward to examining that compass :-)
When I'm back from China I'll have a look at the images in more detail, at the moment I'm doing everything on a 7" Google tablet, which is a) Amazing that technology has got this good but also b) very annoying when I want to do more !
That is a pretty book! And the packing seems to show it is passed back and forth in a library (don't librarians check for "vandalism?!). "S" for both the author and title of the book. Since the blurb talks about the mystery of the author, it may be that the two side writers are searching for his info-otherwise, how would we know about him?
ReplyDeleteAlso seems like JJ did another Lost in terms of participation here. Came up with the idea and set it forth, then another did the execution and writing.
Oh- library- students- probably the college library?
ReplyDeleteHad tweeted that amnesia victim in novel was going to be rebuilt like the Ship of Theseus. He is actually going on a ship too, so another layer where the rebuilding is taking place perhaps.
Disgraced grad student- maybe he came up with a wild thesis theory concerning author and was kicked out. Now has to go and prove it.
ReplyDeleteThe Barnes & Noble book spine is the ONLY of all the images where book is being sold that has the library tag. That must be a clue.
ReplyDeleteSecond half of the Stranger video out today. Thanks @0bFuSc8 over at Twitter for the heads up. Zort70 will give a new post soonish to talk about that. The end of the video points us to www.soonyouwillknow.com which has links to 6 businesses where you can pre-order. The most significant thing that I can see is the use of different images. The Barnes & Noble detail of the spine for "Ship of Theseus" is different in location of publisher and the placement of library tag (see my comment above).
ReplyDeleteYes, certainly looks like library tag was stuck on only the B&N book.
DeleteI think the college students finding the book in the college library makes sense. New video says that novel was all true-and they got him- and they may get "you" if you go back. That goes with idea of grad student traveling to follow in footsteps of author to find out what happened to him.
ReplyDeleteMaybe game will be able to go on after book is published as we get further clues to how Eric is progressing.
I wonder if some people will get the library tag version and some will get it without ?
ReplyDeletemaybe it will be found in a library, it is not classified as FICTION, library call tag first line is classification 823.34 maybe , Dewey Classifications, second line author (STR) and last line would be date of publication (19??).
ReplyDeleteYou have got a better look at the numbers? I still can't- but the question of it being fiction or nonfiction is important I think. Non fiction seems to mean the author was claiming it as autobiography- and if that was disputed it could be the grad student's quest to prove.
ReplyDeleteWonder what the real Dewey # for S is?
Would be cool if we could get the tag version- but I bet that is just an online clue.
Also, note the "L" in the word NOVEL. Just different than the rest. Is that a reach? Odd they would title "The New Novel" instead of name of book "S.".
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