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[by Kingsun C]
S: it’s a book that looks like it’s from the 19th century, yet it’s on sale—new—in the 21st century. The combination is a book that looks old, but feels refreshing to hold and read. Wired Magazine even went as far as to say that reading this amazing book is like watching the hit TV series, Lost.
In its review of Abrams’ book, Wired also mentioned that there are elements in the book that are reminiscent of other famous projects that Abrams has created, which went on to become big successes, such as “the romance tales of Felicity; the constantly-revised concepts of identity in Alias; the supernatural existentialism of Lost; the genre pastiche of Super 8; the found object storytelling of Cloverfield.” S is a book that is not only beautifully made, but also demonstrates a fastidious attention to detail. When you first break open the packaging, you admire the antique-looking book and think that it’s an homage to designs from an era of war and chaos; but dig deeper into the book itself, and you will find that it reads as though it was only released a week ago (actually, it came out at the end of 2013).
The story requires you to read the book thoroughly as it contains 2 or, by some estimations, 3 stories under one cover. One is the tale of 2 students who are each doing their research about the famous author V.M. Straka; the other is the core narrative, about a man who has forgotten his identity, and is on a journey to rediscover who he really is. Throughout the book, there is no mention of its 2 original authors, J.J Abrams and Doug Dorst. The original idea came from J.J Abrams: while waiting to board at an airport, he discovered a book that someone had left behind. Once he opened the cover, in which the previous owner wrote, “To whomever finds this book please read it and take it somewhere and leave it for someone else to read,” JJ Abrams took inspiration from the message and employed Doug Dorst, a famous fiction author, to help him compose the two fascinating stories.
I can’t say enough positive things about this book, but if you are fortunate enough to find a copy in your hands, don’t be deterred by the shower of ticket stubs, postcards, and other two-dimensional bric-a-brac that ensues. This is all a piece of the intricate art installation that takes place between the faux-weathered covers of S. Read and enjoy: this is one of the most creative works of English-language fiction that has emerged in many years.
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