Minecraft: The Island
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| Author | Max Brooks |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
| Publication date | July 2017 |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 9780399181771 |
Minecraft: The Island is a young adult isekai novel by Max Brooks, published in July 2017 by Del Rey Books. It was followed by two direct sequels: Minecraft: The Mountain (published in March 2021)[1] and Minecraft: The Village (published in October 2023).
Background
[edit]Brooks' interest in the sandbox video game Minecraft began around 2012 when a friend introduced him to the game. In 2015, he was contacted by Mojang to write a novel centered around the game. Brooks, wanting to "justify all those hours I've spent playing Minecraft",[2] agreed to the task, and by the time that Mojang asked him to sign a contract regarding this endeavor, he had finished a manuscript.[3] Mojang publicly revealed that a novel was in progress during Minecon 2016.[2][3]
When he was writing the novel, Brooks was allowed control of everything save for what the main character looked like, which Mojang, characterizing them as a "cuboid Robinson Crusoe",[2] wanted to make vague as to widen the demographic of readers that could personally connect to them. To this end, Brooks took care to not use gender pronouns when describing the protagonist,[3] who is never given a name.[4]
Plot
[edit]The book is divided into chapters that each teach a specific life lesson. The plot is framed around a protagonist from the real world falling asleep and unexpectedly waking up in the world of Minecraft.[4] He has no memory of who he was before, only general knowledge of the world. The main protagonist wakes up underwater, and thinks he must have fallen off a boat. He picks a direction and starts swimming, soon coming across a small island. He faces denial that this world is real, and deals with extreme confusion and panic at this stage. He then slowly determines the rules of the world he lives in and begins to accept them as reality.
Publication history
[edit]Minecraft: The Island was published in July 2017 by Del Rey Books. Since Mojang did not want to solely have an audiobook with the voice of one gender, two were released: one read by Jack Black and the other by Samira Wiley.[3]
Reception
[edit]Jason Sheehan of NPR was intrigued by Brooks' ability to create a story that adhered to the restrictions imposed by Minecraft's game mechanics, calling the novel "a master's thesis on internal consistency in genre literature".[4] Tim Martin of 1843, however, thought that the novel focused too much on those mechanics at the expense of plot and character development.[5] Likewise, Kirkus Reviews thought that this focus made the novel a worse version of Robison Crusoe.[6] Though describing the plot as "ha[ving] a mechanical feel", John Peters of Booklist wrote that the book contained "useful hints and strategies".[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ Irankunda, Larissa (April 9, 2021). "Minecraft: The Mountain Is a Fast-Paced and Endearing Adventure Book That Brings the Beloved Video Game to Life". The Mary Sue. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Mlot, Stephanie (September 26, 2016). "Zombie Author Max Brooks Writing Minecraft Novel". PC Magazine. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Alter, Alexandra (July 26, 2017). "'Minecraft: The Island' Blurs the Line Between Fiction and Gaming". The New York Times. Vol. 166, no. 57671. p. B1. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- 1 2 3 Sheehan, Jason (July 22, 2017). "Life Lessons (With Zombies) In 'Minecraft: The Island'". NPR. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ↑ Martin, Tim (July 10, 2017). "The first Minecraft novel...or is it a self-help book?". 1843. The Economist Group. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ↑ "[Review of Minecraft: The Island]". Kirkus Reviews. September 20, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
- ↑ Peters, John (October 4, 2017). "Review: Minecraft: The Island". Booklist Online. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
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