While those who live in it might balk at the phrase “geek culture,” we’re still perfectly willing to acknowledge the brave souls who fly our banners proudly. In the world of character-driven science fiction, J.J. Abrams is a household name, bringing us critically acclaimed television series such as Alias, Lost, and Fringe. He’s no stranger to the big screen, either: he’s directed and written films like Armageddon, Cloverfield, Super 8, two Star Trek films since 2009, and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.
Inside the Mystery Box
With S., Abrams has made his first foray into the world of literature, alongside his collaborator, Doug Dorst, the award-winning writer who brought us Alive in Necropolis and The Surf Guru.
Abrams is famous for enthusiastically using the phrase “mystery box” to describe a work of fiction that envelops the audience in suspense and intrigue, demanding both their attention and their patience while the mysteries untangle themselves. No matter what you may think of his work on Lost, there’s no denying that it was a mystery lover’s dream, offering up compelling characters as they navigated their way through strange, metaphysical landscapes.
The obvious enthusiasm for the mystery box approach is the quality that will most successfully put S. in a place of honor among Abrams’ body of work.
What, Exactly, Is S.?
If you were to order a copy of S. on Amazon, the product that would arrive at your doorstep would look something like this: The book comes wrapped in a lavish black slipcase with a stylized ’S’ embossed in black on the front. On the back you’d find a quick blurb about Abrams and Dorst and a brief synopsis of the book’s plot.
That’s the first and only mention of the novel’s writer’s that you’ll get.
Inside the slipcase is a shrink-wrapped book called Ship of Theseus, by V.M. Straka, designed to look like a well-worn library book, complete with Dewey Decimal sticker on the spine. Within the book, spaced about every 20-30 pages or so, is some type of artifact – a postcard, a photograph, a map drawn on a coffee shop napkin – that helps to flesh out the life and times of Straka, the (fictional) novelist who wrote the (fictional) novel Ship of Theseus.
However, you’d be most taken aback by what lies in the margins: multi-colored, faux handwritten notes between two people – Jennifer and Eric – who traded Ship of Theseus back and forth, writing notes to each other in the margins. As they get to know each other, they collaborate to unravel the mystery behind V.M. Straka, the author of the novel, and his place in a global political conspiracy.
Confused yet? There’s more.
There’s Work to Be Done
The book within a book – Ship of Theseus – would, even without the Abrams-esque trappings, be a compelling read. It concerns an amnesiac (known only as “S.”) who drags himself out of the ocean and sets off on a journey to discover who he is and what he’s meant to do. In the course of his journey, he’s impressed into reluctant service aboard an ever-changing sailing ship that seems to be the only defense against perpetual world war.
While S. is reluctant at first, he finds soon enough that the seafaring lifestyle and a role in a globe-trotting campaign against political corruption is a more attractive notion than wandering the world in search of who he was before he lost his memory.
From time to time, the captain of the ship can be found hunched over a world map which, every time it’s shown, is covered over in increasingly large sections of crimson ink. What, precisely, the red ink symbolizes is largely up to the reader, but chances are good you’ll get out of this book whatever you bring with you; though S. and his exploits takes place around the turn of the century onward, modern readers are likely to superimpose their own socio-political concerns and anxieties onto the text.
A Boldly Experimental Novel
The ambitions of this novel would probably have fallen flat in the hands of less gifted writers, but Abrams and Dorst prove to be a terrific pairing. You may have to put in a call to your personal injury lawyer to help you deal with the headaches as you try to keep the novel’s many threads straight, but by the end of the book you’ll feel as though you’ve experienced something flat-out extraordinary.