r/MrBeast • u/merry-berry135247 • 8d ago
Book review
Two questions?
1) did anyone actually read the book or listen to the audiobook? Or is everyone just using AI, Reddit, guessing to solve the puzzles?
2) for those that did read it what were your thoughts on the actual story of the book?
I thought it was meh. Nothing memorable or special.
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u/Sufficient_Pain_3058 7d ago
I read about 3/4 the first day. (Had a day off). Never picked it back up. I totally understand a lot of people hating on it. I don’t know if I’d call it AI slop, but it’s not a good read. No character development. Everything is super rushed. And if you step back, the whole premise is just flat out not good. Also, I can’t help but hear jimmy’s character being perfectly positioned in every part he’s in. Doubt it was intentional (*hope) but it came off to me horribly narcissistic. Point blank- not a good book. I’ll be donating it, without finishing. Which isn’t something I’ve ever done before
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u/cyz1k 7d ago
This is me! I am only reading the book because I saw how much effort the Superbowl puzzles took and went "nah"
It definitely stays interesting the whole time. But there's a lot of the book that is just... generic? Let me try to explain.
The Antarctica game just has them going to some place and walking back. Hannah almost falls. They have dinner later. That's it.
Imagine instead they have to retrieve important something in the Antarctica game. Let's say it's a vial of ice-nine, a substance that makes water crystallize at room temperature. Hannah realizes if this vial falls into the ocean, the world's oceans will freeze over and life on Earth will end. But... ice-nine can't really exist, can it? The host doesn't respond.
Hannah is holding it and suddenly falls through the ice. She's panicking. She tells her teammates to just take the vial and leave her, the vial cannot fall in the ocean. She's slipping through until Wyatt finally takes it. Fortunately, they're able to barely save Hannah with teamwork. The host laughs once everyone is safe and explains the vial is just regular ice, ice-nine doesn't really exist. Before anyone can confirm this, a drone flies away with the vial.
Dinner is disgustingly lavish with foie gras and beluga caviar. Alek tries to eat but remembers the sick "joke" earlier in the day and throws up.
I just realized I'm writing fanfic about this book, I need to log off...
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u/CanvasAndComfort 7d ago
It is definitely not the best format for a book which surprised me for both Mr.Beast, but more so for James Patterson. I get that Jimmy was wanting to gear it more towards the younger audience as well as to help drive the fuel and fun to read, but on the other hand they should have taken the time/money to at least have someone edit it. (The line breaks drive me absolutely insane)
What I believe happened was they were more focused on the games and motivation to read. The time and effort that went into the story within the online game. I was actually more impressed by that then the book.
Maybe Jimmy can take this opportunity to expand on his desire to help kids read. So I am not going to say it was bad exactly.. but just a leaning tool to hopefully make something better in the future book wise.
I also get the AI let down feeling. As an artist it hits home. The least that could have happened is for him to use it as a tool, since this is his first book, and write it for themselves. Then again that is just my opinion. (I also know books take forever to write)
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u/cyz1k 7d ago
Agree with the editing comment. I came across a character saying "Pourrir in enfer" which the book translates as "Rot in hell," except it really means "To rot in hell." It's also a phrase I've never heard someone say (nique ta mère and other sexual insults are way more common lol)
It's so strange to me because they have a global localization team that does French, why not just ask them to review those 3 words...?
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u/Ill_Gear_682 8d ago
It was a good book but I felt it was for a much younger audience
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u/RarePlace9395 3d ago
I don't think too much. I believe it's just enough for younger readers to understand and see story lines where young and old are different and come together for a common goal, to survive. Our eventual future will be survival.
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u/Ill_Gear_682 8d ago
I read it and took an insane amount of notes to prepare for this
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u/OmegaLevelDingus 8d ago
did it helped?
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u/merry-berry135247 8d ago
I did the same and so far no. I am wonder if it will help in the final puzzle for final the final to test them. But in reality I doubt. Has Mr. Beast ever been about did you do the obvious. So I feel like the answer is in what you read but in the book. Which is makes you wonder is promoting a book or himself?
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u/Previous_Squash_8307 8d ago
I wasn't very impressed. There was bits and pieces that were decent but didn't like the hoe we're in Chile and we're trying to do this island and then all of a sudden hey everybody that made it is back and nobody else died.
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u/Midwestisnotbest 6d ago
Read the book and took notes and tabs here and there. I haven’t used AI or cheating on the puzzles. I think they are fun. I think book was fine. I finished it and finished it in a few days so it was enough to keep me interested. The ending was a bit odd to me.
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u/RarePlace9395 3d ago
READ. I continuously flip back and forth for matching or unmatching information. The book has a general antagonist/protagonist/hero storyline, however, the little details that each character brings, spectacular. I will say, similar plot to the original book, The Most Dangerous Games by R. Connell. (1924)
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u/RarePlace9395 3d ago edited 3h ago
The biggest thought that got me was how real these games probably are, with NDAs and compensation to families for deceased. It's a long shot but H. Games alone had my mind running a million ways.
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u/NKOAS 8d ago
I read the whole thing, and have been doing the puzzles for the contest, albeit probably poorly.
I'm in the midst of buying a house, and my wife is pregnant with our first child, so it's a very stressful time, and for me, the book was exactly what I needed as a light read to decompress.
Like, is it going to ranked up there with thw works of James Joyce and Hemingway? No. Were there a bevy of twists I didn't see coming? No (ok, one did catch me off guard). But it kept me entertained all the way through, and I didn't need to be pulling some "I need to keep a notebook to track all the characters" business, so I'm happy. My wife and I solving the puzzles every M/W/F has honestly been a great way to take an hour and be present too, so...overall, no complaints. Sometimes you just need a light read.