The game is afoot....Can You Survive?

Great Scott!
The game is afoot. Are you ready?

Hi there readers!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers....and happy New Year's Eve to you! Here's hoping your night is filled with fun, laughs, and good times....and that 2012 holds nothing but the best for you.

Now just because we are ushering out the current year doesn't mean the reading fun ends. ..if anything it kicks into overdrive. Yup, that's right. 2011 might be ready to leave us behind (and believe me, I'm glad to see it go), but reading wise, I'm not quite ready to let it go. While I can't finish out all the books nor reviews in a day, I can check another off the list with today's post. Ready to read all about it?  Today's book of choice is....

CAN YOU SURVIVE?
SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE'S ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
Adapted by
Ryan Jacobson and Deb Mercier

By Jove, it's bloody hard to not slip into the language and accent we associate with this infamous ficticional detective when reading anything remotely associated to him.  Never was there another "man of reason" purely the creation of one man's mind that has stayed with us generation after generation with such magnitude. In his more recent reincarnations, we've found his days as a young lad being explored more and more in an effort to bring his mysteries to the younger audience. This book however remains true to the originals in both time and age but introduces them to the audience in a new way....the choose-your-own-path book.

That's right. You get to play detective as you follow (or not follow) the clues laid before you in an effort to determine the who, what, when, where, why and how of each potential case.  There's even an oddball one inserted as a potential trap by his adversary Dr Moriarty. Can you determine which is which? You best hope so or you might find yourself in more than a pickle...as I may have once or twice ~whistles~…hey, that's the fun of these stories, right?  Never knowing which road is absolutely the right choice but giving it a go anyway and seeing just where you end up....that's what choose-your-own-path books are all about.

I've read one in this series previously (Jack London's CALL OF THE WILD....the review for which can be seen by searching my site) and found the interpretation carried off rather well. So how did the man of pipe and violin fair against the mighty pen? Just as good if I do say so myself....and I do.  It gives you a taste of Holmes' world without the full entrée thereby allowing readers of all ages the chance to explore this timeless classic, see how it stacks up to their expectations and explore further with a read of the actual novel once this adventure is complete. 
In my mind, anything that helps captivate the imagination of other readers or nonreaders, is a welcome addition to the bookish scene. This book would serve younger readers wonders as it breaks the ice between the classics and today's youth...but even my adult eyes were entertained and reminded of the magic that a few strokes of the pen can make. This author duo did a splendid job of sampling the originals while creating something unique enough to stand out from the crowd. Highly recommended to MG readers through adults for an adventure of mammoth proportions in the heart of jolly old England.  Be sure to bring your thinking cap....you're gonna need it.

Signed copy for review courtesy of author Ryan Jacobson. (THANKS!) For more information about either author and their complete body of works, feel free to visit them online at http://ryanjacobsononline.com and http://www.debmercier.com
This book is available now on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next year....hehe....happiest of new year wishes....and happy reading!