We highlighted the The Lego Adventure Book Vol 1 by Megan Rothrock in an earlier post and thought it looked like an outstanding concept.
So we are very excited that the publishers, No Starch Press have sent us a review copy – now we get to go up close and personal with the book and see if it is as wonderful as we thought it was.
You can read the review below or just take my word for it –
The Lego Adventure Book is worth every cent!
Lego Adventure Book Vol 1 Review
I’m old enough to remember the early days of Dorling Kindersley – when their concept of photographing subjects on uncluttered white pages was a novel thing.
Now of course the style is ubiquitous with the DK brand and sets the standard for Visual Guides on just about any subject, Lego included.
But this unique, clean and austere style comes at a cost. There is something missing from the DK books – personality.
And I understand that austerity does serve certain subjects, well… after a while I begin to yearn for a little personality, some character or narrative.
And personality is something that Megan’s book displays on every one of its 200 pages.
The Lego Adventure Book is like mixing the best parts of DK with your favorite all ages comic book.
You get model ideas, dioramas, step by step instructions as well as a comic book style story following Megan around on an adventure, as she learns building secrets from a variety of experts in the field.
From buildings to cars to castles, trains, planes and even Lego Friends, she learns about a diverse range of models on her travels:
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Building the Idea Lab
Chapter 2: A LEGO Town
Chapter 3: Hot Rods and Cool Rides
Chapter 4: From Below!
Chapter 5: The Sky’s the Limit
Chapter 6: The Turtle Factory
Chapter 7: Starfighters
Chapter 8: Mighty Mecha
Chapter 9: Medieval Village
Chapter 10: Triassic Park
Chapter 11: Making New Friends
Chapter 12: Full Steam Ahead
Chapter 13: Steampunk
Chapter 14: A LEGO Legend
Works Of Art
One of my favorite sections was Chapter 5, The Sky’s the Limit. I kept being reminded of the films of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli as I was reading this section.
The propeller-driven planes would look at home in Porco Rosso or Nausicaa – they manage to be unique without being overtly showy – you do believe they could fly.
They just seem to “work”.
And really that is the case when you take the time to look at all of the models in the book, they are all works of art created using diverse Lego pieces and building-techniques .
Some more quirky than others – the turtle-robot factory is a sight to behold 🙂
For Lego Fans Of All Ages
The Lego Adventure Book is the kind of book you can just give to Lego fans of any age and watch as they (depending on their age) absorb the visual information by osmosis, read through the story and be inspired to build similar models or methodically follow each instruction to re-create the models on display.
But for parents, one of the best ways to get the most out of the book is to share in making a model with children.
Some techniques are unusual and won’t have been utilised in pre-packaged Lego sets…and that is a great thing!
For kids to know they can attach minifigure legs to the front of a mining drill is a real revelation. Just how they do that is another thing. Engaged parents can help with these sorts of micro-contruction methods.
In short The Lego Adventure Book is an asset for Lego fans and builders of any age.
Older fans will reap the true gems included in its pages but younger fans will enjoy the comic nature of the narrative and be inspired by the unique and complex models.
Where To Purchase The Book
You can go to your usual haunts to buy the book but if you buy the hard copy directly from the publishers you receive a free PDF version which is a wonderful gesture and I wish all publishers offerred this option.
Otherwise:
- US: Amazon.com
- UK: Amazon.co.uk
- AUS: Check out prices above if combining items or Book Depository UK (Free Shipping)
The Lego Adventure Book Vol 1 Image Gallery
Thanks to No Starch Press for the review copy of The Lego Adventure Book and to Megan Rothrock for taking the time to make such a wonderful resource.
We look forward to The Lego Adventure Book Vol 2 and the further adventures of Megs 🙂