Alex: You have also contributed to an open Marketplace map for Summer's base.
Max Brooks: Yeah! The mountain is visible in the map after Guy and Summer have left. In reality, it was a huge problem. I was about two-thirds through the writing of The Mountain when I finally sat down and started playing the game. The Nether had changed from top to bottom. Instead of getting angry I realized that this was the most important lesson in my life. You must change with the world as it changes.
Alex: The book is very detailed, just like The Island.
Max Brooks: Research is a key component of everything I do. Because I spend a lot of time researching I don't have enough time to write as many books. With something like Minecraft, I live under the fear that someone will say, "That would never happen!" So I played thousands of hours in Minecraft and made sure that the physics of the game are reflected in the book. Additionally, there are some things that happen in Minecraft that you could never think of on your own. My character from The Island shoots his last shot at a creeper and hits a bat that is hit by. That really happened when I was playing Minecraft!
It's uooka time
Alex: The realness of these books is what makes them so much fun.
Max Brooks: Yeah, and, in everything I write, I want to build trust with the reader. They must be confident that they can trust me to take their on a journey through a country I am familiar with, and that I am their tour guide.
Alex I was impressed by your insight into what Minecraft smells like. That was a great insight Netherrack.
Max Brooks: You know, I'm very lucky to have such a great editor, Sarah Peed. In the first book she pushed me to the limit to ask what the Island feels like. What's the flavor? How does the breeze feel on your skin? What does the grass feel like under your feet? I want the book to be a resonant experience, and I thought that netherrack should smell sulphurous. It must smell like a stench of farts. That's right, I said it! Night Vision should taste like carrot soda. It should be bubbly, tangy, and have a slight tingle on the tongue. I wanted people feel like they were there.
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