Catching up..."Sunken Treasure"

Wow, has it really been over a month? Not like anyone really missed me, but it is hard to believe that it has been that long since I posted. So, I guess I need to get you caught up on what has been going on.

I purchased a copy of Wil Wheaton's "Sunken Treasure" about a month ago. I ordered it from Lulu, which is a "print on demand" company. This was my first experience with such a company and actually my first book from Wil. Yes, I know, a geek like me just finding "he who embodies all that is Geek" is a little hard to believe but it is true.

I am a recent (okay, about 6 months ago) Wheatonite convert (please God let me be the cool guy who coins a phrase that sticks!), and have found myself fully engulfed in the religion of Wil. When I saw that Wil was a past guest, and was going to be a future guest at the Emerald City Comicon I decided to link over to his blog and check it out. That click of the mouse was the beginning of the adventure. Flash forward to "Sunken Treasure."

I have to say that the whole "Lulu" process was pretty painless, and in about 3 days I had the book in hand. I really like the quality of the book; the paper is a good weight and the cover, a heavy glossy paper, seems as if it would stand up to general handling. The spine was pressed very well and the pages were tight to the spine when opened. I only found one print error (the margin on one page ran into the seam of the spine) in the book. If you were self-publishing this would be a great way to go.

As for the content, well, let me start with the negative. It wasn't nearly long enough. Now I know that it wasn't intended to be a novel, but more of a primer on Wil's writing, and have to say that if this book is indicative of what I will read in his other books then I am sold. Any reader of this blog (and judging by the number of comments posted on my blog would be a big fat ZERO) would know that I am a bit of a geek myself, so my ability to relate to the content was astounding. Wil's writing style is, well, I don't know the exact technical word for it if one exists. He writes in a first person narrative, but his writing emulates more of a vocal, interpersonal exchange instead of a literary one. He writes in a familiar, conversational tone that is insightful, descriptive, and easy to read (which in this case is NOT a bad thing).

In every story Wil finds a way to pull you in, and it is as if he is taking your hand and saying "...follow me; you have got to see this!" and then takes you on a trip through his life, through his heart and his eyes. I loved it, and I am craving more. My only complaint is that I will have to order his other books from Amazon, which means that Wil gets pennies on the dollar. Wil, let me send you the cash, you send me the books. More money in your pocket means more opportunity to get you published again.