Official Minecraft Novel from World War Z Writer is Coming

Well, the gaming world is pretty quiet as of late--doesn't seem like there's that much going on, at least, as far as the major developers and studios go. Well, that happens sometimes, but just because not much is going on from MY limited perspective, that doesn't mean things have come to a standstill. Why, just in time to celebrate Minecraft Realm's latest cross-platform extravaganza, we've got even more Minecraft-related news.

Now, you may or may not know this, but in addition to being a sterling creative sandbox and a point-and-click adventure, Minecraft is also a series of children books! Now, I've never read any of them, but I have seen them around bookstores and thought, "Wow, I can't even imagine how these things have a plot!"

I don't plan on picking up any of those books and finding out anytime soon, but the latest Minecraft book, which is an official novel by Mojang, might warrant some attention: Max Brooks, the writer of acclaimed novels World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide. This book, called "Minecraft: The Island," is described as a Robinson Crusoe-style adventure full of weirdness, where someone gets stranded on an island and must survive in order to... not die. As is typically the case.

Publisher Del Rey had this to say about the upcoming novel:
 

"We are absolutely thrilled to be working with the fantastic team at Mojang on what will be the first ever official Minecraft novels, and we're so fortunate to have someone of Max's incredible talent and passion on board for the launch of the series.

Exciting news? Kind of! Video game novels have always been a rather niche area, usually dominated by Star Wars and Blizzard lore, so seeing what Mr. Max can do with a game as narratively bare as Minecraft will be... interesting. To say the least.

Not sure when the novel will be released, but I'm hoping it's soon.