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Cubeworld
Something’s strange about the world Marco unexpectedly finds himself in, without memory of who he is and how he got here. It takes him a moment to realize what‘s wrong: Everything around him is made of cubes.
Haunted by skeletons, zombies, and killer cucumbers, he must find an exit from the Cubeworld. As he finally confronts the deadly enderman, there’s more at stake than just his life ...
Cubeworld is the first professionally written and edited Minecraft fan fiction novel by German bestselling author Karl Olsberg.
Haunted by skeletons, zombies, and killer cucumbers, he must find an exit from the Cubeworld. As he finally confronts the deadly enderman, there’s more at stake than just his life ...
Cubeworld is the first professionally written and edited Minecraft fan fiction novel by German bestselling author Karl Olsberg.
166 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2012
16 people are currently reading
538 people want to read
About the author
Karl Olsberg
127 books119 followersKarl Olsberg holds a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence and is the founder of three start-up companies, one of which was named "Start-up of the Year 2000" by German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche. He has written more than 50 books that have been translated into 10 languages, among them several German national bestsellers. He is an active member of the international AI safety community, working together with AI experts to prevent existential risks from advanced AI.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 13, 2024
Dieses Buch habe ich bereits vor einigen Jahren gelesen, wo es mith genauso sehr mit sich reißen konnte, wie auch jetzt beim zweiten Mal. Karl Olsberg hat mit „Würfelwelt“ eine Welt geschaffen, in der sich vor allem Minecraft-Spieler wiederfinden werden. Was zunächst nach einer Art Fan-Fiktion des Computerspiels aussieht, stellt sich als Art Science Fiction Thriller raus. Marko befindet sich in dem Minecraft Universum, weiß jedoch nicht wo oder wer er ist. Im Verlauf der Geschichte fängt er an, „Die Spielregeln“ zu verstehen und sich Stück für Stück zu erinnern, dass das nicht die Realität ist. Denn in Wirklichkeit liegt er in einem Koma, in dem er eigentlich nicht liegen dürfte… Wir begleiten Marko durch die Minecraft Welt auf dem Weg, sich aus seinem Unterbewusstsein zu kämpfen, bevor er stirbt. Denn er weiß, wer ihm das angetan hat… Dieses Buch ist kurzweilig, hat eine enorme Sogwirkung und man will es einfach nicht aus den Händen legen. Bis zum Ende bleibt einiges ungewiss & man fiebert mit Marko mit. Eine ganz ganz große Empfehlung von mir, einem Minecraft Fan 🤎 Man muss selbst kein Fan des Spiels sein, um es zu lesen, aber man sollte es kennen ✨ Auch wenn es nur sehr dünn ist, ein kleines Highlight - aber Achtung, es kann sehr triggernd für Menschen sein, die Mi**brauch erlebt haben!!! Da schließe ich mich ein, aber ich konnte es als Geschichte betrachten.
April 10, 2014
I liked this book. I was confused because I'd seen the horror movies based on Cube and I had not played minecraft. So I put the book down and checked out minecraft - I realized I had played similar games. So the book made more sense.
This is a great fast read. I suspect you can read it in one sitting if you prefer. I'm still torn about the simple sentences. In a way, I like it. No James Joyce rambling narratives here. The compact simple sentences keep the action moving. However they also bring a juvenile flavor. I wish Olsberg had made the story more adult to counterbalance this.
I can't rave about the creativity because I imagine credit belongs to Minecraft. I can recommend this book for a fast fun summer read.
This is a great fast read. I suspect you can read it in one sitting if you prefer. I'm still torn about the simple sentences. In a way, I like it. No James Joyce rambling narratives here. The compact simple sentences keep the action moving. However they also bring a juvenile flavor. I wish Olsberg had made the story more adult to counterbalance this.
I can't rave about the creativity because I imagine credit belongs to Minecraft. I can recommend this book for a fast fun summer read.
August 12, 2013
I won this book in a giveaway! Thank you Karl Olsberg!
I had anticipated an unexceptional fan-fiction presented in the form of an introduction/tutorial of the Minecraft universe, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a remarkable piece of surrealist fiction. That being said, a lot of the metaphors are correlated with Minecraft so unfortunately people that aren't familiar with the game may struggle with this book.
I'm not sure I would recommend this book to people who are only fans of Minecraft, or only fans of surrealism, but it fit the perfect niche for me and I definitely have a few people in mind that I intend to pick this up for. Well done.
I had anticipated an unexceptional fan-fiction presented in the form of an introduction/tutorial of the Minecraft universe, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a remarkable piece of surrealist fiction. That being said, a lot of the metaphors are correlated with Minecraft so unfortunately people that aren't familiar with the game may struggle with this book.
I'm not sure I would recommend this book to people who are only fans of Minecraft, or only fans of surrealism, but it fit the perfect niche for me and I definitely have a few people in mind that I intend to pick this up for. Well done.
July 21, 2014
Best Minecraft Novel
Best Minecraft Novel
I really liked this book because it had a good plot, great characters, and everybody likes Minecraft! I bet that all Minecraft players would enjoy this book.
Best Minecraft Novel
I really liked this book because it had a good plot, great characters, and everybody likes Minecraft! I bet that all Minecraft players would enjoy this book.
June 7, 2014
Very dark under the humor. Definitely not geared toward children, despite main focus being Minecraft. I would say teens and up.
September 6, 2017
An excellent and easily read (I mean, really easily) book for Minecraft lovers and confused mental patients.
March 3, 2025
Very good book. Easy to read, and exciting story. Great combination of horror and video games. Obviously it is also Minecraft, that makes it ever so better.
March 19, 2020
Found it interesting until about 1/3-1/2 the way through, where the “big plot twist” was revealed and everything fell flat. Was not a fan of the “its all a dream” trope throwing away all stakes, and that combined with the “female character’s sexual trauma is only there to further male character’s plot and let him play the hero” thing they had going on made the last half of the book an absolute drag.
Was very disappointed because it had a VERY solid start. The confusion and mystery of the setup was well done, but just throwing that all away for an overdone trope was disappointing... The reader’s guess at the twist should NOT be more interesting than the actual twist, imo.
I would say it would be interesting to preteen boys who don’t read much because they may not have been exposed to these same tropes as much as an avid or older reader, but I couldn’t recommend it be given to a younger reader because of the amount of uncensored swearing, plus the major overlying villain pretty much explicitly being an incestuous pedophile. And while I know kids do deal with these as legit issues with CSA and being exposed to violence/etc (I speak from personal experience) I feel that the way the book handled this was from the perspective of an outsider and the mature topics were not handled in an age-appropriate manner. Also felt the topic of mental illness in kids was uhh, handled very poorly.
Technical aspects, though, it was well written. The actual text was easy to read and obviously the writer is very skilled. If the content was handled better I probably could have given this 5 stars, but I don’t think I can just from the fact that if I read this when I first brought it in 2013 (6 years on my shelf... oof) it’s handling of mental illness and trauma probably would have made my own worse to deal with.
Was very disappointed because it had a VERY solid start. The confusion and mystery of the setup was well done, but just throwing that all away for an overdone trope was disappointing... The reader’s guess at the twist should NOT be more interesting than the actual twist, imo.
I would say it would be interesting to preteen boys who don’t read much because they may not have been exposed to these same tropes as much as an avid or older reader, but I couldn’t recommend it be given to a younger reader because of the amount of uncensored swearing, plus the major overlying villain pretty much explicitly being an incestuous pedophile. And while I know kids do deal with these as legit issues with CSA and being exposed to violence/etc (I speak from personal experience) I feel that the way the book handled this was from the perspective of an outsider and the mature topics were not handled in an age-appropriate manner. Also felt the topic of mental illness in kids was uhh, handled very poorly.
Technical aspects, though, it was well written. The actual text was easy to read and obviously the writer is very skilled. If the content was handled better I probably could have given this 5 stars, but I don’t think I can just from the fact that if I read this when I first brought it in 2013 (6 years on my shelf... oof) it’s handling of mental illness and trauma probably would have made my own worse to deal with.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2013
Holey shockers batman. There is a some serious content for the target market age.
The beginning is intentionally confusing and once I got through the first couple chapters I was glad the author took the risk. This book is clearly written by a stronger author than other Minecraft books. The language and character depth is noticeable.
There is some use of the words “hell” and “damn” and one instance of “shit”. The story starts out like most Minecraft stories. The main characters find themselves inside the game (kind of). But then as the story goes forward the author sets up a possible schizophrenia scenario which is well written. One of the main characters disappears, which I hope means something but I have to go back and figure it out.
Anyway, at this point I was thinking that a mature topics warning label might be needed on the book. But then the plot twists and actually had me somewhat riveted and intrigued. And on pages 94-95 my jaw dropped open and I was shocked. No details are given, so a naïve reader wouldn’t know what to think nor have visuals. But it is quite intense none-the-less.
I found the end a just a little too drawn out. But it contained some good gems. Thankfully, the story goes forward and wraps up things in a -they all lived happily ever after - fashion. I haven’t given you the finer details, in case you want to read the book.
I suspect this book is more appropriate as at least a grade 9 book, or grade 7-8 with parental permission?
The beginning is intentionally confusing and once I got through the first couple chapters I was glad the author took the risk. This book is clearly written by a stronger author than other Minecraft books. The language and character depth is noticeable.
There is some use of the words “hell” and “damn” and one instance of “shit”. The story starts out like most Minecraft stories. The main characters find themselves inside the game (kind of). But then as the story goes forward the author sets up a possible schizophrenia scenario which is well written. One of the main characters disappears, which I hope means something but I have to go back and figure it out.
Anyway, at this point I was thinking that a mature topics warning label might be needed on the book. But then the plot twists and actually had me somewhat riveted and intrigued. And on pages 94-95 my jaw dropped open and I was shocked. No details are given, so a naïve reader wouldn’t know what to think nor have visuals. But it is quite intense none-the-less.
I found the end a just a little too drawn out. But it contained some good gems. Thankfully, the story goes forward and wraps up things in a -they all lived happily ever after - fashion. I haven’t given you the finer details, in case you want to read the book.
I suspect this book is more appropriate as at least a grade 9 book, or grade 7-8 with parental permission?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2013
I wasn't really sure how to rate this book, but i decided with 4 out of 5.
The underlying story of this novel is very dark, which is not to my usual tastes, but this story is so well written, that it didn't put me off. I love all the references to Minecraft, and often found my self laughing out loud thinking "Yup, we've all done it!" The story was very engrossing, the surroundings very well described, and at times, i found the whole setting very eerie (what with the whispering and the re appearing enderman)
The only thing that let this book down for me was the often occurring contradictions of the writer, mostly in the "lever room" scene. Without giving anything away to the story, our character finds himself in a lever room, where he has to answer certain questions on signs, down for no, up for yes, however the writer kept saying yes to a question, but have the character then pull the lever down to no. It was kind of annoying and confusing, and i kept having to re-read the passages to make sure i wasn't seeing things, but apart from some editing errors, this is a great story, that i'm sure any adult fans of Minecraft would really enjoy. All the monsters we know and love/hate are all there, and the world is pictured perfectly.
I am definitely now more open to reading other fan-fiction, especially of game franchises, so thank you for that Mr. Karl Oslberg :)
The underlying story of this novel is very dark, which is not to my usual tastes, but this story is so well written, that it didn't put me off. I love all the references to Minecraft, and often found my self laughing out loud thinking "Yup, we've all done it!" The story was very engrossing, the surroundings very well described, and at times, i found the whole setting very eerie (what with the whispering and the re appearing enderman)
The only thing that let this book down for me was the often occurring contradictions of the writer, mostly in the "lever room" scene. Without giving anything away to the story, our character finds himself in a lever room, where he has to answer certain questions on signs, down for no, up for yes, however the writer kept saying yes to a question, but have the character then pull the lever down to no. It was kind of annoying and confusing, and i kept having to re-read the passages to make sure i wasn't seeing things, but apart from some editing errors, this is a great story, that i'm sure any adult fans of Minecraft would really enjoy. All the monsters we know and love/hate are all there, and the world is pictured perfectly.
I am definitely now more open to reading other fan-fiction, especially of game franchises, so thank you for that Mr. Karl Oslberg :)
September 9, 2016
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Big thank you to Karl Oslberg! That being said, the following is my honest and impartial review of the book.
Never having played Minecraft, I wondered if this book would be suitable for me. So I would have a better understanding, I did a little online research first just in case. I needn’t have worried. It is indeed a piece of well written fan-fiction, with ’insider’ references to the game. However, it is also an engrossing fantasy novel which would just as easily appeal to those who are not Minecraft fans. It combines a ’real-life’ character, Marco, with his ’in-game’ version, both facing their enemies and struggles. The book has a sinister, threatening feel to it with vividly detailed surroundings which evoke the surreal perfectly.
The writing style was fairly simplistic and I felt more suited to older children than adults, although it did serve to keep the story moving. A fast, enjoyable read which, for fast readers, could be completed in one sitting.
Never having played Minecraft, I wondered if this book would be suitable for me. So I would have a better understanding, I did a little online research first just in case. I needn’t have worried. It is indeed a piece of well written fan-fiction, with ’insider’ references to the game. However, it is also an engrossing fantasy novel which would just as easily appeal to those who are not Minecraft fans. It combines a ’real-life’ character, Marco, with his ’in-game’ version, both facing their enemies and struggles. The book has a sinister, threatening feel to it with vividly detailed surroundings which evoke the surreal perfectly.
The writing style was fairly simplistic and I felt more suited to older children than adults, although it did serve to keep the story moving. A fast, enjoyable read which, for fast readers, could be completed in one sitting.
December 21, 2014
Überraschend Gut! Gronkh war auch dabei, gute Moral und sinnvolle Nebenstory!
Die Geschichte hat mich sehr überrascht.
Ging ich doch von einem stupiden Roman über die Minecraft Welt aus. Jedoch erwartet mich ein perverser Stiefvater der seine Tochter mißhandelt und ein Junge der in seinem Unterbewusstsein in einer Würfelwelt mit Gronkh gefangen ist. Manchmal bekam ich richtig Schiss vor den Endermen und Witherskeletten, die am Ende der Geschichte nochmal ordentlich in Aktion treten.
Ich fand die Geschichte überraschend gut und habe das Buch schnell an einem Nachmittag bei 30 Grad verschlungen. Super Schreibstil. Freue mich auf das nächste Buch!
Und habe es immer noch nicht!!!!!!!!!
Die Geschichte hat mich sehr überrascht.
Ging ich doch von einem stupiden Roman über die Minecraft Welt aus. Jedoch erwartet mich ein perverser Stiefvater der seine Tochter mißhandelt und ein Junge der in seinem Unterbewusstsein in einer Würfelwelt mit Gronkh gefangen ist. Manchmal bekam ich richtig Schiss vor den Endermen und Witherskeletten, die am Ende der Geschichte nochmal ordentlich in Aktion treten.
Ich fand die Geschichte überraschend gut und habe das Buch schnell an einem Nachmittag bei 30 Grad verschlungen. Super Schreibstil. Freue mich auf das nächste Buch!
Und habe es immer noch nicht!!!!!!!!!
November 29, 2014
Loved it.
For a fan-fiction about such a child friendly game as Minecraft, this is surprisingly dark. It actually, through good writing, scares me occasionally and the story itself is so creative it keeps me hooked. If any complaints, the idea of the main character keep hearing voices for a certain person (no spoilers) gets annoying eventually. Aside from that, it even features famous Minecraft players and has many great ways to catch you off guard. Yet, Steve Absorbs items into his mind and is not named Steve, which is weird. But learning the plot, it makes a little bit of sense.
Recommended.
For a fan-fiction about such a child friendly game as Minecraft, this is surprisingly dark. It actually, through good writing, scares me occasionally and the story itself is so creative it keeps me hooked. If any complaints, the idea of the main character keep hearing voices for a certain person (no spoilers) gets annoying eventually. Aside from that, it even features famous Minecraft players and has many great ways to catch you off guard. Yet, Steve Absorbs items into his mind and is not named Steve, which is weird. But learning the plot, it makes a little bit of sense.
Recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2014
Okay so where in the blurb did it indicate that this book is much more than it seems. Although it is written around the world of minecraft this book isn't for many of the young readers that might be playing it. I would say this book is for ages 12+.
Marco finds himself in a the strange blocky world of minecraft. Only he doesn't recognise it or even remember who he is. As the story unfolds we find out that he is actually in a coma and his fight for life coincides with his journey through the game. Can he save himself, save his friend from abuse and stop himself from being murdered??
Marco finds himself in a the strange blocky world of minecraft. Only he doesn't recognise it or even remember who he is. As the story unfolds we find out that he is actually in a coma and his fight for life coincides with his journey through the game. Can he save himself, save his friend from abuse and stop himself from being murdered??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2016
Eine witzige Idee - nicht, daß das Buch witzig wäre, es ist eine ernste Geschichte und nicht lustig, aber die Idee, daß das Unterbewußtsein in einem Computerspiel herumirrt, ist halt witzig im Sinne von skurril.
An manchen Stellen kommt mir die Geschichte inkonsequent oder unlogisch vor, und manches ist irritierend, aber im Großen und Ganzen liest sie sich interessant. Es ist erkennbar ein Jugendbuch, aber eins, das man auch als Erwachsener gut lesen kann.
An manchen Stellen kommt mir die Geschichte inkonsequent oder unlogisch vor, und manches ist irritierend, aber im Großen und Ganzen liest sie sich interessant. Es ist erkennbar ein Jugendbuch, aber eins, das man auch als Erwachsener gut lesen kann.
December 22, 2015
I love all things Minecraft, so this was really, really cool! Sometimes it was confusing and a little repetitive (that's just part of the story, so yeah) but overall very enjoyable. There even were some scenes with a popular German Let's Player (Gronkh) ... that was an added bonus that I liked a lot! :D
August 18, 2014
Most of the Minecraft fiction sold at the Kindle store has atrocious grammar and tons of spelling errors and typos. Not Cubeworld. If your kids are clamoring for a Minecraft book (or if it's all they'll read), this one is worth it.
March 4, 2016
Very impressive and original. I don't even play video games and I loved this story. I do have kids that play, so I was able to follow the storyline and where it headed. I could not put it down. Read it in one night. Have to show this to my son. He loves Minecraft.
July 11, 2016
Am Anfang liest sich der Roman ziemlich zäh, und man ist fast versucht aufzugeben. Doch dann entwickelt sich eine doch spannende Handlung. Das Ende kommt wie bei den anderen Romanen von Olsberg leider wieder sehr plötzlich und schnell.
December 29, 2013
My 11-year-old son could barely put this down and finished it in under a day! It was, to use his words, 'epic'.
January 27, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It was very funny,entertaining,and educational for those who play minecraft.
January 21, 2014
I haven't read this book yet but I think I know the ending based on mine craft so that's how I can tell it will be a good book
May 8, 2015
Good
Book was very detailed and interesting. Also very adventurous. Love the part when he meets Simon. I definitely recommend it!
Book was very detailed and interesting. Also very adventurous. Love the part when he meets Simon. I definitely recommend it!
January 31, 2018
Een leuk boek :) het is weer eens wat anders. Al vond ik de tweede verhaallijn (realiteit) niet erg leuk.
We kijken mee met Marco, die plotseling op een strand staat, waar alles kubusvormig is. Hij is in Minecraft.
Hij kan zich niet herinneren wie hij is, of waarom hij daar is. En herinnert zich zo ook niets over hoe Minecraft in elkaar zit. Met vallen en opstaan weet hij te overleven. Ondertussen lezen we flashbacks uit de realiteit, waar hij in een ziekenhuis in coma ligt. En hier en daar ook fragmenten uit zijn leven.
We komen er zo achter dat hij in coma ligt door de vader van Amily, een klasgenoot van hem. Hij heeft hem vergiftigd omdat Amily hem verteld had dat hij haar pillen liet slikken om haar gewillig te maken en haar vervolgens te misbruiken. En als arts is dat natuurlijk erg slecht voor je naam.
Het is dus zijn doel om uit Minecraft zien te komen en haar te redden.
En dit lukt hem ook. Door samenwerking met Simon, een minecrafter wiens server hij is binnengedrongen, zombiepigmen en zelfs de ender draak.
Hij lost alle raadsels op en overwint zijn angst.
Het verhaal eindigt met dat hij wakker word in het ziekenhuisbed, met zijn ouders en Amily naast hem. amily's vader is gearresteerd en alles is weer goed.
Al met al best een leuk verhaal. Ik vond de Minecraft delen heel leuk en herkenbaar om te lezen. Ik krijg spontaan zin om het weer eens te spelen.
Het boek krijgt een punt aftrek voor de achtergrondlijn. Ik vind het simpelweg geen leuke wending en ook niet erg geloofwaardig.
We kijken mee met Marco, die plotseling op een strand staat, waar alles kubusvormig is. Hij is in Minecraft.
Hij kan zich niet herinneren wie hij is, of waarom hij daar is. En herinnert zich zo ook niets over hoe Minecraft in elkaar zit. Met vallen en opstaan weet hij te overleven. Ondertussen lezen we flashbacks uit de realiteit, waar hij in een ziekenhuis in coma ligt. En hier en daar ook fragmenten uit zijn leven.
We komen er zo achter dat hij in coma ligt door de vader van Amily, een klasgenoot van hem. Hij heeft hem vergiftigd omdat Amily hem verteld had dat hij haar pillen liet slikken om haar gewillig te maken en haar vervolgens te misbruiken. En als arts is dat natuurlijk erg slecht voor je naam.
Het is dus zijn doel om uit Minecraft zien te komen en haar te redden.
En dit lukt hem ook. Door samenwerking met Simon, een minecrafter wiens server hij is binnengedrongen, zombiepigmen en zelfs de ender draak.
Hij lost alle raadsels op en overwint zijn angst.
Het verhaal eindigt met dat hij wakker word in het ziekenhuisbed, met zijn ouders en Amily naast hem. amily's vader is gearresteerd en alles is weer goed.
Al met al best een leuk verhaal. Ik vond de Minecraft delen heel leuk en herkenbaar om te lezen. Ik krijg spontaan zin om het weer eens te spelen.
Het boek krijgt een punt aftrek voor de achtergrondlijn. Ik vind het simpelweg geen leuke wending en ook niet erg geloofwaardig.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews