Maze: Solve the World's Most Challenging Puzzle

by Christopher Manson

This is not really a book. This is a building in the shape of a book...a maze. Each numbered page depicts a room in the maze. Tempted? Test your wits against mine. I guarantee that my maze will challenge you to think in ways you've never thought before. But beware. One wrong turn and you may never escape!

Genres: Puzzles, Fiction, Picture Books, Art, Mystery, Games, Childrens

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Hip E.]

There is a 100% chance that this book is better than "House of Leaves."

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Freaking. Book. Do not be fooled by the fact that it has pictures. This is not a book for children, despite the fact that I absolutely loved it as a child, even though I could never solve it.
I have not solved this yet, or even come slightly close. (There are many things I am willing to use internet walkthroughs for, but this is not one of them. If I did, I would dishonor my family for generations and probably be exiled from society and have to live in shame.) It is near impossible to solve. That, however, does not stop it from being really freaking fun.
What can I say about this book? The writing style is superb and completely envelops you in the story. The illustrations are beautiful and mesmerizing. Both of those aspects are made all the more interesting by the clues. Yes. Clues. Don't roll your eyes. These clues are not the "Blue's Clues" that can be figured out in a second. I mean an impossible web of clues that would take hours to completely decipher. I mean not knowing what is a clue or even noticing all of them. I mean not even being sure what clues to trust. I mean each clue having so many possible meanings that there's no way to know which one is right. And, to make things harder, if that's possible, these clues do not stand alone. Of course they don't. Because Christopher Manson is a frigging genius and I want to hug him and slap him in the face for all the frustration he's brought me at the same time. No, each clue connects to other clues. Between not knowing what's a clue and what's a decoration, what clues to trust, what the clues mean, and where they're telling you to go, is it any wonder that I've been working on this for my entire life and still not found a solution?
In short: buy this book. Buy it now. I don't care how old you are, what kind of books you usually read, or if you think illustrated books are beneath you. Buy it and spend hours trying to understand it and end up simultaneously hating and loving it. Buy it, because this just might be the best book I've ever read.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good grief. This book will be the death of me. I found it years ago, still haven't solved it, and sometimes it feels like the book isn't even real- like I spookily stumbled across the only copy that changes as I am reading it. I have never even seen this book anywhere except for the one store I bought it from... you can probably find it online I'd assume.

The entire book is a maze, each page a different room and you flip through the pages like a Choose Your Own Adventure book (a CYOA book on crack). Each room has a paragraph describing your passage through that room and a picture of the room. The paragraph and picture apparently contain clues, in fact the whole book is said to contain clues to be solved in order to find the center then come back out again.

I'm pretty sure Manson is the devil, or God, for creating a book this crazy. Good luck to you if you decide to journey down this path to madness!

[LAPL Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1985 there was a competition to solve a puzzle--a puzzle in the shape of a book. Christopher Manson presented this strange puzzle in an eerie picture book that he wrote and illustrated. Taken all together, the book itself is the maze. You enter the maze by turning the first page. But once you do, will you be able to find the center? Will you find your way back out again? Each page of the book represents a room. Each room has multiple doors that lead to different pages, and you have to chose the right ones to walk through. As you make your way through the maze the mysterious (and untrustworthy) guide leads you from one surreal landscape to another, dropping tantalizing hints that might be lies.

Back in 1985 the person who was able to solve the maze would win $10,000. But by 1987 no one had been able to solved it. So the company running the competition split the prize money between the top competitors and called it a day.

This hasn’t stopped people from entering the maze. People have been trying to solve the Maze ever since. It’s been 30 years since this book was released, 28 years since the competition ended, and people are still trying to figure it out. Nowadays there are websites and podcasts and a youtube channel devoted to the puzzle of Maze. But all you need to enter the maze is your library card.

Reviewed by Andrea Borchert, Librarian, Science, Technology & Patents Department,

[Benas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tai, turbūt, mažiausia ir tuo pačiu didžiausia iš mano kolekcijoje esančių knygų. Ne paslaptis, kad esu puzlų ir galvosūkių gykas ir šitą knygą, savaime suprantama, turiu jau daugybę metų.

Bet šį kartą ją išsprendėm kartu su mano 7mečiu sūnumi. Išsprendėme per dieną, bet tik dėl to, kad jau žinojau kertinį lūžio tašką, pavadinkime taip. Kita vertus - praeina pora metų ir, jei neturi užrašų, tai galima spręsti iš naujo, nes daug kambarių, o jie pilni visokiausių keistų daikčiukų, trukdančių lengvai atsiminti, kas kaip.

Knygos esmė yra rasti kelią iki labirinto centro ir atgal. Kitas lygis - rasti trumpiausią kelią pirmyn ir atgal, kas yra 16 žingsnių. Tai šituos abu galima padaryti, jei paišaisi žemėlapį, per dieną. O tada...

Sekanti užduotis yra neišsprendžiama, nes tam reikia būti anglakalbiu puzzlegyku ir ne šiaip paprastu, o visiškai hardkoriniu. Taigi, ta paskutinė sunkiausia dalis - išspręsti 45-ajame kambaryje esančią mįslę - pasauliniu lygiu išspręsta tik komandiškai interneto forumuose, kur daugybė tokių gykų sprendė po gabalėlį ir taip rado bendrą atsakymą. Tai čia galima tik pasvajoti, nors dalį fragmentų atidus skaitytojas surankiotų blūdinėdamas pakeliui.

Ir tada yra dar viena užduotis (šita 50psl knyga yra nereali, sakau!) - išsiaiškinti, kas yra grupę vedantis gidas. Šita užduotis yra išspręsta, tačiau atsakymo nėra net fanų forumuose iki dabar! (2024) Versijų daug, bet, pasak paties Christofer Manson - tai yra viena iš užduočių ir atsakymas yra knygoje.

Šitą knygą rekomenduoju visiems puzzlų fanams ir literatams, kuriems patinka visokie nelinijiniai ir transmedialūs tekstiniai dariniai.

Ir pasidarykite sau paslaugą - nepasiduokite ir nepradėkite googlinti sprendimų, nes taip susigadinsite visą malonumą, o tuo pačiu nepatirsite, kiek tokio dydžio knygelė gali pareikalauti laiko ir mentalinių pastangų!

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally solved the maze (not the riddle). Only took 30 years.

[Dave Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty neat idea.
i solved the maze itself in one day, i ignored all clues, explored every room, and just made notes of which rooms went where and made a directory allowing me to go anywhere that wasnt hidden. then i reviewed each room again to find the hidden door (not too hard) when i saw there were several rooms that i couldnt get to.
i did use 'fast travel' to get to places id been before and i regret that since it might have ruined some of the fun of getting stuck in loops &c.
as for the riddles, no thanks.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't the world's most challenging puzzle.
It isn't a very hard maze.

But even knowing the way to the center and back, I love to travel through this book, wandering from room to room looking at the scenery and enjoying the sense of space, the changing light, and the wry jabs from the narrator.

I never bothered looking for the "hidden puzzle" with the cash prize (puzzle-books with cash prizes were a fad when this came out), but I expect it was a let-down anyway.

Take a look at this if you want to solve the maze or if you want to explore the world. Take it slow and appreciate the rooms. Imagine the people coming and going and make up what other rooms are in the building.

It's a blast.

Oh, the maze itself: quite solvable. Yes, it does kind of cheat, but the cheat is clearly marked and feels entirely fair to me.

[Nate D]

A strange picture-book labyrinth with eerily cross-hatch-shadowed rooms leading into other empty rooms leading into still others, like an interactive version of Edward Gorey's The West Wing, perhaps. Not a book of mazes, but a maze that is a book, and seemingly far trickier in all senses than any seeming children's book should be. I'm becoming convinced that the entirety needs to be decoded before the "path" will reveal itself. Found via a reference in the Believer that instantly pricked my latent fascination with mazes.

(totally stumped after a complete mapping of all accessible doorways, groping for sliding panels via the cryptic texts)

[Chanel Earl]

After reading Piranesi I heard about this book: another fantastical maze story with statues and rooms.

It is a really fun read. I love the illustrations. I could easily spend weeks (and probably will) playing with this book, looking for clues, and following paths.

I did spend hours, as did my son (the rest of the family hasn't put in their time yet).

I am not very good at puzzles, and I didn't solve it, but I will keep trying when I have the time.

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this book as a kid, I never solved a single one of the puzzles and found the whole thing mildly terrifying but fascinating in a way that I didn't fully understand. I'd almost forgotten about it until I saw a YouTube video and the thumbnail alone brought back a flood of memories.

Reading it again now, I still won't even attempt any of the puzzles but I'm glad to see that I was right to be fascinated by it. The art and the the writing are both absolutely incredible, the whole thing is wildly evocative and deeply sinister. It definitely shouldn't be given to children, but in my case I'm glad that it was.

What at first seems like an ordinary puzzle book actually exists in a lineage with Borges, Calvino, House of Leaves, Myst, Piranesi, and the more recent Blue Prince, which was directly inspired by it. I'm so glad to have rediscovered it because I think it genuinely must have contributed to shaping my tastes today and even as an adult it still feels like there's supernatural about it.

[Mick M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the concept behind the book; it’s like a puzzle-oriented choose your own adventure where you only seek one ending. Came back to it after many years and finished the main objective. Lots of the puzzles are obscure, so probably not for you if you like clearly defined objectives. Definitely would have been more fun to do with a group, like an escape room.

[Alex Racapé · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a kid this book freaked me out. The book is so absorbing, it felt like I was actually trapped in the labyrinth. Years later, I randomly remembered it, and saw that there are entire online communities dedicated to this book and its puzzles that are still unsolved. Now, I’m on a mission to find another copy.

[Joseph Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

And I thought House of Leaves hurt my brain 💀

[Josh Karpatkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would rate this six stars if I could

[Alex Shine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just solved the maze to heal my inner child!

[Capn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not solved it. I spent an hour* or so, spinning my wheels, getting lost in what seemed like endless loops, dead-ending, and having to restart the book, because I was trapped for eternity with all the other eyes in the dark..., wishing I had a pencil and paper handy to map the damned thing... I got really worked up. I'm going to have nightmares of rooms 40, 38, 6 and 11, and 35 to 33 and never being able to escape, OMG, is our guide Mephistopheles?! Urgh. It made me feel ill, tbh. (*closer to two, apparently. Crap, you can get LOST in this thing!).

I cannot wait to sic this one on the family at Christmas. Muwah ha ha hah hah! After a few glasses of wine, oh, the arguments! (Crap, am I the guide?! This is getting too meta for my liking!).

So there are still websites being written about this book, nearly 40 years after its original release in 1985 (apparently with a $10,000 promotional prize?) - I get it. I didn't even find the centre and work my way back, and that's the easy part, allegedly.

This stupid book is going to haunt me. There's an irritating red herring on the fricking cover. I just ignored all the hints and signs and figured I could do it by logic... yikes. Needs proper attention, and next time I'm mapping it.

I rather wish I hadn't bought 2 copies - I'm not sure I want one in my home, taunting me.

I think I'll go watch Only Connect now, to clear my mind. :)

TL:DR - this book is mean, and is therefore ideal for gifting to the family during the holidays.

I might even give a cash incentive to the first person to solve it.. (can read for free on Internet Archive, but, then it would be harder to limit internet-enabled cheating, I suppose). There's enough used copies available if you wanted to be diabolical about it and issue each person a hard copy...

[Douglas Beagley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great art, great puzzles, multiple levels of difficulty. This is a landmark puzzle book that succeeds on so many levels. You can enjoy it as a ten-year-old, you can try to wring the last bit of truth out of it as a 40-year-old. I'm not sure if is ever fully solved or solvable--because the puzzles themself are actually art, and art can't be solved.

[Terrible Book Club · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concept is cool, but is it really "challenging" or just needlessly obtuse? I guess that's part of the fun, and maybe we like to be led by the nose just a bit more. Illustrations were mixed, but generally great! If you like really really non-obvious puzzles that make you think super outside the box (almost outside the whole damn box warehouse), this might be for you.

[Aza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solved this with my 11 year old daughter. She solved it actually. We got to the end, it didn't make sense, then she blurted it out and it just made sense. It's a bit of a troll though.

[S.Matt Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I first got a copy of this book as a child in the 80s (it came out in 1985). I'm reviewing it now as an adult after 30-40 years.

Maze is a choose-your-own-path book. The writing is mysterious. The artwork is alluring, also mysterious, lots of cross-hatching, kind of a timeless feel to it. The combination of a nameless narrator, haunting writing, and spooky imagery created one of the most powerful reading experiences of my life, both as a child and as an adult.

As a child, I did not solve Maze. I shared it with my friend who also did not solve it. This had never happened before. We passed the only copy between us, back and forth, looking for clues, secrets, anything. We didn't get anywhere.

There are two puzzles in Maze. One is simply the path through the book. Page 1 leads to page 21 which leads to page 44, etc. The challenge is to find a path to the final page and back to the first page in the shortest path possible. This took about five or so years to do between two fairly intelligent youth.

The second puzzle is an epic rebus. Images from all the pages of the correct solution come together to form a timeless question/riddle. You have to solve the first puzzle (ie the path) to stand a shot at solving the second.

As an adult, I did not solve the epic multi-page Maze rebus. And yet, every time I've picked it up, its elements pull me in. It is a perfect book, even without unlocking the big puzzle.

I'll never forget getting an email from a friend when we were in our 30s. He sent me a link to a long website about Maze which basically outlined the entire book, the puzzles, what the text meant, etc. Holy freaking cow. The depth of this book is still something that blows me away, especially given that its packaging is a picture book for kids.

To my knowledge, no one ever solved it perfectly. There was a $10,000 contest that accompanied the book's publication and stayed open for about two years. Twelve people got close to the right answer, and the publisher decided to split the prize among those twelve.

My advice to the interested: avoid the internet at all costs with regard to this book. The book's beauty and writing can't be undermined by the internet, but the puzzles can. There is an amazing tension embedded in the book and its writing that gets destroyed with the perfect information available on the internet. Let this book bewilder you like it did me for most of my life. Leave it and come back to it. Maze is a thing of beauty, a real gift to readers, puzzlers, and fiction-lovers.

[Meg V · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents got me this as a kid and I was never able to solve it, so I picked up a used copy and I STILL couldn’t solve it. Luckily Google exists now, and there is zero chance I would have ever figured this thing out on my own.

You’re supposed to:

- Get through the maze in the shortest route possible. I had a notebook full of notes on which rooms I went through, where they led, what choices I made. And there is still no way I would ever have gotten through.

- Translate the riddle hidden at the end. I may have stood a chance of figuring out some parts of this but still very very unlikely.

- Get back out again in the shortest route possible (which is not the same as the route in). I think this is the one piece I actually could have done, except I never made it that far.

- Translate the riddle that had a piece hidden in each room along the route in/out. NOPE.

- Solve the two riddles, which have the same answer. Okay actually the riddles are easy, but lord good luck even getting to this point.

I should hate it but I actually love it. How do you even come up with something this twisty???

[JStanz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its interesting that no one has ever really solved this puzzle. Some have claimed to have solved it, but they offer no corroborative evidence. And even those who claim to have solved it didn't bother with the riddle on page 45.
I don't want to offend anyone, if you found any logic in this puzzle then I am sure you are right. One guy simply mapped out the rooms, figured it out that way. Smart. I tried to do the same thing and gave myself a headache.
I don't believe there Is any logical solution to this maze, using the 'clues'. The clues are utterly meaningless, except perhaps to the author himself. They are not vague or obscure, they are not cleverly concealed suggestions. They are meaningless words and images, that point in no particular direction at all. Someone please, tell.me I'm wrong. If I sound angry or bitter, perhaps I am a little bit. This book could be and Should be Excellent fun! But for it to be fun, it has to solvable. The clues have to be genuine clues. Otherwise it's just a ripoff. Disappointing.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve spent the past 2 days lost in this marvellous maze of mystical narrative and illustrations. After going through sheets of paper in different coloured pens and mapping out all of the rooms and doorways in a complicated (though satisfying) map, I did eventually discover for myself the shortest route in and out of the maze. (Though I must admit I needed a little hint for one particular room.) I haven’t solved the overall riddles but I am loving the pleasure gained from simply immersing myself in this book, this House. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who loves to get lost in worlds of imagination and has a soft spot for the mysterious.

[H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neat idea, skimmed some and looked up or read solution online, nice idea reminding me of Unlock board game with numbers going to other numbers. Too lazy to solve myself but fun in concept and pretty clever, using anagrams, combo words and text, references to real life like Shakespeare Globe theater, etc. Story of people exploring maze isnt a story really but pictures are good and neat. Semi scary like room of darkness, life or death riddle solution, etc but overall appreciate the unique aspects and cool idea of the book even if I was too lazy to solve.

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not proud, but I had to cheat to finish the book. I tried to reverse engineer it from page 45, but like so many others who have a similar story, I discovered that it is just not possible.

I'm thankful to live in the age of search engines. Otherwise, this book would probably drive me crazy. It is outstandingly clever, but at age 45, I just don't have the patience to try to figure out the clues. Even after reading the solution online, I realize that I likely would have never solved it on my own.

Kudos to the author though. This is a unique "book".

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a reference of this in a book I recently read Rouvrir le roman - I think that where I read about it.

A narrator (the author as a new Daedelus?) is guiding you though his maze/labyrinth.
The book (landscape format) has 45 sets of pages: with a story on the left and an illustration on the right.
The illustrations are all in the same style, gorgeous drawings with lots of details.

Now, this is not your usual novel:

see why in my review:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2023/03/12/...

[Macon Maxey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure why I came back to this today. Started thinking about how much it inspired my interest in puzzles and non-linear space. When I was a kid I really thought I potentially had the only copy, never saw it in stores, can't even remember where I got it. Spent hours upon hours just exploring. So devious.

[Yogi Saputro · Rating 5 out of 5]

a pioneer and masterpiece of its niche genre. stuff of legend. got me beyond the book and delve into rabbit hole of community. It has all types of deception, tricks, and amusement I found on solving puzzle. Not only that, the puzzles are several layers deep. You think you've solved it all? Think again and suddenly new clues appear.

Just. Perfect.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 12-year old and I struggled to solve this book. My 17-year old solved it, but used strategies other than just reading the book and trying to find clues. Challenging---definitely not a kid's book!