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The LEGO Adventure Book, Volume 2

One more post before the holidays. I reviewed the first volume in this series just about a year ago in a post that covered three LEGO-related books.

The LEGO Adventure Book, Volume 2 is another hardcover book. This time, the volume includes a series of about 40 step-by-step building guides that are similar to what is provided when you buy a LEGO kit and pictures of many more built models for further inspiration. What I said about the first book in the series also applies here, so I’ll start off by quoting myself:

The illustrations in this book are stellar and the models are outstanding. Anyone looking to be inspired to build more interesting and more beautiful things will find this book thrilling. The book follows a loose story line focused on an adventure, a quest to learn how to build interesting and complicated things with LEGO. The story line is neither vital nor distracting, it just gives an fun excuse to move from idea to idea. This is [another] book that I expect my kids to enjoy (ages 8, 10, and 11).

If you liked the first volume, you will like this one. Along with the abundance of new ideas and building guides, there are some subtle refinements to the presentation that make this sequel even more enjoyable than the first volume. For one, there is a new focus on imagination with a limited palette, such as when a builder has only a few LEGO parts to work with rather than a limitless supply. This is a nice touch as it helps with a positive “I can do it” attitude rather than the common sales tactic that starts by building a sad “I don’t have the parts they have” feeling in the builder. To be sure, there are plenty of LEGO pieces in the examples that the reader may not already have, but they are not to focus; the focus is being creative and inspiring the reader. I like that.

The examples and projects are fun, diverse, colorful, and just all-around cool. In addition to the step-by-step instructions for specific projects, like Havoc: A Viper Fighter, where the reader learns how to build one form of space fighter, there are also follow-up pages that break the idea down to the important bits like A LEGO Viper should have… and a list. Then, there are lots of pictures of variations on this theme that use the same basic set of foundational parts to create a wide set of options and variations. This builds on the theme I mentioned above of avoiding the marketing evil of creating discontent and instead using simple basic things to get builders started and then building creativity.

The book contains large projects and small ones. There are space-based builds, earth-based, fantastic and realistic, futuristic and nods to the past. You will build cars, boats, planes, spaceships, homes, businesses, furniture, island getaways, castles, gardens, movie sets, kitchens, and some things I don’t even have words to describe or categories to name. The variety is great.

I have reviewed a lot of LEGO books this year. This is one of my favorites. It just came out, the copyright date says 2014, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this at the local bookstore. It is worth a look if you have a LEGO builder on your shopping list.

Disclosure: I was given my copy of this book by the publisher as a review copy. See also: Are All Book Reviews Positive?