I'd say I'm quite open to multimedia/multiformat books, but I did not anticipate just how much brain power this one would require. And on top of that it required a certain level of participation from the reader that I simply had neither sufficient energy for nor interest in. I get why a lot of people feel this book is pretentious, and if I let myself get carried away by how frustrated I was with the reading experience, I would be inclined to say the same. It's quite self-indulgent, and I don't necessarily mean that negatively. It just begs to be taken seriously and wants you to engage with the puzzle of the format, the symbolisms, and the themes it explores, and that puzzle is endlessly complex that you are left wondering whether certain choices were truthfully intentional or if the author is basically trolling his readers by putting them in this social experiment. While I did want to truly understand what was going on at the beginning, it became increasingly tedious and meandering that I found myself just wanting it to be over. I would have said I dislike this book if it weren't for how wonderfully it wrapped up and my particular interest in a certain portion of the appendices.

If you are hesitant about reading this book, I'd say give it a whirl, and if the puzzle gets too annoying or confusing for your taste, just focus on The Navidson Record. I promise that that at least is worth sticking it out to the end for.