Maze of Mysteries

And now for something completely different.

"Monty Python's Flying Circus"

It's no secret that I mainly focus on puzzle plot mystery fiction on this blog. Note the emphasis on plot: in a mystery story, the plot usually has to become the puzzle, challenging the reader to solve whatever the main problem is, ranging from whodunnit, howdunnit to whatthehell. Puzzles on their own are different story,  though I have discussed mystery fiction that include puzzles before: earlier this year I reviewed the puzzle-filled comic Clue: Candlestick for example, based on the famous boardgame Cluedo/Clue. The Professor Layton franchise too is of course all about puzzles popping up everywhere and I once also discussed a jigsaw puzzle that came with a mystery story, or a mystery story that came with a jigsaw puzzle, depending on your point of view. But in general, 'normal' puzzles aren't discussed here often.

But I wanted to do a short write-up on the wonderful illustrated book Pierre the Maze Detective - The Mystery of the Empire Maze Tower (2017) created by Japan-based Hiro Kamigaki & IC4DESIGN anyway. The title doesn't do much to hide the fact that this large hardcover volume is filled with brilliantly drawn mazes to get lost in, similar to the Where's Wally/Waldo books. While this is the second book in this series of maze books, it shouldn't surprise you that they all follow the same format. The Mystery of the Empire Maze Tower starts with the news that the Phantom Thief Mr. X is going to steal the energy source of New Maze City, located all the way on the top of the Empire Maze Tower. Pierre the Maze Detective, his girlfriend Carmen, her dog and a whole party of other famous detectives start chasing after Mr. X as he makes his way towards the Empire Maze Tower. Each illustration of this book is set at a fabulously looking location, like a cruiseship, or the entertainment park or museum inside the Empire Maze Tower and the reader not only has to find a way through the mazes that these locations provide in pursuit of Mr. X, but are also challenged to find other important objects hidden in these beautifully drawn mazes that are filled with little details.

The book offers a memorable journey through absolutely breathtaking illustrations that are immensely lively and great fun to look at. There's a lot of variety too in the mazes: the chase after Mr. X will bring you to places like a harbor, the park in front of the Empire Maze Tower, the hotel rooms and the theater of the Tower and even all the way up in the penthouse pool. These locations serve as fantastic-looking and intricately-designed mazes that bring you across the whole illustration.

And even after solving the initial maze, you can just spend ages looking at all the details here. Each illustration has its own set of unique challenges (usually to find certain characters or objects hidden in the maze), but there are also many running gags, like a polar bear who's also chilling somewhere or a ninja appearing at the oddest places. There's no 'background' here: everything is a joy to look at. The atmoshere in these illustrations is really nice: it reminds me a bit of the cozy, anachronistic vibe of the Professor Layton series.

There's no mystery plot in this book though, so all that's getting tested here is your eye for detail and how good you are at mazes. Okay, the book is made for children, so adults shouldn't have too much trouble with the mazes and the challenges here, but it's definitely a book adults can also enjoy because the book is just so full of personality (for those worrying about their eyesight: the actual book is pretty big).

As this is a pure puzzle book and not really the kind of book I usually discuss here, I'll just keep it short, but I really enjoyed Pierre the Maze Detective - The Mystery of the Empire Maze Tower as a detective-themed maze book, and if you're looking for a fun puzzle illustrated book similar to Where's Wally for kids and adults, I can recommend this wholeheartedly. The book has been published in many countries and I believe a third volume is to be published soon worldwide too.