Book review: Second Life In-World Travel Guide
Second Life In-World Travel Guide
is a book written by Sean Percival (Sean Voss in Second Life -- previously covered here), published by Que. I recently got a copy and was unable to put it down. Now, this was partly because it's photo-heavy, but also because it's pared down to the absolute necessities of the information you need to make the most out of your SL experience. This is a good thing. With a guide book like this, you don't want a great deal of exposition; you want to find what you need and go, and this book accomplishes that task with style.
While it may seem like a rather slim volume, you'll discover that this is because the content offers up only the best of the best in shopping, entertainment, education, the real world mirrored in SL, adult areas, and locations to set up your second home. Each of these is given its own section, color-coded for easy navigation. The index in the back of the book is also handy for quickly locating exactly what you need.
As I briefly mentioned, the book is lavishly illustrated with copious full-color photos throughout. Each area has several shots taken in specific, and an overhead view of its relationship to the mainland on the grid map. These wonderful photos are accompanied by the in-world coordinates of the sim in which they reside, as well as a short but informative summary of the area's history and content.
Finally, there is an appendix that lists a few great SL-related resources, such as websites and blogs, notable residents, news sites, and more. Best of all, many of the places in the book have landmarks on Sean's property at Landmark Island, where he regularly conducts SL tours.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. I learned a few things by reading through it, which just goes to show that no matter how long you've been a resident of Second Life, you may never get to see everything it contains. The world is constantly growing and evolving, and as long as Sean keeps updating his books, there will always be a helpful guide to lead you on to the next adventure.
[Thanks, Sean!]
