Minecraft: The Island: Chapters 14–17

by Max Brooks
Based on the video game, this first book of the series features an anonymous narrator who leaves a book behind to help others who also find themselves on an island where survival depends on figuring out how to use blocks.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Introduction–Chapter 5, Chapters 6–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–17, Chapter 18–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. venture
    proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
    Venturing back underground, I came out into the cave and right into the targeting gaze of a skeleton.
  2. fluke
    a stroke of luck
    “No fluke,” I said, as a third arrow fell to my feet. “No lucky angle or lousy aim on your part.”
  3. banter
    light teasing repartee
    “Uhhh…” came a howling moan, ending my witty, one-sided banter.
  4. lumber
    move heavily or clumsily
    In a fitting response, the lumbering bruiser kept doing the only thing he and his kind had ever done: make a slow plodding path right for me.
  5. subterranean
    being or operating under the surface of the earth
    Before me lay an underground canyon: deeper, wider, and just, well, grander than my tiny island up above. For a moment, all I could do was stare in awe at this subterranean world.
  6. stifling
    characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
    I could also see water, thin blue lines falling from walls and the ceiling, crashing down into the lava, turning the air into a stifling steam bath.
  7. bearing
    the direction or path along which something moves or lies
    I started to dig a descending tunnel just behind the cliff wall. Every few steps I opened a window to get my bearings.
  8. establish
    show the validity of something, as by example or explanation
    These were smooth black stones that I’m creatively calling “blackstone.” I think by this point, we’ve established that I wasn’t a geologist back home.
  9. roiling
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    I crept over to the edge of the lava lake, trying to see if I could find him on the other side. Big mistake. Peering across the roiling soup, I heard an omnidirectional “oomph.”
  10. fester
    decay with an offensive smell
    Festering fists bashed me in the back, throwing me forward and toppling me into the lava.
  11. immersion
    the act of wetting something by submerging it
    And yet, it was the total immersion—the complete, body-wide attack on my system—that ended up saving my life.
  12. scalding
    extremely hot
    I don’t know when I climbed out of the scalding stew, or if I continued to burn on land.
  13. entranced
    filled with wonder and delight
    I’d been so preoccupied with the size of the canyon, so entranced with the awesome spectacle of lava, that I never noticed these mundane but nearly fatal openings.
  14. mundane
    found in the ordinary course of events
    I’d been so preoccupied with the size of the canyon, so entranced with the awesome spectacle of lava, that I never noticed these mundane but nearly fatal openings.
  15. coax
    influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
    I tried some more waving, some more coaxing, I think I even tried dancing, anything to trick it into taking one more step over the side.
  16. gingerly
    in a manner marked by extreme care or delicacy
    I stepped gingerly across the blackstone, shivering at the heat radiating up through my feet.
  17. bounty
    the property of being richly abundant or plentiful
    “GOLD!”
    The word glittered as brightly as the bounty before my eyes.
  18. plethora
    extreme excess
    A plethora of terms were as embedded in our language as the rocks before my eyes: gold rush, gold standard, golden opportunity, and now in my case, gold fever.
  19. lustrous
    reflecting light
    “Oh my,” I whispered as a few swings freed the lustrous, finely cut gems. “DIAMONDS!”
  20. obsolete
    no longer in use
    “Told ya this stuff was valuable,” I strutted, marveling at the flashing blade. “Move over Protector,” I said, packing away the obsolete iron cutlass, “because it’s time for Flash.”
  21. swagger
    walk with a lofty proud gait
    Swaggering back to the hill, I called over my shoulder, “Who knows what else I can make with more diamonds and gold!”
  22. ebb
    fall away or decline
    The last two salmon went down just as the poison ebbed.
  23. distinction
    a differentiating quality
    “This was so disheartening because, well…after all this time I finally found someone like me.”
    “Moo,” corrected the caring animal, with a distinction that made all the difference.
  24. confection
    a food rich in sugar
    Four seconds later: “Piece of cake!”
    No, literally! Hovering in the ether was a light brown, frosted confection complete with little red sprinkles.
  25. foundation
    lowest support of a structure
    A proper home aboveground. Civilized. Normal.
    “New priority!” I proclaimed to the animals, and got right to work mapping out the foundation.
  26. drab
    lacking brightness or color; dull
    The problem was that I didn’t have enough of the nicer speckled white and pink rocks for a whole house, and the dull, drab cobblestone was…well, dull and drab. I wanted a bright, cheery feeling that wouldn’t remind me of living underground.
  27. profound
    showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
    It was a profound truth that I’d come back to many times, that problems force progress.
  28. qualify
    make more specific
    “No, I’m not saying it wasn’t a mistake,” I quickly qualified to Moo, “but mistakes can be a pretty good teacher. Maybe the best.”
  29. lament
    regret strongly
    “If only,” I lamented to the animals, “I could just make a whole new beach in one quick step, you know, like I did by pouring lava over water.”
  30. cinch
    any undertaking that is easy to do
    Of all the difficult, dangerous tasks I’d accomplished on this island, making more island turned out to be a cinch.
  31. decadence
    luxurious indulgence in something that is pleasurable
    It lit the first two floors and gave me an unheard-of luxury for the third. I couldn’t believe the sensation of dipping my body into that steaming pool. What decadence!
  32. inimitable
    matchless
    Like the kitchen, I stacked the corners with furnaces and lined the walls with chests, crafting tables, and my inimitable anvil.
  33. implore
    beg or request earnestly and urgently
    “Moo,” she continued, imploring me to change my mind.
  34. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    They only meandered in small, lazy circles, as if the mass slaughter of their community had no effect on them.
  35. conscience
    a feeling of shame when you do something immoral
    “I learned that nothing is free. Everything has a price, especially if that price is your conscience.”
  36. ravenous
    extremely hungry
    The flames rose and spread, eating my beautiful home like a flickering, ravenous beast, and leaving, like the discarded bones of a meal, fireproof objects suspended in mid-air.
  37. jostle
    make one's way by pushing or shoving
    “What’s wrong with you!?” I yelled, trying to jostle them back. I was just pushing Cloud into the tree line when a sound turned my stomach to stone.
  38. paltry
    contemptibly small in amount or size
    A sudden, crazy idea sprang from the paltry dirt cubes in my hand.
  39. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    Then, from the meadow, a plaintive “moo.”
  40. indomitable
    impossible to subdue
    That night, locking eyes with the indomitable zombie, I told him, “You don’t stop, and neither will I. I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll craft new tools, plant new crops, build a new house, and come out of this experience stronger and smarter!”
Created on Sat Aug 24 09:41:50 EDT 2024 (updated Sun Aug 25 11:37:52 EDT 2024)

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