Minecraft: The Island: Introduction–Chapter 5

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. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
    My body writhed as a sudden jolt of pain shot from toes to eyes.
  2. rustle
    a light noise, like the noise of leaves blowing in the wind
    No birds, no waves, not even the rustle of wind through those angular excuses for trees.
  3. oblivion
    the state of being disregarded or forgotten
    I tried again, missing the grass, and again, and when I finally connected, my fist smashed my target to oblivion. And I do mean oblivion. The tall green stalks didn’t just fall over or break, they disappeared.
  4. appendage
    an external body part that projects from the body
    “Aw, c’mon!” I pouted, looking at this angular appendage. “Just work, will ya?” For some reason, pleading with my hand wasn’t the answer.
  5. divot
    a small dent, hollow, or depression in a surface
    At first I didn’t see the block, just the block-sized hole it’d disappeared into. I peered into the divot and saw a cube floating at the bottom—actually hovering off the ground—and much smaller than it had been.
  6. suspended
    supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy
    Fist raised, eyes up, I leapt into the air…and came down just as quick. But in that crucial moment, suspended in midair, something truly magical happened.
  7. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    Sure enough, though my actual arm didn’t stretch, from four full block lengths away I could still hit the dappled cubes above my head.
  8. mantra
    a commonly repeated word or phrase
    Call it a mantra or a life lesson or whatever, but they were words to live by, and they’d be the first of many on this strange and wonderful journey: Never give up.
  9. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    “Well now,” I said with a smile, “this might actually be helpful.” That turned out to be an understatement.
  10. sheer
    very steep; having a prominent and almost vertical front
    Now, calmer, confident, and well-fed, I could see that it was more like a steep slope than a sheer wall.
  11. notion
    a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
    Don’t get me wrong, I hadn’t abandoned the notion of all this being just a dream.
  12. practically
    almost; nearly
    It was rectangular—duh—but a little shorter and practically all black.
  13. mottled
    having spots or patches of color
    Its flesh was a mottled green.
  14. utter
    complete
    I picked it up nervously, and winced at the utter grossness.
  15. fringe
    the outside boundary or surface of something
    The fringes were charred like a burnt burger, and I didn’t need to ask where the smoky smell had come from.
  16. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    “But,” I said to the chunk, “we’re not in my world, and I can’t assume anything.”
  17. marooned
    cut off or left behind
    For a moment I hesitated, wondering if I should build a signal fire. Isn’t that what people did when they were marooned on an island?
  18. zeal
    excessive fervor to do something or accomplish some end
    “All right!” I said with growing zeal.
  19. ether
    a medium that was once thought to fill all space
    “A BOAT!” I shouted, yanking it from the ether.
  20. casually
    in an unconcerned manner
    The sheep and cows glanced up casually, then got back to more important munching.
  21. skiff
    a small boat propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
    I set the tiny model tub in the water and it instantly grew into a full-sized skiff. Climbing aboard, I couldn’t believe how stable it was.
  22. headlong
    at breakneck speed
    The boat shot headlong onto the beach, smashing into planks and sticks against the sandy northern shore.
  23. emphatically
    in a forceful manner; with emphasis
    I began pacing back and forth, emphatically gesturing to the watching animal.
  24. hovel
    small crude shelter used as a dwelling
    I raced to create a hovel around myself, slamming dirt blocks down into walls.
  25. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    A moldy arm shot through one of the open squares and socked me right in the throat. “Point taken,” I coughed, staggering back.
  26. taper
    give a point to
    It was flat, roundish, and tapered to a point.
    “That’s a shovel!” I exclaimed.
  27. cadaver
    the dead body of a human being
    “Gruhhh,” gurgled the cadaver.
  28. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    I sauntered over to the crafting table.
  29. bound
    move forward by leaping
    Bounding happily over, I described my discovery of crafting, and gave a show-and-tell of my tools.
  30. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    The cows and sheep shuffled away. The chickens didn’t, though; their heads shot up with rapt attention.
  31. mangle
    destroy or injure severely
    Waves of pain crashed over me: seared skin, cracked bones, pulled muscles torn from mangled joints.
  32. hack
    cough spasmodically
    I tried to scream, but collapsed into hacking coughs as one lung fought to overcome its punctured partner.
  33. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    As the wretched scraps flew into my pack, I clambered dizzily out of the crater.
  34. ordeal
    a severe or trying experience
    And if being assaulted by my own digestive tract wasn’t bad enough, I found that the whole ordeal had barely helped me heal.
  35. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    Passing over the other chicken, I warily eyed the steak. Was all uncooked meat unsafe or just the kind with feathers?
  36. sanity
    normal or sound powers of mind
    This line of thinking was leading down a deep dark hole, and so for sanity’s sake, I pulled my mind back to the here and now.
  37. cultivated
    prepared for raising crops by plowing or fertilizing
    I planted them in a row behind my first cultivated square, all the while hoping this wasn’t a giant waste of time.
  38. elusive
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    From there, I might spot a few more elusive apple trees.
  39. monotony
    the quality of wearisome constancy and lack of variety
    While I made some decent progress, the monotony of mining allowed my mind to wander.
  40. monolith
    a single great stone, often in the form of a column
    Sure enough, the cobblestone I’d put in the upper slot had now fused back into a solid monolith.
Created on Sat Aug 24 09:41:02 EDT 2024 (updated Sun Aug 25 11:37:12 EDT 2024)

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