What a fantastic book.
This 156-paged collection of colour oozes Pacific Rim wonder. The title is perfect; “Man, Machines & Monsters”.
Take the time to read the forward by Guillermo del Toro before allowing yourself to be distracted by the artwork and the hidden surprises. Now, the hidden surprises are all good – no rift that oozes alien attackers here. In this case the hidden surprises are stickers, inserts and attachments that give the book a treasure chest like feel.
The roleplayer in me recognises Man, Machines & Monsters as a prop. It feels like something a PC would find in an adventure game. There are details of strange alien threats in here. There are plans and diagrams for the robots that can battle them.
It’s hard to use simple pictures to illustrate the feel of the book. Instead I’ve used a new HTC Zoe theme called Atlantis (which gives the micro videos a blue film) to make a video collage instead.
In reality, Man, Machines & Monsters is a book that you experience rather than read. Should focus on any one section however then you’ll find commentary from the creative team behind the movie, insights in the battle-torn world of 2025. This means that if you did fancy creating a Pacific Rim RPG then this book is your best bet at a sourcebook. I enjoyed going through the Kaiju to review which category each one was in.
Just to be clear; you don’t need to be a gamer to enjoy the book. That’s just how it speaks to me. You do need to be a Pacific Rim fan or know someone who is. The latter seems very true as Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters is certainly an intelligent gift ideal for birthdays. It’ll set you back ~£30.00 but feels far more expensive than that.
Disclaimer; My copy of the book was provided for review. Titan Books, Hardcover £29.99, Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters by David S. Cohen.
