The Deadbooks debuts as "the next step in the evolution of the novel"

Hasso "Hoss" Wuerslin writes that The Deadbooks has gone live (see this article). The ten-hour season—featuring 30 actors and 40 musical groups—tells "the story a mining scout ship, led by the gifted Shallen, who discovers an Earth devoid of human life… except for the memories of a long dead Will Lant. The memories are so powerful that they posses Shallen, revealing to him Lant's final days—days in which Lant was forced to live the lives of three alternate beings in a desperate attempt to rectify a terrible mistake. Now, like the spider, the ghost of Lant traps all passersby, in the hopes that one can achieve what he could not bring himself to do."

Though the story itself sounds interesting, Wuerslin's publicity seems more focused on the fact that "the novel isn't just about words anymore; it's become a mash-up of story-telling techniques, no longer chained to yesterday's way of thinking."

Calling it the next step in the evolution of "the novel", Wuerslin seems intent on issuing a manifesto when he says "There may be purists out there who think I'm trying to kill the novel, but I disagree. Why shouldn't the novel stretch out in new directions; transform into a new form of entertainment?"

What do you think? Is The Deadbooks a great story, or is it merely a literary statement? Comments and reviews are welcomed.