101 Enigmatic Puzzles

Book excerpt: 101 Enigmatic Puzzles: Fractal Mazes, Quantum Chess, Anagram Sudoku, and More is a book of gourmet, handcrafted puzzles is for the puzzle connoisseur who wants hearty meals, not just a series of snacks; unlike many puzzle books which feature large number of little puzzles each of which only take a few minutes, most of these puzzles are carefully constructed to provide a challenge that will last awhile, for the serious puzzler who enjoys being immersed in a puzzle for a time. Many of the puzzles here may take a couple of hours or perhaps even an entire afternoon; though the book is also designed so that one can browse and graze allowing casual puzzlers to explore and enjoy as well. In addition to small, sample puzzles provided when new puzzle forms are presented, there is an entire Hints Section provided, with hints for every puzzle, designed to make the solving easier, while still maintaining a challenge. Thus, the book should be of interest to both hardcore puzzlers and casual puzzlers alike, whether one is looking for brain exercise or an amusing diversion, one can find it here. Most of the puzzles here introduce new twists on older puzzle forms, and some introduce new forms of puzzles as well, that, in addition to needing solutions, require one to figure out how to go about solving them. As the range of puzzles is broad, so is the book's audience; whether one enjoys logic puzzles, mazes, chess puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, number puzzles, trivia puzzles, or word puzzles, one will find them here, and new varieties of each of them as well. As some of the puzzles combine existing puzzle forms, fans of one type of puzzle will be introduced to other types of puzzles, potentially broadening their areas of interest (for example, the Anagram Sudoku puzzles, which combine Sudoku with anagramming).