New book asks, What if the theme park lands’ imagined realities became real?
Theme park fans’ love for the parks is fueled by two key passions: immersion into different worlds and nostalgia for experiences long gone. A newly released book “Luminous Land”, created by industry veterans Marc N. Kleinhenz and Emory Alvarado, explores both of these with an original story, including illustrations from the designer Halloween Horrors Nights favorite Lil’ Boo.
At the heart of the storybook is a series of simple questions: what if the theme park lands’ imagined realities became real? And what happens to an attraction or character when they are gone? The answers allow the authors to take theme park staples – a haunted house, a stunt show, an exclusive dining venue – and turn them on their head, imbuing them with new possibilities. Along the way, there are numerous nods to amusement park history, stretching back hundreds of years, from the hallowed Luna Parks to the puppet-performed morality plays of medieval amusement fairs.
“I looked at the outpouring of emotions from the fandom whenever Universal or Disney would close an attraction, and I was just struck each and every time by it,” Author Marc Kleinhenz explained. “In my mind, theme parks were always these magical confluences of short-lived elements – a certain experience at a certain time with certain friends or family by your side. It’s inherently a transitory moment, which is why Disney always sells memories. In this way, to me, the parks become this living symbol of the human experience, of impermanence, and writing a story about that just seemed to click instantly in place – especially after Emory came on board.”
In the story, after the long-lived theme park Luminous Land was shuttered, its residents opted to cling to their existences instead of going quietly into the night. Barred from life, but rejecting death, the entire park has hung in a precarious existential twilight – until now, when it’s finally succumbing to fate and is crumbling down upon its occupants’ heads. This forces the “Man Without a Past” to undertake a daring-but-melancholic quest to travel through the disintegrating park, encountering a vibrant and unusual cast of characters, attractions, and mythologies as he attempts to find sanctuary – and, just maybe, enlightenment.
Marc N. Kleinhenz has written more than 1,000 articles for nearly three dozen sites, including “Attractions Magazine”. In addition, he has appeared on radio and television news as a pop-culture specialist, served as a consultant on the theming industry, and has taught English in Japan.
Emory Alvarado is a freelance multimedia artist with a specialty in illustration who has previously illustrated her own short storybook, contributed to the artwork of Kings Dominion and Knott’s Berry Hotel, and painted various props and sets for the theme park industry. She is currently working on a Universal project of “epic” proportions.
Luminous Land is 68 pages, costs $20, and can be purchased at themeparkstorybook.com, where a 19-page sample can also be found.
