Vook It

So I have mixed feelings about the vook, which incorporates video sequences into your reading experience. On the one hand, awesome! We can watch demonstrations for non-fiction and short vids for fiction, too. The vook describes it as

a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story.

They're thinking outside the box, coming up with innovative technology, and keeping readers interested with these video segments. Attracting more readers is definitely a plus.

Right now, they're promoting Anne Rice's The Master of Rampling Gate, and the vook, I imagine, will enhance the eerie atmosphere and really help the story come to life.

But...

Isn't the point of reading to use your own imagination? It's like the difference between a book and a movie--they're both great, but I like to read it first and keep the two separate in my head. Otherwise, I'm limited in what to think and see.

And also, isn't it the author's job to make the characters come to life and the story stick in your head long after you've finished, without the help of a video?

Of course, I'm not one to stand in the way of innovation (keep 'em coming!), but most good things have a downside, too.

All in all, I think it's definitely a cool idea. Storytellers have been mixing media for thousands of years--Homer with the lyre, William Blake's illuminated prints, and today's graphic novels--so who am I to be a word-purist? And with the trend of book trailers and YouTube promotional videos, interviews, etc., it seems that the vook is inevitable. People search for videos that relate to what they're reading, so why not just combine the two? This then pushes ereaders to get with the program and be compatible with video clips. Wouldn't that be awesome if my sony reader could play videos? But yea. I'd need to get a sony reader first. And for that, I'd need a job. Sigh.

What do you guys think? Vook, yay or nay? And would you like to see your own book as a vook? Or if you haven't written anything of your own yet, what books would you want to see as a vook? Mysteries and thriller would definitely be cool. I'd love to see Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast novels in vook form, as in, when Pendergast walks into a creepy room, there could be a video giving a panoramic sweep of the area, so the reader may/may not pick up any clues on his/her own. What about you? Let me know how you feel about this vook business! :)