[ WP ] A device is released that allows a person to dive into a book and experience its contents firsthand . The manual mentions a certain book you should n't go in , for no one has ever returned from copies of it , but you decide to ignore the manual and go in anyway .

E-readers have been popular for some time now, but I have never been a fan. Hard plastic and a bright screen ca n't replace that magically comforting texture beneath your fingers or that enchanting smell of ink and binding and paper. Sometimes, when there are no other customers in the book store, I just like to walk around the store and sniff the shelves. Call me crazy, but sci-fi smells different than any other genre. For me, reading is more than just words. It's about senses. It's about exploring a new world. 
 
 It's like they built the Oculus Reader specifically to cater to me. Unlike most e-readers, it was n't just another way of showing you words. It *made the world* for you, and you watch as an observer. Completely unseen, but following the action of the story. If you open up `` The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,'' then you do n't just read about the Pevensie children; you *follow* them into Narnia. You brush the coats in the closet aside to reveal that snowscape and single, solitary lantern. You accompany Edward as he meets the White Witch and you taste the turkish delight. You hear Aslan's roar, and smell the hot sticky blood as he's sacrificed on the altar. You *live* the book. 
 
 I've used the device to experience hundreds of my favorite books as the author intended. I've seen space battles play out against a shimmering background of stars. I've seen heated courtroom drama argued in dozens of Grisham novels. I've tracked the movements of illusive Soviet spies in some of my favorite thrillers. And yet, one series eludes me: Game of Thrones. 
 
 For some reason, the popular ASOIAF books from George R. R. Martin are incompatible with the Oculus Reader, and no one can figure out why. So many people have gone into the book and been left as mindless vegetables that digital sales of the series are now banned worldwide. I had to read The Winds of Winter on paperback, instead of delving into the world and seeing Dany's conquest of Westeros firsthand. 
 
 Curiosity has gotten the better of me. I was smart enough to purchase the entire series before anyone knew the problems it caused, and I've kept it hidden ( on an external hard drive ) from every software update since. Today, I'm going in. 
 
 I find myself in a snowy wood, following a trail of knights clad all in rough black cloaks. The Night's Watch rangers: Gared, Will, and Wymar Royce, of course. I've read Game of Thrones enough times to know this chapter by heart. We stumble across the wildling camp where Will claims the bodies lay, but the camp is completely deserted. I know what's coming, but my companions are oblivious to their fates. I feel the sudden cold, just as the characters do. 
 
 The Other emerges from the trees; I have a front row seat as he battles Wymar Royce. *Should have used dragonglass*, I laugh to myself as Royce's sword shatters. I lean in close as the kill comes, and Royce's bloodied body falls to the ground. 
 
 The Other turns and looks straight at me. His eyes are piercing blue, just like the Walkers that he raises. I stagger back and look behind me, wondering what he could be staring at. Nothing but icy trees behind me. 
 
 The Other advances, still gripping his curved, icy sword in one hand. I stumble in the snow and fall to my knees. `` You can see me?'' I sob. I desperately try to exit the book, but the function is n't working. 
 
 The Other nods and wraps a strong hand around my neck. It's so cold.
