I have a copy of this book and I’ll tell you this, it’s an amazing book. It and Mr. Hoke needs more attention.
it’s a tour of a fictional museum in book format. A museum where you, the reader/visitor would explore the Museum and discover a forgotten perspective of viewing the world that once brought wonder and curiosity to many but was lost to the annals of history. The Museum’s seven exhibit halls are named after the steps of the alchemical process. The museum itself, the lobby and the seven exhibit halls each have one of the nine muses from Greek mythology representing them.
a quick rundown of the museum and exhibit halls:
No.1, “Museum Exterior ”: “A ray of hope in a dreary world.” The exterior and setting of the Museum of Lost Wonder.
This scene shows the state of a visitor before they have entered the Museum of Lost Wonder.
The front door
No.2, “Circulatio”: The entrance, exit, and circulation hall in the Museum of Lost Wonder.
The Circulatio room prepares the visitor for a journey through the Museum’s halls and exhibits.
No.3, “Calcinatio.”: The Hall of Technology in the Museum of Lost Wonder and home to all our hopes, fears, and preoccupations with what civilization has brought us.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Calcinatio, in which substance is reduced by fire into a refined white ash
No.4, “Solutio.”: The Exhibit of Aquaria in the Museum of Lost Wonder, this hall is a realm of living wonder, a hypnotic world of water where one’s worries and cares are washed away.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Solutio, in which unrefined particles are dissolved in a suspended fluid medium.
No.5, “Coagulatio.”: The Zoological Garden of Eden in the Museum of Lost Wonder, an earthly habitat where we share our existence with all living things.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Coagulatio, in which substance in an amorphous state is coagulated to gain solidity
No.6, “Sublimatio.”: The Kingdom of Astronomy and All Things Extraterrestrial in the Museum of Lost Wonder, this is the domain of air where one is elevated above daily cares to see the world in a different perspective.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Sublimatio, in which substance is sublimated or distilled into an ennobled, sublime, or elevated condition.
No.7, “Mortificatio.”: The Mausoleum to the Past in the Museum of Lost Wonder, this hall is a zone of reflection on all things dead where we contemplate that in the future, we all become history.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Mortificatio, in which expended matter is putrefied or composted to provide fertilization for future life.
No.8, “Separatio.”: The Laboratory to Science and Faith in the Museum of Lost Wonder, this is a refinery where apparent contradictions are distilled and clarified into an enlightened state.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Separatio, in which a confused mass is separated into distinct and purified parts.
No.9, “Conjuctio.”: The Gallery to the Arts in the Museum of Lost Wonder, a temple where ideas and forms are married into a refined state of unification.
This exhibit hall illustrates the alchemical process of Conjuntio, in which elements are joined together or merged to create a divine fusion.
Near the end of the book, there’s this comic about a boy stumbling upon and exploring the Museum. I have been able to scan it. I’m going to post the imgur gallery link
here because I’m not willing to fill this post with an addditional 28 pages worth of comic. It should already provide a basis and framework for how the story would go. Basically a Pony or Foal who, while going through the same dreary routine of daily life, unexpectedly encountering the museum and exploring it. Curiosity being the motivation and vehicle for their journey through the museum. As with the comic, this pony/foal’s curiosity leads them to disobey warning signs and unknowingly getting into mishaps along the journey.
The prologue should be based on
this video. An origin story as to how the Museum came into existence in Equestria. Clearly not a pony-made structure as it descended from the heavens and landed in Equestria thousands of years in the past.
I have some ideas for giving it some lore that’s based on information and merchandise from the book itself as well as the
book’s website.