Experience the Thrill of Kings Island: A Musical Journey Through Time

MBA Professor: As someone who worked at KI as a teenager this was a great read. Author did a great job for example on the truly remarkable tales of Wild Animal Habitat primate escapees. Surprisingly there was no mention that Woody Harrelson worked in the wood carving shop or that the name for Jimmy Buffett's fan base, "Parrot Heads", was coined after a show at Timberwolf. I bought the companion coffee table book also.

United States on Sep 04, 2023

Andrew Albrecht: Great bits if KI history

United States on Jul 10, 2023

Daniel G Patterson: Very well written with great interviews, details and history of Kings Island from its inception til now. I've been going to the park for 25 years and new a bit about it, but I learned a tremendous amount from this book.

I was surprised to learn that the author wrote this while in high school- I would have assumed he was a seasoned author. He told a fantastic story in a way that made me want to keep reading. Well done!

United States on Jul 26, 2022

Michael & AbigailMichael & Abigail: I like roller coasters and history books, but I think anyone with a passing interest in fun can get a lot from this book. An exceptionally detailed yet rapid-paced history of Kings Island, from conception to today, brimming with insight from the people who made the industry-shaking decisions of the day. This is a great read for fans of roller coasters, amusement parks, business visionaries, or just Ohio natives!

Evan is actually still working at Kings Island this year (2021) and is nice enough to sign your book for you! You can buy a copy there, but it's so popular that it stays sold out so buy one online and bring it with you. Hopefully, this young author feels inspired to write another book like this; he has such an obvious talent for combining the historical facts with the beating heart of the people who made it happen.

United States on Jun 11, 2021

Jay Ducharme: This is one of the best amusement park histories I've ever read. I really felt like I was a part of the process when Kings Island was developed. The book is well organized and heavily researched, and written in a conversational style that gets all the information across in an easily-digestible way. There are dozens of interviews. Some get a bit repetitive, but for the most part they're well-integrated and shed light on different aspects of the park. One thing I thought that was interesting was how the tone of management noticeably changes as time goes on. In the beginning, the people involved come across as "park people", simple businessmen who loved their work and cared about their guests and employees. As the park gets gobbled up by one big corporation after another, I noticed the shift to "corporate-speak", where the managers talk more about maximizing profit and integrating corporate properties. But happily, the book ends with park people returning (though a different breed of them) and steering Kings Island back toward its roots. The author paints a vivid picture of the park's long journey through changing eras. It was very captivating.

United States on May 23, 2021