Puzzles

Do you like surprises? Codes? Easter eggs?

You can find them throughout our books and stories.

Watch this page for more challenges!

Easter Eggs are sly references to people, places, and things in real life, other books, movies, TV shows, video games, etc. that seem vaguely appropriate, often funny or ironic. Sometimes, an Easter Egg is a kind of homage or adds a layer of meaning. Other times, it just feels like an inside joke for people like me who spend WAY too much time reading and watching TV. (For example, images of the Star Wars robot R2 D2 were snuck into two Star Trek movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and a Transformers movie — bet you didn’t spot them all!).

When we get our act fully together, we’ll put up a leaderboard here to honor the best Easter Egg hunters and codebreakers. For now, just use the contact form below to report your discoveries.

You absolutely don’t have to solve the codes and puzzles or find the Easter Eggs to follow the plot of the stories in Traynor’s World™. It just adds another level of smiles, groans, or sometimes aha! to the experience. And you might need a browser with Wikipedia open to check up on some of the hints and the meaningful names of certain people and places.

Coded Pendant Messages

Here is a list of all the coded pendant messages in Book 1, Traynor’s Education:

(Extra credit for sussing out why the message is there, after decoding it.)

After Prologue: VAUSKUGZCDAY

After Chapter 2:  GOKPDAO

After Chapter 4:  BIJAOPKTGAANC

After Chapter 6:  TOAACVAAPBPICGC

After Chapter 7:  YIMOPIMUGOYUAASCYIM

After Chapter 10:  FBKGSIACUGDZNNMC

After Chapter 11:  OMCACSAHMAOOA

After Chapter 13:  NSO

After Chapter 15:  NUBIUACGCVY

After Chapter 16:  HOKJZGYFIODC

After Chapter 18:  KZGBZUDCKMGZCGZP

After Chapter 19:  VOZQACAACKNN

After Chapter 21:   VKUSIOKCEIDC

After Chapter 22:  GIGAKPBZCGINAKOU

After Chapter 24: EQVIFAOGBAVAUSKUG

After Chapter 25:  ITTZPAOKUSHAUGNAQKU

After Chapter 27:  TZUSGBAGIINC

After Chapter 29:  HAOQFKOTKOA

After Chapter 31:  IOSAOGBOZJACIUPBKIC

Dear Reader

From Book 1, Traynor’s Education, can you decode the “Dear Reader” message?

43 68 65 63 6b 20 74 68 65 20 70 65 6e 64 61 6e 74 20 66 6f 72 20 61 64 64 69 74 69 6f 6e 61 6c 20 69 6e 66 6f 72 6d 61 74 69 6f 6e 2e

Keepsake

Here is the poem needed to decode the “Pendant” messages in Book 1:

The bezeled pendant quivers on a silver chain;

the glaze of time imparts a jaded grace.

The faded tracery is warm and nearly plain, 

but holding it, I seem to touch a face. 

Happy Hunting!

Submit your answers here.

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