Solving the Book Puzzle in Astra Malorum (Black Ops 7 Zombies)

One of the Easter egg stages in the Astra Malorum map for Black Ops 7 Zombies can be tricky. In this guide, we’ll detail the solution to the puzzle involving books and busts.

How to start the book stage in Astra Malorum

To activate this stage, you need to:

1. Place Dr. Thurston’s brain in the perfusion machine at Machina Astralis and connect it to the network.
2. Head to the Observatory Dome and interact with the telescope next to the piano, across from the Pack-a-Punch.
3. Point the telescope at the planet Mars and note the DEC numbers shown in the lower left corner of the screen.
4. Return to Machina Astralis and enter these numbers into the device at the western fence on the same floor where the Mystery Box is located.

Solving the Book and Bust Puzzle

After activating the device, return to Dr. Thurston’s brain. The terminal on the left will display “Dr. Thurston’s Reading List,” with book titles flashing. Memorize them.

Then head to the Archive of Orbis , where the Stamin-Up is located. Inside, you’ll find three walls lined with bookshelves and bust-statues.

Your task:

1. Look at the bookshelves on each wall and count how many books from your list are on them.
2. Interact with the bust on this wall exactly as many times as you counted matching books.

Warning: You only have 15 seconds to interact with all three busts. If you don’t, the stage will be locked until the next round.

Below are the locations of the busts and the lists of books on the shelves so you can quickly determine the number of clicks needed.

Bust No. 1 – Northern Bookshelves

• Ash and Bones
• Echoes of Andromeda
• The Unknowable Void

Bust #2 – South Bookshelves (Upper Floor)

• Music of the Spheres (The Musica Universalis)
• The Black Veil
• The Moon Directive

Bust #3 – South Bookshelves (bottom floor, near Stamin-Up)

• Pyramids of Cydonia
• Silence at Singularity
• Witchlight Codex