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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
2.5*
It was more of some adventure book than a coming of age story as it was described. I didn't really feel like Perry went through that much development. The world was okay and I really do love Ned Vizzini's writing style so I did read it quickly.
It was more of some adventure book than a coming of age story as it was described. I didn't really feel like Perry went through that much development. The world was okay and I really do love Ned Vizzini's writing style so I did read it quickly.
I rather liked the semi-twist (portal fantasy is really in! As long as it is actually thinly disguised science fiction!), but the tone was sometimes all over the place. The pacing was frenetic to the point that once, when the pages stuck together, I missed a rather important SET of revelations. That said, I'm not sure I'd recommend it.
I was very happy when a new Ned Vizzin showed up. I really liked "It's kind of a Funny Story", and I was expecting another realistic fiction. This was a fantasy that was kind of a bit out there for my taste, but I'll recommend it to the kids.
Tags: Roleplaying games, multiverse, camp.
Tags: Roleplaying games, multiverse, camp.
This book was so cute and awesome. The only reason I gave it a four instead of a five is because I love Vizzini's other books a little bit more than I loved this one.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I pre-read it to find out if it was a book my 10 yo boy would like and I would be OK recommending. Unfortunately, although the level is fine some of the language veers into inappropriate territory - and is not especially enlightened. The narrator is a 15yo "late bloomer" who loves reading the manuals to a D&D like game and magically gets transported there to learn about life and love etx. That world is a multiverse version of Earth that somehow affects what is going on in Earth. Great setup for various issues but the book does a terrible job of delving into those issues. A good scifi/fantasy author could have taken this world building idea and created a masterpiece but this author who's bailiwick is firmly in YA realistic fiction merely uses the barebones ideas to walk the well-trod paths of budding sexuality and honor without adding any insight. Further the author seems to not realize that there are women/girls who like fantasy/comics/D&D - and objectifies them. Disappointing and I will not be recommending to my child or any other child.
I am so glad that I generally go into books (and movies) as blind as possible. If I'd read anything about this book, I may not have read it. (I found it in the e-book collection at the library, and added it because I'd read and liked another book by this author.)
This was such a FUN read! I really wanted it to keep going. There's a throwaway line that caught my eye: something like "Real adrenaline is like insanity juice." This book is full of both adrenaline and insanity, and it's such a cool ride!
This was such a FUN read! I really wanted it to keep going. There's a throwaway line that caught my eye: something like "Real adrenaline is like insanity juice." This book is full of both adrenaline and insanity, and it's such a cool ride!
This book reads liked a bad B movie...and not in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. I was looking forward to a book about people playing RPGs bring depicted in a positive way, which never quite happens.
This book is awesome at being totally unpredictable and way better than I thought it was going to be.
Maybe I should have actually read the dust jacket. The one blurb that I did read about this book did not mention anything about the main character's journey from our world to a fantasy Tolkien-esque world. If it had, I probably would not have been as jazzed as I was about reading it, nor as let down by The Other Normals as I was.
I can say that it is a decent (if predictable) character study of an awkward pubescent teen, and I would not hesitate recommend the book for libraries, it just was not to my own tastes. It is also a fast read (let's face it, this is really a 200-page book lightly sprinkled over 400 physical pages). The RPG aspect was original and had my interest right from the start, though did not go as far as it could have. I found myself writing a similar book in my head and imagining where I would take it. The dialogue was excellent, and the characters were easy to get to know.
Another case for needing half-star ratings (2.5 out of 5).
I can say that it is a decent (if predictable) character study of an awkward pubescent teen, and I would not hesitate recommend the book for libraries, it just was not to my own tastes. It is also a fast read (let's face it, this is really a 200-page book lightly sprinkled over 400 physical pages). The RPG aspect was original and had my interest right from the start, though did not go as far as it could have. I found myself writing a similar book in my head and imagining where I would take it. The dialogue was excellent, and the characters were easy to get to know.
Another case for needing half-star ratings (2.5 out of 5).