What happens when a science geek and magic collide?Be careful what you wish for. Really. Because wishes are bad. Very bad. They can get you trapped...
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Dec 20, 2011
J.Elle
rated it: 
If I could, I would give this a 1.5 stars. It doesn't deserve two, but I like to reserve a one star for books I absolutely loathe.
I admit this confused me. It was like Alice in Wonderland on a bad trip. Ralph is a computer geek who, after being bitterly disappointed when he is denied his dream job as a game designer (despite being a teenager and thus making it unlikely they would hire him), sets off to spend the summer with some relatives he’s never met in England without his pare More...
I admit this confused me. It was like Alice in Wonderland on a bad trip. Ralph is a computer geek who, after being bitterly disappointed when he is denied his dream job as a game designer (despite being a teenager and thus making it unlikely they would hire him), sets off to spend the summer with some relatives he’s never met in England without his pare More...
Jun 16, 2011
Tony
rated it:
Sigh -- why do I keep dipping my toes into teen (aka "young adult") books? I'm perpetually disappointed. There's a clever premise or interesting setting that hooks me, and then it all usually falls apart in a blizzard of cliches, bad writing, or poor storytelling. In this case, I was initially caught up in the adventure laid out before Ralph, a typical American gamer-geek teen more adept with computers than girls. Out of the blue, he gets a mysterious invitation to spend the summer wit
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May 31, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
I confess: I am a geek by any common definition of the word.
Science major in college? Check
Played D&D? Check
Been to a Star Trek convention? Check
Own a color-coordinated set of 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 20-sided dice? Check
Able to quote entire scenes of Star Wars? Check
Have a home wi-fi network with five or more devices connected to it? Check
So when I saw the cover of GEEK: FANTASY NOVEL at the library, illustrated with a glasses-wearing geek in a battl More...
Science major in college? Check
Played D&D? Check
Been to a Star Trek convention? Check
Own a color-coordinated set of 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12- and 20-sided dice? Check
Able to quote entire scenes of Star Wars? Check
Have a home wi-fi network with five or more devices connected to it? Check
So when I saw the cover of GEEK: FANTASY NOVEL at the library, illustrated with a glasses-wearing geek in a battl More...
Sep 13, 2011
Courtney
rated it: 
Ralph has never been able to make a wish. Or, rather, he has never been allowed to make a wish. His parents strictly forbid it. And since they're pretty cool about everything else, Ralph never makes a wish. Then, one day, he receives a letter from his estranged aunt requesting that he come to Europe to set up their wi-fi network. Against his parent's wishes, he takes off for England and gets to work. And then another estranged aunt comes into the picture. One he's never even heard of; one
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Feb 06, 2012
Sage
rated it:
This book had the perfect premise for me. I mean a geek ends up wished into fantasyland. What's not to like about that for a RPG-playing geek like me?
Well, it turns out, quite a lot.
First of all, here is another book where the part that's advertised is only the first third or so and the rest is totally different. There are reasons why each section of the book is very different than the rest (as the result of different people's wishes landing the MC in different types o More...
Well, it turns out, quite a lot.
First of all, here is another book where the part that's advertised is only the first third or so and the rest is totally different. There are reasons why each section of the book is very different than the rest (as the result of different people's wishes landing the MC in different types o More...
Nov 13, 2011
Suzy
rated it:
This novel was hard to get through. It was funny and fun but I found it kind of out there also. It definitely falls under the category of modern fantasy because it includes fairy tale characters, has magic, and has an alternative universe. The book begins in modern times in New Jersey with a nerdy main character Ralph. His parents forbid him to wish for anything, but he ends up leading his long lost cousins on their wishing quest (which the cousins’ parents have forbidden them from wishing, also
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May 19, 2011
Hilary
rated it:
Ralph has always known that you NEVER make a wish, they are dangerous. So far in life, he really hasn't had a reason to make a wish. That's all about to change. He is unexpectedly invited to visit his relatives who live in England, and he goes, without his parents permission. Once there he finds himself in the middle of his cousins wishes where his life is constantly in peril.
Reminiscent of the classic Edgar Eager book Half Magic, but for an older audience. Wish sequences are fun and More...
Reminiscent of the classic Edgar Eager book Half Magic, but for an older audience. Wish sequences are fun and More...
Apr 04, 2011
Monica
rated it:
This was a very entertaining read. Yes, yet another intrusive narrator of sorts, but done in a very different way indeed. While I'm not a gamer I know enough about gaming to have seen at least some of the references here.
The story? Has something to do with poor geeky Ralph who, after being disappointed by not getting the gaming job he applied for (given that he is twelve-years-old it was in his dreams anyway), takes his British aunt up on an invitation to come to their castle to set More...
The story? Has something to do with poor geeky Ralph who, after being disappointed by not getting the gaming job he applied for (given that he is twelve-years-old it was in his dreams anyway), takes his British aunt up on an invitation to come to their castle to set More...
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Jul 04, 2011
Kris
rated it:
Recommended for gr. 6-9. Older geeky gamers might also enjoy it. Many elements will appeal to the geek/gamer - the protagonist, Ralph, certainly fits the description. Other elements will appeal to the twisted fairy tale lover, for example, the fairy godmother and wishes gone awry. And we can't forget the exploding bunnies! That said, I felt the story was disjointed. The different sections of the book didn't flow together very well. One of the previous reviews called it a crazy roller coas
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May 17, 2011
Audrey
rated it:
This book was handed to me by Jill at SB Jr. as a means to tide me over until I could get my hands on the new Rick Riordan. I chuckle now that she has me pegged as a bit of a "geek" myself! As its title suggests, it is a geek fantasy novel. It is smart and funny in a way that I'm not sure young readers will pick up on, but if they do, hopefully they can stomach a book that pokes fun at all that is geeky and cool about the genre and its followers. Certainly the idea of multiple quests m
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Apr 27, 2011
Bethany
rated it:
This book is not AT ALL what I expected. I thought it was going to be a cute little foray into geek culture, (with which I am very well-acquainted) a romp through a world full of comic book in-jokes and World of Warcraft references. While Geek Fantasy Novel has those, as well as fire-burping bunnies, the book is soooo much more than that--it's smart and meta and inventive and full of SAT words and freakin' layered--there are TWO narrators! Not that it's a hard book to read; it's definitely not t
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Aug 17, 2011
Stephanie
rated it:
The premise of this was fantastic, but I don't think the author did enough with it. As a geek, I would have loved to see a real geeky response to fairy tales. Like: Ralph actually putting on a helmet like the one pictured and trying to figure out how to use binary code to solve one of the puzzles. Rather than doing lots of geeky things, he sort of complained and tagged along and didn't really seem to do anything. In that respect it was disappointing.
However, I love meta where the narra More...
However, I love meta where the narra More...
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Dec 22, 2011
Nicole
rated it: 
I went to an author signing at Oblong Books - Libba Bray, David Levithan, Michael Northrop and E. Archer. I wanted to buy ALL the books there, of course, but I had told myself I could only buy the official copy of Beauty Queens I wanted.
And then I realized that Geek Fantasy Novel has been on my wishlist for a long time. And E. Archer was there. And then he read from it, and it was funny. And he could sign it. And I wanted it. And I wanted it. But I was a budget! But I wanted it More...
And then I realized that Geek Fantasy Novel has been on my wishlist for a long time. And E. Archer was there. And then he read from it, and it was funny. And he could sign it. And I wanted it. And I wanted it. But I was a budget! But I wanted it More...
Dec 29, 2011
Kelsey
rated it:
I was excited about this book due to the idea that it was a totally geeky fantasy novel. What it ended up being was just plain weird. The plot was interesting enough...while it lasted. By the end the story has collapsed into randomness. The character's where difficult to identify with: they were shallow (which I guess is part of the point of the story) and hard to identify with. The narration was also wandering. There were whole paragraphs where I didn't know what was happening.
Dec 11, 2011
Dayna
rated it:
Ralph, the geek, has been asked to spend the summer in England with relatives. His parents don't want him to go and they don't want him ever to make a wish. What his parents know that Ralph doesn't is that his mother and her sisters have a special power, they grant wishes - and these wishes don't always turn out well. When his three cousins proceed to have their wishes granted, Ralph ends up going along for the ride.
Jun 05, 2011
Laura
rated it:
Like most others I was drawn to the prospect of some geek humor, and ended up with something entirely different. I fell in love with the beautifully developing plot line and amazingly used nonsense, and was constantly laughing when the author killed off the character about 3 times. Overall I think this is an amazing book for anyone who is open to something different, others will probably find it annoying and confusing.
Aug 09, 2011
Marisa
rated it:
Eh. If I hadn't taken so long to read this I may have given it four stars. It is occasionally quite funny. While I don't usually mind a meddlesome narrator, it got a little out of hand in this book and completely lost the narrative structure at the end. It was intentional, but I kind of felt like it was a weak effort -- the only way the author could work his way out of the narrative hole he'd dug. Which is kind of ironic considering that's actually the whole plot.
May 14, 2011
Emma
rated it:
I feel like a book that promises exploding bunnies really has an obligation to deliver said bunnies in the first 50 pages. This book did not. The whole venture also got off to a slow start but I suspect that was to be expected since the first part of the novel is called "Boring (But Important)." This book is fun and has a lot going on to draw readers in and keep them engaged--just not this particular reader I guess.
Apr 13, 2011
Christy
rated it:
A spoiler or two.
Over the top and very funny, I was really into Geek until three quarters of the way in (spoiler)just as Ralph enters the land of the dead. After that I felt the story lost some steam. However.....I will still promote this as I know some kids will really get into it. The evil (spoiler)fire belching/exploding bunnies were my fav part because really....who doesn't like a cute critter that becomes a lethal weapon?
Over the top and very funny, I was really into Geek until three quarters of the way in (spoiler)just as Ralph enters the land of the dead. After that I felt the story lost some steam. However.....I will still promote this as I know some kids will really get into it. The evil (spoiler)fire belching/exploding bunnies were my fav part because really....who doesn't like a cute critter that becomes a lethal weapon?
Nov 14, 2011
Susan
rated it:
Cute and quirky, but ultimately underdeveloped in the areas of character and story, while over-built in terms of setting. Young boys should especially enjoy the humor and geeks of all stripes will love the subtle homage and skewering of favorite fantasy novel tropes. In the end, however, this book is too clever for its own good and not quite geeky enough to stand the test of time. Quest elsewhere for true die-hard geekery, my friends.
Full review on my blog: http://splinteredfragmentsoflight.blogsp... More...
Full review on my blog: http://splinteredfragmentsoflight.blogsp... More...
Oct 27, 2011
Bri
rated it:
I enjoyed reading this book. I like a lot of things, though. This was a book that actually gave me some encouragement for my NaNoWriMo story. It was a book I wasn't sure I was going to read. In fact, I almost didn't. Something caught my eye though, and it got read. Overall, it was an unusual book. Some parts didn't make much sense, and it took a while to figure out what was going on.
Jan 01, 2012
Grace
rated it:
I feel like the author took himself too seriously here. There are some legitimately good phrases and very entertaining scenarios and descriptions. But, gee whiz, The end of the book is absolutely chaotic. I really felt like he was writing for a quirky movie and not a book. Anyway, it is mildly fun but I am not sure if I could necessarily recommended it..
Nov 08, 2011
John
rated it:
Ralph is a typical young boy, dreaming of becoming a game designer and sketching out fantasy worlds in his head. Then, visiting family in England, he happens upon actual fantasy, in the form of an interfering fairy aunt. Will he be able to protect his cousins (and himself) from his aunt's machinations? Will anyone make it to the end of the book alive?
This book had an interesting premise, but it ran out of gas half-way through. The deeper into fantasy the characters went, the less i More...
This book had an interesting premise, but it ran out of gas half-way through. The deeper into fantasy the characters went, the less i More...
Jul 07, 2011
Emma
rated it:
This book was surprisingly hard to get through. It was slow starting up, slow in the middle, and slow in the end. There were very few parts in this book that I didn't find slow.
Not to say that a slow read can't be entertaining, but there is only so much slow that one book can encompass. When picking up this book, I was expecting some laughs, some action, something that I could enjoy. Unfortunantly this book didn't deliver it to me.
The writing style was a bit elementary, and the humor More...
Not to say that a slow read can't be entertaining, but there is only so much slow that one book can encompass. When picking up this book, I was expecting some laughs, some action, something that I could enjoy. Unfortunantly this book didn't deliver it to me.
The writing style was a bit elementary, and the humor More...
Oct 16, 2011
Leah
rated it:
This one jumps around a lot in a series of tales all woven into one with a modern geeky touch. The style begins to make good sense near the end, though, so it was worth the read. This despite being a classless American who ruins the tone of all good fantasy ;)
Nov 10, 2011
Brandi
rated it:
I really disliked this book. The author tried to make it unique by including the narrator (an unknown omniscient person who should have had no impact on the story) in the basic plot of the story. Everything was so disjointed and hard to follow, especially the ending. The blurb inside the book jacket is far more interesting than the story itself.
Feb 15, 2011
Claire
rated it:
Absolutely hilarious. And also slightly disturbing and seriously mind-bending. The narrative voice reminds me a bit of Brandon Sanderson's Alcatraz books, but drier and more absurd (if that's possible!) and the plot is unique.
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Oct 22, 2011
Beth
rated it: 
Sadly, I didn't enjoy this. I learned that it's possible to be too meta when writing. Although there were some kinda gross parts, it wasn't inappropriate, but I really had to struggle to get through it. Maybe someone else will like it better than I did.
Apr 09, 2011
Jonathan H.
rated it:
Very funny and silly story that turns fairy tales into a meta-narrative. Reminds me of the sort of thing I wrote myself when I was in high school, but expertly done.
Feb 04, 2012
Ali
rated it:
This was the most entertaining and funniest book I have read in a while. Though the ending was a tad to serious and out there, it was an overall good read.
