My Favorite Band Does Not Exist

Oct 29, 2011 Suzanne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Could have been 3 stars for me but didn't make it there.

The premise is interesting: guy in one world amuses himself by creating a fictitious band’s web site with elaborate information about songs and lyrics and the members’ lives. He gets annoyed when he finds people are so gullible that they believe the band is real, producing music and playing gigs. He is on the run when he meets a strange girl who dresses as if she is a different girl from the back than the front—I never could picture how a t...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Laurie rated it 2 of 5 stars

The author of ‘My Favorite Band Does Not Exist’ set himself a very complex task: weaving three different, but very related, plot lines together. One reality has Idea Deity (the names are all Very Symbolic, symbolic to the point of beating you over the head with them) running from his parent’s hired tutors/goons and writing about a nonexistent band, Youforia, on his web site. This band that no one has ever heard has already attracted hordes of fans. Idea suffers from a syndrome where he thinks he...more The author of ‘My Favorite Band Does Not Exist’ set himself a very complex task: weaving three different, but very related, plot lines together. One reality has Idea Deity (the names are all Very Symbolic, symbolic to the point of beating you over the head with them) running from his parent’s hired tutors/goons and writing about a nonexistent band, Youforia, on his web site. This band that no one has ever heard has already attracted hordes of fans. Idea suffers from a syndrome where he thinks he is a character in a book and the author is pulling his strings. The next reality has Reacher Mirage and his band, Youforia, irate because the band’s location and other secrets are being leaked on the internet. Oh, this reality has a green sky. That’s the giveaway to let us know it’s not regular earth. The third reality is actually a (crappy) fantasy novel called ‘Fireskull’s Revenant’, that both Idea and Reacher are reading. The sky there is orange. And it’s not just a novel, it turns out. Tying these three together are women who are, literally, two faced, having faces on the backs of their heads and wearing clothing that is different outfits from the front on the back. Confused yet? Yeah. Me, too.

These realities are leaking into each other. Idea thinks that there are poseurs calling themselves by his creations name; Reacher thinks there is a spy in his group. Idea decides to get to the bottom of the mystery, and go to where Youforia is set to play their first public venue. The closer they get together, the more ‘leakage’ occurs. Only the two faced women know what is going on- and they aren’t telling any earlier than they have to. But it turns out that a lot rides on Idea and Reacher learning and growing.

While this sounds like an adventure/fantasy story, I think it’s more of a fable or allegory. Jeschonek has tried to make coming of age into a fantastical adventure, and, sadly, over complicated it. I think the story of Idea/Reacher would have been better without the addition of ‘Fireskull’s Revenant’- to me, most of those parts were just filler.
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Mar 26, 2011 Beverly McClure rated it 4 of 5 stars

MY FAVORITE BAND DOES NOT EXIST
By Robert T. Jeschonek

Imagine thinking that you’re trapped in a book and when you reach chapter 64 you will die. Scary, huh? Or weird? Anyhow, sixteen-year-old Idea Deity believes just that.

Robert T. Jeschonek’s debut novel, MY FAVORITE BAND DOES NOT EXIST, follows Idea’s adventures when he encounters Eunice Truant (a girl who wears a face on the back of her head), while he’s running home to stop his parents from killing themselves on the Internet. Alternate chapte...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Karla Nellenbach rated it 2 of 5 stars

Summary:

Being trapped in a book sounds like fun...unless, of course, you die in Chapter 64. Just ask Idea Diety. To most people, FIRESKULL'S REVENANT might be a fun, fantastical read, full of action and plot twists, but for Idea--who believes this book and the person writing it are controlling his life--it's a runaway train of catastrophe, plunging headlong into Chapter 64 and his imminent demise.

Meanwhile, Reacher Mirage, lead singer of the biggest rock band that never was, Youforia, can't figu...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Brianna rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 27, 2012 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-realities, action-adventure, teen-fiction

I'm not even sure how to describe this book. It certainly doesn't fit into any genres that I can think of. There are multiple narrators, all with fantastically whimsical names, and multiple realities. First, in the reality closest to our own, is the world of Idea Deity (son of Loving and Vengeful Deity). He's on the run from his tutors and parents since they've been restricting his life and priming him for "success" for the entirety of his memory. The only outlet he has is the fictional band tha...more I'm not even sure how to describe this book. It certainly doesn't fit into any genres that I can think of. There are multiple narrators, all with fantastically whimsical names, and multiple realities. First, in the reality closest to our own, is the world of Idea Deity (son of Loving and Vengeful Deity). He's on the run from his tutors and parents since they've been restricting his life and priming him for "success" for the entirety of his memory. The only outlet he has is the fictional band that he's created, Youforia. Even though the band doesn't exist, it has developed a cult following. Idea has teamed up with a rather unusual young woman who calls herself Eunice Truant. She's got a Janus-sort-of-thing going on. The back side of her head has a face painted on; her hair is two different colors and her clothes are two outfits stitched together. Idea also suffers from he calls "Deity Syndrome", where the sufferer believes that he is a character in a novel penned by a malevolent creator.
In the alternate reality, where the grass is pink and the sky is green, Reacher Mirage, lead guitarist of the secret band "Youforia" is wondering how the heck someone is able to post such detailed information about the band online. Because the real Youforia has never performed as themselves. But all the details online are disturbingly accurate. Everyone is pushing Reacher to take the band public, but Reacher's just not ready; he's been led to believe that he'll fail, a remnant of his upbringing by Daddy Naysayer. He's on the run too, trying to avoid his own past. Interestingly enough, he also has a two-faced lady friend, Eurydice Tarantella, with features that run directly opposite of Eunice's.
Consistent in both realities is a fantasy novel called "Fireskull's Revenant", which also has two narrators. It's only a matter of time before all realities collide.
I can't really think of anything else that I've read that even remotely resembles this book. It is ambitious, particularly for a debut novel. For the most part, it really works. The writing is occasionally a bit clunky, but I'm willing to forgive it for the sake of the highly original premise. (less)

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Dec 13, 2010 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let me start by posing this question: Mr. Author, what have you been smoking? MFDE is an insane trip! It’s either a book in a lie in a book, or a lie in a book in a book, or a book in a book in a book.

IDEA DEITY believes himself to be character in a book, a character slated to die (perhaps) in Chapter 64. REAPER MIRAGE is the lead vocalist in a not-so secret band that’s gained an internet fandom. IDEA thinks he made the band and its members up. REAPER thinks someone is leaking information about...more Let me start by posing this question: Mr. Author, what have you been smoking? MFDE is an insane trip! It’s either a book in a lie in a book, or a lie in a book in a book, or a book in a book in a book.

IDEA DEITY believes himself to be character in a book, a character slated to die (perhaps) in Chapter 64. REAPER MIRAGE is the lead vocalist in a not-so secret band that’s gained an internet fandom. IDEA thinks he made the band and its members up. REAPER thinks someone is leaking information about them. THEY are both headed for a confrontation. They’re both accompanied by two faced females (literal, not figurative.) And they’re both reading a FIRESKULL/JOHNNY WITHOUT novel. Things get even more confusing when they embark on their respective journeys. A kidnapping, a romance, a road collision and big band encounter pages later you’re still not done because they both end up taking part in some high fantasy.

So, “If you’re favorite band does not exist, do you know?” Hmmph, that’s the least of my concerns. MFDE takes a page from Stranger than Fiction, where you find an IRS man’s life narrated to him/around him bit by boring bit, and Tyler Durden with the Unnamed Protagonist; then takes a dive into high fantasy. Confused yet?

It’s quite different, truth be told… So why? Why? Why does this book that reminds me of so many good things leave me wanting more? Super bitin! Has it taken too much and stuffed it all in a measly 300 something pages? Sort of, but

“It’s not really about books, though… It’s about God, fate and life. Impulse is like a God, because he creates this word of his own the internet, right? But he is still at the mercy of the God and the real world. Impulse wants to write his own life, but forces beyond his control won’t let him…”

Let me put it this way…they’re writing about each other: Him on the internet making up a fake band and the other in his rock opera. So it’s complicated, is the least I can say.”

COMPLICATED.

Then there’s Idea’s IN SPACE death scene… yes, you read that correctly.
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May 02, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy, life, not-graphic, ya

That was an interesting trip. And, ultimately, a bit of a letdown. I'm tempted to give it just two stars because I was disappointed with the ending, but have to admit I was drawn into it, entertained, and anxious enough to find out what was coming that it earned three stars. It had a great odd quirkiness and the potential to really build into something full of big ideas, but in the end was just a fun diversion.

Idea Deity (son of father Vengeful Deity and mother Loving Deity) is on the run after...more That was an interesting trip. And, ultimately, a bit of a letdown. I'm tempted to give it just two stars because I was disappointed with the ending, but have to admit I was drawn into it, entertained, and anxious enough to find out what was coming that it earned three stars. It had a great odd quirkiness and the potential to really build into something full of big ideas, but in the end was just a fun diversion.

Idea Deity (son of father Vengeful Deity and mother Loving Deity) is on the run after bumping into a strange girl who has a face tattooed on the back of her head and dresses in clothes that are different in the back than the front, as though she were two different people. He has also created a fake band called Youforia through websites like YoFace and Yapper, creating fake personalities for fake members of the band, including a lead singer who is afraid to perform so he only does so secretly, wearing a mask and giving his band a different name each time. Except Idea keeps running into people claiming to have heard Youforia in secret concerts and who claim to have copies of songs the band has secretly recorded.

Reacher Mirage (son of father Purpose Mirage and mother Dreamer Mirage) leads a secret band called Youforia, playing concerts in a mask under an assumed name until he feels the band is good enough to go public. Except someone keeps giving away their location and posting other private, personal things on social media like YoFace and Yapper, including the lyrics to songs he hasn't even shared with his band yet and details about his girlfriend who has a face tattooed on the back of her head and dresses in clothes that are different in the back than the front, as though she were two different people. Crazed fans are just one step behind them everywhere they go, but Reacher still hasn't conquered his stage fright and isn't yet ready to face the public.

Fireskull's Revenant is a fantasy novel by Milt Ifthen about the eternal war between Lord Fireskull and Johnny Without. Idea and Reacher are both reading the book, and are beginning to see odd parallels between their lives and the events unfolding in the novel. Something strange is happening with the Chain of Reality, as all three stories start bleeding into each other and identities begin to blur.(less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Beaverton City Library Teens rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor

This was a strange book - and a tough one to summarize! Idea Deity (his actual name) has invented a fake band on the Internet named 'Youforia' that, unbeknownst to him, is slowly becoming real because enough people believe in it. Meanwhile, the members of Youforia, led by charismatic frontman Reacher Mirage, are struggling to get to their big first gig in a town that doesn't actually exist. Idea believes that he's the character in a bad novel, and is destined to die in a predetermined chapter. I...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Melissa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked up this book mainly because of the title. I was looking forward to something in YA about music. This wasn't exactly the case. :) In this book you are dealing with several realities and at least 3 simultaneous adventures that coincide. You move from 2 main POV of Idea Deity and Reacher Mirage. In fact they almost seem like 2 sides of the same coin. Each able to suddenly "know" about the other even though they don't believe that the other exists out side of his imagination. The pivotal ch...more

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Mar 28, 2011 Tessa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, yyay, speculative

It's hard for me not to compare this book to other books that it reminded me of and that I liked more. However, that's sort of a crummy thing to do. But that may be why my liking for the book waned throughout the time I spent reading it. I think there should be more humorous books with an appreciation for the wacky, for lack of a better term. There's a reason that the Hitchhiker's Guide books are perenially popular, after all, and I can't think right now of a good YA equivalent for them, other t...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Marrion James (The Book Associate) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished-book, arc, netgalley

I hate to admit but I am unable to finish this book.

I really love the cover and the unique character names applied to the book, it was very original and I do give points on them. But I found myself stuck in the middle and I tried to continue on. I was confused on the details, I have a hard time picking up the information, details, anything. I really don't know how to explain it. I do admire the illness mentioned on it, the Deity Syndrome. And the actual description of the title is easy to unders...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Brandi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, favorites, teen, random-reads-column, librandian-blog

Idea does not like his life. In order to escape from the horrors of his day to day life, he does two things. First, he created a band called Youforia. He created bios for each of the band members, including rough sketches. He formatted entire albums, offering free downloadable song samples that led to broken links. Eventually the underground band that never performs became an Internet phenomenon. The discussion boards dedicated to the band erupt with comments from fans claiming that they heard a...more Idea does not like his life. In order to escape from the horrors of his day to day life, he does two things. First, he created a band called Youforia. He created bios for each of the band members, including rough sketches. He formatted entire albums, offering free downloadable song samples that led to broken links. Eventually the underground band that never performs became an Internet phenomenon. The discussion boards dedicated to the band erupt with comments from fans claiming that they heard a secret track off one of Youforia’s unreleased albums. Idea’s imaginary world helped distract him from his problems for a little while, but ultimately that wasn’t enough. Specifically because Idea believed that he was a character in a book and that he was going to die in chapter 64. Idea needed to leave home in hopes that his story might take a distract change for the better. While running from his family, Idea meets up with an odd girl named Eunice who helps him.

Reacher is the lead singer of a secret underground band named Youforia. Reacher’s uncontrollable stage fright has kept the group from performing. Somehow, unknown to everyone in the band, all of their private information has been leaked onto the Internet, including the titles of songs that Reacher hasn’t even shared with the group yet. Reacher is currently working on a rock opera about a guy who believes that he is a character in a book, complete with a song called ‘Chapter 64.’ The information about the band via the Internet has caused a major surge in Youforia’s popular, including a reward for any members of the band. Reacher’s girlfriend, Eurydice, is the only hope he has at escaping the mayhem.

The two characters have some connection that Jeschonek keeps from the reader throughout the novel. The only similarities are a relationship with a girl that is a mirror image from the girl in the other story and a fantasy novel called “Fireskull’s Revenant.” Both Reacher and Idea are simultaneously reading the novel, which is included as chapters in the original story as well. The concept may seem a bit out there, but that is its appeal. It is a clash of stories in which connections made by the reader help the story along. Don’t be afraid to be confused or awestruck, this novel is worth every minute it takes to finish it.
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Sep 14, 2011 Bibliojunkies added it

“Being trapped in a book can be a nightmare – just ask Idea Deity. He’s convinced that he exists only in the pages of a novel written by a malevolent author … and that he will dies in chapter 64. Meanwhile, Reacher Mirage, lead singer of the secret rock band Youforia, can’t figure out who’s posting information about him and his band online that only he should know. It seems to both teens that someone is pulling the strings of their lives… and they’re not too happy about it. With a national magaz...more

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Mar 22, 2012 Kaitlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I was surprised that I was immediately in love with this book. Probably the only thing I didn't like in the end is that the beginning was sort of left hanging. It was a fast-paced book, with lots of unexpected twists and turns (major compliments to the author! :)) but in the very last pages, it was almost too many. I stress "almost" because I still somehow just LOVE this book!!! Maybe it's just the unusualness (is that a word?) of it, or the creativity, or the style of writing, something, becaus...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction, young-adult

I gave this one a try solely from the cover and from the basic plot gimmick: a hoax band that might actually exist. It was clear right from the outset, though, that there is considerably more to this book than meets the eye. So much so, in fact, that I really don’t know what to make of it. It’s a weird cross of speculative fiction, YA romance, and bizarro, with a heaping spoonful of magical realism and dash of pulp fantasy homage. I think I liked it, but it was kind of a mess.

The story is told t...more I gave this one a try solely from the cover and from the basic plot gimmick: a hoax band that might actually exist. It was clear right from the outset, though, that there is considerably more to this book than meets the eye. So much so, in fact, that I really don’t know what to make of it. It’s a weird cross of speculative fiction, YA romance, and bizarro, with a heaping spoonful of magical realism and dash of pulp fantasy homage. I think I liked it, but it was kind of a mess.

The story is told through three different viewpoints. Idea Deity is a boy on the run from his family, and suffering from a condition wherein he believes he is a character in a novel, being manipulated by a malevolent author. As a release valve for his anxiety, he has created a fake band called Youforia and maintains their web presence, effectively nurturing an online following for an indie band so obscure that they don’t actually exist. Meanwhile, Reacher Mirage, the lead singer for the band Youforia, is driven to distraction by the news about his band that keeps leaking out onto the Internet. Determined to keep the band a secret until he is ready to play in public, he is confounded by reports of the band's doings that nobody else should know about. The third perspective is told through a tattered fantasy book called Fireskull’s Revenant, which both Idea and Reacher happen to be reading. As that story draws to a climactic confrontation, Idea and Reacher are slowly pulled together in a meeting that could save them both.

This book is utterly confusing at the outset. Jeschonek does not give the reader much time to get accustomed to the quirks and idiosyncrasies in Idea’s world before shifting to Reacher’s much odder one. Furthermore, it’s not particularly clear until later that the sudden jump to reading a chapter in the book-within-a-book, Fireskull’s Revenant, is a narrative device that will continue throughout the story. I almost gave up in the first third of the book, because the technicolor mishmash of existentialism and bizarre characters was a bit much to handle.

With a little perseverance, I broke through to a place where I started to get into the story. As the characters and their disparate worlds began drawing together, the pace evened out a bit. Still, once I got to the end I was left feeling a little unsure about what I had just read. I think I understood what Jeschonek was going for, and I liked the themes and the unique concept, but I’m not sure how successful he was at translating it all into a readable story. Still, there’s an eclectic, punk-rock aesthetic at play, here. This book would be worth trying if you’re looking for something way off the beaten path, or are in the mood for some weirdness without venturing into full-on bizarro territory.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 7kuchler_libby rated it 3 of 5 stars

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Jul 23, 2012 Stray marked it as dropped

The storyline is so CONFUSING! I didn't understand the first pages and decided it wasn't worth it.

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Dec 30, 2011 Michelle. Tsunami. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Does anyone else realize that this was one of the worst books ever?!?!

It had the worst story line, the characters were horrid, the words didn't flow and if you were one of the people who skipped to chapter 64 too, you would know that this book was just... bleh.
I didn't even read one full page. I didn't skim it either, I just read bits of the first page, got bored and then skipped to chapter 64 (which by the way was ridiculous).

Honestly, the book was a waste of my time and I wish that I hadn't ev...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Sarah Porter added it

It's sort of a digest of postmodernist tropes for teen readers, and definitely different from most of the YA novels out there. It has a real sweetness about it, and admirable nerve. Some reviewers are saying they skipped the book-within-a-book chapters, but those were my favorite part: an extravagant parody of bad fantasy writing that was truly funny. It does get kind of messy, especially toward the end, and you should check your skepticism at the door.

I'm not rating this because Jeschonek is my...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Sarah April rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Simple review, a few pet peeves:
The names, and how obvious the words inside the names were ridiculous, I dislikes that.
The story inside a story with a parallel story was a bit much to grasp. I felt like it was just a bunch stuff being thrown together.
The ending(epilogue, not last chapter) was a bit cheesy for me.
I'm no author or anything close but I wasn't a fan of the writing style(?) in this novel. It felt young, but disregard what I'm saying because I'm probably thinking this because of the...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Elaine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, childrens-and-ya

I could only give this book four stars because it had a Scooby-Doo ending (lots of talk and a villain who is "unmasked" and impotent at the end), but the plot was really interesting and I had a hard time putting it down.

For those of you who like your novels to work like a Dali painting, this book is for you. Two main characters with parallel lives circle each other for most of the book and then come together much like the yin yang symbol painted on the nails of the girl(s) who are directing the...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Annie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-release, awesome-titles, cool-premise-meh-book, disturbing, male-pov, science-fiction, what-did-i-just-read, would-have-put-down

Being trapped in a bad book can be a nightmare. Just ask An--wait. That's not my name on the inside cover? Oh. (And I'm still not convinced the back cover won't murder me. I need to get this out of the house.)

So, again with the "being trapped in a bad book" thing. Was Fireskull'sRevenant, the novel"inside" ofMy Favorite Band Does Not Exist (I know, it's all very Inception), supposed to be a bad book? I'd feel much better if the answer was yes, because I didn't enjoy reading about those parts.

I d...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Hilary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, tri-review, speculative-fiction

Readers may feel they’ve fallen down the rabbit hole, in a contemporary fantasy similar to “Through the Looking Glass.” Parallel universes collide when a hoax (the creation of a website offering elaborate details about a fictitious band) perpetuated by a webmaster on one world actually mirrors the reality of a band in another plane of existence. When characters cross between the two realities, the twin characters and their adversaries square off for battle.

The convoluted plot which switches bac...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

"My Favorite Band Does Not Exist," (MFBDNE) tracks the progress of two young men, one who has a complex about being controlled by others, the second fearful of failure.

They are unfamiliar with one another, but Idea Deity has confected a fake band over the Internet that has gone viral, at the very same time Reacher Mirage's rockin' combo is rehearsing under THE VERY SAME NAME.

Author Rober Jeschonek has gone Yin-and-Yang, sun-and-moon, night-and-day, complete-me-complete-you in a text that fully...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Librarianforhim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, rock-and-roll, read-in-2011, young-adult, alternate-universes

Plot: Idea Deity is convinced he's a character in a book who will die by chapter 64. Reacher Mirage is the lead singer of a secret band and he isn't ready to take them public yet. Idea can't bear the thought of someone controlling his destiny. Reacher, wondering who's putting the bands secrets online struggles with anger and fears of failure. Yet the two teens are part of a much more sinister plot than either of them realize. They will have to work together, but can they...before it's too late?

W...more

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May 09, 2012 Crini rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-ya, t-music, released-2011, lang-english, s-standalone, mine-books, genre-urban-fantasy, favorites-2012, favorites, r-great, read-2012, t-time-travel, t-space-travel, pov-male

If you like being confused and get the run-around than this is the perfect book for you. My Favorite Band Does Not Exist is the weirdest and craziest story I have ever read and I totally loved it.

Reading the summary you get the impression that this is all quite simple but then the story starts and all those weird names blow up in your face so you start to get confused. But when all these people live in two different parallel worlds which seem to be connected in some kind of way than it gets a he...more If you like being confused and get the run-around than this is the perfect book for you. My Favorite Band Does Not Exist is the weirdest and craziest story I have ever read and I totally loved it.

Reading the summary you get the impression that this is all quite simple but then the story starts and all those weird names blow up in your face so you start to get confused. But when all these people live in two different parallel worlds which seem to be connected in some kind of way than it gets a hell of a lot more confusing.

And because of that fact Robert T. Jeschonek did something which always makes me like a book even more: Telling from different perspectives/people’s point of views.

I love to get to know different people through their own stories and not just through one person. And that these people don’t know of each other at the beginning und you know they are going to meet but you just don’t know why makes a story pretty exciting for me.

The idea alone from this book totally got my attention. A boy who thinks he only lives in a book and is going to die in a specific chapter? Awesome! And then there is the music. Lots of it! That’s something which is always fun to read about.

And the cherry on the cake: A book inside a book! I didn’t like the story of this book at the beginning though, but it just had to be a part of the story. Without it a lot of stuff wouldn’t have made sense.

What I also loved about this book is that it is some crazy mixture of genres. At first it’s some kind of contemporary road trip and music story. Then you get to know about these parallel worlds so it’s Science Fiction too. And on top of it it has some fantasy aspects in it, too.

My Favorite Band Does Not Exist has everything I need to like a book. First the most awesome idea I have ever heard about. Second some totally confusing storylines. Third likeable and connectable characters.

This book is a must read for everyone who wants to experience something totally different and weird and wants to read a book which you can’t put down because it’s both utterly gripping and confusing and you might be even more confused when you take breaks.(less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Kathryn rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reviewer's note: a digital ARC was provided by the publisher for this review.

My first word of warning to anybody who is interesting in buying the eBook version of My Favorite Band Does Not Exist: there are numerous instances where the book shifts to a "book within a book" that is presented in semi-graphic form with dog-eared pages and fancy fonts. Clicking through these sections of the eBook seems to slow loading something fierce, to the point you might think there's something wrong with your re...more Reviewer's note: a digital ARC was provided by the publisher for this review.

My first word of warning to anybody who is interesting in buying the eBook version of My Favorite Band Does Not Exist: there are numerous instances where the book shifts to a "book within a book" that is presented in semi-graphic form with dog-eared pages and fancy fonts. Clicking through these sections of the eBook seems to slow loading something fierce, to the point you might think there's something wrong with your reader or the eBook file. I opened the file in two separate eReaders and encountered the same issue, and I have to admit that waiting for pages to load proved irritating. I promise, though, the following review doesn't take that into account - I just note it here for the reader to be warned should anyone decide to buy e.

My Favorite Band Does Not Exist seeks to convey an adventurous spirit that takes readers on, literally, a whirlwind tour - imagine the Beatles' bubblegum tour bus and its passengers compressed into a paranoid teenager and his flight companion, then hold a mirror to the result for a parallel story. Idea Deity is on a mission to save his parents from going through with a public suicide pact to preserve and promote the cult movement they have founded. While Vengeful and Loving Deity (and these are perhaps the tamest of the names bestowed upon this book's characters) are measuring potions or knife lengths on the other side of the country, Idea has hooked up with the bubbly Eunice who assists in keeping him hidden from the Deitys' toughs. Slipping under their radar might be easier to do if Idea weren't already preoccupied with the plan he's set in place to upstage media attention the suicide might receive: he's fabricated a rock group with a viral following for which Lady Gaga would give up her meat bra, and Youforia has left Bic lighters aglow from sea to sea. This is despite having never cut an album, played live, or existing.

Cut to Reacher Mirage, who would argue the point of Youforia's existence. His band rehearses in secret, travels incognito, and deflects pressure placed upon him by management and band mates to do something besides nothing. It's when Reacher gets wind of website updates made without his knowledge and songs leaked through "YoFace" and other aptly named social media sites that he suspects something he's apt to fear more than playing in public.

Meanwhile, Idea can't understand why people are scalping tickets and making money off a band that exists only in his mind, crammed in his conscious along with the belief that he is a literal Truman Show - a character in a book set to die in Chapter 64. Certainly it's not the same book he's carried around on his quest: Fireskull's Reverent, a hefty tome that also has Reacher turning pages. Suddenly any determination to save his parents is forgotten as Idea and Eunice detour to track down those profiting from Youforia's, er, presence.

When realities and fiction collide, one would think things start to make sense, yet in reading My Favorite Band Does Not Exist I find the narrative off-putting and at times frustrating. Whether the saturation of odd character names (Wicked Livenbladder comes to mind) are there as some satirical commentary on goofy names dreamed up in typical YA fantasy I can not say, but having to take it all in - while juggling three parallel universes within the book - left me weary. There is a good germ of a story here, but one may end up re-reading chapters and passages to make it come together. I would dare suggest having too much of the novel within the novel made it difficult for me to follow the complete story - it's like David Lynch remade A Hard Day's Night.

As an adult reading this book, I may also concede a younger reader - the target audience of this book - will have little problem getting through the story and enjoy the irreverent humor and moments of slapstick. My Favorite Band reads like an acid trip Saturday morning cartoon, and though I don't consider a book like this my cup of tea I wouldn't mind mixing some that drug in with it.
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Jul 08, 2011 Bookworm1858 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, read-2011, ya-read

My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek
Clarion Books, 2011
325 pages
YA; Fantasy
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely one of the most unique books I've ever read with a premise I'm not sure I can describe. The writing is mostly clear (especially with the confusion of plot) with likable characters and there were some interesting thoughts about failure, control, and authorial dictates. But because of the plot, I didn't f...more My Favorite Band Does Not Exist by Robert T. Jeschonek
Clarion Books, 2011
325 pages
YA; Fantasy
3/5 stars

Source: Received a free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is definitely one of the most unique books I've ever read with a premise I'm not sure I can describe. The writing is mostly clear (especially with the confusion of plot) with likable characters and there were some interesting thoughts about failure, control, and authorial dictates. But because of the plot, I didn't feel entirely connected to the book as a whole.

I will try to explain without spoiling anything because this was wonderfully different with a general sense of happiness for me and worth a try if you can get this at the library. Idea Deity is on the run and suffering from Deity Syndrome, the suspicion that he is a character in a novel where the author while kill him (in this case, in chapter 64). His chapters alternate with Reacher Mirage, lead singer of the secret band Youforia. Their lives intersect when Idea realizes that his made-up band Youforia has taken on a life of its own and Reacher realizes that some one is leaking details about his band that would have been impossible to know. Somehow their lives are overlapping and intersecting; mixed up in this is the novel that both guys are reading called Fireskull's Revenant and a mysterious girl with a face on both sides of her head.

I hope that makes sense although it might not because I spent much of the book somewhat confused. Each story within itself made sense but as they started overlapping, my confusion grew. Suffice it to say that there is a very real reason for the similarities in their lives and that most is explained even if I didn't quite catch it all.

Overall: While I cannot in good conscience recommend that you run out and buy this book (because I didn't enjoy it enough to do that), I think it's a distinct change from the usual YA and might be good for fans of Alice in Wonderland, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett.(less)

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Jul 29, 2011 Creative Mind rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

My Favorite Band does not exist is one of the strangest books I've ever read. Actually, there are three main characters- Idea, Reacher, and the hero of the book they both read, Fireskull. And even though in the beginning it seems that the lives of those three characters aren't connected, the writer with tremendous skill manages not only to unite them but also to surprise the readers with the outcome.
The writer's idea to include in his book extracts from the book that his heroes read is innovativ...more

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