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Fair Coin
(Coin #1)
by
Epraim is horrified when he comes home from school one day to find his mother unconscious at the kitchen table, clutching a bottle of pills. Even more disturbing than her suicide attempt is the reason for it: the dead boy she identified at the hospital that afternoon--a boy who looks exactly like him. While examining his dead double's belongings, Ephraim discovers a strang
...more
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Hardcover, 1st Edition, 285 pages
Published
March 27th 2012
by Pyr
(first published March 1st 2012)
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Start your review of Fair Coin (Coin, #1)

So I usually resist young adult novels because, frankly, 15 year olds mooning over each other don't really interest me. I'm drawn to teens who have adult problems, probably because I never was a teenager myself (I skipped all of high school and went directly into college.) That's why, even though it's certainly a teen book, I really liked Fair Coin, and the smart universe the author created.
Basically the main character, Ephraim, has a challenging home life, and finds a coin that, when flipped, c ...more
Basically the main character, Ephraim, has a challenging home life, and finds a coin that, when flipped, c ...more

Actual rating: 2.5
A butterfly flapped its wings off the coast of Brazil and I ended up not enjoying this book, can't we just leave it at that so I don't have to get all analytical?
No? Fine.
Let's be honest here, who among us hasn't at one time or another, yearned for the ability to make wishes. From our childhood fantasies of the genie in the lamp à la Aladdin, the innocence of such wishes turned into a more nuanced version as we grow up and learn that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Or fr ...more
A butterfly flapped its wings off the coast of Brazil and I ended up not enjoying this book, can't we just leave it at that so I don't have to get all analytical?
No? Fine.
Let's be honest here, who among us hasn't at one time or another, yearned for the ability to make wishes. From our childhood fantasies of the genie in the lamp à la Aladdin, the innocence of such wishes turned into a more nuanced version as we grow up and learn that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Or fr ...more

[I received my copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads giveaway program.]
Definitely the kind of YA novel I like to read; too many of them lately seem to be about girls falling in love with mythical creatures or guys being half-gods (those books can be good, just so many of them out there! ugh!).
Going into this, I had no expectations whatsoever; I hadn't heard of this book before, and I received it for free, so I had nothing to lose. Cynical, but true. However, having finished i ...more
Definitely the kind of YA novel I like to read; too many of them lately seem to be about girls falling in love with mythical creatures or guys being half-gods (those books can be good, just so many of them out there! ugh!).
Going into this, I had no expectations whatsoever; I hadn't heard of this book before, and I received it for free, so I had nothing to lose. Cynical, but true. However, having finished i ...more

Clever YA sf in the old-school vein of "work through all the implications of a premise."
Teenage Ephraim finds a "magic coin" which can alter reality, and uses it improve his life: make his mom not an alcoholic, make his crush like him, etc. However, each change creates snowballing changes, often of a monkey's paw nature.
Without getting into moderate spoilers for the nature of the premise (revealed about a third of the way in) about all I can say is that yes, it does deal with the moral implica ...more
Teenage Ephraim finds a "magic coin" which can alter reality, and uses it improve his life: make his mom not an alcoholic, make his crush like him, etc. However, each change creates snowballing changes, often of a monkey's paw nature.
Without getting into moderate spoilers for the nature of the premise (revealed about a third of the way in) about all I can say is that yes, it does deal with the moral implica ...more

If you follow my blog there are two things you should know by now:
· I love a story told from a male point of view
· I'm hopelessly addicted to all things Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Put these two things together in a Young Adult novel and you get Fair Coin, a story about a teenage boy who finds a magic coin capable of granting his every wish. And, come on, who wouldn't want that?
When Ephraim makes his first wish—that his mother wasn't in the hospital from her suicide attempt—he gets more than he bargained f ...more
· I love a story told from a male point of view
· I'm hopelessly addicted to all things Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Put these two things together in a Young Adult novel and you get Fair Coin, a story about a teenage boy who finds a magic coin capable of granting his every wish. And, come on, who wouldn't want that?
When Ephraim makes his first wish—that his mother wasn't in the hospital from her suicide attempt—he gets more than he bargained f ...more

Sixteen-year-old Ephraim Scott comes home from school one day to find his mother passed out at the kitchen table – unfortunately a more than common occurrence given his mother’s alcoholism – except this time around she is holding a bottle of pills. Her suicide attempt is a reaction to having identified Ephraim’s body at the morgue that morning. Thankfully, she lives and everybody is convinced that it was all simply a horrible mistake. Then Ephraim finds amongst the other boy’s belongings – which
...more

Click HERE to read this review on my blog, Mindful Musings.
In a Sentence: Despite the fact that I would have liked to see a little more development of the secondary characters, I found Fair Coin to be an interesting story filled with loads of questions that will keep readers turning pages.
My Thoughts
The first chapter of Fair Coin pulled me in almost immediately. By the second page of the book, something dramatic was happening, so this book definitely didn't have any problems with a slow star ...more
In a Sentence: Despite the fact that I would have liked to see a little more development of the secondary characters, I found Fair Coin to be an interesting story filled with loads of questions that will keep readers turning pages.
My Thoughts
The first chapter of Fair Coin pulled me in almost immediately. By the second page of the book, something dramatic was happening, so this book definitely didn't have any problems with a slow star ...more

I admit, I didn't care for this book at first. The main character was remarkably shallow and passive about all the thing wrong in his life, and the high school scenes were uncomfortably familiar at times. But, as the book went on, Eph got some depth and maturity, the situation got a lot more interesting, and high school was mercifully left behind.
Eph is an unpopular kid at school, getting by as best he can with an alcoholic mother, absent father, and precarious financial situation. Then, one ni ...more
Eph is an unpopular kid at school, getting by as best he can with an alcoholic mother, absent father, and precarious financial situation. Then, one ni ...more

This is a pretty good alternate worlds story - with a whole lot of high school drama build-up. Once the main character catches up to the reader in terms of knowing what's happening, it gets fairly good. Still, these are high school aged people so adjust your expectations in terms of maturity accordingly.
MacLeod Andrews is perfect for the audio. ...more
MacLeod Andrews is perfect for the audio. ...more

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
A 'fair coin' is a term from probability theory and statistics. Basically it means that you have the probability of getting 50% heads, 50% tails on any flip. Unless the coin has been tampered with, in which case you can tell by the non-randomness of the flips.
Ephraim Scott is 16 years old. His dad left and his mom's a drunk. It's up to Ephraim to make sure she gets to work on time or to call in for her when she's too drunk. ...more
A 'fair coin' is a term from probability theory and statistics. Basically it means that you have the probability of getting 50% heads, 50% tails on any flip. Unless the coin has been tampered with, in which case you can tell by the non-randomness of the flips.
Ephraim Scott is 16 years old. His dad left and his mom's a drunk. It's up to Ephraim to make sure she gets to work on time or to call in for her when she's too drunk. ...more

One and a half star.
I want to confess this right now - the main reason why I noticed this book, picked it and managed to stick to the end of it was Sam Weber's cover. I swear, something in his paintings (these colors, these postures, this sheer awesomness!..) just strips away my willpower and lures me in like a hopeless sailor. It was his cover for The Shadow Rising ebook that finally made me read Wheel of Time (and that's not simply a big as a brick book, that's 13 big as a brick books). His im ...more
I want to confess this right now - the main reason why I noticed this book, picked it and managed to stick to the end of it was Sam Weber's cover. I swear, something in his paintings (these colors, these postures, this sheer awesomness!..) just strips away my willpower and lures me in like a hopeless sailor. It was his cover for The Shadow Rising ebook that finally made me read Wheel of Time (and that's not simply a big as a brick book, that's 13 big as a brick books). His im ...more

From the start of Fair Coin I was enamored with Ephraim. He made this book for me. Here is a character who is so easy to relate to that I genuinely cared what happened to him. His friend Nathan was the same way. These two are the epitome of nerds, and I loved that! Their friendship is palpable and, even when it changes, that link is there. I happily followed Ephraim as he made wishes and changed his world. Of course I'll admit that I kept wondering when something bad would happen. I've read enou
...more

Sixteen years old Ephraim was horrified when he found his mother tried to suicide. The reason behind her suicide attempt was she indentified Ephraim body on morgue that day, hit and run. With shock of this incident, Ephraim found a strange coin from belongings of his double; the coin was no ordinary one. Things Ephraim never imagined started to happen with one flip, Ephraim turned his alcoholic mother into a good parent and made the girl he liked from second grade fall for him. The coin could gi
...more

Fair Coin by E.C. Meyers * 3 Stars * 10/22/2016
When I read the synopsis of Fair Coin I got really anxious to read the book. The story concept totally called my attention, it was very interesting. When I started to read it has a hard time with the writing style. I couldn't put my finger on it but the read wasn't satisfactory. The main character, Ephraim, kept making bad choices over and over again, but what bothered me Tehran most was how he kept repeating the question he had regarding the myster ...more
When I read the synopsis of Fair Coin I got really anxious to read the book. The story concept totally called my attention, it was very interesting. When I started to read it has a hard time with the writing style. I couldn't put my finger on it but the read wasn't satisfactory. The main character, Ephraim, kept making bad choices over and over again, but what bothered me Tehran most was how he kept repeating the question he had regarding the myster ...more

Read the full review here at www.appraisingpages.com!
This book did something awesome, something that doesn’t happen often: it surprised me. It’s not that I went into this book thinking it would disappoint me, it’s that after the first 100 pages I was pretty sure I had it figured out. I knew the message, I knew the plot, I knew where it was going. I. Was. Wrong!
Myers changed things on me and made the story so much more deep and complex than I expected, I love it when books do that.
The main chara ...more
This book did something awesome, something that doesn’t happen often: it surprised me. It’s not that I went into this book thinking it would disappoint me, it’s that after the first 100 pages I was pretty sure I had it figured out. I knew the message, I knew the plot, I knew where it was going. I. Was. Wrong!
Myers changed things on me and made the story so much more deep and complex than I expected, I love it when books do that.
The main chara ...more

The first part of this book made me very impatient to know what was going on. Not in the delightful suspense kind of way, but in the come ON what is UP HERE kind of way. And then the explanation was too... science wordsy. I don't know. I kind of hated this. I kind of hated this a lot. People getting all bumped around and people are people but not the same people but also they ARE the same people but different and then whoops, dead, but it doesn't matter because it was a different same person, so
...more

1.5 stars. Uninspired YA fantasy. The premise is too recognizable, and the characters are too bland to maintain the reader's interest. I abandoned it after five chapters (56 pages) and wrote a "Fifty Page Fridays" post about it on Far Beyond Reality.
...more

This is a very interesting book to review, for a number of reasons. It's premise is wildly unique - while it at first appears to be a simple story of the consequences of wishes, it turns out to be far more complex and intricate. This intricacy limits its audience a bit - I can easily imagine people getting confused and overwhelmed. But what it went for is ambitious, and it largely succeeds.
But what I find most interesting about this book is its intended audience. This is probably the first YA bo ...more
But what I find most interesting about this book is its intended audience. This is probably the first YA bo ...more

This book is most definitely not what it seems. And this is a great thing - I loved this book's ending, and even though it's not a standalone, it definitely reads like one. And what's more refreshing is that it's a male YA author - those seem to be in such short supply, especially when doing fantasy/sci-fi. "Fair Coin" might have a slow start, but quite the explosive ending that will definitely have me reading the sequel when it comes out.
Yes, the start is slow, and I was starting to wonder if E ...more
Yes, the start is slow, and I was starting to wonder if E ...more

Ephraim Scott, “Eph” to his friends, is a typical teenage boy living a typical (sadly, it -is- fairly common for children to deal with this situation) life. He isn’t entirely happy, but he does seem to be coping; he has friends, he’s performing at an at least average level in school, and has a job that the reader can assume he appreciates. Truthfully, though, he’s a boy who is hurting and he’s all too eager to step away from his not-so-idyllic life.
When he gets the opportunity to do so, he leaps ...more
When he gets the opportunity to do so, he leaps ...more

Dec 30, 2011
Diayll
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
YA Fans of Action, Mystery, Science Fiction
Originally Reviewed At:
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher for Honest Review
Reviewer: Me
Fair Coin was a surprise hit for me, one I never saw coming, and one I can’t believe is over (thankfully I just received my ARC of Quantum Coin)! E.C. Myers crafted a hair-raising adventure centered around best friends and a simple “coin”. Fair Coin is reminiscent of The Butterfly Effect, except with a more Sci-Fi edge because of the sheer amount of technology presented and the in de ...more
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher for Honest Review
Reviewer: Me
Fair Coin was a surprise hit for me, one I never saw coming, and one I can’t believe is over (thankfully I just received my ARC of Quantum Coin)! E.C. Myers crafted a hair-raising adventure centered around best friends and a simple “coin”. Fair Coin is reminiscent of The Butterfly Effect, except with a more Sci-Fi edge because of the sheer amount of technology presented and the in de ...more

Taking inspiration from the fairy-tale idea that while wishes may come true, they're bound to always go wrong; Myers creates a riff on the alternate-universes theory aimed at teen boys.
It may be because I'm not a teen boy that this didn't really capture my imagination. I just felt like I've seen parallel universes used to more impressive effect, in both teen and adult fiction. This might remind me most of Diana Wynne Jones' "Tale of Time City," but while that is primarily a quest story, this boo ...more
It may be because I'm not a teen boy that this didn't really capture my imagination. I just felt like I've seen parallel universes used to more impressive effect, in both teen and adult fiction. This might remind me most of Diana Wynne Jones' "Tale of Time City," but while that is primarily a quest story, this boo ...more

When I first read the synopsis of this book, all I could think of was the Two Face from The Dark Night and how he had the coin that would decide his decisions. Yeah, I know crazy but that's literally what I was thinking. Ookay now let me stop raving about the movie and get onto this book.
As I started reading, what propelled me through it was the plot line, with the various paradoxes. And with every chapter, the story unfold allowing the reader to learn more and also with new characters entering ...more
As I started reading, what propelled me through it was the plot line, with the various paradoxes. And with every chapter, the story unfold allowing the reader to learn more and also with new characters entering ...more

This book came to my attention when it won the Andre Norton Award. I have wanted to read it since then, but with so many other books to read, it kept getting pushed off. Well, I had to kill time in a book store the other day and found this on the shelf. I started reading. I didn't want to stop. I ended up reading 3/4 of it in one day.
Fair Coin is intense from page 1 and doesn't let up until the very end. The mystery grows more complicated by the page. Where did Ephraim's double come from? How do ...more
Fair Coin is intense from page 1 and doesn't let up until the very end. The mystery grows more complicated by the page. Where did Ephraim's double come from? How do ...more

I started reading this book and at first I thought it was good. I kept reading this book and then I thought it was AWESOME. I don't want to say anything that will give away the most excellent surprises, but let me just say this: Now that I'm done, I wish I weren't. As I was reading it, I found myself having thoughts like, "Oh, I could hop the express train and get home faster . . . but no, I'll just stay on the local because then I'll have more time to read!" or "Shoot, I have to run that errand
...more

Wholly unique YA adventure with an authentic male protagonist: two thumbs up!
The story unfolds layer after layer like a great mystery. Ephraim is incredibly likable (despite some questionable choices) and I was rooting for him the whole time. Myers handles his characters -- and the story's speculative elements -- deftly and with obvious passion. (Geeks like myself will love the many fantasy and science fiction references!)
I want to say much more, but there are so many great twists and turns in ...more
The story unfolds layer after layer like a great mystery. Ephraim is incredibly likable (despite some questionable choices) and I was rooting for him the whole time. Myers handles his characters -- and the story's speculative elements -- deftly and with obvious passion. (Geeks like myself will love the many fantasy and science fiction references!)
I want to say much more, but there are so many great twists and turns in ...more

This was a really original take on the traditional wish-granting tale, with a teenaged protagonist who comes across a reality-altering coin that is far more than what it appears to be.
There is a slow build, but the story really picks up momentum when it gets going, and there is a good level of complexity in the relationship between the hero and the villain.
I did think that the story tries a bit too hard to tie up every possible loose thread in its ending, but I found the concept and the executio ...more
There is a slow build, but the story really picks up momentum when it gets going, and there is a good level of complexity in the relationship between the hero and the villain.
I did think that the story tries a bit too hard to tie up every possible loose thread in its ending, but I found the concept and the executio ...more

I liked the premise - it was an interesting twist on the The Monkey's Paw trope. In this iteration, Ephraim has found a coin with a unique property: it's able to grant wishes. However, those wishes have some interesting side effects. I liked the way the author took this, but found that it got bogged down from time to time. I thought that it was difficult to get invested in the characters as well. Overall it was inventive and that was enough for me to overcome some of the flaws.
...more

I REALLY enjoyed Fair Coin by E.C. Myers. It reminded me of my favorite childhood sci-fi by William Sleator, and that's a HUGE compliment. I adored books like Interstellar Pig or Green Futures of Tycho, so for Fair Coin to bring classics like that to mind, it's no wonder I zoomed through Myers' book as quickly as I did. And though Fair Coin is definitely YA, I think younger, more-MG readers can read this and enjoy.
...more

A fantastic read! The plot is twisty and addictive. I couldn't predict where it was going next (and I'm usually pretty good at that!), but in the end, it all made sense. I don't want to give too much away, but let's say if you enjoyed the short story The Monkey's Paw or *anything* by William Sleator, you will love Fair Coin.
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Dragon*Con YA Lit: Fair Coin by E.C. Myers | 2 | 22 | Jul 17, 2013 03:03PM | |
Free Books, .99, ...: Fair Coin by E. C. Myers (signed, US only) ends 9/18 | 1 | 5 | Sep 06, 2012 06:42AM | |
Ephraim: Why this name? | 1 | 13 | Jul 12, 2012 02:03AM | |
The Sword and Laser: Anyone read "Fair Coin?" i09 review has got me intrigued. | 12 | 89 | Apr 27, 2012 09:45AM |
E.C. Myers was assembled in the U.S. from Korean and German parts and raised in Yonkers, NY by his mother and the public library. He is a graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop and a member of the prolific NYC writing group Altered Fluid. In the rare moments when he isn't writing, he blogs about Star Trek at The Viewscreen, reads constantly, plays video games, watches films and television,
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“Ephraim, it's an incredibly intimate thing to share one of your favorite books with someone else. I think so, anyway."
"How do you mean?"
"Your father gave me a book on our second date, the first gift he ever gave me." She turned to the front page and studied it. "When you give someone a book, it's lie saying: 'I'm trusting you with something that means a lot to me.' It doesn't matter whether you like it or not, though it helps if you do. What matters is that you understand why she likes it. Why she gave it to you.”
—
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"How do you mean?"
"Your father gave me a book on our second date, the first gift he ever gave me." She turned to the front page and studied it. "When you give someone a book, it's lie saying: 'I'm trusting you with something that means a lot to me.' It doesn't matter whether you like it or not, though it helps if you do. What matters is that you understand why she likes it. Why she gave it to you.”
“If you can't forgive yourself, how can you expect me to?”
—
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