Geek Fantasy Novel
Author: E. Archer
Series: ---
Publisher: Scholastic
How Received: bought at Oblong Books
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 in fantasy worlds full of killer bunny rabbits, evil aunts, and bothersome bacteria, for example. Or at least that's Ralph's experience. He's been asked to spend the summer with his strange British relatives at their old manor house in order to set up their Wi-Fi network. But there's much more to it than that, of course. It's just that nobody told Ralph. He's a gamer, sure. But this game is much stranger--and funnier--than anything to be found on his xbox.
He is a geek. This is his story.
Buy | Borrow | Brush Off
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!
Needless to say, I bought it.
My signed copies of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
and Geek Fantasy Novel by E. Archer!
I'm genuinely shocked that the blogger community wasn't overrun with reviews of this when it came out in April. I keep seeing reviews for more serious books and less for fun books like this.
And let me tell you - it was fun.
It was everything I expected of a novel whose back cover simply reads "Welcome to a world where the bunny rabbits explode." It was fun and fresh and full of interesting characters. It had this wry sense of humor to it that I adored - I'd call it the Monty Python of YA fantasy if I could. Oh, wait, I just did.
This is one of those books I'm going to reread whenever I need a smile; like Soulless by Gail Carriger, it doesn't try to take on this serious note, this "life lesson" note. It's a book that seems to be written solely because it was fun. It's a story that exists simply to enjoy it.
I mean, it helps that the story and the characters are fantastic! Not to mention the superfantastic world(s) that Archer has created.
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 10/10. It's not serious; it's not life changing; it's just a fun story that's designed to let you enjoy it.