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Caster's Blog
Ray Caster is a regular guy who drew the short stick on life. He works in a miserable office doing a miserable job. He gets no respect from his co-workers. For that matter, he gets no respect from his friends. Caster's existence is one pathetic downward spiral of TiVo and fast food until the day his life is turned upside-down by a goddess from an auto parts store. With its snappy, conversational writing style, "Caster's Blog" captures the comedy and tragedy of geek life from a first-hand perspective.
204 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2006
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Marcus Alexander Hart
21 books61 followersYour old pal Marcus Alexander Hart is an award-adjacent author, self-proclaimed karaoke star, and default awesome dude. He has been a roller-derby skater and a real-life quidditch player. He once won an overnight road rally in a fake ice-cream truck. Marcus lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two imaginary children.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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January 11, 2020This was my first book by this author and I thought it was ok. Wasn't a fan. Being a geek myself, I really couldn't relate to characters
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 27, 2019
Getting reacquainted with an old friend ...
I pre-ordered a copy of the 15th Anniversary edition of "Caster's Blog" as soon as I heard it was coming out. The original version was one of the most unique love stories I had ever read, and I was curious to check out the "revised and expanded edition."
I could talk about the book's many perks, such as Marcus Alexander Hart's sharp wit, his humorous pop-culture references, or his masterful ability to juggle seemingly unrelated plots and subplots, only to tie everything together with perfection. All valid, all true. But for this review, I'm emphasizing one particular angle, one element that reflects Hart's true skill.
As mentioned above, I read the original "Caster's Blog" not long after it was released, so I remembered the story -- the broad-strokes, at least, as it was almost 13 years ago. So I knew what was gong to happen, overall.
And yet ...
Even knowing this was a work of fiction, even recalling much of the plot ... I could not help but get drawn in to Ray Caster's life. The blog format makes it feel as though I were truly following the twists and turns, the ups and downs, of a real person. Not every entry was (obviously) related to the overall story. The entries could be simple or complex, and as I read the comments (which were based on the actual comments left by real people during the social experiment), I wanted to add my own two-cents as well! I was happy for Ray when things went well, I sympathized when things went poorly, and I felt angst whenever I saw he was about to make mistakes.
I cared about Ray Caster. Marcus Alexander Hart made me care. And when I finished the book -- for the second time -- I felt sad that I would never hear from Ray again, would never know what happens next in his life. Sad about the loss of a fictional person, even KNOWING in advance that he was fictional. Hart made me feel that, too.
And that shows off some serious skill from this author.
Be sure to check out "Caster's Blog." Come for the wit, the romantic ineptitude, and the nerd humor; stay to find out just what will happen to Ray Caster next!
I pre-ordered a copy of the 15th Anniversary edition of "Caster's Blog" as soon as I heard it was coming out. The original version was one of the most unique love stories I had ever read, and I was curious to check out the "revised and expanded edition."
I could talk about the book's many perks, such as Marcus Alexander Hart's sharp wit, his humorous pop-culture references, or his masterful ability to juggle seemingly unrelated plots and subplots, only to tie everything together with perfection. All valid, all true. But for this review, I'm emphasizing one particular angle, one element that reflects Hart's true skill.
As mentioned above, I read the original "Caster's Blog" not long after it was released, so I remembered the story -- the broad-strokes, at least, as it was almost 13 years ago. So I knew what was gong to happen, overall.
And yet ...
Even knowing this was a work of fiction, even recalling much of the plot ... I could not help but get drawn in to Ray Caster's life. The blog format makes it feel as though I were truly following the twists and turns, the ups and downs, of a real person. Not every entry was (obviously) related to the overall story. The entries could be simple or complex, and as I read the comments (which were based on the actual comments left by real people during the social experiment), I wanted to add my own two-cents as well! I was happy for Ray when things went well, I sympathized when things went poorly, and I felt angst whenever I saw he was about to make mistakes.
I cared about Ray Caster. Marcus Alexander Hart made me care. And when I finished the book -- for the second time -- I felt sad that I would never hear from Ray again, would never know what happens next in his life. Sad about the loss of a fictional person, even KNOWING in advance that he was fictional. Hart made me feel that, too.
And that shows off some serious skill from this author.
Be sure to check out "Caster's Blog." Come for the wit, the romantic ineptitude, and the nerd humor; stay to find out just what will happen to Ray Caster next!
October 18, 2007
"Caster's Blog" is certainly one of the most *unique* love stories I've ever read. Through "online journal entries," Marcus Alexander Hart throws the standard "chapter" format to the wind and creates an interesting narrative pacing unlike any other.
As with "The Oblivion Society," I was impressed with how Hart tied everything together. Elements that seem to be unrelated subplots turn out to have more impact on the main story than one might suspect. And since it is all told as "a year in the life of Caster," the notions of plots and subplots are *already* blurred to great effect.
Curiously, now that I have finished the book, I find myself *missing* Caster -- I got used to reading his "blogs" over the days that I was reading the book, and now I feel strangely cut off from my new geeky friend.
Since I am also a fan of Hart's other novel, "The Oblivion Society," it naturally begs the question: "Which book did I enjoy more?" At the risk of sounding evasive, I can honestly say that "Caster's Blog" and "The Oblivion Society" are *so* different, it would be hopeless (and unfair) to compare the two. They both share Hart's sharp and clever wit, and frequent references to pop-culture, but beyond that ... they are exceedingly different novels. Which, in itself, is yet *another* compliment to Hart as an author.
I highly recommend "Caster's Blog" as a quick, humorous, and pleasantly engaging read.
As with "The Oblivion Society," I was impressed with how Hart tied everything together. Elements that seem to be unrelated subplots turn out to have more impact on the main story than one might suspect. And since it is all told as "a year in the life of Caster," the notions of plots and subplots are *already* blurred to great effect.
Curiously, now that I have finished the book, I find myself *missing* Caster -- I got used to reading his "blogs" over the days that I was reading the book, and now I feel strangely cut off from my new geeky friend.
Since I am also a fan of Hart's other novel, "The Oblivion Society," it naturally begs the question: "Which book did I enjoy more?" At the risk of sounding evasive, I can honestly say that "Caster's Blog" and "The Oblivion Society" are *so* different, it would be hopeless (and unfair) to compare the two. They both share Hart's sharp and clever wit, and frequent references to pop-culture, but beyond that ... they are exceedingly different novels. Which, in itself, is yet *another* compliment to Hart as an author.
I highly recommend "Caster's Blog" as a quick, humorous, and pleasantly engaging read.
June 14, 2019
Ray Caster follows friendship and romance advice from the followers of his blog. His loyalty to his friend Turbo Dan waxes and wanes, but his love for Shadoe remains true to the end. Hart’s social experiment turned into a blog, turned into a book, turned into a movie, and turned again into a book. He’s getting exceptional mileage from a character he created many moons ago to deflect criticism as an online neophyte. Hart is a unique creative and this shows in his work. I highly recommend anything he writes, no matter how old, how different, how silly, or if it’s not your favorite genre. He transcends genre. He shared his book with me because I’m awesome too. If you love to laugh, you’ll love this!
October 22, 2012
Every time I read this I get sucked in and finish it in one sitting. This time (October 2012) I had put it in a loaner stack for a friend who is feeling down. Then I thumbed through a few pages and was up until nearly 2:00am with voyeuristic pity for this online guy and his dysfunctional friend group. The characters are so cleverly (and humorously) developed that the author legitimately fooled a group of bloggers into believing Ray Caster was a real man.
June 29, 2011
I could not stop reading...what an awesome book! I felt like I should have been commenting on entries too! I will be telling everyone about Caster's Blog :-D
December 29, 2015
an afternoon's read - the author was my friend in high school
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews