Celebromancy

Ree Reyes #2

by Michael R. Underwood

Fame has a magic all its own in the no-gossip-barred follow-up to Geekomancy. Ree Reyes gets her big screenwriting break, only to discover just how broken Hollywood actually is.

Things are looking up for urban fantasista Ree Reyes. She’s using her love of pop culture to fight monsters and protect her hometown as a Geekomancer, and now a real-live production company is shooting her television pilot script.

But nothing is easy in show business. When an invisible figure attacks the leading lady of the show, former-child star-turned-current-hot-mess Jane Konrad, Ree begins a school-of-hard-knocks education in the power of Celebromancy.

Attempting to help Jane Geekomancy-style with Jedi mind tricks and X-Men infiltration techniques, Ree learns more about movie magic than she ever intended. She also learns that real life has the craziest plots: not only must she lift a Hollywood-strength curse, but she needs to save her pilot, negotiate a bizarre love rhombus, and fight monsters straight out of the silver screen. All this without anyone getting killed or, worse, banished to the D-List.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook, Magic, Science Fiction

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2013

About the author

Support Mike's writing at https://www.patreon.com/michaelrunder...

Mike's books include:

Genrenauts - a r/Fantasy Stabby Award-finalist science fiction adventure series in novellas. A group of storytellers travel between dimensions to the worlds where genres live to fix broken stories. Starts with The Shootout Solution. Collections available: Genrenauts - The Complete Season One

The Ree Reyes urban fantasy series (Geekomancy, Celebromancy, Attack the Geek, Hexomancy) about magicians who channel the power of popular culture. Starts with Geekomancy.

Born to the Blade, a political action fantasy about duelist diplomats vying for their nation's interests in a world on the brink of war. Co-written with Marie Brennan, Malka Older, and Cassandra Khaw for Serial Box Publishing. Collections available: Born to the Blade Season One.

Shield and Crocus, a superheroes-meets-epic fantasy novel where an aging revolutionary makes a deal with his most deadly foe to turn the tide of a fifty-year-long fight to free his city.

The Younger Gods, a supernatural thriller starring the white-sheep member of a family of demon-worshippers as he tries to stop his big sister from ending the world.

Mike started telling stories when he learned to talk and hasn't seen a reason to stop yet. He grew up playing video games, CCGs, RPGs, and many other delightful games with acronyms. As a teenager, the friendly local game store was his home away from home, and the site of his apprenticeship in geekdom.

Mike earned a B.A. in Creative Mythology and in East Asian Studies from Indiana University, and a M.A. in Folklore Studies from the University of Oregon. Basically, destined to be a novelist. He is also a graduate of the 2007 Clarion West Writers Workshop.

Properly equipped with lots of ways to develop story ideas, Mike has been a barista, a bear builder, a sales representative, and the North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books.

Mike lives with his wife and their dog in Baltimore, MD.

Reviews

[Mary Robinette Kowal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I narrated this for Audible.com, and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is not always the case. Alas. Strong female protagonist and tons of geek cred. I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Cyndy Aleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I... am a little bummed.

I've been looking forward to reading Celebromancy since the second I finished Underwood's first book in the series, Geekomancy. I dove in the second I downloaded it, and ended up reading it in two separate sittings (I had some books that got in the way in the middle).

Like the first book, Celebromancy is chock full of pop culture references, especially as they pertain to the geek world. It also introduces a new type of magic that surrounds celebrity culture, and several new characters as Ree is drawn into the world of Hollywood on location in the PNW when her script gets optioned for a new TV series pilot.

So why am I disappointed?

First off, the bigger-than-life character who meant so much to the plot of Geekomancy, Eastwood, is all but invisible in this book. Ree's carrying this one on her own with the supporting cast, and for the most part, they aren't very compelling. You have the Hollywood star on the decline trying to regain her fame, her longtime business partner Yancy, her bodyguard, and appearances from Grognard and Drake from book one.

Maybe it's that I'm not all that enamored with Hollywood star culture and didn't really get into the plot. But with all the characters popping in and out, a sort of love square that didn't really get resolved much, and an odd lack of chemistry between Drake and Ree this time out and I just kept having the feeling that something was missing. The engine was put together, and it seemed to be running, but there was this piece on the side you felt was supposed to go somewhere, but you weren't sure what it was.

I'm hoping we'll get back to the antagonistic/Miyagi relationship between Eastwood and Bree and her own complicated family history in the future.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Genre* Speculative Fiction
*Rating* 3-3.5

*Thoughts*

After reading Geekomancy last year, I knew I was going to jump at my chance to read Celebromancy its sequel. Celebromancy actually takes place 6 months after the end of Geekomancy. Our kickass heroine, Ree Reyes, is a Geekomancer, or, one who draws powers from Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. She's a pretty powerful Geekomancer in that she understands how to use Genre emulation to her benefit. I personally love the fact that she has a light-saber as part of her arsenal and is friends with a Steampunk inventor named Eastwood who even has his own flying machine.

After her not so subtle break up with her mentor Eastwood, (see Geekomancy), Ree has finally done something promising by writing a screen play called Awakenings while learning how to manage her abilities and learning more about the world of magic that surrounds her. She also tends bar and waits tables at Grognards Games & Grog while saving the innocent from evil.

Celebromancy actually centers around an actress named Jane Konrad who becomes really close with Ree over the course of this story while searching for a way to gain control of the Sweetheart mantle from her nemesis Rachel MacKenzie. It is Jane and her Director friend Yancy who tries to give Ree a chance at once in a lifetime stardom by producing Awakenings and hoping that a TV executive will come along and pick it up. It was kind of cute seeing how excited Ree was about getting her own movie set chair with her name and title on it.

Celebromancy is filled with action and adventure and mischief at each and every turn. Ree has absolutely become a fantastic heroine with a snarky attitude who has kept her Geekomancy powers away from her best friends known as the Rhyming Ladies. Underwood pretty much exposes who the bad buy is and you had no problem figuring out why this person was after Jane and why Ree is called Lady Geekomancer and her gang of Scoobies. I also loved the various beasts that were sent after Ree and Jane like a Dragon, Orcs, and Planet of the Apes Apes.

While I really enjoyed this story, there was a special part of Geekomancy that was never solved, and that mystery is the whereabouts of Ree's mother and what she and Eastwood are going to do about retrieving her. I would definitely say that it would benefit readers to go back to Geekomancy and then continue to Celebromancy. Personally, I look forward to seeing yet another release in this series in the near future.

*Recvd via Edelweiss 04/17/2013* Expected publication: July 15th 2013 by Pocket Star

[Cynthia Armistead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celebromancy was even more fun than Geekomancy - and that's saying something! I cannot remember when I've enjoyed a heroine quite so much. Ree is funny, smart, snarky, sexy, and as geeky as they come. Quite a few lines had me laughing out loud, but my non-geek boyfriend didn't understand why I was so amused. You want to read this series, I promise!

[Whitley Birks]

DNF-ed at 10%.

This book had an interesting premise, but I simply could not get into it. The narration was stuffed so full of pop-culture references (but only certain kinds, of course) that it often turned convoluted or just plain silly trying to work in one or two more. The flow of the story (what little I could tease out) was constantly interrupted by these attempts to cash in on as many different names as possible, and more time was devoted to Ree's social commentary than anything that was actually going on.

And while I had been holding out in the hopes of at least getting a good magic system out of it, I decided to call it quits when Ree straight-out told us that the magic system made no sense. Overall, between the tone and the in-jokes, it felt more like a parody blog post that Kat Kennedy would write than an actual novel. (And while I love her posts, that doesn't mean I want to read one that drags on for hundreds of pages. Sorry, Kat.)

[Michael Melilli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep restarting this review because I just can't figure out a way to explain how much I liked Celebromancy. I was a fan of the first book in the series and expected more geeky, fanboy magical fun but I wasn't prepared for how awesome the second Ree Reyes books would be.

Rather than just doing more of the same in Celebromancy, Michael Underwood dives into an entirely new branch of magic; one that investigates and explains America's obsession with fame and celebrity. This book gives us a sense of a greater world beyond the Geekomancy universe we've experience so far and promises many more exciting adventures to come.

Plus there's a dragon, I mean come on, a dragon...and Buffy references...and the roadie run and Spider-Man powers and...well I could go on and on.

If you're a fan of fiction, celebrity, movies, fantasy or fiction make sure you pick this book up (along with the first in the series).

Oh and there's a love rhombus...how awesome is that?

[Αταλάντη Ευριπίδου · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was all kinds of awesome. Gret characters, really good plot and the amazing, brilliant mythology we've seen in the first book of the series. These are the books of my people, I feel, books written with a great love for geekdom and great care too. You can find pretty much anything geek in here: CCG, RPG, TV shows, movies, comics. There is just one omission. Where are The Gamers and Dorkness Rising? This is a must-see for all RPG lovers and I'm honestly surprised to not find it in here. Anyway, that's not really important. What's important is this: there are tons of enjoyment to be had in these books if you're a hardcore geek.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael R. Underwood has done it again! Celebromancy takes the reader further into the life of fledgling geekomancer Ree Reyes. From mounting successes in some areas of her life to heart-breaking failure in others, Ree is a real and vibrant person. Underwood has created a character that you could invite to your gaming sessions or visit at Grognards and have a fantastically geeky time.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehh it was alright. A bit too much fan service I think, especially the main characters bisexual nature, but it wasn't too bad. Not sure if I'll read any more that may come out.

[MaryB · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIGHLY enjoyable! Review to come!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5

In the first book of the Ree Reyes series, Geekomancy (read my review here) we learn what 'geekomancy' is (the ability to manifest, for a short time, the power or attribute of anything or anyone in a movie, comic book on a trading card, etc), and are introduced to the geekomancy poster-child, Ree Reyes. In this second installment in the series, author Michael R. Underwood takes us on the next part of Ree Reyes' journey and offers up a new style of magic ... the power to win friends and influence people unnaturally (why isn't this Carnegiemancy?). And who would you most likely find wielding this power? Hollywood actors, of course.

Budding screen writer Ree Reyes has sold a television pilot and is in L.A. to see her new show move from the page to the screen. Ree wrote her script using as much of her geekomancy powers as she could. But now in Hollywood, she can't help being a bit of a geek fan, despite her new street cred as the creator of a new show. High on Ree's 'geeking out crush' is Jane Konrad, an actress that Ree has long admired and who is set to star Ree's show. It is Jane who introduces Ree to the power of Celebromancy, but admits that her power is waning. Perhaps it isn't waning too much, though, as Jane and Ree begin a an intimate relationship.

Life in Hollywood isn't easy, even when you have special powers, and when Jane is attacked, Ree gets directly involved to save her show and her new crush/lover.

Author Michael R. Underwood has done a nice job on building on the Geekomancy foundation without simply making a repeat of the initial story. Bringing Ree into a new world and experiencing a whole new set of powers is nice. At the same time, however, I really missed some of the characters from the first book. Grognard? Eastwood? These characters were nearly as important as Ree in book one and while Grognard makes a token appearance, Eastwood is nowhere to be found. While the relationship between Ree and Eastwood was tenuous at best, they still had a common goal that was left unfinished in the last book, and I hope we'll see them working together again soon.

This book is packed full of action and self-acclaimed geeks should enjoy all the pop culture references. And what geek hasn't imagined what it would be like to fire a Star Trek phaser and have it actually work, or wield a Star Wars lightsaber and really be able to cut through something (or someone)? We enjoy Ree's actions because she still thinks it's cool to do these things, to have this power. She is still a geek and we can identify with her because of this. Pushing her to this new role of screenwriter does separate her from the vast majority of geeks, though,and might endanger her credibility as someone constantly in awe of her powers and success.

This volume didn't have quite the same impact as the first book had. We're no longer virgins to this territory and we want something that pushes this special ability a bit more.

As with the previous book, I both read and listened to this story. I would listen to the Audible version during my commute or while walking the treadmill, and would read from my ARC at other times (usually going back to skim through what I had listened to). The narration by Mary Robinette Kowal is fantastic. Ms. Kowal clearly understands the pop culture references and she adds the appropriate energy and emphasis in her reading. In some cases, I enjoyed her reading of the book more than my own.

Pop culture books seem to be getting some notice by the general reading public, as evidenced by the success of Ready Player One and even Geekomancy. Perhaps we need a new sub category designation for these sorts of books. Urban fantasy seems too generic and not quite right. "Pop fantasy" anyone?

Looking for a good book? Celebromancy, by Michael R. Underwood, continues the story of Ree Reyes, geekomancer, and is full of action but doesn't quite have the allure of its predecessor.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for and honest review.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Ree is a Geekomancer and a screenwriter who has just hit her big break. Things start looking bad though when the lead actress Jane, who happens to be a Celebromancer starts having problems with her powers. If Ree can’t help her figure out what is going wrong it may be the end of her production before it even begins.

Opening Sentence: Ree was late to her first public appearance as a screenwriter, and she couldn’t even blame it on a monster attack.

The Review:

I really wanted to give this book a chance and once I start a book I hate to not finish, but I could not like this book. There are a few things that could be to blame for this. The first is I did not read the first book to truly understand the dialogue that Ree uses. The second thing is I don’t speak geek in general, so it made it hard to follow. The plot is that Ree Reyes is a Geekomancer who uses her love for science fiction and fantasy to give herself superpower. She watches movies or reads books and can then draw magic from them. Ree has written a screenplay that gives her a big break. It has been picked up by a producer and production on the pilot is about to begin. After the first night Ree and the main actress, Jane Konrad, go out on the town to drink. They end up hooking up and ending up at Jane’s place. While sleeping Jane is attacked by an invisible person and it takes both Ree and Jane’s bodyguard to fend off the entity. Now Ree finds out that the star has her own form of power. She is a Celebromancer who uses her fames to receive magic and make herself more popular. Unfortunately, someone has messed with her powers and they actually attack her if she uses them too much. Now it is up to Ree to save Jane and her screenplay from being ruined by the curse.

Now many people would find that interesting, but I find it too mainstream for my taste. Magic is not in my opinion supposed to be so modernized. Also, like I said, I just had a hard time understanding half the time what was being said. On top of that, there was so many random texts and blog entries just randomly placed throughout the story. I do have to admit I stopped after page one hundred and twenty eight so maybe it gets better, but I just couldn’t read anymore. For those who do not mind some modern magic and can speak geek maybe this book would be for you. For those old fashioned like me who wants our magic left alone this one may not be for you. The one thing I did find interesting was that the author has a wonderful imagination and comes up with some very unique mythical creatures, such as a panther dragonfly.

Notable Scene:

And then something hit Ree in the shoulder and knocked her off the bed. Something that wasn’t Jane.

Ree’s voice and world wobbled as she conceded the point. “Not a dream! Definitely not a dream!”

FTC Advisory: Pocket Star/Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Celebromancy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Scotto Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is the 2nd book in an urban fantasy series based around the idea of a pop culture-based magic system. in the 1st book, Geekomancy, we learn about an underground culture of magic users who tune in to games, movies, tv shows, comic books, etc., to acquire magic power; the more popular the item and the more personal the connection you have to the item, the greater the juice you can pull from it. the debut was erratically paced and a little maddening, but i got through it via the charisma of the main character, barista-turned-geekomancer Ree Reyes - watching her sort it all out was interesting enough that i became curious if the next book could be better. turns out - yes, yes in fact, Celebromancy is where the author figures out pacing & plotting and leads us through a nice little romp through the world of making movies, where celebrities can access deep magic that is fueled by the love and attention of their fans. Ree's steampunk sidekick Drake is a hoot, and they work nicely as a team of badasses fending off B-movie monster attacks with wit and style (and an impossible ornithopter, and a working lightsaber). these books have a bit of a shelf life issue: the pop culture references are so thick that there is a danger they might age quickly, which is probably why Celebromancy felt much sharper on that front than Geekomancy.

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 1 out of 5]

After somewhat enjoying Geekomancy, I had hoped we'd get a continuation of that story line a bit, but instead what we got was something that felt like a step backwards.

I couldn’t get into the story, and it didn’t feel like Ree had really grown since the first book. She's still trying to figure out where she stands with Eastwood and Drake both, then she adds in another "romantic" interest in Jane, which felt like it pandering to the 20-something horny male segment of readers. She kept acting like a Too Stupid To Live/Damsel in Distress type when it was clear in the previous book that she was a much smarter and tougher cookie than that.

There was a lot of pop culture references in this one again, and perhaps it was too much so. It seemed like there was a reference to something already produced like every third paragraph! Just felt like fan service more so than an actual necessary plot item. What felt like an homage in the first book felt very forced and fake in this one. Sadly, after my somewhat lackluster review of the first story, I won't be continuing the series.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exciting and engaging follow-up to GEEKOMANCY. The best thing I can say about this is it's about time someone published an urban fantasy hero(ine) with a great sense of humor. Didn't realize I'd missed this so much since Buffy went off the air.

I also like the fact that Ree is seen in total on the cover, not having her head cut off and all the focus going on secondary gender traits or weapons.

Michael Underwood's woven a fascinating world herein with a wide and surprising variety of magic. I'm not sure Ree is selling herself short as a fledgling geekomancer or she's underestimating her ability (re: the parenthetical game stat blocks she assigns herself and others). Due to all the battles and shifts in how she used her abilities, Ree should have hit a level-up moment in here somewhere but either I missed it or Ree did (and as our POV character, it would skip over it for readers too).

Very fun, very enjoyable, but (my only real complaint) more magic-heavy at the climax than I thought would be plausible and still retain that "magic is hidden from most of the world" canard of urban fantasies.

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be a bit biased since I read an early draft of this, but I found Celebromancy to be a delightful urban fantasy romp. It's self-awareness of its own silliness without overdoing it--the best way to describe it is "happily geeky." Considering the first book in the series is titled Geekomancy, you get exactly what you expect.

Ree Reyes is a relatable heroine. I like how Underwood explored her bisexuality here without making it feel like total fanservice. Ree is attracted to movie starlet Jane, a woman who is definitely on the outs with Hollywood and the media in general. There's a definite Lindsay Lohan vibe to her plight--though hopefully Lohan isn't dealing with curses, shadowy assassins, or the twisted magic of celebromancy. Ree wields magic acquired from hardcore geekiness (i.e. she watches Star Wars and for a brief time can utilize a light-saber and some Jedi mind tricks); celebromancy operates with a different skill set, drawing on publicity and the love of an audience to draw power. It's an incredibly original concept and it really works well with an urban fantasy backdrop.

[Frankie Ness · Rating 4 out of 5]

Braine's Talk Supe review

Once again, Michael R. Underwood gives us major ball-busting action courtesy of her queer, latina, super Geekomancer, Ree Reyes, in his latest urban fantasy, CELEBROMANCY. If you've read Geekomancy, expect to find the same level of fandom in CELEBROMANCY if not more, as MRUnderwood expertly weaves countless pop culture movers and shakers in this latest Ree Reyes installment.

CELEBROMANCY is fast-paced and action-filled novel and FUN to the nth level! MRUnderwood's imagination is a class on its own and I'm hoping that both Geekomancy and CELEBROMANCY become graphic novels. Now I'm probably the least qualified person to review Michael R. Underwoood's work because his world is so cool I can't give it justice. To conclude: Ree Reyes is a heroine I know a lot of you will love so please do me a favor and read it!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh man. I love this series. I need more of them.

Snarky heroine? Check.
Out-of-timestream adventurer? Check.
Fast paced plot? Check.
Non-gender normative relationships and considerations? Check.
Surly bartender? Check.
Magic system that I so, so wish was real? CHECK.
Surrounding cast of awesome? Check, check, and CHECK.

So, yeah. I love this series and want more adventures of Ree.

EDIT - Aug 21, 2013 - I just finished the Audible version, narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal. This is me being BLOWN AWAY. The narration bumped the story up to 5 stars. I'll be listening to this one again. Yes, sirreebob.

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't have a ton to say about Celebromancy that I didn't already say about Geekomancy, except that I enjoy the fact that Underwood has gone all in with this bizarro, interesting, fascinating magic system and that, on a whole, the tales are completely unafraid when it comes to offering new ideas in the existing world.

This one is, in some ways, less fun than its predecessor. It makes up for it in a lot of areas, for sure, but those looking for a similar-to-identical experience in the second book of this series might come away disappointed.

Still, a fun, light urban fantasy read.

[Drev · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the second installment of this series Micheal R Underwood has written another in a hopefully long running series of books. I am not one to often identify with a female lead in novels but with his in depth understanding of Geek culture and nerdy jokes I found this book impossible to put down. I read it from start to finish without stopping and cannot wait for the rest of the books in this series. For readers that like fantasy scifi or are just plain geeks like me this book is for you and you will not be disappointed.

[Michel Lind · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Michael Underwood's sophomore effort, as much as I did reading the earlier Geekomancer.

Magic abounds as before, and having Hollywood divas and studios slinging it back and forth certainly makes this book surprisingly ... relatable...

On a technical note, it's been great fun listening to the audiobook in parallel, the seamless sync between the two makes it effortless. I think I found a typo in the book - or simply like Kowal's version better - when Ree reminded Drake of the Burger Bin, in the audiobook he then said "To the Bugger Bin", which is funnier

[Aaron Reiser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say that Michael Underwood has struck upon a wonderful premise with his Geekomancy series. His characters are well written with a light touch of humor provided in every chapter. I look forward to turning each page to find the next gem hidden amongst the pages and I'm definitely looking forward to his future works.

This is a great book for anyone out there who has an inner-geek and needs to let it strut from time to time.

[Michael Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Ree Reyes novel, but can be read without first reading Geekomancy, though it would likely be best enjoyed read in order.

I find filmaking, Hollywood and celebrity culture both fascinating and somewhat terrifying, so the decision to have the second 'Mancy' of the Ree Reyes series bring in this world's version of Hollywood and foreground Ree's dream of becoming a screenwriter.

[Kris Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better narration than the first novel. Really interesting. I still dig all the characters. The geekomancy still satisfies all my needs for reference to pop culture. The nostalgia this series creates would be very useful in its world's magic. The visibly bisexual main character is a huge plus for me, obviously. This is worth reading.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic and geeky read. With references ranging from Buffy and Firefly to Leverage and a whole lot more, this was a great follow-up to Geekomancy. Now I just have to suffer through the many months of waiting until the next book is released. I can honestly say that I am a geeky fangirl for Michael Underwood and plan to recommend this to all of my geek friends.

[Feminista]

Did-not-finish.

I could not finish this book unfortunately. I couldn't understand what was happening (this being the second book in the series). And I just didn't realise what this book was about... Mainly the superwoman theme. I should have read the blurb before requesting this book.

ARC Courtesy of Edelweiss and PocketStar.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing, geeky, fun read from Michael Underwood! 5+ stars and a load of recommendations. Great world-building, great characters, AMAZING actions scenes, and all the pop culture you could want (and more!).

Pick up Geekomancy and read it... I'll be waiting to talk to you about it.

[ladymurmur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geekomancy set a high bar, and Celebromancy met it with ease. An absolutely delightful read!

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candy for geeks.

[L.S. Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these books.