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Magic 2.0 #1
Off to Be the Wizard
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
What could possibly go wrong?
An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
277 pages, ebook
First published March 22, 2013
2499 people are currently reading
22989 people want to read
About the author
Scott Meyer
17 books2,639 followersScott Meyer has been a radio DJ, a stand-up comic, a writer for video games, an office manager, and a pretend ghost bellhop.
He is the creator of the comic strip Basic Instructions, and has now written a novel.
He and his wife live in Florida, to be close to their cats.
He is the creator of the comic strip Basic Instructions, and has now written a novel.
He and his wife live in Florida, to be close to their cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,307 reviews
September 30, 2016
I've been hearing about this book for years from various folks who said they really enjoyed it. So when it popped up in my audiobooks, read by the same narrator who performed the Iron Druid chronicles, I figured I'd give it a try.
It's fun. Which might seem like I'm damming it with faint praise. But personally, I don't often read books that take a fairly silly premise and just charge ahead being kinda silly with it.
It's nice, lighthearted, funny, and easy to listen to. Plus the author has a nice turn of phrase that actually made me chuckle out loud a couple of times.
Perfect if you're looking for some fun popcorn reading.
Fair warning: You might want to avoid this if you have a problem with plot holes. Or if you have a tendency to say, "But they could have solved all of these problems if they just XXX!"** And then get irretrievably irritated.
** By XXX here, what I mean if you'd fill in some solution to a problem. Like calling the police Or using the Timeturner to, do something useful, like stop Voldemort or save someone's life. I don't mean XXX like you think all problems should be solved with, like, porno.
It's fun. Which might seem like I'm damming it with faint praise. But personally, I don't often read books that take a fairly silly premise and just charge ahead being kinda silly with it.
It's nice, lighthearted, funny, and easy to listen to. Plus the author has a nice turn of phrase that actually made me chuckle out loud a couple of times.
Perfect if you're looking for some fun popcorn reading.
Fair warning: You might want to avoid this if you have a problem with plot holes. Or if you have a tendency to say, "But they could have solved all of these problems if they just XXX!"** And then get irretrievably irritated.
** By XXX here, what I mean if you'd fill in some solution to a problem. Like calling the police Or using the Timeturner to, do something useful, like stop Voldemort or save someone's life. I don't mean XXX like you think all problems should be solved with, like, porno.
July 9, 2014
Being a programmer by trade and a fan of fantasy, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it did not deliver.
The premise is interesting enough, so it could have been great, but the book falls apart on two points:
First, the main character is completely unlikable. So at no point was I emotionally invested in him. If he succeeded or failed or died, I couldn't care less.
Second, the book is written is a very odd, straightforward manner that runs through every scene as fast as possible without pausing for any realistic emotions like awe, shock, terror, ect. For example, if the main character had just discovered that he was in fact an alien that his parents had discovered in a field, it would be written like this: "I'm an alien? And you discovered me in a field and told me I was human? Well, that sure is neat. Guess I'll check to see if I have any alien powers now. Hmm, yep, seems like I can fly and shoot lasers out of my eyes. Bet I can have some fun with that. Ok, see you latter guys, I'm going to go try out my new powers now."
The premise is interesting enough, so it could have been great, but the book falls apart on two points:
First, the main character is completely unlikable. So at no point was I emotionally invested in him. If he succeeded or failed or died, I couldn't care less.
Second, the book is written is a very odd, straightforward manner that runs through every scene as fast as possible without pausing for any realistic emotions like awe, shock, terror, ect. For example, if the main character had just discovered that he was in fact an alien that his parents had discovered in a field, it would be written like this: "I'm an alien? And you discovered me in a field and told me I was human? Well, that sure is neat. Guess I'll check to see if I have any alien powers now. Hmm, yep, seems like I can fly and shoot lasers out of my eyes. Bet I can have some fun with that. Ok, see you latter guys, I'm going to go try out my new powers now."
January 1, 2018
4.5 stars, rounded up due to its creativity.
A delightfully charming story that is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy, Off to Be the Wizard will satisfy geeks who secretly (or not-so-secretly) wish they can be a wizard. I personally found the novel brilliant in its simplicity and originality.
The story is about a modern-day computer geek, Martin Banks, who came across a discovery that changed his life forever; that life on earth is a computer programme that allows anyone with access to the file to alter almost any aspect of reality by simply modifying said file. So what does a dorkish dude with the ability to perform seemingly magical tasks do? He proceeded to land himself in trouble with the authorities and had to escape back into a time and a place where magic could be viewed as probable, i.e Medieval England.
Told from a third person perspective of Martin, the story was simple, fairly predictable and not one to be taken too seriously as it will not stand up to critical analysis and scrutiny. Nonetheless, it has a lot of charm in the manner it was told so one should just kick-back and enjoy the ride. I was lukewarm towards Martin initially as he appeared to be quite foolish and immature. The progression of his character as the story unfolded was, however, ingenuously fun arising from a myriad of interesting situations that he found himself in. Martin’s friendship with Philip (my favourite character so far) formed the best part of his character development. I did sometimes get strong vibes of Back to Future, especially when Philip started to call Martin as Marty. There was also a fair amount of pop and geek culture references scattered across the narrative which made it all the more enjoyable.
There isn’t much more I can mention about the plot without revealing minor spoilers. Even though it was simple, the tale was not devoid of meaningful commentary. The overriding message was about the responsibility of people who found themselves with power, and being a wizard meant having to adhere to the basic rules of not abusing said power granted by having access and the ability to change the file and hence reality. This managed to come across the narrative quite seamlessly without rubbing it in too hard or being too repetitive.
The unembellished prose fit the style of the story really well. Like I've mentioned earlier, this is not a book to be taken too seriously; it is supposed to be comedic and fun. Seriously, just look at the 8-bit graphics cover! The first few chapters did have a slightly drier tone with more technical jargons being employed to set the scene for our main protagonist’s eventual escape to Medieval England. Once Martin landed himself somewhere in an English countryside sometime during the mid-12th century, tried to bluff his way into being recognised as a wizard, and especially after he met Philip, the story started to hit its stride. It definitely made me laugh out loud numerous times and I found the whole experience highly entertaining and refreshingly so.
Last but not least, the audiobook narration was fantastic. I probably might not have enjoyed it as much as I did without Luke Daniel's ability to add personality to the characters, as well as incorporate timely and appropriate inflections in the dialogue.
If all the grimdark of late have left you feeling like you’ve been hit by a deluge of sandstorms, Off to Be the Wizard will be like a breath of dewy fresh air after a morning shower.
This review can also be found at Booknest
A delightfully charming story that is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy, Off to Be the Wizard will satisfy geeks who secretly (or not-so-secretly) wish they can be a wizard. I personally found the novel brilliant in its simplicity and originality.
The story is about a modern-day computer geek, Martin Banks, who came across a discovery that changed his life forever; that life on earth is a computer programme that allows anyone with access to the file to alter almost any aspect of reality by simply modifying said file. So what does a dorkish dude with the ability to perform seemingly magical tasks do? He proceeded to land himself in trouble with the authorities and had to escape back into a time and a place where magic could be viewed as probable, i.e Medieval England.
Told from a third person perspective of Martin, the story was simple, fairly predictable and not one to be taken too seriously as it will not stand up to critical analysis and scrutiny. Nonetheless, it has a lot of charm in the manner it was told so one should just kick-back and enjoy the ride. I was lukewarm towards Martin initially as he appeared to be quite foolish and immature. The progression of his character as the story unfolded was, however, ingenuously fun arising from a myriad of interesting situations that he found himself in. Martin’s friendship with Philip (my favourite character so far) formed the best part of his character development. I did sometimes get strong vibes of Back to Future, especially when Philip started to call Martin as Marty. There was also a fair amount of pop and geek culture references scattered across the narrative which made it all the more enjoyable.
There isn’t much more I can mention about the plot without revealing minor spoilers. Even though it was simple, the tale was not devoid of meaningful commentary. The overriding message was about the responsibility of people who found themselves with power, and being a wizard meant having to adhere to the basic rules of not abusing said power granted by having access and the ability to change the file and hence reality. This managed to come across the narrative quite seamlessly without rubbing it in too hard or being too repetitive.
The unembellished prose fit the style of the story really well. Like I've mentioned earlier, this is not a book to be taken too seriously; it is supposed to be comedic and fun. Seriously, just look at the 8-bit graphics cover! The first few chapters did have a slightly drier tone with more technical jargons being employed to set the scene for our main protagonist’s eventual escape to Medieval England. Once Martin landed himself somewhere in an English countryside sometime during the mid-12th century, tried to bluff his way into being recognised as a wizard, and especially after he met Philip, the story started to hit its stride. It definitely made me laugh out loud numerous times and I found the whole experience highly entertaining and refreshingly so.
Last but not least, the audiobook narration was fantastic. I probably might not have enjoyed it as much as I did without Luke Daniel's ability to add personality to the characters, as well as incorporate timely and appropriate inflections in the dialogue.
If all the grimdark of late have left you feeling like you’ve been hit by a deluge of sandstorms, Off to Be the Wizard will be like a breath of dewy fresh air after a morning shower.
This review can also be found at Booknest
August 1, 2016
Executive Summary: A really funny sci-fantasy story that will largely depend on your enjoyment of the humor.
Audio book: Everyone seems to love the Iron Druid books. I just didn't. The one thing I did really love was Luke Daniels narration of those books however.
I'll admit that probably more than half of the reason I chose to review this book for SFFAudio was because Luke Daniels was the reader. He did not disappoint. Another excellent performance.
Full Review
This book started really slow, despite a cool concept. A computer geek discovers a file that somehow lets him manipulate not only the world and everything in it, but time itself. So of course he decides to go back to medieval times and become a wizard. As a computer geek who (not so) secretly would love to be a wizard I was intrigued.
Unfortunately the main character, Martin isn't very likable at the start. Despite being good with computers, he doesn't seem very smart. For me the story finally started to get good when he meets Phillip. I will say Martin did grow on me as the book went on. I don't plan to say anything else about the plot because I don't want to ruin the jokes.
I think your enjoyment of the book will largely depend on if you find the humor funny and your willingness to not only suspend your disbelief but throw it right out the window. Things get silly. Really silly.
There is a lot of computer geek humor as well as some pop culture humor from the 80s and 90s that reminded me a bit of Ready Player One, a book I absolutely love. I think fans of that book, may find similar things to like here. Scott Meyer does for fantasy geeks what Ernest Cline did for gaming geeks.
The only real complaint I have apart from the slow start is the general lack of women. That's a pretty common complaint in fantasy. However as this is a fantasy book based in current time and involves using computers to manipulate the world to pretend to be a wizard this seems like a big flaw for me.
Mr. Meyer has a plausible reason to explain away his lack of female characters, but he could have just as easily had a plausible reason for their inclusion instead.
Overall though, I really enjoyed listening to this book and I'll be on the lookout for his next book as well as planning to check out his webcomic in the near future.
Audio book: Everyone seems to love the Iron Druid books. I just didn't. The one thing I did really love was Luke Daniels narration of those books however.
I'll admit that probably more than half of the reason I chose to review this book for SFFAudio was because Luke Daniels was the reader. He did not disappoint. Another excellent performance.
Full Review
This book started really slow, despite a cool concept. A computer geek discovers a file that somehow lets him manipulate not only the world and everything in it, but time itself. So of course he decides to go back to medieval times and become a wizard. As a computer geek who (not so) secretly would love to be a wizard I was intrigued.
Unfortunately the main character, Martin isn't very likable at the start. Despite being good with computers, he doesn't seem very smart. For me the story finally started to get good when he meets Phillip. I will say Martin did grow on me as the book went on. I don't plan to say anything else about the plot because I don't want to ruin the jokes.
I think your enjoyment of the book will largely depend on if you find the humor funny and your willingness to not only suspend your disbelief but throw it right out the window. Things get silly. Really silly.
There is a lot of computer geek humor as well as some pop culture humor from the 80s and 90s that reminded me a bit of Ready Player One, a book I absolutely love. I think fans of that book, may find similar things to like here. Scott Meyer does for fantasy geeks what Ernest Cline did for gaming geeks.
The only real complaint I have apart from the slow start is the general lack of women. That's a pretty common complaint in fantasy. However as this is a fantasy book based in current time and involves using computers to manipulate the world to pretend to be a wizard this seems like a big flaw for me.
Mr. Meyer has a plausible reason to explain away his lack of female characters, but he could have just as easily had a plausible reason for their inclusion instead.
Overall though, I really enjoyed listening to this book and I'll be on the lookout for his next book as well as planning to check out his webcomic in the near future.
August 26, 2019
A weird, Kafkaesque post-modern re-telling and re-visioning of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
But fun.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this 2013 publication but it was not what I expected. Essentially, protagonist discovers that all of creation, including himself and his bank account, are a part of a computer file. After some early tomfoolery, he gets himself into trouble, then we have some time travel and lots of wild adventures. Off To Be The Wizard is entertaining, I smiled several times along the journey and was coaxed into at least two laugh out loud scenes.
Like much of today’s fiction, though, it could have benefited from some robust editing, knocking a few dozen pages out would have made it a stronger, tighter woven story. This would actually have been a really good short work. And, of course, we are invited back for sequels.
I did enjoy the visit, but no thank you.
But fun.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this 2013 publication but it was not what I expected. Essentially, protagonist discovers that all of creation, including himself and his bank account, are a part of a computer file. After some early tomfoolery, he gets himself into trouble, then we have some time travel and lots of wild adventures. Off To Be The Wizard is entertaining, I smiled several times along the journey and was coaxed into at least two laugh out loud scenes.
Like much of today’s fiction, though, it could have benefited from some robust editing, knocking a few dozen pages out would have made it a stronger, tighter woven story. This would actually have been a really good short work. And, of course, we are invited back for sequels.
I did enjoy the visit, but no thank you.
November 8, 2017
Full review now posted!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh this much.
Imagine if you stumbled across a computer program that is basically running the entire planet, and that you can manipulate that program. Imagine that you’re able to dramatically increase your bank account without stealing a cent from another person. You can teleport. Heck, you can even travel back in time, though you’re admittedly unable to visit the future. Now, imagine that the government found out, and your only reasonable method of escaping capture is to travel back to medieval England in hopes of passing yourself off as a wizard.
All of this happens to Martin, our protagonist, in the first few chapters of the book. Unfortunately, upon arriving in medieval England, Martin discovers that he’s not the only wizard around, because he’s not the first person to discover the File, as it’s been deemed. And anyone who discovers the File eventually ends up in trouble and on the run. Since most of the people who stumble across the File are of a type, most of them have the same idea for their escape plan, leading to a Europe littered with “wizards” from the modern era.
I absolutely loved Martin, even though I almost sprained my eye muscles from frequently rolling them at his decisions. Martin felt quintessentially part of my generation, as he survived off of equal parts intelligence, luck (both good and bad), entitlement, and laziness. He’s also super awkward, was makes for a lot of added entertainment value. But my favorite character in the book was undoubtedly Philip, Martin’s wizard trainer. The sass levels pulsating out of that man were almost toxic, and were one of the biggest contributors to my enjoyment of the book.
This book was a perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy, of parody and original plot. What made this book even more enjoyable for me was that I listened to the audio version, voiced by the incomparable Luke Daniels. This was my first experience with Daniels as a narrator, but it definitely won’t be my last. His different voices for each character were all fantastic, but his voice for Philip completely made the story for me. I’m sure the book is very entertaining when read in physical format, but I don’t know that I would’ve enjoyed the book at the same level had I not listened to the audio version. I literally laughed out loud on multiple occasions.
I highly recommend this book when you need something lighter that will make you laugh. And I can’t recommend the audiobook highly enough!
Original review can be found at Booknest.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
I can’t remember the last time a book made me laugh this much.
Imagine if you stumbled across a computer program that is basically running the entire planet, and that you can manipulate that program. Imagine that you’re able to dramatically increase your bank account without stealing a cent from another person. You can teleport. Heck, you can even travel back in time, though you’re admittedly unable to visit the future. Now, imagine that the government found out, and your only reasonable method of escaping capture is to travel back to medieval England in hopes of passing yourself off as a wizard.
All of this happens to Martin, our protagonist, in the first few chapters of the book. Unfortunately, upon arriving in medieval England, Martin discovers that he’s not the only wizard around, because he’s not the first person to discover the File, as it’s been deemed. And anyone who discovers the File eventually ends up in trouble and on the run. Since most of the people who stumble across the File are of a type, most of them have the same idea for their escape plan, leading to a Europe littered with “wizards” from the modern era.
I absolutely loved Martin, even though I almost sprained my eye muscles from frequently rolling them at his decisions. Martin felt quintessentially part of my generation, as he survived off of equal parts intelligence, luck (both good and bad), entitlement, and laziness. He’s also super awkward, was makes for a lot of added entertainment value. But my favorite character in the book was undoubtedly Philip, Martin’s wizard trainer. The sass levels pulsating out of that man were almost toxic, and were one of the biggest contributors to my enjoyment of the book.
This book was a perfect blend of science fiction and fantasy, of parody and original plot. What made this book even more enjoyable for me was that I listened to the audio version, voiced by the incomparable Luke Daniels. This was my first experience with Daniels as a narrator, but it definitely won’t be my last. His different voices for each character were all fantastic, but his voice for Philip completely made the story for me. I’m sure the book is very entertaining when read in physical format, but I don’t know that I would’ve enjoyed the book at the same level had I not listened to the audio version. I literally laughed out loud on multiple occasions.
I highly recommend this book when you need something lighter that will make you laugh. And I can’t recommend the audiobook highly enough!
Original review can be found at Booknest.
March 13, 2017
Off to Be the Wizard has an interesting concept that I really liked. The world is a huge computer program (no one knows it), and Martin discovers a file that controls the world that he can hack and give himself all kinds of money and powers. That was really cool.
He does start out making a fool of himself over it at first, but I liked it a lot more once Martin met a few other people and started training on how to manipulate reality properly. There are a couple of side characters that I really liked, and eventually there's a bad guy situation that needs to be sorted out, which steps the last half of the book up a bit. And I was even entertained by the humor, some of the time. So generally, I liked it. It was fun.
But a couple of books I've read lately have led me to the realization that straight humor and I don't have a very good relationship. I get tired. I get bored. I want some depth and seriousness so that the humor catches me off guard and lightens the whole mood. I prefer irony to poop falling out of the sky onto a statue (nope, no laughs from me on the toilet humor, sorry).
I've discovered that I like a side dish of humor, but get sick of it when it's a three course meal. So I wished there was something more to this, and there really wasn't. But if you enjoy this kind of comedy, you might really like it.
He does start out making a fool of himself over it at first, but I liked it a lot more once Martin met a few other people and started training on how to manipulate reality properly. There are a couple of side characters that I really liked, and eventually there's a bad guy situation that needs to be sorted out, which steps the last half of the book up a bit. And I was even entertained by the humor, some of the time. So generally, I liked it. It was fun.
But a couple of books I've read lately have led me to the realization that straight humor and I don't have a very good relationship. I get tired. I get bored. I want some depth and seriousness so that the humor catches me off guard and lightens the whole mood. I prefer irony to poop falling out of the sky onto a statue (nope, no laughs from me on the toilet humor, sorry).
I've discovered that I like a side dish of humor, but get sick of it when it's a three course meal. So I wished there was something more to this, and there really wasn't. But if you enjoy this kind of comedy, you might really like it.
March 12, 2015
I enjoyed this a lot, the premise is great and there were a lot of genuinely funny moments. The main reason I’m not giving this book a higher rating is the lack of female characters, and how the solitary female character is treated, I just found it really grating. It seemed like Scott Meyer said to himself “crap, I don’t know how to write women, I know, I’ll just write in a lame excuse for why there are no women in this world and then I don’t have to think about it!” And then there’s Gwen…she’s barely even a character, more of a plot point, alongside being a love interest for every single male character (really, Scott?). Her and Philip seem to have a pretty strong bond, but that’s never given any background or explanation other than Philip’s never asked her out which is setting the bar pretty low in terms of foundations for a strong friendship.
One part which made me scoff so hard I nearly choked was at the end when
This book was funny and clever, but unfortunately it being so dude-centric was enough to put a real damper on my enjoyment of it, I probably won’t bother reading the next book in the series.
One part which made me scoff so hard I nearly choked was at the end when
This book was funny and clever, but unfortunately it being so dude-centric was enough to put a real damper on my enjoyment of it, I probably won’t bother reading the next book in the series.
June 25, 2018
I’m torn on how to rate this one. It was a fun premise and it was decently written well, but it definitely didn’t blow me out of the water 🤷🏼♀️ I read this bc it was one of the books Aldo challenged me to read this year but I honestly never would have picked it up otherwise. If the premise interests you, READ THIS! If not...... eh.
May 30, 2017
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
This was definitely a refreshing read!!
Our main character, Martin, accidentally discovers that reality is actually an elaborately written computer code and proceeds to do what any average-looking, twenty-something, tech-savvy fellow would: he goes back to the Middle Ages to pretend to be a wizard.
This story was fast paced, very straight forward. Cleverly crafted situations and hilarious interactions had me literally laughing out loud. Meyer knows exactly how to capture his audience through dialogue. Most of the story is comprised of a very uncomplicated language but it turns out to be pretty complimentary to this style of storytelling. Despite minimalistic descriptions it's easy to feel like you're watching a movie. Characters engage in quick-paced, witty banter without coming off as pretentious or losing the audience.
The plot of this one was somewhat predictable but if you enjoy nerd culture and intelligent writing I would absolutely recommend this novel!
This was definitely a refreshing read!!
Our main character, Martin, accidentally discovers that reality is actually an elaborately written computer code and proceeds to do what any average-looking, twenty-something, tech-savvy fellow would: he goes back to the Middle Ages to pretend to be a wizard.
This story was fast paced, very straight forward. Cleverly crafted situations and hilarious interactions had me literally laughing out loud. Meyer knows exactly how to capture his audience through dialogue. Most of the story is comprised of a very uncomplicated language but it turns out to be pretty complimentary to this style of storytelling. Despite minimalistic descriptions it's easy to feel like you're watching a movie. Characters engage in quick-paced, witty banter without coming off as pretentious or losing the audience.
The plot of this one was somewhat predictable but if you enjoy nerd culture and intelligent writing I would absolutely recommend this novel!
April 23, 2023
6.86 on CAWPILE.
Pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had with this, and would certainly consider continuing for more lighthearted fun!
Pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had with this, and would certainly consider continuing for more lighthearted fun!
June 6, 2017
As many problems as this book has, I have to give it 4 stars for creativity. I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi, but Meyer has found a way to blend sci-fi and Fantasy in a pretty cool way. So i had to bump it up from a 3 star rating to a 4.
This is a book best enjoyable if you don't take it too serious. The worst part, for me, was all the technical jargon he would get into. This is mostly in the first 75 pages or so. Once he finally went back in time, I found myself really enjoying this book.
The "magic" system is one I have yet to see. The basic idea behind this book is that our lives are just a computer file. So if you're lucky enough to find this obscure file, you can, theoretically, do anything you want. You can add funds to your bank account, make yourself taller (bad idea), skinnier (also a bad idea) or time travel (with the correct coordinates). When Martin is caught, by the Feds, adding funds to his account he decides it'd be best to go back to Medeival Europe and become Merlin. Spoilers any further than that, so I'll leave it there.
Basically the way magic works in this world is by altering the file and creating macros to pull off the more complicated magic. This was such a cool idea, in my opinion. I love when the magic system can be logically explained and he does just that. Or maybe he just fooled me since I know next to nothing about computers. I'll never know. Ignorance really is bliss.
The story itself was pretty decent, too. While predictable at times, I didnt mind because I was having too much fun. Especially during Martin's training to become a wizard. I did have small problems with his writing though. While the majority was fun, one on occasion he spent about 2 pages describing a castle when a paragraph, or 2 at most, could be done the job. He'd do this on a slightly smaller scale a few other times, but it was so sparse that it's not too big of a deal. There are also a few "why didn't you just do this instead?" moments. But, like i said, not taking this book too seriously is, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy this book.
This is a book best enjoyable if you don't take it too serious. The worst part, for me, was all the technical jargon he would get into. This is mostly in the first 75 pages or so. Once he finally went back in time, I found myself really enjoying this book.
The "magic" system is one I have yet to see. The basic idea behind this book is that our lives are just a computer file. So if you're lucky enough to find this obscure file, you can, theoretically, do anything you want. You can add funds to your bank account, make yourself taller (bad idea), skinnier (also a bad idea) or time travel (with the correct coordinates). When Martin is caught, by the Feds, adding funds to his account he decides it'd be best to go back to Medeival Europe and become Merlin. Spoilers any further than that, so I'll leave it there.
Basically the way magic works in this world is by altering the file and creating macros to pull off the more complicated magic. This was such a cool idea, in my opinion. I love when the magic system can be logically explained and he does just that. Or maybe he just fooled me since I know next to nothing about computers. I'll never know. Ignorance really is bliss.
The story itself was pretty decent, too. While predictable at times, I didnt mind because I was having too much fun. Especially during Martin's training to become a wizard. I did have small problems with his writing though. While the majority was fun, one on occasion he spent about 2 pages describing a castle when a paragraph, or 2 at most, could be done the job. He'd do this on a slightly smaller scale a few other times, but it was so sparse that it's not too big of a deal. There are also a few "why didn't you just do this instead?" moments. But, like i said, not taking this book too seriously is, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy this book.
November 23, 2014
When you find yourself verbalizing abuse at the main character while reading, it's not usually a good sign. It would of taken a monumentally good story or amazing supporting characters to rescue this book (and both are merely adequate).
Here is one string of actions (of many) where the main character acts as a dim witted man child with impulse control issues.
Main character emergency ports to a medieval setting from modern times. He is hungry, needs shelter and has a bare understanding of his new power (he can hover 3ft off the ground and teleport). After walking for some time, he finds a village, and tries to solve the above by walking into it, flashily taunting, challenging and dueling the wizard which already lives there infront of all the villagers.
After said duel the main character is knocked unconscious. Challenged wizard nicely saves main character (despite the provocation). Explains to him what's going on. Says he'll help him (which is kind of a big deal given the massive reality altering shit that is going on). Then says we're going to my friends place, she's going to help just don't hit on her. Needless to say the first thing the main character does is hit on her.
On and on. Whether it's finding the power and getting caught within the first two days. Seeing some really creepy shit and not reporting it because there's a chance it was 'just a dream', it's like a machine gun of stupid.
Usually very much enjoy this type of book, but this was only barely readable. After half way I just skim read to the end.
Here is one string of actions (of many) where the main character acts as a dim witted man child with impulse control issues.
Main character emergency ports to a medieval setting from modern times. He is hungry, needs shelter and has a bare understanding of his new power (he can hover 3ft off the ground and teleport). After walking for some time, he finds a village, and tries to solve the above by walking into it, flashily taunting, challenging and dueling the wizard which already lives there infront of all the villagers.
After said duel the main character is knocked unconscious. Challenged wizard nicely saves main character (despite the provocation). Explains to him what's going on. Says he'll help him (which is kind of a big deal given the massive reality altering shit that is going on). Then says we're going to my friends place, she's going to help just don't hit on her. Needless to say the first thing the main character does is hit on her.
On and on. Whether it's finding the power and getting caught within the first two days. Seeing some really creepy shit and not reporting it because there's a chance it was 'just a dream', it's like a machine gun of stupid.
Usually very much enjoy this type of book, but this was only barely readable. After half way I just skim read to the end.
January 6, 2022
A breath of fresh air with this mystical tale. 8 of 10 stars
April 12, 2016
3.5 stars
I’ve wanted to read Off to Be the Wizard desperately ever since I learned of its existence. So when Amazon offered it for $2, I jumped at the chance. Also because it was Christmas, and Merry Christmas to me.
I was expecting a nerdy and magical read, and that’s exactly what I got. Martin is a computer whiz, who accidentally stumbles upon a random file on his computer; a file that holds all kind of variables of every person in the world. He discovers he can change is height by messing with the variables in the file. He discovers he can add a few thousand dollars to his bank account by messing with the variables in the file. He discovers he can teleport and travel in time by messing with the variables in his file. Most of all, he discovers he can get into serious legal trouble by messing with the variables in the file.
Deciding he’d rather not go to jail, he decides to time travel, and finds himself in Medieval England. With the help of the file, he tries to disguise himself as a wizard. Little does he know he’s not the first person to have messed with the file – there are actually a bunch of them, and they’ve all disguised themselves as wizards. Thanks to the file, they’ve granted themselves magical powers. But, for Martin to become a full-fledged wizard, he has to undergo a few tests and trials in order to prove he’s trustworthy and loyal.
There’s also the matter of entire villages dropping dead.
In general, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable and amusing read. I loved the nonchalant way in which the beginning was told, of how Martin plays around with the file and just “happens to discover” teleportation. I loved the rest of the wizards and the theory behind this very nerdy type of magic – the wizards are all computer geniuses, which is incredibly geeky, but in a fun way. I especially loved the sense of humour in the book. There were many occasions where I laughed out loud, my favourite moments probably being the “obvious joke” running gag.
Safe to say I made the obvious joke on several occasions in my head, and it was hilarious.
However, while it was really entertaining, it also seemed to drag a little around the middle, where the newness wore off and there wasn’t a lot going on. As absurd as it was, I also wasn’t a big fan of the villain’s plan . It was certainly creative, but a bit far-fetched.
Nevertheless, it was still very much worth my time, and very much worth yours.
I’ve wanted to read Off to Be the Wizard desperately ever since I learned of its existence. So when Amazon offered it for $2, I jumped at the chance. Also because it was Christmas, and Merry Christmas to me.
I was expecting a nerdy and magical read, and that’s exactly what I got. Martin is a computer whiz, who accidentally stumbles upon a random file on his computer; a file that holds all kind of variables of every person in the world. He discovers he can change is height by messing with the variables in the file. He discovers he can add a few thousand dollars to his bank account by messing with the variables in the file. He discovers he can teleport and travel in time by messing with the variables in his file. Most of all, he discovers he can get into serious legal trouble by messing with the variables in the file.
Deciding he’d rather not go to jail, he decides to time travel, and finds himself in Medieval England. With the help of the file, he tries to disguise himself as a wizard. Little does he know he’s not the first person to have messed with the file – there are actually a bunch of them, and they’ve all disguised themselves as wizards. Thanks to the file, they’ve granted themselves magical powers. But, for Martin to become a full-fledged wizard, he has to undergo a few tests and trials in order to prove he’s trustworthy and loyal.
There’s also the matter of entire villages dropping dead.
In general, I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable and amusing read. I loved the nonchalant way in which the beginning was told, of how Martin plays around with the file and just “happens to discover” teleportation. I loved the rest of the wizards and the theory behind this very nerdy type of magic – the wizards are all computer geniuses, which is incredibly geeky, but in a fun way. I especially loved the sense of humour in the book. There were many occasions where I laughed out loud, my favourite moments probably being the “obvious joke” running gag.
Phillip gave Martin instructions on how to properly sand and varnish his staff (Step 1: don't make the obvious joke).
"Now, hold my staff, and this is very important, do not make the obvious joke."
"Okay, Martin, you're wearing a robe and a hat. You've got your staff. What's the first rule of using your staff?"
"Don't make the obvious joke."
Safe to say I made the obvious joke on several occasions in my head, and it was hilarious.
However, while it was really entertaining, it also seemed to drag a little around the middle, where the newness wore off and there wasn’t a lot going on. As absurd as it was, I also wasn’t a big fan of the villain’s plan . It was certainly creative, but a bit far-fetched.
Nevertheless, it was still very much worth my time, and very much worth yours.
July 15, 2015
3.5 STARS
I enjoyed this one a lot. There were flaws, but hey, I liked it.
So apparently Martin finds a random file whilst hacking away that shows that the world as we know it is a created computer program. Every little thing has parameters and can be altered. He screws with it to make his life easier, and surprise! He gets into trouble. So he goes to Medieval England (his backup plan after figuring out the safest time in that period of history) and plans to pretend to be a wizard. Guess what? Other folks have done the exact same thing. Granted, they fit the same profile as Martin (men of a certain age, with a certain flair for computers...) Other types of people end up in other times and places.
He begins to train as a wizard and learns to navigate this world. Wizards need to have a 1.5 foot wand or 5 foot staff, and sleeves 2 feet in diameter for the computer program to recognize them and certain commands. I'm smart enough to get the idea of how they are programming but stupid enough to not be able to pick it apart.
There are jokes, pranks, and an evil wizard that wants to make the world his own.
Granted, I didn't care for the MC especially at the beginning, but he grows up a bit. I liked his mentor Phillip and friend Gwen a lot more.
People have complained that this doesn't pass the Bechdel test or that the humor is in poor taste at times. I don't care about either. Not every book has to be a literary piece of art. People write what they know and with their own personality. All the 80's references were a plus. I had fun, it made me laugh, and I'm definitely in it for the next one.
I enjoyed this one a lot. There were flaws, but hey, I liked it.
So apparently Martin finds a random file whilst hacking away that shows that the world as we know it is a created computer program. Every little thing has parameters and can be altered. He screws with it to make his life easier, and surprise! He gets into trouble. So he goes to Medieval England (his backup plan after figuring out the safest time in that period of history) and plans to pretend to be a wizard. Guess what? Other folks have done the exact same thing. Granted, they fit the same profile as Martin (men of a certain age, with a certain flair for computers...) Other types of people end up in other times and places.
He begins to train as a wizard and learns to navigate this world. Wizards need to have a 1.5 foot wand or 5 foot staff, and sleeves 2 feet in diameter for the computer program to recognize them and certain commands. I'm smart enough to get the idea of how they are programming but stupid enough to not be able to pick it apart.
There are jokes, pranks, and an evil wizard that wants to make the world his own.
Granted, I didn't care for the MC especially at the beginning, but he grows up a bit. I liked his mentor Phillip and friend Gwen a lot more.
People have complained that this doesn't pass the Bechdel test or that the humor is in poor taste at times. I don't care about either. Not every book has to be a literary piece of art. People write what they know and with their own personality. All the 80's references were a plus. I had fun, it made me laugh, and I'm definitely in it for the next one.
October 5, 2015
Added to my to-read shelf after seeing this review:
Note, my one star review is not a reflection in any way of narrator Luke Daniels, who does a kick-ass job on Kevin Hearne's Hounded urban fantasy series.
A fun romp through (and at times subverting) tropes; recommended for those who enjoyed Ready Player One and thought, "What this book needs is more time in ZORK." Here’s book one: "It’s a simple story. Boy finds proof that reality is a computer program. Boy uses program to manipulate time and space. Boy gets in trouble. Boy flees back in time to Medieval England to live as a wizard while he tries to think of a way to fix things. Boy gets in more trouble. Oh, and boy meets girl at some point. Off to Be the Wizard is a light, comedic novel about computers, time travel, and human stupidity, written by Scott Meyer, the creator of the internationally known comic strip Basic Instructions. Magic will be made! Legends will be created! Stew will be eaten!"Well that review clearly didn't correspond to how I felt about this book, which I couldn't even finish. The review's comparison to Ready Player One was unfair to that novel, which was fun and engaging and nerdy in all the right ways. Where RPO was a modern, socially acceptable and fun nerd, this book was a stereotypical 1980s basement-dwelling neckbeard troll nerd, as unlikable as they are socially inept -- just like protagonist Martin Banks. And it is hard enough with an unlikable main character, but add in a flimsy, ridiculous set-up and a blunted writing style that did not explain the character's motivations or actions and you've totally lost me.
Note, my one star review is not a reflection in any way of narrator Luke Daniels, who does a kick-ass job on Kevin Hearne's Hounded urban fantasy series.
October 6, 2017
THIS BOOK KICKS Armada's ass soooo hard!!!!!!
I know, I know, it's not fair comparing books but I mean come on... you gotta give it that at least.
1) Exploring the idea of how life is a super computer complex simulation.
2) How magic is nothing more than manipulating numbers in a complex program.
3) Kick ass characters.
4) a D&D-loving mentor that is chillaxed and awesome yet he is strict when he is training you "You will be hog-tied and naked, and sent back to your own time."
5) TIME TRAVELING!!! to a paradice where you are literally a god living amonst Gods!
Now to actually discussing the novel:
a- This has been an excellently written novel where you literally don't get across a single page of boredom. It is pure epicness from one page to the next nonstop.
b- as you read on and on, it just feels like one of these D&D nights in your friend's basement wearing PJ's and leading a 10 hours straight campaign without having to worry about anything in the world.
c- Human feces and shit dropping from the tip of Jimmy's statue's hat was awesome, and no one will argue that that was no spoiler xD
d- Graduating wizardry school is what each of us aspire to accomplish, right? especially when its in a place where you can create/destroy anything.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series and that was rated 6/5 for me as well! it was simply Epic.
My only complaint was that Phillip's friends were not fully developed and the reader sometimes might have a hard time distinguishing between them. One thing I would have simply done to avoid that problem is giving each of them a specific differential catch phrase and Viola.
I know its not a great review. But to me, it does its job. It conveys the feelings I got reading this awesome masterpiece.
A good lovely day to all of you my awesome readers.
I know, I know, it's not fair comparing books but I mean come on... you gotta give it that at least.
1) Exploring the idea of how life is a super computer complex simulation.
2) How magic is nothing more than manipulating numbers in a complex program.
3) Kick ass characters.
4) a D&D-loving mentor that is chillaxed and awesome yet he is strict when he is training you "You will be hog-tied and naked, and sent back to your own time."
5) TIME TRAVELING!!! to a paradice where you are literally a god living amonst Gods!
Now to actually discussing the novel:
a- This has been an excellently written novel where you literally don't get across a single page of boredom. It is pure epicness from one page to the next nonstop.
b- as you read on and on, it just feels like one of these D&D nights in your friend's basement wearing PJ's and leading a 10 hours straight campaign without having to worry about anything in the world.
c- Human feces and shit dropping from the tip of Jimmy's statue's hat was awesome, and no one will argue that that was no spoiler xD
d- Graduating wizardry school is what each of us aspire to accomplish, right? especially when its in a place where you can create/destroy anything.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series and that was rated 6/5 for me as well! it was simply Epic.
My only complaint was that Phillip's friends were not fully developed and the reader sometimes might have a hard time distinguishing between them. One thing I would have simply done to avoid that problem is giving each of them a specific differential catch phrase and Viola.
I know its not a great review. But to me, it does its job. It conveys the feelings I got reading this awesome masterpiece.
A good lovely day to all of you my awesome readers.
abandoned
March 16, 2016Despite Alex saying "It didn't make me cringe," it did make me cringe. Ugh. Alex and I continue to have almost universally incompatible taste in books.
October 11, 2018
This book is fun.
Fun, Fun, FUN.
Or at least… that’s what I thought for the first hundred pages. This a book that starts great, but partway through begins to tire, its characters becoming wan and thin, until it splutters over the finish line in a sweaty heap.
That's not to say this is a bad book. It's just a flawed one, and it's still a fun read.
Off to be the Wizard isn't going to win any writing awards. The Booker Prize is likely not coming Scott Meyer's way anytime soon, and A Suitable Boy or The Luminaries this is not.
However, what it is, is a straightforward, entertaining, page-turning, easy, easy read that you could gobble up in an afternoon, something the average capital L literary award winner isn't, unless your afternoon is forty hours long.
The plot is both simple and awesome. Martin, an office drone is digging around in some computer networks he shouldn't be when he finds an odd file. Some playing around reveals the file to be able to alter the parameters of reality, including Martin's height and position in both time and space (it effectively lets him teleport at will).
Yep, we are apparently all living in a simulation, and Martin now has root access.
Of course, one of the first things Martin does is increase the zeros in his bank account, which attracts the eyes of the FBI, making him a fugitive with no way to explain his sudden wealth. Desperate to escape the law he uses the file to travel back in time, all the way to medieval England, the age of Merlin, where with a copy of the file on his smartphone he can masquerade as a wizard.
What follows is a high-tech reimagining of sorts of Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, with modern time travellers who can zip back and forth between the past and their own time (but never further than their own lifetime) at will, and use their access to the program to manipulate the world around them.
There are no dark, tortured characters. Martin isn't crippled with self-doubt, doesn't abuse his powers for evil, and generally just bounces from interesting scene to interesting scene.
This makes for some fun moments. But… but.
Maybe some darkness could have made Martin a bit more interesting. He's a pretty shallow character whose reaction to learning life is a simulation results in about five minutes of existential angst, and he never really thinks about the nature of reality and the meaning of it all again. His interactions with one of the few women in the story are pretty suss too. He's not a guy I'd want to introduce a female friend to.
It doesn’t help that Martin reminded me a little of Ready Player One's wish-fulfilment protagonist - the IT/Gamer geek done good, whose special coding/gaming skills mark him (and it's usually a 'him') out for greatness.
Furthermore, the voices of all the characters are very similar. They're almost all middle class white dudes in their 20s-30s, and it can be hard telling them apart as they speak. I got that they're all IT geeks, that they all have similar backgrounds and that's sometimes part of the joke, but their sameyness is a bit annoying, and they mostly seem to live aimless unexamined lives of pleasure-seeking geekiness. I could see how this could be explained as a nihilistic reaction to the news that life is a sim, but this is never explored.
The narrative also takes a weak turn towards the end, when Interestingly, the Bad Guy is the only person who seems to have really thought about the nature of the sim-universe everyone exists in, which makes him more interesting than the good guys who are trying to take him down.
This is all SUPER disappointing as the central idea is so much fun, and the book starts so well. Meyer could have gone anywhere with his concept, and to me it feels like he took a great idea and then lead it down a well-trod and uninspiring path.
Still, Off to be the Wizard is a fun and easy read, and there are nice moments aplenty. If you open it expecting something light, amusing and not too-far from the ordinary you won’t be disappointed.
Fun, Fun, FUN.
Or at least… that’s what I thought for the first hundred pages. This a book that starts great, but partway through begins to tire, its characters becoming wan and thin, until it splutters over the finish line in a sweaty heap.
That's not to say this is a bad book. It's just a flawed one, and it's still a fun read.
Off to be the Wizard isn't going to win any writing awards. The Booker Prize is likely not coming Scott Meyer's way anytime soon, and A Suitable Boy or The Luminaries this is not.
However, what it is, is a straightforward, entertaining, page-turning, easy, easy read that you could gobble up in an afternoon, something the average capital L literary award winner isn't, unless your afternoon is forty hours long.
The plot is both simple and awesome. Martin, an office drone is digging around in some computer networks he shouldn't be when he finds an odd file. Some playing around reveals the file to be able to alter the parameters of reality, including Martin's height and position in both time and space (it effectively lets him teleport at will).
Yep, we are apparently all living in a simulation, and Martin now has root access.
Of course, one of the first things Martin does is increase the zeros in his bank account, which attracts the eyes of the FBI, making him a fugitive with no way to explain his sudden wealth. Desperate to escape the law he uses the file to travel back in time, all the way to medieval England, the age of Merlin, where with a copy of the file on his smartphone he can masquerade as a wizard.
What follows is a high-tech reimagining of sorts of Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, with modern time travellers who can zip back and forth between the past and their own time (but never further than their own lifetime) at will, and use their access to the program to manipulate the world around them.
There are no dark, tortured characters. Martin isn't crippled with self-doubt, doesn't abuse his powers for evil, and generally just bounces from interesting scene to interesting scene.
This makes for some fun moments. But… but.
Maybe some darkness could have made Martin a bit more interesting. He's a pretty shallow character whose reaction to learning life is a simulation results in about five minutes of existential angst, and he never really thinks about the nature of reality and the meaning of it all again. His interactions with one of the few women in the story are pretty suss too. He's not a guy I'd want to introduce a female friend to.
It doesn’t help that Martin reminded me a little of Ready Player One's wish-fulfilment protagonist - the IT/Gamer geek done good, whose special coding/gaming skills mark him (and it's usually a 'him') out for greatness.
Furthermore, the voices of all the characters are very similar. They're almost all middle class white dudes in their 20s-30s, and it can be hard telling them apart as they speak. I got that they're all IT geeks, that they all have similar backgrounds and that's sometimes part of the joke, but their sameyness is a bit annoying, and they mostly seem to live aimless unexamined lives of pleasure-seeking geekiness. I could see how this could be explained as a nihilistic reaction to the news that life is a sim, but this is never explored.
The narrative also takes a weak turn towards the end, when Interestingly, the Bad Guy is the only person who seems to have really thought about the nature of the sim-universe everyone exists in, which makes him more interesting than the good guys who are trying to take him down.
This is all SUPER disappointing as the central idea is so much fun, and the book starts so well. Meyer could have gone anywhere with his concept, and to me it feels like he took a great idea and then lead it down a well-trod and uninspiring path.
Still, Off to be the Wizard is a fun and easy read, and there are nice moments aplenty. If you open it expecting something light, amusing and not too-far from the ordinary you won’t be disappointed.
July 8, 2014
The premise is interesting: the world is indeed the Matrix, and it can be hacked. And if you're a good enough hacker, you can manipulate reality in ways that can only be described as magic. Not a bad premise, in and of itself. And that premise is indeed one of the best things about the book.
It is, however, very slow to start. And the lead character, Martin, is awfully hard to like for the first half of the book. But these are minor things, compared to the sheer ordinariness of the majority of the plot. This didn't make it a bad book, just a predictable one.
Aside from the basic premise, the other bright spot was Gwen. Not necessarily her character, who's little more than a backdrop for most of the book. I was just pleased that Meyer didn't allow Martin to get anywhere with her until he stopped trying so hard and treated her like she was, you know, a fellow human being. Amazing how well that works. Don't get me wrong, that romance does the exact opposite of taking over the book. Which is part of what made me so happy about it.
Is it worth a read? Yeah, probably, if the idea of a Matrix-y traditional fantasy is appealing to you. It was to me, and I'm not sorry that I read it. But once you get past that point, it's almost indistinguishable from way too many other fantasies.
It is, however, very slow to start. And the lead character, Martin, is awfully hard to like for the first half of the book. But these are minor things, compared to the sheer ordinariness of the majority of the plot. This didn't make it a bad book, just a predictable one.
Aside from the basic premise, the other bright spot was Gwen. Not necessarily her character, who's little more than a backdrop for most of the book. I was just pleased that Meyer didn't allow Martin to get anywhere with her until he stopped trying so hard and treated her like she was, you know, a fellow human being. Amazing how well that works. Don't get me wrong, that romance does the exact opposite of taking over the book. Which is part of what made me so happy about it.
Is it worth a read? Yeah, probably, if the idea of a Matrix-y traditional fantasy is appealing to you. It was to me, and I'm not sorry that I read it. But once you get past that point, it's almost indistinguishable from way too many other fantasies.
May 3, 2016
Martin Banks is a jackass.
That's all I kept thinking during the first half or so of this book. To be clear, my thinking the main character was a jackass in no way hindered my enjoyment of the story. In fact, I'm fairly certain the book encouraged that opinion.
See, one day Martin is sitting at home being lazy, hacking websites just for the fun of it (he sees himself as a benevolent hacker, because he doesn't cause any harm--he just likes doing it) when he comes across this file hidden deep in the code of a random website. That file, as it turns out, is essentially proof that the world Martin lives in (and by extension, the world we live in as well) is a very cunningly put together computer program. If you alter things in the file, you alter them "in the real world" as well. So what does Martin do with this discovery? Well, mostly he uses it to commit bank fraud by repeatedly changing the decimal place in his bank account by multiple digits, buys a ton of new stuff for his apartment, and then gets caught by the Treasury Department in the space of about a week.
In a way, it was nice reading about such an idiotic, id-driven character. It was like he was a dumb little kid playing around. But worse! Because he often identified the very things that he shouldn't do, AND THEN DID THEM ANYWAY.
But all of that is just prologue, because when Martin's dumb actions catch up to him, he does something a bit predictable, but still cool. He decides to travel back in time to a point where his newfound control over "life" can be disguised as wizardry, and he can live it up, be all important, get all the chicks, and so on and so forth. Oh, and also not go to jail.
Because he is a jackass, things go about as well as you might expect. And then they take a turn . . .
I really enjoyed this book, especially after the reveal a third of the way through that The "magic" itself is actually computer programming, so the book ends up feeling exactly like a technology focused sci-fi book went on a date with a swords and sorcery fantasy epic and they got frisky with each other.
This is a funny, nerdbait type of book. I loved all the secondary characters, especially Phillip, and I liked seeing Martin epic fail every five seconds before finally catching a clue (and I was glad that he finally grew up by the end and started acting like an adult). This book also strikes the perfect tone between having fun with the concept, and lampooning the type of man who would inevitably get caught up in this situation, were it actually real (mostly socially awkward men in their twenties and thirties).
I actually listened to the audio version of this book, and I highly recommend it. Luke Daniels does a great job (his voice for Phillip is one reason I ended up loving that character so much). These types of books (tongue in cheek, nerdy, adventure-type books) work really well on audio anyway, and this was a really well produced recording.
I will definitely be checking out the next two books in the series in the future, when I'm looking for something fun and entertaining, and with that special nerd flavor.
That's all I kept thinking during the first half or so of this book. To be clear, my thinking the main character was a jackass in no way hindered my enjoyment of the story. In fact, I'm fairly certain the book encouraged that opinion.
See, one day Martin is sitting at home being lazy, hacking websites just for the fun of it (he sees himself as a benevolent hacker, because he doesn't cause any harm--he just likes doing it) when he comes across this file hidden deep in the code of a random website. That file, as it turns out, is essentially proof that the world Martin lives in (and by extension, the world we live in as well) is a very cunningly put together computer program. If you alter things in the file, you alter them "in the real world" as well. So what does Martin do with this discovery? Well, mostly he uses it to commit bank fraud by repeatedly changing the decimal place in his bank account by multiple digits, buys a ton of new stuff for his apartment, and then gets caught by the Treasury Department in the space of about a week.
In a way, it was nice reading about such an idiotic, id-driven character. It was like he was a dumb little kid playing around. But worse! Because he often identified the very things that he shouldn't do, AND THEN DID THEM ANYWAY.
But all of that is just prologue, because when Martin's dumb actions catch up to him, he does something a bit predictable, but still cool. He decides to travel back in time to a point where his newfound control over "life" can be disguised as wizardry, and he can live it up, be all important, get all the chicks, and so on and so forth. Oh, and also not go to jail.
Because he is a jackass, things go about as well as you might expect. And then they take a turn . . .
I really enjoyed this book, especially after the reveal a third of the way through that The "magic" itself is actually computer programming, so the book ends up feeling exactly like a technology focused sci-fi book went on a date with a swords and sorcery fantasy epic and they got frisky with each other.
This is a funny, nerdbait type of book. I loved all the secondary characters, especially Phillip, and I liked seeing Martin epic fail every five seconds before finally catching a clue (and I was glad that he finally grew up by the end and started acting like an adult). This book also strikes the perfect tone between having fun with the concept, and lampooning the type of man who would inevitably get caught up in this situation, were it actually real (mostly socially awkward men in their twenties and thirties).
I actually listened to the audio version of this book, and I highly recommend it. Luke Daniels does a great job (his voice for Phillip is one reason I ended up loving that character so much). These types of books (tongue in cheek, nerdy, adventure-type books) work really well on audio anyway, and this was a really well produced recording.
I will definitely be checking out the next two books in the series in the future, when I'm looking for something fun and entertaining, and with that special nerd flavor.
August 29, 2015
Fun, relatively harmless nerd power fantasy book. Lots of humor, although much of it quite juvenile, but with occasional peeks into something a bit more profound. Peeks only though.
I'm also not a fan of how this book deals with male and female geeks. It's very much in the camp of all-male nerd culture that doesn't get those weird women-folk even when they have the same interests. That was old when I was a kid. I believe this is better addressed in the next book, although the setup doesn't look promising.
I'm also not a fan of how this book deals with male and female geeks. It's very much in the camp of all-male nerd culture that doesn't get those weird women-folk even when they have the same interests. That was old when I was a kid. I believe this is better addressed in the next book, although the setup doesn't look promising.
March 5, 2015
The idea here is cute, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The only female character in the book exists solely as an object of lust for the otherwise entirely male cast of characters. The whole thing just reeks of GamerGate sexism. If the gender politics on the Smurfs never bothered you, you'll likely be able to get some enjoyment out of this book, but otherwise I'd pass.
May 20, 2019
I loved this book.
I really didn't know what to expect going into it, but what I got was a humorous romp through a sharp, witty fantasy tale that was extremely self aware (in the very best way).
Also - I can't recommend the audiobook enough. I think it really brought this novel to life in a way I wouldn't have been able to on my own, with the sarcastic narration, the incredible range of accents and amazing storytelling.
Overall, highly recommended. Extremely entertaining; the kind of book that sticks in your head long after you put it down.
I really didn't know what to expect going into it, but what I got was a humorous romp through a sharp, witty fantasy tale that was extremely self aware (in the very best way).
Also - I can't recommend the audiobook enough. I think it really brought this novel to life in a way I wouldn't have been able to on my own, with the sarcastic narration, the incredible range of accents and amazing storytelling.
Overall, highly recommended. Extremely entertaining; the kind of book that sticks in your head long after you put it down.
February 14, 2020
3.5 stars
This is an odd, quirky book that some will love and others hate. Essentially, it’s written by a nerd about nerds for nerds. It’s Matrix meets Connecticut Yankee.
A lonely nerd accidentally discovers a computer code that can manipulate reality:
He quickly gets himself in trouble and escapes back to Medieval times because they speak English (even though they’d really be speaking Middle English, which would not be understood by him). He figures he can impress the uneducated locals and make himself into a wizard. But he finds he’s not alone in this idea.
Martin is such a dweeb, he’s not exactly a likable character. I expect plenty of readers will hate him. I loved Phillip, though. There are also very few (maybe one) female characters in this book. This didn’t bother me (I figure such big dorks would never get to socialize with any women) but may be a complaint for others.
Most of the book is Martin learning how to use the computer code to be an effective “wizard.” There isn’t any sense of urgency or danger until close to the end, and then it gets pretty exciting. So it’s slightly odd but light and fun. I chuckled a lot. The humor style reminded me of Christopher Moore. It’s just odd, but I think in the end I liked it.
“... The locals have something of an attitude about witches.” Heads nodded in agreement. One voice at the back said something about her weighing the same as a duck, but nobody was in the mood.
“I’ll help you pack your things.”
“I only have my laptop.”
“I’ll help you pack your thing.”
“I always knew you’d turn on me some day.”
“I turned on you years ago!”
“You think I didn’t know that? You didn’t hide your hostility very well.”
“I didn’t hide it at all! I’ve been openly hostile!”
“Well, don’t think for one minute that I was fooled by your false friendship.”
“I hate you! I hate you! I’ve hated you openly for years!”
“And finally, the truth comes out!”
Book Blog
This is an odd, quirky book that some will love and others hate. Essentially, it’s written by a nerd about nerds for nerds. It’s Matrix meets Connecticut Yankee.
A lonely nerd accidentally discovers a computer code that can manipulate reality:
He quickly gets himself in trouble and escapes back to Medieval times because they speak English (even though they’d really be speaking Middle English, which would not be understood by him). He figures he can impress the uneducated locals and make himself into a wizard. But he finds he’s not alone in this idea.
Martin is such a dweeb, he’s not exactly a likable character. I expect plenty of readers will hate him. I loved Phillip, though. There are also very few (maybe one) female characters in this book. This didn’t bother me (I figure such big dorks would never get to socialize with any women) but may be a complaint for others.
Most of the book is Martin learning how to use the computer code to be an effective “wizard.” There isn’t any sense of urgency or danger until close to the end, and then it gets pretty exciting. So it’s slightly odd but light and fun. I chuckled a lot. The humor style reminded me of Christopher Moore. It’s just odd, but I think in the end I liked it.
“... The locals have something of an attitude about witches.” Heads nodded in agreement. One voice at the back said something about her weighing the same as a duck, but nobody was in the mood.
“I’ll help you pack your things.”
“I only have my laptop.”
“I’ll help you pack your thing.”
“I always knew you’d turn on me some day.”
“I turned on you years ago!”
“You think I didn’t know that? You didn’t hide your hostility very well.”
“I didn’t hide it at all! I’ve been openly hostile!”
“Well, don’t think for one minute that I was fooled by your false friendship.”
“I hate you! I hate you! I’ve hated you openly for years!”
“And finally, the truth comes out!”
Book Blog
April 23, 2015
Martin is some sort of programmer/hacker. He discovers a file that lets him manipulate reality. We will accept that without question. Fine.
I just couldn't accept the characters.
I am a programmer, many of my friends are programmers, almost everyone I know is either a programmer or engineer; Martin is no programmer.
There are personality traits and characteristics that (broad strokes here) go with being a technical person. Martin seems to exhibit none of these. If I were to pigeonhole the character, I would say he is more of a Gamer than a Programmer.
The characteristics he had seemed strange. Indecisiveness, rashness, reactionary nature, a flair for the dramatic, a desire to be the center of attention; none of these tend to be characteristics of technical people. This is forgivable, perhaps he is just a jacked-up-alpha-male version of a technical person. Still, they should have spent some time explaining why he was technical and had all these particular characteristics.
The characteristics he had seemed odd, the characteristics he lacked seemed downright bizarre. He spends no real time questioning why the file exist. He just tries things without even setting up controlled experiments first. He ? His lack of curiosity about his own environment was peculiar. I don't need my characters to spend their entire day naval gazing, but even superficial characters should have some level of introspection. It was really disturbing to me how little he though or planned before he acted. Worse was how he never seemed to question the things he observed. It was very peculiar, only the stupid or indoctrinated have so little concern about their surroundings.
The remaining characters are so shallow as to be above criticism. How can you fault someone you barely know?
Martin felt like a vehicle that needs to be driven by the plot. I can't imagine any part of his history, and I couldn't predict any part of his future. His character was so inert that it seems like he would sit there unchanging if the plot didn't move him along.
A great deal of the tech stuff was pure nonsense, even from the magical point of view of the file. I am not going to make a big deal out of it though, as this is really a fantasy magic novel with a technology plating.
tldr; Read "Ready Player One" instead.
I just couldn't accept the characters.
I am a programmer, many of my friends are programmers, almost everyone I know is either a programmer or engineer; Martin is no programmer.
There are personality traits and characteristics that (broad strokes here) go with being a technical person. Martin seems to exhibit none of these. If I were to pigeonhole the character, I would say he is more of a Gamer than a Programmer.
The characteristics he had seemed strange. Indecisiveness, rashness, reactionary nature, a flair for the dramatic, a desire to be the center of attention; none of these tend to be characteristics of technical people. This is forgivable, perhaps he is just a jacked-up-alpha-male version of a technical person. Still, they should have spent some time explaining why he was technical and had all these particular characteristics.
The characteristics he had seemed odd, the characteristics he lacked seemed downright bizarre. He spends no real time questioning why the file exist. He just tries things without even setting up controlled experiments first. He ? His lack of curiosity about his own environment was peculiar. I don't need my characters to spend their entire day naval gazing, but even superficial characters should have some level of introspection. It was really disturbing to me how little he though or planned before he acted. Worse was how he never seemed to question the things he observed. It was very peculiar, only the stupid or indoctrinated have so little concern about their surroundings.
The remaining characters are so shallow as to be above criticism. How can you fault someone you barely know?
Martin felt like a vehicle that needs to be driven by the plot. I can't imagine any part of his history, and I couldn't predict any part of his future. His character was so inert that it seems like he would sit there unchanging if the plot didn't move him along.
A great deal of the tech stuff was pure nonsense, even from the magical point of view of the file. I am not going to make a big deal out of it though, as this is really a fantasy magic novel with a technology plating.
tldr; Read "Ready Player One" instead.
April 12, 2021
This book is a bit of a fun one, if silly and slightly mad too. The story follows a character called Martin who is a hacker, and he finds a file which, when edited, affects reality. He is now, essentially, able to manipulate the file so he appears 'magic' and this is both a blessing, and a big problem when the police find out. He has to run to a new time to hide and build a new life for himself as a wizard.
What I like about this is the humour and the fun of it. The story doesn't take itself or its characters very seriously, and infact is has some very amusing lines and moments. It's the first in a series, and I could see lots of people enjoying it, particularly in the audio format (which is how I listened to it).
I think the names of Martin, Gwen, Phillip and Jimmy as the main characters are already pretty fun when you realise they all live in a medieval world, but their adventures are both ludicrous, nerdy and amusing.
Overall, a super light and easy read, 3*s and I think it's definitely a series I'd come back to for a fun tale.
What I like about this is the humour and the fun of it. The story doesn't take itself or its characters very seriously, and infact is has some very amusing lines and moments. It's the first in a series, and I could see lots of people enjoying it, particularly in the audio format (which is how I listened to it).
I think the names of Martin, Gwen, Phillip and Jimmy as the main characters are already pretty fun when you realise they all live in a medieval world, but their adventures are both ludicrous, nerdy and amusing.
Overall, a super light and easy read, 3*s and I think it's definitely a series I'd come back to for a fun tale.
Read
February 7, 2017Page four DNF. My concept of believable character reactions and perceptions differ from the author's. I abandon time travel books nine out of ten times and this is no exception. Also not a big fan of modern fantasies, as my bias continues to show.
December 19, 2016
(Audiobook) 5 stars for the sheer fun factor. This was about as fun as Audiobooks get.
Everything in this story is familiar, a composite of elements we have all heard before but they were melded together in a very satisfying, not to mention hilarious way.
The plot is pretty simple. We live inside a simulation and our young protagonist Martin has found the cheat codes. He can now go through life in a sort of "God Mode" but soon runs into trouble in the modern world and decides he should take refuge in the middle ages where people expect and fear "magic".
The narrator of this audiobook is Luke Daniels, one of the best dramatic actors recording books today. Can Daniels perform comedy just as well? In the first hour I wasn't overly convinced. By the end of the 2nd hour where the material had gotten better I had thoroughly laughed my arse off. The comedic pace kept up through most of the book, right until the end where we focused on resolving the story.
This is a well written book by Scott Meyer and he used liberal doses of Monty Python-like absurdist humour, nerd nostalgia and callbacks to earlier jokes to keep things entertaining. I feel like if I read this on paper I probably would have enjoyed it at about a 4 star level.
Luke Daniels elevated to this to 5 stars with his performance. He turned Philip the Wizard into one of the more memorable and hilarious characters I have had the privilege of listening to. His comedic timing turned "mildly funny" into "very funny" and "very funny" into side splitting.
The character development was decent for a book this size, I liked the story and particularly the ending. It managed to wrap this up as a stand alone while laying the ground work for a sequel and leaving us with the DUN-DUN-DON bad guy music.
I am sure anyone who enjoys nerd culture, poking fun at fantasy tropes and having a good laugh will enjoy this one quite a bit
Everything in this story is familiar, a composite of elements we have all heard before but they were melded together in a very satisfying, not to mention hilarious way.
The plot is pretty simple. We live inside a simulation and our young protagonist Martin has found the cheat codes. He can now go through life in a sort of "God Mode" but soon runs into trouble in the modern world and decides he should take refuge in the middle ages where people expect and fear "magic".
The narrator of this audiobook is Luke Daniels, one of the best dramatic actors recording books today. Can Daniels perform comedy just as well? In the first hour I wasn't overly convinced. By the end of the 2nd hour where the material had gotten better I had thoroughly laughed my arse off. The comedic pace kept up through most of the book, right until the end where we focused on resolving the story.
This is a well written book by Scott Meyer and he used liberal doses of Monty Python-like absurdist humour, nerd nostalgia and callbacks to earlier jokes to keep things entertaining. I feel like if I read this on paper I probably would have enjoyed it at about a 4 star level.
Luke Daniels elevated to this to 5 stars with his performance. He turned Philip the Wizard into one of the more memorable and hilarious characters I have had the privilege of listening to. His comedic timing turned "mildly funny" into "very funny" and "very funny" into side splitting.
The character development was decent for a book this size, I liked the story and particularly the ending. It managed to wrap this up as a stand alone while laying the ground work for a sequel and leaving us with the DUN-DUN-DON bad guy music.
I am sure anyone who enjoys nerd culture, poking fun at fantasy tropes and having a good laugh will enjoy this one quite a bit
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