Habst and the Disney Saboteurs

by Leonard Kinsey

Darknet drugs. Sex and seduction. Disney's destruction.
Just another day for...
HABST and the DISNEY SABOTEURS

Meet Reginald “Habst” Habstermeister: burnout, urban explorer, and loveable loser.

Leeching off his oversexed underage girlfriend, and living the life of luxury in her wealthy mother’s mansion, he doesn’t have a care in the world.

But when Habst unwittingly becomes the prime suspect in the sabotage of Walt Disney World’s most hated attractions, he has no choice but to enter a seedy web of Darknet intrigue in order to clear his name.

One part comedy, one part mystery, and one part sci-fi futurism, Habst and the Disney Saboteurs is Kinsey’s most ambitious and exciting book yet.

Genres: Fiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2014

About the author

Leonard Kinsey was born and raised in Clearwater, FL, and was lucky enough to visit Walt Disney World over 100 times by age 18. As an adult he still harbors an unhealthy obsession with The Mouse, has acquired a large collection of vintage EPCOT Center memorabilia, and visits WDW at least once a year, maintaining connections throughout the rest of the year with Cast Members and other Orlando-based friends and relatives.

In his spare time he has published a comic book and written and directed a feature film which received international distribution. He is also the guitarist in a rock band who appeared on a hit FOX show and released two internationally acclaimed CDs.

Reviews

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome back Leonard Kinsey!

Habst and the Disney Saboteurs is Kinsey's third book and second endeavor into fiction. His storytelling is still a bit rough around the edges but more than makes up for it with unbridaled passion for the subject. Kinsey bleeds all things Disney and he's not afraid to let it spill all over the pages.

HABST, seems to be the pipe dream adventure Kinsey never had but always wanted. In it, he is able to explore behind-the-scenes ride areas that he may or may not have explored in real life. What's more, he takes poetic license and destoys rides in the parks that he takes umbridge to.

In a brilliant twist he weaves the world of internet black markets, bitcoins (called Virtcoins in the story) and the idea of downloading the human mind as scientists like Dr. Michio have suggested.

The whole story comes together to make another delightful tale about the shady hidden world that sometimes goes on under everyones noses in the Worlds Happiest Place. If your a Disnerd who doesn't mind things a bit gruff check out HABST. If you like HABST then you'll love everything else from Leonard Kinsey and Bamboo Forest Press.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have established a simple rule. If Leonard Kinsey sends me something I will read it, no matter how weird it might seem! I resisted reading his first novel Our Kingdom of Dust, but my need to be a completionist worked against me and I picked up a copy. And though the content really did not match my lifestyle, I was very pleased with the book. Now when a package arrives with a protagonist who smokes large amounts of pot, is unemployed and lives with his underage girlfriend it all began to feel like a big stretch to me and I began to wonder if I would typically consider this book. But I have this rule you see and the book came from Leonard Kinsey. I don't break the rules, even if Habst does!

Habst and the Disney Saboteurs by Leonard Kinsey is a sci-fi style adventure which takes place at the Walt Disney World Resort. Reginald "Habst" Habstermeister is a former Walt Disney World custodial staff member with only two things on his mind, smoking marijuana and earning virtual currency to purchase his drugs online. Habst is paid by a mysterious benefactor for recording behind the scenes videos of attractions in the Walt Disney World Resort. But Habst is accused of terrorism when attractions he recorded begin to be sabotaged. Habst and Charlie Walker, the head of Walt Disney World security, have three days to uncover the real culprit or face a lengthy prison sentence. Can Habst a perennial mess-up solve this mystery? And who can the young man trust with his freedom on the line?

If you are uncomfortable with books that detail drug use, including Habst's guide to buying drugs online, or sex acts with minors, Habst and the Disney Saboteurs may not be for you. If you are comfortable with these fictional situations or willing to look past them you are likely to find an interesting and fun adventure story set in one of your favorite places. Kinsey finds a way for the reader who does not live Habst's lifestyle to uncover a likable character. We have all at times been a screw-up so you can feel sympathy for Habst as he feels out of control and helpless. You just may not have created the situation to the extent he has. So despite the fact that Habst is really not someone I would invite over to my home, I found myself cheering for him. But again be warned, Habst's lifestyle includes constant drug use and sexual encounters. If they are going to offend you, I suggest just walking away. For me, I moved past the fact that Habst and I do not live compatible lifestyles and let myself enjoy the ride.

There's a Bambooniverse! Early on as Habst slipped into the Magic Kingdom Park I saw the first clue with the name of a character from Our Kingdom of Dust. But when I read that Charlie Walker was the head of Walt Disney World security, Kinsey had my attention and I realized that Bamboo Forest had established a shared universe! I really enjoy the character of Charlie Walker from Hollow World by Nick Pobursky. And I had hoped for further adventures featuring this brilliant detective. But I did not expect him to be in a book by another author, showing up again so soon, having his family's story extended and being in a book that has some sci-fi elements. It was a great surprise and it helped me deal with Habst! I know Charlie Walker. I trust Charlie Walker. Charlie Walker is a responsible family guy like me. But seeing how Charlie accepts Habst and wants to see the best in him, allowed me to better accept Habst. It was a great addition for establishing a shared universe and providing a contrast to Habst.

There are a lot of science-fiction elements to this story. The digital world is heavily featured in Habst and the Disney Saboteurs with the most obvious being the establishment of an entire online currency and economy in virtcoins, Habst's only currency. But there are elements that go beyond just a sci-fi currency that will please the hard core science fiction fan including references to Walt Disney's friend Ray Bradbury. And there were elements of this tale that reminded me of a Bradbury story where the tale takes place in a world like ours, but with a slight twist of the fantastic. Other moments reminded me greatly of Captain America: The Winter Soldier with a strong enough connection that I had to review publication and release dates in my head to make sure one was not influencing the other! The math worked out just fine!

I feel like being part of the Bambooniverse, we also have Hidden Leonards. Case in point, Habst likes to adventure backstage and into areas like the Ultidors under the Magic Kingdom. Kinsey himself has documented his backstage adventures in The Dark Side of Disney. Habst enjoys himself (too much some might say) but is not malicious. Habst is a lover of Disney theme parks. And his opinions are likely ones shared with Kinsey including attractions that they both miss and likely despise. Yes, I have a feeling that Kinsey sees some of himself in Habst. And maybe because there is some reality in the personality on the page that helps it come to life. And maybe the author has thought a time or two about how to quicken an early refurbishment to a few attractions.

Overall, Habst and the Disney Saboteurs, is a fun adventure with some science fiction sprinkled in. I grew to care for Habst, with at least the sentiment that I did not want anything horrible to happen to him. But, because I am a total nut for shared universes, my favorite moment was likely the re-introduction of Charlie Walker. I really want to see where this shared literary landscape goes next. There are even hints to an untold Walker tale in this book. Therefore, for those now watching the Babooniverse this volume is a must have. For those who like fictional tales in Walt Disney World, I would suggest grabbing a copy. And for those who are a little more conservative, maybe grab a Kindle version because Bamboo Forest titles in this format are always priced fairly. If you do pick up a copy prepare to have a little fun in a well written story where you never know who you might bump into.


Review Copy Provided by Bamboo Forest Publishing

From BetweenDisney.com

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ... great plot twists and some great humour glad to see Duffy get the attention he deserves ;)

[Will Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

First things first.....The real reason I picked up this book was because I knew is was in someway a continuation of Charlie Walker's story from Hollow World. I love that book and looked forward to seeing what could be done next.

Now I want to that I actually did like this book. And that I grew to care for the character of Habst but in all seriousness. I just couldn't take him that seriously. He's a decent character at best and would have been better suited as a side character in a different story. He's kind of an off putting character to say the least. A weed obsessed loser who screws a sex crazed 17 year old girl and her even more sex crazed mother? WHAT? They do try to sprinkle some good hearted nature in his character from time to time but usually that feels very forced and out of place for the character. I feel like if they played up a anti-hero element that the character would have worked better.

Now as for Charlie Walker. There are only two things I can honestly say about him in this book. First that he feel very shoe horned into the plot and that he wasn't really needed for any other purpose other than to attract fans of Hollow World into buying this book. (It worked on me.) Secondly he doesn't quite feel like the same character as before. I get that with the differences in writers that some things are going to be off but it's very weird to read the name and then read the character in the book. I won't go into details as to not spoil the story but to me it's just kind of off. But hey! That might just be me.

As for the story itself. Well it's actually interesting in places but as a whole. It's a mess. A lot of deus ex machina to fill the gaps but that of course happens in many books. But does that make it ok? I think so to a degree that the story does fall into the absurd. But it does dilute from the story a bit.

Overall I would recommend this book as it was entertaining. But you have to go into it with a open mind and just enjoy the ride. Don't pick it apart like I did and you might end up loving the absurdness of it all.

[Richard Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like Our Kingdom of Dust, this book falls into both good and not so good all at the same time.

After reading two novels by Leonard Kinsey I can confidently say that I am not a fan of his characters. They are commonly immature and annoying, but I love his plot lines. They are surprising and quick.

This book, just like the last is vulgar and childish at times, and feels like it happens in the mind of a sex deprived teen. But, there are also many little gems of stories in there. Yes, they are mostly about Disney, ok, they are all about Disney. But, they are fun and interesting.

The writting is fine. No glaring typos or grammar issues. The description doesn't always flow, but it is typically so short that it is easily overlooked. And the dialogue... It is mostly profane.

The biggest issue I have with Habst and the Disney Saboteurs is that it assumes you are a Disney fan. You have to understand the parks, the layouts, the utilidoors, the monorail, the buses... He does not go into hardly any detail about what these things are or how they work, but if you read his other books or just like Disney you will already know these things.

I liked it. It was fun. Great for Disney fans, Leonard Kinsey fans, and Cory Doctorow fans.

[Penroj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange book, but as I like most things Disney, I felt it would be interesting to see what this was like.

Well he certainly knows Walt Disney World in Florida, I could easily follow where he was in his descriptions of the rides and locations where he placed his events, as for the story, well it get weird about half way through the book and as this writer seems to condone drug use (at lease soft drugs), I get the impression he may have been on some in the later stages of the book.

It is all very simplistic, but the pace and the crazy characters he creates just about carry it through.

[Brennan Crowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cheese

Not a great read but it will kill time when taking a dump. It has a framework when e debit could b e good but it fell short