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Magic 2.0 #3
An Unwelcome Quest
Ever since Martin Banks and his fellow computer geeks discovered that reality is just a computer program to be happily hacked, they’ve been jaunting back and forth through time, posing as medieval wizards and having the epic adventures that other nerds can only dream of having. But even in their wildest fantasies, they never expected to end up at the mercy of the former apprentice whom they sent to prison for gross misuse of magic and all-around evil behavior.
Who knew that the vengeful Todd would escape, then conjure a computer game packed with wolves, wenches, wastelands, and assorted harrowing hazards—and trap his hapless former friends inside it? Stripped of their magic powers, the would-be wizards must brave terrifying dangers, technical glitches, and one another’s company if they want to see Medieval England—and their favorite sci-fi movies on VHS—ever again. Can our heroes survive this magical mystery torture? Or will it only lead them and their pointy hats into more peril?
Who knew that the vengeful Todd would escape, then conjure a computer game packed with wolves, wenches, wastelands, and assorted harrowing hazards—and trap his hapless former friends inside it? Stripped of their magic powers, the would-be wizards must brave terrifying dangers, technical glitches, and one another’s company if they want to see Medieval England—and their favorite sci-fi movies on VHS—ever again. Can our heroes survive this magical mystery torture? Or will it only lead them and their pointy hats into more peril?
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2015
797 people are currently reading
3640 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 879 reviews
May 14, 2019
The book barely started and I was already having great fun. Non-joke jokes everywhere, comedy of situation, brutal sarcasm, all the good things we're used to from Scott and Luke.
Well, at least I am. If you haven't started with the series yet I strongly advise you to sort this injustice out.
"An Unwelcome Quest" is a third part in the "Magic 2.0" series - a 6-part saga about a bunch of nerds who found "the code" to the universe and are now all-powerful!
At least until they screw up and have to run away from the FBI. To Medieval England.
Don't ask, just do yourself a favor and get the book :-) It's a sarcastic comedy at its finest.
No point in going into details as they won't mean much to people who haven't started with the series yet. To those who did I can offer only spoilers, as usual. And I'm in the very generous mood tonight so I'll let you have your unspoiled fun :-)
Overall, excellent writing by Mayer, beautifully delivered by Daniels - as I'm very used to, by now. Seriously, these two are a great tandem. I laughed my ass off listening to the book.
Daniels keeps pleasantly surprising me with every book of his that I listen. This time it was the voice of Tod - a semi-bored, "I'm not as stupid as you think I am and I'll show you all" voice was such a hit that even after two months I can still hear it in my head.
Interesting fact: All 3 books that I've read so far from this series have been rated 5/5/5.
An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0 #3)
Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Well, at least I am. If you haven't started with the series yet I strongly advise you to sort this injustice out.
"An Unwelcome Quest" is a third part in the "Magic 2.0" series - a 6-part saga about a bunch of nerds who found "the code" to the universe and are now all-powerful!
At least until they screw up and have to run away from the FBI. To Medieval England.
Don't ask, just do yourself a favor and get the book :-) It's a sarcastic comedy at its finest.
No point in going into details as they won't mean much to people who haven't started with the series yet. To those who did I can offer only spoilers, as usual. And I'm in the very generous mood tonight so I'll let you have your unspoiled fun :-)
Overall, excellent writing by Mayer, beautifully delivered by Daniels - as I'm very used to, by now. Seriously, these two are a great tandem. I laughed my ass off listening to the book.
Daniels keeps pleasantly surprising me with every book of his that I listen. This time it was the voice of Tod - a semi-bored, "I'm not as stupid as you think I am and I'll show you all" voice was such a hit that even after two months I can still hear it in my head.
Interesting fact: All 3 books that I've read so far from this series have been rated 5/5/5.
An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0 #3)
Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels (Narrator)
Verdict Amazing! Can't wait for the 4th part!
Runtime 11:46
Overall
Performance
Story
April 9, 2015
Executive Summary: This series is a lot of fun, and this book might be the best yet. I really hope we'll get a 4th book.
Audio book: What more can I say about Luke Daniels? I said he'd be good at reading the phone book, and he obliged me. I bet he'd even do a good job of the Begats. He brings this book to life. It may as well be a radio play. Do yourselves a favor and do this book in audio.
Full Review
I sort of fell into this series by accident last year. It's not going to be winning any awards or anything, but if you want a fun and light series, look no further.
I thought that while the second book addressed my complaints about the lack of women from the first book, the plot and the humor were weaker. This book seems the most polished yet. While probably not as funny as the first book, it's definitely the best written. The characters are more developed, the plot is tighter, and in general I was always excited to to start listening again.
If you've ever played buggy video games, or written buggy code, I think you'll especially find a lot to like here. I like how some of the supporting characters from Off to Be the Wizard that mostly took a backseat in Spell or High Water were not only more heavily featured, but really had a chance to shine. I especially enjoyed Tyler's running commentary throughout the book.
That said, my favorite character continues to be Phillip. Especially when he's talking to Jimmy. And Jimmy of course is as great as ever.
If you liked the first two books, definitely give this one a try. And if you haven't given this series a try yet, you really should. It's a lot of fun, and I really hope we'll get more of them.
Audio book: What more can I say about Luke Daniels? I said he'd be good at reading the phone book, and he obliged me. I bet he'd even do a good job of the Begats. He brings this book to life. It may as well be a radio play. Do yourselves a favor and do this book in audio.
Full Review
I sort of fell into this series by accident last year. It's not going to be winning any awards or anything, but if you want a fun and light series, look no further.
I thought that while the second book addressed my complaints about the lack of women from the first book, the plot and the humor were weaker. This book seems the most polished yet. While probably not as funny as the first book, it's definitely the best written. The characters are more developed, the plot is tighter, and in general I was always excited to to start listening again.
If you've ever played buggy video games, or written buggy code, I think you'll especially find a lot to like here. I like how some of the supporting characters from Off to Be the Wizard that mostly took a backseat in Spell or High Water were not only more heavily featured, but really had a chance to shine. I especially enjoyed Tyler's running commentary throughout the book.
That said, my favorite character continues to be Phillip. Especially when he's talking to Jimmy. And Jimmy of course is as great as ever.
If you liked the first two books, definitely give this one a try. And if you haven't given this series a try yet, you really should. It's a lot of fun, and I really hope we'll get more of them.
November 25, 2017
Full review now posted!
Literally made me laugh out loud multiple times.
This third installment of Magic 2.0 was by far the funniest. At least, it was to me. If you've ever played old quest games from the 80s and 90s, you’ll recognize and laugh at so many tropes. I’m not much of a gamer; I have less than stellar hand-eye coordination, which makes gaming incredibly frustrating. However, even I dabbled in Myst back in the day, and I’ve watched my brother play countless questing adventure games, so I’m familiar with the tropes. Even if you’ve never played a video game in your life, this book would still be hilarious for you.
Philip, Tyler, Jeff, Gary, and Jimmy are sucked into an unwelcome quest (as the title states) by someone they burned in the past. This person has been plotting his revenge for years, and has created a simulation world just to drop them inside and torture them with a shoddily plotted quest. The reluctant adventures embark on the quest because their “powers” have been stripped from them, and cooperating with their captor is their only hope of going home. Little do they or their abductor know that Martin, Gwen, Roy, and Brit the Younger are hot on their trail, and have followed their friends into the game. Both groups have to complete dangerous tasks, endure the cold, and trek through various landscapes populated by tree wolves, river wolves, cliff wolves, and various other breeds that are basically all the comprised of the same exact wolf, just replicated and re-spawned. A whole lot of hilarity ensues.
The shining star of this story was Tyler. He might not be the best-selling novelist of all time, but he is a writer, and the laziness of the story they’ve been placed in drives him insane. Of course, he loudly voices those criticisms every chance he gets, resulting in amused friends and a very disgruntled game developer. I know I’m terrible about picking apart movies or books that cut corners or haven’t been properly researched, so I loved watching a fictional character losing his mind over the same exact things that drive me crazy. Also, there’s this scene with zombie sirens that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.
If you like your fantasy and sci-fi mixed together and sidesplittingly funny, you can’t do any better than the Magic 2.0 series as a whole or this book in particular.
Original review can be found at Booknest.
Literally made me laugh out loud multiple times.
This third installment of Magic 2.0 was by far the funniest. At least, it was to me. If you've ever played old quest games from the 80s and 90s, you’ll recognize and laugh at so many tropes. I’m not much of a gamer; I have less than stellar hand-eye coordination, which makes gaming incredibly frustrating. However, even I dabbled in Myst back in the day, and I’ve watched my brother play countless questing adventure games, so I’m familiar with the tropes. Even if you’ve never played a video game in your life, this book would still be hilarious for you.
Philip, Tyler, Jeff, Gary, and Jimmy are sucked into an unwelcome quest (as the title states) by someone they burned in the past. This person has been plotting his revenge for years, and has created a simulation world just to drop them inside and torture them with a shoddily plotted quest. The reluctant adventures embark on the quest because their “powers” have been stripped from them, and cooperating with their captor is their only hope of going home. Little do they or their abductor know that Martin, Gwen, Roy, and Brit the Younger are hot on their trail, and have followed their friends into the game. Both groups have to complete dangerous tasks, endure the cold, and trek through various landscapes populated by tree wolves, river wolves, cliff wolves, and various other breeds that are basically all the comprised of the same exact wolf, just replicated and re-spawned. A whole lot of hilarity ensues.
The shining star of this story was Tyler. He might not be the best-selling novelist of all time, but he is a writer, and the laziness of the story they’ve been placed in drives him insane. Of course, he loudly voices those criticisms every chance he gets, resulting in amused friends and a very disgruntled game developer. I know I’m terrible about picking apart movies or books that cut corners or haven’t been properly researched, so I loved watching a fictional character losing his mind over the same exact things that drive me crazy. Also, there’s this scene with zombie sirens that was one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.
If you like your fantasy and sci-fi mixed together and sidesplittingly funny, you can’t do any better than the Magic 2.0 series as a whole or this book in particular.
Original review can be found at Booknest.
January 1, 2018
The third book of Magic 2.0 is more enjoyable than its predecessor, though still not as good as the first; its storyline is succinctly encapsulated by the title of the book, i.e. An Unwelcome Quest.
Ahhhh... quests!! This brought back wonderful childhood memories of playing PC quest and adventure games, such as the likes of King's Quest and Hero's Quest. The one I remember most fondly will always be King's Quest 1. Typed commands, anyone?
Our fellow time-travelling wizards in medieval England found themselves trapped in a quest game masterminded by Todd, who had an axe to grind with Philip and his friends after they stripped him of access from the file and sent him away as punishment for breaking the rule of abusing its use on another human being.
Hilarious scenes after hilarious scenes ensued when the wizards, who were now removed from their powers, faced the dangers in a buggy computer game filled with lazily programmed wolves and poorly executed and overused cliches that only an idiot like Todd can muster. With the aspiring fantasy author within Philip's group, the argumentative discourse that bubbled forth between a supremely agitated Tyler and an obtusely petulant Todd was comedy gold.
The character that changed the entire dynamics among the wizards, in an interesting way, is Jimmy. As the wild card entry into this reluctant team of questors, he added a flavour of unpredictability which, in my opinion, the plots in these books had so far lacked. As such, the addition of Jimmy back into the fold made the story more compelling.
I did have a minor issue with the narrative when it becomes a bit too repetitive or overly descriptive. These were the times when I found my attention wandering off and I had to rewind to catch what I've missed.
Again, I have to mention that Luke Daniels' narration of this series is absolute perfection. And I strongly believe that I will re-listen to these audiobooks again when I need some witty, whimsical and light-hearted fun.
This review can also be found at Booknest
Ahhhh... quests!! This brought back wonderful childhood memories of playing PC quest and adventure games, such as the likes of King's Quest and Hero's Quest. The one I remember most fondly will always be King's Quest 1. Typed commands, anyone?
Our fellow time-travelling wizards in medieval England found themselves trapped in a quest game masterminded by Todd, who had an axe to grind with Philip and his friends after they stripped him of access from the file and sent him away as punishment for breaking the rule of abusing its use on another human being.
Hilarious scenes after hilarious scenes ensued when the wizards, who were now removed from their powers, faced the dangers in a buggy computer game filled with lazily programmed wolves and poorly executed and overused cliches that only an idiot like Todd can muster. With the aspiring fantasy author within Philip's group, the argumentative discourse that bubbled forth between a supremely agitated Tyler and an obtusely petulant Todd was comedy gold.
The character that changed the entire dynamics among the wizards, in an interesting way, is Jimmy. As the wild card entry into this reluctant team of questors, he added a flavour of unpredictability which, in my opinion, the plots in these books had so far lacked. As such, the addition of Jimmy back into the fold made the story more compelling.
I did have a minor issue with the narrative when it becomes a bit too repetitive or overly descriptive. These were the times when I found my attention wandering off and I had to rewind to catch what I've missed.
Again, I have to mention that Luke Daniels' narration of this series is absolute perfection. And I strongly believe that I will re-listen to these audiobooks again when I need some witty, whimsical and light-hearted fun.
This review can also be found at Booknest
January 7, 2022
Okay for the series, but trending towards bothersome. 6 of 10 stars
February 15, 2015
*Shakes head.*
Oh, Scott. I was hoping for at least one or two more books in this series before you broke my heart. The only reason I'm giving this book three stars is because I “technically” liked it. However, that “like” is the like of someone in a relationship who wakes up one day and suddenly finds that their partner, who they use to view with love and adoration, is a sweaty, hairy man where there was once a female long-legged, tan swimsuit model. There's still a voice, still a body, but it's not as desirable. You can go on a date, but you get snide comments and stares as you pass. And when you get down to the nitty-gritty, you have to take it up the rear.
Good points:
- Roy had some decent character development. He regressed back and forth a bit through the book, but overall he seemed to progress as a character.
- Martin and Gwen progressed their relationship, though this was just randomly tossed in at the very end. But it's good to know they're finally past dating.
Bad points:
- First thing in the prologue, the very first thing I read, Scott's rewriting multiple character's histories that do not coincide with what was in the other books. I know, because I re-read the first two before I let myself open this one. Gary didn't train Todd, he was trained by Mitchell that Martin meets at his dinner before his Trials. Jimmy was alerted within a week or two of an issue when Mitchell witnesses Todd experimenting on animals and ordered Todd's trials. Todd didn't stick around for a month. The dialogue heavily hints that Jeff and Tyler weren't trained by Gary, even though it says it in the first book.
- I actually had to question if Scott wrote this book. The writing style is not nearly as clean and thought-out as the first book, even before the the second edition. Even the second book, which was not as cohesive as the first still kept me engaged and not checking how much I had left to be done.
- This book dragged needlessly. This should have been a 60 page Novella between books 2 and 3. I got the impression that Scott had a good concept for a brief adventure with Todd and decided to stretch it out into a full book. A good editor would have gutted most of the dialogue and a few plot points because it would have a more cohesive feel simply because there is so much redundancy.
There's quite a bit more I was dissatisfied with, but I really never got over the first point. It kept nagging at me as I read. You'd think an author would have re-read their first book at least once. Todd was a major punch line in it, which I assumed why he was the focus of this book. Astute readers, which are the ones that recommend a book, would pick up on these points.
Scott, I truly hope you continue writing this series. I hope you redeem my faith in it in a way that you couldn't seem to allow Jimmy to be reconciled with by the other characters. I picked up the first book because it was witty, humorous, and unique. This entire book was filled with constant teenage angst and complaints. The entire point of the second book was having characters grow up a bit. If there isn't solid character development in the next book and a strong, witty plot, I don't think I can continue to spend money on the series.
Oh, Scott. I was hoping for at least one or two more books in this series before you broke my heart. The only reason I'm giving this book three stars is because I “technically” liked it. However, that “like” is the like of someone in a relationship who wakes up one day and suddenly finds that their partner, who they use to view with love and adoration, is a sweaty, hairy man where there was once a female long-legged, tan swimsuit model. There's still a voice, still a body, but it's not as desirable. You can go on a date, but you get snide comments and stares as you pass. And when you get down to the nitty-gritty, you have to take it up the rear.
Good points:
- Roy had some decent character development. He regressed back and forth a bit through the book, but overall he seemed to progress as a character.
- Martin and Gwen progressed their relationship, though this was just randomly tossed in at the very end. But it's good to know they're finally past dating.
Bad points:
- First thing in the prologue, the very first thing I read, Scott's rewriting multiple character's histories that do not coincide with what was in the other books. I know, because I re-read the first two before I let myself open this one. Gary didn't train Todd, he was trained by Mitchell that Martin meets at his dinner before his Trials. Jimmy was alerted within a week or two of an issue when Mitchell witnesses Todd experimenting on animals and ordered Todd's trials. Todd didn't stick around for a month. The dialogue heavily hints that Jeff and Tyler weren't trained by Gary, even though it says it in the first book.
- I actually had to question if Scott wrote this book. The writing style is not nearly as clean and thought-out as the first book, even before the the second edition. Even the second book, which was not as cohesive as the first still kept me engaged and not checking how much I had left to be done.
- This book dragged needlessly. This should have been a 60 page Novella between books 2 and 3. I got the impression that Scott had a good concept for a brief adventure with Todd and decided to stretch it out into a full book. A good editor would have gutted most of the dialogue and a few plot points because it would have a more cohesive feel simply because there is so much redundancy.
There's quite a bit more I was dissatisfied with, but I really never got over the first point. It kept nagging at me as I read. You'd think an author would have re-read their first book at least once. Todd was a major punch line in it, which I assumed why he was the focus of this book. Astute readers, which are the ones that recommend a book, would pick up on these points.
Scott, I truly hope you continue writing this series. I hope you redeem my faith in it in a way that you couldn't seem to allow Jimmy to be reconciled with by the other characters. I picked up the first book because it was witty, humorous, and unique. This entire book was filled with constant teenage angst and complaints. The entire point of the second book was having characters grow up a bit. If there isn't solid character development in the next book and a strong, witty plot, I don't think I can continue to spend money on the series.
April 27, 2017
4.5 stars. These are such silly books, but so much fun! I've only ever listened to Scott Meyer's work and I don't think it's possible to imagine a better narrator for this material than Luke Daniels -- he adds such a great cutting tone to the humour.
Looking forward to the next installment!
Looking forward to the next installment!
July 11, 2018
The first book was great, the second less so. This one was hard to finish. Disappointing.
April 30, 2020
First of all, this is one of the rare series that if you're going to read it, you have to do the audio. You're just missing something truly ineffable if you don't. And I guess if you're one of those people who can't do audiobooks, then I don't know what to tell you. I think I would have subtracted an entire star from all of these books without Luke Daniels' performance. He brings a certain majesty of attitude, and snarkiness, to these very silly stories.
I really had a lot of fun with the first book in this series. There was just something about the main concept, the narration, the characters, and the world that felt like the perfect escape. This book felt more like that first one did than book two did, which wasn't as funny, and had more of Brit the Elder (a character I find very irritating). This one features the nerds' old enemy, Todd, coming back for his vengeance, which takes the form of trapping Philip, Jeff, Tyler, Gary, and Jimmy in a video game of his making, and forcing them to go on a quest, at the end of which something sinister will happen. That leaves Martin, Gwen, Brit the Younger, and Roy to mount a rescue mission. All of this involves lots of meta jokes about bad videogames and bad storytelling. Tyler's frustration at Todd's poor game designing skills is consistently amusing.
This is actually where my only criticism of the book comes in. Practically speaking, we have to watch both groups conquer the same challenges in Todd's game, one after the other. For the most part, Meyer does a good job giving us variation in their experiences, but it does get a bit draggy towards the middle/end. I was ready for most of the second group to just be fast-forwarded through (and he does do that to a certain extent, I just wished he'd done it more).
I also appreciated the way this book handled sexism (a topic very pertinent to this mostly male nerd group). Gwen and Brit the Younger are frustrated to be on a quest with Roy, who is the oldest of the time-traveling nerd wizards, having been born in the 1930s, and he treats them the way a man born in the 1930s thinks women should be treated. This offends the women, understandably, and Meyer hilariously has Martin of all people be the go-between for them. The scene where he explains to Roy why treating the ladies like delicate flowers is bad was pretty funny, and when he explains to Gwen and Brit how to deal with Roy to get him to stop treating them like delicate flowers, I was really impressed with the nuances they covered. Basically, he was like, "no, please do continue to hand him his ass, just don't hate him for it while you're doing it."
The next two books in the series have pretty bad reviews so I'm not sure I'll be reading them. Maybe eventually, but these first three are so good I kind of don't want to ruin the vibe.
I really had a lot of fun with the first book in this series. There was just something about the main concept, the narration, the characters, and the world that felt like the perfect escape. This book felt more like that first one did than book two did, which wasn't as funny, and had more of Brit the Elder (a character I find very irritating). This one features the nerds' old enemy, Todd, coming back for his vengeance, which takes the form of trapping Philip, Jeff, Tyler, Gary, and Jimmy in a video game of his making, and forcing them to go on a quest, at the end of which something sinister will happen. That leaves Martin, Gwen, Brit the Younger, and Roy to mount a rescue mission. All of this involves lots of meta jokes about bad videogames and bad storytelling. Tyler's frustration at Todd's poor game designing skills is consistently amusing.
This is actually where my only criticism of the book comes in. Practically speaking, we have to watch both groups conquer the same challenges in Todd's game, one after the other. For the most part, Meyer does a good job giving us variation in their experiences, but it does get a bit draggy towards the middle/end. I was ready for most of the second group to just be fast-forwarded through (and he does do that to a certain extent, I just wished he'd done it more).
I also appreciated the way this book handled sexism (a topic very pertinent to this mostly male nerd group). Gwen and Brit the Younger are frustrated to be on a quest with Roy, who is the oldest of the time-traveling nerd wizards, having been born in the 1930s, and he treats them the way a man born in the 1930s thinks women should be treated. This offends the women, understandably, and Meyer hilariously has Martin of all people be the go-between for them. The scene where he explains to Roy why treating the ladies like delicate flowers is bad was pretty funny, and when he explains to Gwen and Brit how to deal with Roy to get him to stop treating them like delicate flowers, I was really impressed with the nuances they covered. Basically, he was like, "no, please do continue to hand him his ass, just don't hate him for it while you're doing it."
The next two books in the series have pretty bad reviews so I'm not sure I'll be reading them. Maybe eventually, but these first three are so good I kind of don't want to ruin the vibe.
March 16, 2015
I enjoyed this more than book 2 in the series, mostly because I liked the focus on a bad video game vs. book two's focus on time travel paradoxes. The pop-culture and gaming references in this book (and the humor) made it quite enjoyable!
May 20, 2019
Not as good as the first two, definitely. Still fun for the most part.
May 22, 2017
The second book let me down a bit for the first third or so, so I was not quite sure how I would feel about the start of this third book. I figured even if it was a bit of a slow starter, it would redeem itself in the end, as the second book had. However, I really enjoyed it throughout. It was great fun, and renewed my love for the series. I'm really looking forward to reading the fourth book, but I think I will wait until the physical version comes out because you all know how much I enjoy being able to follow along with the book. :o)
September 13, 2019
Fun one. Some slow parts with the repetitiveness but a lot of funny moments. Enjoyable.
August 1, 2017
I didn't enjoy this as much as the first two books. The narrative seemed a little sluggish and the plot seemed to be going through the motions rather than contributing to the development of the series. It's still a fun read (and Luke Daniels does a wonderful job of the audiobook once again) but I'm not sure of it would entice me to read book 4.
December 12, 2015
Sword Art Online or .hack come right to mind, though this certainly takes itself less seriously. That's not really a bad thing, though. Light and entertaining, just like the first two books in the series. Overall I had fun in the world and with the ideas of humanity as a giant database.
February 24, 2017
Not as good as the previous two books. I felt this story was a bit lazy.
July 8, 2015
I really liked the first book in the series, "Off to Be the Wizard." Scott Meyer took one of my favorite themes - go back in time and be impressive with your future knowledge - and had a lot of fun with it. The second book was amusing but the world in the book didn't interest me. This one is much more in the mode of the first book. This time the "wizards" are trapped without their powers in a computer game quest. They are limited to real-world strengths and skills against virtual dangers. Their real power comes from the fact that they are brave enough and loyal enough to work together through dangers that may (or may not)actually harm them. That, and the knowledge that the villain is actually a really lazy game designer and they are all experienced gamers. As usual the writing is good, the text is free of errors and grammatical mistakes, and the throwaway humor is delightful.
June 16, 2015
Literally Repetitive in more than once sense.
Single dimensional characters with completely predictable responses to a predictable plot.
A book on rails with no thrills, laughs, or fun.
Even the characters are tired of this book's plot.
The stereo-tropes are so strong in this book it's actually disgusting.
The Adorkable protagonist, the abhorrent admirer, constant compliment backfire, the bumbling smart guy, a bad guy who is too dumb to fool, the perfect and condescending PC feminist who is too hot to have anyone in her harem of fanboy admirers call her on her shit. Garbage.
One last note: Removing the 'magic' from a magic 2.0 book was really a terrible idea.
1/10.
Single dimensional characters with completely predictable responses to a predictable plot.
A book on rails with no thrills, laughs, or fun.
Even the characters are tired of this book's plot.
The stereo-tropes are so strong in this book it's actually disgusting.
The Adorkable protagonist, the abhorrent admirer, constant compliment backfire, the bumbling smart guy, a bad guy who is too dumb to fool, the perfect and condescending PC feminist who is too hot to have anyone in her harem of fanboy admirers call her on her shit. Garbage.
One last note: Removing the 'magic' from a magic 2.0 book was really a terrible idea.
1/10.
September 28, 2018
I didn't find it as funny as the first two books, but it was still a funny and enjoyable story.
June 19, 2021
Great fun and nice and twisty at the end. Jimmy is the best villain / hero trickster
October 25, 2019
A very well plotted adventure. Took me awhile to listen to since I was in the hospital but I am glad I finished and the ending was satisfying.
July 23, 2019
This is the nest book in the series so far. I really liked the story structure and how it ended. The characters have really developed well since the first book.
December 17, 2015
Was Mr. Meyer trying to imply something with the title of his book?
The final (for now?) chapter in the Magic 2.0 series comes to an end and I gotta say I'm glad. It is not that the book isn't funny (it is) or that it is a "bad book" (it isn't)... it's just, I believe, a sort of forced book.
So, what are the good parts? Well, the humor is really good and consistent with the rest of the series. The characters are funny and the premise is silly but entertaining. Now for the bad... IMHO, the tone of the book should be funny, but sometimes (I won't spoil anything) it tries to be serious or deals with dark/serious themes all of a sudden, without the (expected) change of tone.
The characters are also "watered down" from their previous appearances. The "adventurers" are just a couple of interchangeable people, they don't feel excited or nervous for their quest: they feel bored. And that is why I think Mr. Meyer was also bored when he (had to?) wrote this. It feels like he is the one going through a tedious chore, so he puts his protagonists into another tedious chore, and extensively, also his readers.
I won't spoil anything, but I'm sure fellow readers will agree that the ending is also a promise from the author to write a "better adventure" for us next time.
The final (for now?) chapter in the Magic 2.0 series comes to an end and I gotta say I'm glad. It is not that the book isn't funny (it is) or that it is a "bad book" (it isn't)... it's just, I believe, a sort of forced book.
So, what are the good parts? Well, the humor is really good and consistent with the rest of the series. The characters are funny and the premise is silly but entertaining. Now for the bad... IMHO, the tone of the book should be funny, but sometimes (I won't spoil anything) it tries to be serious or deals with dark/serious themes all of a sudden, without the (expected) change of tone.
The characters are also "watered down" from their previous appearances. The "adventurers" are just a couple of interchangeable people, they don't feel excited or nervous for their quest: they feel bored. And that is why I think Mr. Meyer was also bored when he (had to?) wrote this. It feels like he is the one going through a tedious chore, so he puts his protagonists into another tedious chore, and extensively, also his readers.
I won't spoil anything, but I'm sure fellow readers will agree that the ending is also a promise from the author to write a "better adventure" for us next time.
October 12, 2023
This is one of my ALL TIME favorite series. It is one of the best "reality is actually a simulation" kinds of stories I've ever found, and it is done in such a great way. It is more comedy than anything else--but it is also extremely smart. It is smart, but usually with a low-brow kind of approach, which makes it all the more hilarious. All of the characters are over-the-top caricatures who are so incredibly fleshed out and distinct that they go all the way around the horn back to believable and sympathetic. The audio book version is definitely the way to go here as Luke Daniels sets the bar for characterization. Even the base narrator voice is perfectly tuned. Every voice immediately feels distinct and right--as if there's no other voice this character could have had.
I don't really feel like any of the books are weaker than another. These are very concept and character driven books, and the plots almost don't matter because you just enjoy being along for the ride with these characters. This book introduces a character and some problems that were hinted at in the first two, and raises the stakes for the main cast.
I don't really feel like any of the books are weaker than another. These are very concept and character driven books, and the plots almost don't matter because you just enjoy being along for the ride with these characters. This book introduces a character and some problems that were hinted at in the first two, and raises the stakes for the main cast.
May 21, 2018
I think Scott Meyer had a great idea with this series and book 1 and 2 are good but then the story loses its drive. The characters don't evolve. They discuss the same issue over and over again. They don't really have problem solution skills. And the book is not funny anymore. Todd is too cruel and, at the same time, too stupid to be funny. I think Meyer took too many ideas from films and used them for the novel. But humor and horror work very differently on the page than they do in film. Therefore, it doesn't translate. I feel this novel could have used some fine tuning and editing.
There is also a huge time correlation problem. Brit's group is moving faster than Philip's group and they did not stay at the cabin in the woods. Yet, Philip's group spent at least a week with the blacksmith. Logically, they would have met at the blacksmith's village. There is at least a three day overlay. That really bothered me.
There is also a huge time correlation problem. Brit's group is moving faster than Philip's group and they did not stay at the cabin in the woods. Yet, Philip's group spent at least a week with the blacksmith. Logically, they would have met at the blacksmith's village. There is at least a three day overlay. That really bothered me.
March 15, 2016
La saga de Magic 2.0 va perdiendo fuerza a la vez que su cast se hace más y más grande. De repente llegan a ser tantos personajes que la historia de Martin y Phillip va quedando en muy poco cuando ellos deberían ser los únicos importantes.
Como sea, fue un acercamiento divertido al género de RPG y ver a los otrora todo poderosos magos quedar sin más herramientas que espadas que tenían que fabricarse con esqueletos de arañas (las arañas no tienen esqueleto! I know, es parte del diálogo y el chiste).
Meyer sigue siendo gracioso y ameno el relato. Aún no tanto como el primero pero mejor que el segundo.
Ahora no sé cuánto tendré que esperar para un nuevo libro de esta saga.
Como sea, fue un acercamiento divertido al género de RPG y ver a los otrora todo poderosos magos quedar sin más herramientas que espadas que tenían que fabricarse con esqueletos de arañas (las arañas no tienen esqueleto! I know, es parte del diálogo y el chiste).
Meyer sigue siendo gracioso y ameno el relato. Aún no tanto como el primero pero mejor que el segundo.
Ahora no sé cuánto tendré que esperar para un nuevo libro de esta saga.
May 19, 2017
My favorite book in the series. Sure, the first one was cool since it presented tho whole world and concept of the series, and was more original, but this was a blast to read. The book was rich, interesting and funny, and with some very nice insights. I love Scott Meyer's nerative, and I think that in this volume he drove it to perfection.
Highly recommended! Can't wait for the 4th part to be published.
Highly recommended! Can't wait for the 4th part to be published.
October 7, 2018
As much as I absolutely have loved this series, I gotta say this one kinda dragged.
It started off great, but hitting the middle-the end felt like a chore to get through.
But what I did love is Scott Meyer has a humor that always knocks me on my ass. I always find myself cracking up multiple times with his books. They're also very easy to follow.
It's just the story line in this one didn't step up in my opinion.
Still going to continue this series for sure tho. They're too funny not to.
It started off great, but hitting the middle-the end felt like a chore to get through.
But what I did love is Scott Meyer has a humor that always knocks me on my ass. I always find myself cracking up multiple times with his books. They're also very easy to follow.
It's just the story line in this one didn't step up in my opinion.
Still going to continue this series for sure tho. They're too funny not to.
September 11, 2018
This is the third book in the "Magic 2.0" series. We are once again reunited with our time-traveling, reality-program-altering, nerdy friends from the first two books.
It's one thing to read a story where the protagonist is "pulled into a video game" through technologically vague means. It's been done. We've seen it in many books and, frankly, too much fan-fiction. Scott Meyer wouldn't be so cliche as to write a book in which his protagonists get trapped in a video game. No, he decided to write a book about them being trapped in a bad video game. And in my opinion, that's the perfect way to tackle this trope in An Unwelcome Quest.
I will admit, as a gamer, this specific book in the series speaks to me. Not just because "it has video game references." It's because Meyer makes it abundantly clear to the reader that he's not just throwing out household gaming names in the pursuit of "gamer cred." No. In fact, this isn't even a love-letter to video games, like you would find in Ready Player One. This Story is a novelized therapy group for anyone who's ever been victimized, betrayed, or otherwise stuck playing a terrible game. This book is for those people who've had the misfortune of purchasing a shovel-ware game on Steam Early Access, or have made a bad judgment call on a weekend game rental back in the near-prehistoric age of Blockbuster Video.
Between re-used assets, poor programming, unimaginative boss fights, and lazy mechanics, any veteran gamer should intimately identify with the hilarious misadventures our protagonists must overcome in order to rescue their friends. The jokes are relatable to gamers without being inaccessibly so for those who aren't as familiar with the medium in general. It strikes the right balance for the fantasy readers, and was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Personally, it's my favorite book in the series.
It's one thing to read a story where the protagonist is "pulled into a video game" through technologically vague means. It's been done. We've seen it in many books and, frankly, too much fan-fiction. Scott Meyer wouldn't be so cliche as to write a book in which his protagonists get trapped in a video game. No, he decided to write a book about them being trapped in a bad video game. And in my opinion, that's the perfect way to tackle this trope in An Unwelcome Quest.
I will admit, as a gamer, this specific book in the series speaks to me. Not just because "it has video game references." It's because Meyer makes it abundantly clear to the reader that he's not just throwing out household gaming names in the pursuit of "gamer cred." No. In fact, this isn't even a love-letter to video games, like you would find in Ready Player One. This Story is a novelized therapy group for anyone who's ever been victimized, betrayed, or otherwise stuck playing a terrible game. This book is for those people who've had the misfortune of purchasing a shovel-ware game on Steam Early Access, or have made a bad judgment call on a weekend game rental back in the near-prehistoric age of Blockbuster Video.
Between re-used assets, poor programming, unimaginative boss fights, and lazy mechanics, any veteran gamer should intimately identify with the hilarious misadventures our protagonists must overcome in order to rescue their friends. The jokes are relatable to gamers without being inaccessibly so for those who aren't as familiar with the medium in general. It strikes the right balance for the fantasy readers, and was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Personally, it's my favorite book in the series.
February 12, 2018
After what seemed like months, I finally found it in me to finish this book. Unlike the two that came before it, I found this one to be a bit slower paced. It just didn't move along like its predecessors. That's not to say it was bad, to the contrary- it was actually quite enjoyable. But it didn't hold my attention quite like I would've liked it to. I'll still be reading the next in the series, but it's not quite at the top of my list.
If you like video games, and enjoy subtle commentary (or sometimes not so subtle) on their shortcomings, this one will be a fun trip for you.
If you like video games, and enjoy subtle commentary (or sometimes not so subtle) on their shortcomings, this one will be a fun trip for you.
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