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Geek Mafia
Fired from a job he hated at a company he loved, videogame designer Paul Reynolds is drowning his sorrows in late-morning margaritas when he meets an alluring, pink-haired conwoman named Chloe. With her gang of technopirate friends, Chloe helps Paul not only take revenge on his former employers, but also extort a small fortune from them in the process. What more could a recently unemployed, over-worked videogame designer in Silicon Valley ask for?
In return for Chloe's help, Paul agrees to create counterfeit comic books for one of her crew's criminal schemes. In the process he falls in for their fun loving, drug fueled "off the grid" lifestyle almost as fast as he falls head over heels for Chloe. Wary of the Crew's darker side, but eager to impress both the girl and the gang, Paul uses his game design expertise to invent a masterful con of his own. If all goes according to plan, it will be one for the ages. But can he trust any of them, or is he the one who's really being conned?
Inspired by author Rick Dakan's own eventful experiences in the videogame and comic book industries, Geek Mafia, satisfies the hunger in all of us to buck the system, take revenge on corporate America, and live a life of excitement and adventure.
In return for Chloe's help, Paul agrees to create counterfeit comic books for one of her crew's criminal schemes. In the process he falls in for their fun loving, drug fueled "off the grid" lifestyle almost as fast as he falls head over heels for Chloe. Wary of the Crew's darker side, but eager to impress both the girl and the gang, Paul uses his game design expertise to invent a masterful con of his own. If all goes according to plan, it will be one for the ages. But can he trust any of them, or is he the one who's really being conned?
Inspired by author Rick Dakan's own eventful experiences in the videogame and comic book industries, Geek Mafia, satisfies the hunger in all of us to buck the system, take revenge on corporate America, and live a life of excitement and adventure.
294 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
November 1, 2018
Comic book artist/videogame designer Paul Reynolds has just been fired from his own company when he meets a beautiful pink-haired woman named Chloe. Turns out she's a conwoman with a "family" of techno-pirate friends. They help Paul take revenge on his co-workers, but in the process Paul falls for both the girl and the lifestyle. He plans some cons of his own, like counterfeiting comic books and creating a fake fundraiser. But there are cons within cons, and Paul finds himself out of his league.
Geek Mafia is a lot like The Sting, only with comic books, computers, and anarchists thrown in the mix. It's quick and tense and witty, and has some nice twists, although the prose is strictly functional. My only real criticism is that things go a little too easy for Paul and Chloe a lot of the time. Still, an enjoyable read.
Geek Mafia is a lot like The Sting, only with comic books, computers, and anarchists thrown in the mix. It's quick and tense and witty, and has some nice twists, although the prose is strictly functional. My only real criticism is that things go a little too easy for Paul and Chloe a lot of the time. Still, an enjoyable read.
February 20, 2014
At first you think, well, this is just some Cory Doctorow YA ripoff: young nerd boy, at the moment of a crisis in his life, accidentally meets up with Manic Pixie Hacker Dream Girl who takes him out of his shell, shows him a better life of communal living away from the rat race, gets him involved in semi-legal (or blatantly illegal) activities that nevertheless free his spirit, until there's the inevitable run-in with the authorities, which gets hairy for a while but which ends with our hero and heroine heading off to live a great life, the one you wish you had.
But then you realize, this book was written at least two years before Cory started writing those types of books, so if anything, the influence flows in the other direction. And you also come to realize that this is much more intricately plotted, with a much better denouement, than many other books out there. The Manic Pixie Hacker Dream Girl turns out to be much more complicated than she first appears; she's definitely the motive force in the book (at times the nerd boy is the "damsel in distress"!), and she kicks more than a little ass.
One thing: If you're reading this for lessons on hacker technology, don't. The author has chosen to go light on the geek-out details, and stay more heavily enmeshed in the people.
All in all, it's a great read, and great fun while making you think about your life (if you let it). I recommend it, and I can't wait to start the next book in the series.
But then you realize, this book was written at least two years before Cory started writing those types of books, so if anything, the influence flows in the other direction. And you also come to realize that this is much more intricately plotted, with a much better denouement, than many other books out there. The Manic Pixie Hacker Dream Girl turns out to be much more complicated than she first appears; she's definitely the motive force in the book (at times the nerd boy is the "damsel in distress"!), and she kicks more than a little ass.
One thing: If you're reading this for lessons on hacker technology, don't. The author has chosen to go light on the geek-out details, and stay more heavily enmeshed in the people.
All in all, it's a great read, and great fun while making you think about your life (if you let it). I recommend it, and I can't wait to start the next book in the series.
January 30, 2012
Giving the writing a 2, but the sheer amount of fun I had reading this a 4.5, I think a 4 is fair.
Paul is getting fired from his job tomorrow. His job is being the creative force behind a pretty big deal of a video game, and the rest of the top-level guys want him out. Paul ends up meeting Chloe at the Mexican restaurant he's hiding out in, and suddenly Paul is in the middle of a massive con to try and get what he's truly owed from the company.
Thus begins the wild ride that is Geek Mafia. The plot is strung together by a bunch of fun, tech-heavy heists, the characters are fun and fascinating, and the book reads like a really freewheeling action movie - this means there's not a ton of depth going on, but it really doesn't matter much in the end because you're enjoying yourself so much.
If I have any complaints, it may be that the author is clearly seeing himself in the main role here. Not a big problem - write what you know. However, a lot of less-than-necessary opinionating along the way kind of throws things out of whack a bit. If you dislike that sort of thing in your fiction, this may be fun enough for you to be able to let it slide, but that might be my only issue. I'm really, really looking forward to the sequel (which I already have on my Kindle). Highly recommended if you're a nerd into something different.
Paul is getting fired from his job tomorrow. His job is being the creative force behind a pretty big deal of a video game, and the rest of the top-level guys want him out. Paul ends up meeting Chloe at the Mexican restaurant he's hiding out in, and suddenly Paul is in the middle of a massive con to try and get what he's truly owed from the company.
Thus begins the wild ride that is Geek Mafia. The plot is strung together by a bunch of fun, tech-heavy heists, the characters are fun and fascinating, and the book reads like a really freewheeling action movie - this means there's not a ton of depth going on, but it really doesn't matter much in the end because you're enjoying yourself so much.
If I have any complaints, it may be that the author is clearly seeing himself in the main role here. Not a big problem - write what you know. However, a lot of less-than-necessary opinionating along the way kind of throws things out of whack a bit. If you dislike that sort of thing in your fiction, this may be fun enough for you to be able to let it slide, but that might be my only issue. I'm really, really looking forward to the sequel (which I already have on my Kindle). Highly recommended if you're a nerd into something different.
January 17, 2025
this suffered very badly from man-describes-hot-woman’s-body-itis
August 7, 2010
Ocean's Eleven, Reservoir Dogs, Kick-ass, and the Usual Suspects: the four films that come to mind when asked about "G33k Mafia".
This novel follows the story of Paul, a comic-book artist, who after loses his job helps extort a large amount of money from his former employer with the help of a mysterious con-woman called Chloe, as he later joins their crew and their adventures.
Like Ocean's Eleven, this novel jumps right into the action, in which any geek can feel familiar with the crew of characters that include hackers and engineers, who live on the edge life.
As the novel progresses, it is later found out that their is a traitor amongst their midst, like with our color named friends in the Tarantino debut of Reservoir Dogs. With the third reference of Kick-ass, Paul finds himself in the middle of the action as his changes his 9-5 comic lifestyle to that of beach parties in California with planning a coup d'état against right-wing radio hosts; either situation seemed like a potential nirvana for me. xD
The only complaint that I have about the book, is that I often felt that through halfway of the novel, there was no over-arching plot, but later, like in the film "The Usual Suspects", all the parts come together.
This novel follows the story of Paul, a comic-book artist, who after loses his job helps extort a large amount of money from his former employer with the help of a mysterious con-woman called Chloe, as he later joins their crew and their adventures.
Like Ocean's Eleven, this novel jumps right into the action, in which any geek can feel familiar with the crew of characters that include hackers and engineers, who live on the edge life.
As the novel progresses, it is later found out that their is a traitor amongst their midst, like with our color named friends in the Tarantino debut of Reservoir Dogs. With the third reference of Kick-ass, Paul finds himself in the middle of the action as his changes his 9-5 comic lifestyle to that of beach parties in California with planning a coup d'état against right-wing radio hosts; either situation seemed like a potential nirvana for me. xD
The only complaint that I have about the book, is that I often felt that through halfway of the novel, there was no over-arching plot, but later, like in the film "The Usual Suspects", all the parts come together.
December 6, 2022
G33k Mafia starts out as a "wow i can't believe this could ever happen" type book and begins to melt into a oceans 11 type, fast paced semi-geeky masterpiece. While low on the exact technical details the ideas and characters are plenty geeky but seem to perfect to be real, keeping this book as more of a dream than reality.
With similarities to Little Brother in some aspects, its surprising to realize this was published 2 full years before Little Brother.
Unlike most books, the ending is not rushed but is very clearly thought out and written out with more plot twists than an episode of Castle, all while mostly believable. In the ending many things that seemed to keep this book as a fantasy are revealed to be different, making the whole thing completely believable and even more awesome.
In a few places it became hard to keep track of characters are they were not so much described as you have to learn about them through their roles and actions and some banter is hard to follow, but the thrill from flipping the digital pages of this book makes any minor issues pale in comparison.
Edit: ReRead this in 3 nights 10 years later and my reviews still holds up.
With similarities to Little Brother in some aspects, its surprising to realize this was published 2 full years before Little Brother.
Unlike most books, the ending is not rushed but is very clearly thought out and written out with more plot twists than an episode of Castle, all while mostly believable. In the ending many things that seemed to keep this book as a fantasy are revealed to be different, making the whole thing completely believable and even more awesome.
In a few places it became hard to keep track of characters are they were not so much described as you have to learn about them through their roles and actions and some banter is hard to follow, but the thrill from flipping the digital pages of this book makes any minor issues pale in comparison.
Edit: ReRead this in 3 nights 10 years later and my reviews still holds up.
February 22, 2012
A fun combination of geek/heist/anti-establishment/love story/community that turns much of what would be predictable in the narrative into the opposite. Only con? It's pretty "dude" in the geek/heist/anti-establishment/love story/community kind of way, and that (unfortunately) IS completely - and perpetually - predicatable.
July 30, 2015
You will have to learn to ignore all of the typos and mistakes in this book. I think they tried to save money on proofreading. That being said, the book is very good, especially for someone in the tech industry.
Edit: The current editions of the book have improved on those earlier versions.
Edit: The current editions of the book have improved on those earlier versions.
October 22, 2011
This was pretty good, but if you know about computers you might want to suspend your disbelief a little bit.
March 4, 2022
I'd so much like Goodreads to give the option of half-stars...
For this book my rate would be 3.5 stars, even a bit more. Nonetheless I'm happy with 4 because I've enjoyed the book and some of the things I was "not-liking" much, were solved on the last few pages.
I love gadgets, I love IT, comics, and cons & thieves' stories :-) so basically this book promised to tick all the boxes.
The book starts very well. Paul, the protagonist, has just learned that his partners will fire him from the company he created!... he's frustrated, he's angry, he's a bit lost and at the same time he knows he kind of deserve it because his part of the job (ideation, designs,...)
Then Chloe appears, a beautiful girl that quickly engages with him. And from there you know something's gonna happen.
First hook is "why don't you search for revenge from them?", who wouldn't think of that after being fired!? by your friend??
At that point it's clear that Paul is a normal guy with normal feelings and fears while Chloe and her friends know what they're doing. They've done that more times, they're prepared, they're quite too professionals.
I like a lot how they use technology, because being a bit technology freak, those are things I would think about.
From here, and I won't make any spoilers, there are continuous ups and downs in the story, like it happens on every book. And very often I was asking myself who's cheating who.
That was in fact, one of the things that were annoying me more sometimes, but then when I think "what if I was Paul". The guy is simply as lost as you could be in that situation.
After finishing the book I can tell recommend you to let your thoughts go and simply enjoy following the path that Paul takes.
I hope this small review encourages you to read this book and share your thoughts ;-)
For this book my rate would be 3.5 stars, even a bit more. Nonetheless I'm happy with 4 because I've enjoyed the book and some of the things I was "not-liking" much, were solved on the last few pages.
I love gadgets, I love IT, comics, and cons & thieves' stories :-) so basically this book promised to tick all the boxes.
The book starts very well. Paul, the protagonist, has just learned that his partners will fire him from the company he created!... he's frustrated, he's angry, he's a bit lost and at the same time he knows he kind of deserve it because his part of the job (ideation, designs,...)
Then Chloe appears, a beautiful girl that quickly engages with him. And from there you know something's gonna happen.
First hook is "why don't you search for revenge from them?", who wouldn't think of that after being fired!? by your friend??
At that point it's clear that Paul is a normal guy with normal feelings and fears while Chloe and her friends know what they're doing. They've done that more times, they're prepared, they're quite too professionals.
I like a lot how they use technology, because being a bit technology freak, those are things I would think about.
From here, and I won't make any spoilers, there are continuous ups and downs in the story, like it happens on every book. And very often I was asking myself who's cheating who.
That was in fact, one of the things that were annoying me more sometimes, but then when I think "what if I was Paul". The guy is simply as lost as you could be in that situation.
After finishing the book I can tell recommend you to let your thoughts go and simply enjoy following the path that Paul takes.
I hope this small review encourages you to read this book and share your thoughts ;-)
November 22, 2018
The concept is exciting, and a couple of the crimes were also intriguing. Nerd/techno punk criminals. Honestly it could have been like a pre-Mr Robot hit.
Unfortunately this is one of the cases where it’s a good idea but not a good book. The writing was awkward and frankly seemed immature. I also found the execution of the story to be clumsy, like a by-the-numbers attempt at a traditional noir. Like a checklist, the MC gets in a bad spot, meets a femme fatal, has some introductory level crime success, gets betrayed, and is suddenly super clever and cool. Not a spoiler, because unfortunately the events are so clearly telegraphed that you won’t be surprised.
The biggest problem for me is that the MC is written as a whiny emo teen despite being and adult. His adventures read like the clumsy fulfillment of 14 year old fantasies.
The lead female character was also written this way, except in her case she only seemed to exist to fulfill that type of fantasy. She never became interesting or nuanced on her own. The romantic (if you want to call it romantic) interactions were also clumsy and immature.
Great idea and maybe the sequels get better, but this one honestly didn’t give incentive to try them out.
Unfortunately this is one of the cases where it’s a good idea but not a good book. The writing was awkward and frankly seemed immature. I also found the execution of the story to be clumsy, like a by-the-numbers attempt at a traditional noir. Like a checklist, the MC gets in a bad spot, meets a femme fatal, has some introductory level crime success, gets betrayed, and is suddenly super clever and cool. Not a spoiler, because unfortunately the events are so clearly telegraphed that you won’t be surprised.
The biggest problem for me is that the MC is written as a whiny emo teen despite being and adult. His adventures read like the clumsy fulfillment of 14 year old fantasies.
The lead female character was also written this way, except in her case she only seemed to exist to fulfill that type of fantasy. She never became interesting or nuanced on her own. The romantic (if you want to call it romantic) interactions were also clumsy and immature.
Great idea and maybe the sequels get better, but this one honestly didn’t give incentive to try them out.
December 24, 2020
This novel is a self-insert, wish-fulfillment, revenge fantasy¹, and slightly autobiographical as acknowledged by the author in his afterword. I don't mind any of that as along as I enjoy myself, and so I did.
The 32 year old male protagonist² has been fired by the company he founded³ and is drowning his sorrows in a bar thinking of all the ways he could take revenge when a manic pixie dreamwoman⁴⁵⁶ with magenta hair walks inside and begins chatting him up. He's instantly smitten and will go along with whatever she wants him to do. Turns out she's a member of a crew of con artists and maybe that's exactly what he needs to get on with his life. Thus begins their relationship⁷ and his induction into the criminal underworld⁸.
Apparently the original edition had a ton of proofreading errors, so the latter edition would be the preferred choice.
¹ though not in a violent way, at least not physically violent
² same age as the author at the time of writing
³ which had just happened to the author and was the inspiration for the book
⁴ the author's girlfriend had just dumped him
⁵ this book predates⁹ the term and it isn't accurate in the strictest terms
⁶ is it toxic? sure. does that make it any less fun? no.
⁷ as much as one can have with this sort of woman anyway
⁸ mostly relatively lighthearted until near the end
⁹ https://www.salon.com/2014/07/15/im_s...
Rating: 3.5/5
The 32 year old male protagonist² has been fired by the company he founded³ and is drowning his sorrows in a bar thinking of all the ways he could take revenge when a manic pixie dreamwoman⁴⁵⁶ with magenta hair walks inside and begins chatting him up. He's instantly smitten and will go along with whatever she wants him to do. Turns out she's a member of a crew of con artists and maybe that's exactly what he needs to get on with his life. Thus begins their relationship⁷ and his induction into the criminal underworld⁸.
Apparently the original edition had a ton of proofreading errors, so the latter edition would be the preferred choice.
¹ though not in a violent way, at least not physically violent
² same age as the author at the time of writing
³ which had just happened to the author and was the inspiration for the book
⁴ the author's girlfriend had just dumped him
⁵ this book predates⁹ the term and it isn't accurate in the strictest terms
⁶ is it toxic? sure. does that make it any less fun? no.
⁷ as much as one can have with this sort of woman anyway
⁸ mostly relatively lighthearted until near the end
⁹ https://www.salon.com/2014/07/15/im_s...
Rating: 3.5/5
February 21, 2018
I'm pretty impressed with this book. Definitely didn't expect much, since I've never heard of Dakan. The book is quite interesting and you can get hooked easily. The twists are awesome, I'll definitely read the next one
August 20, 2017
Great Geeks Alive!!!! I LOVED IT!!! :-) :-) :-) I'm already hunting for the second book!! :-)
July 6, 2019
DNF @11%. The characters of both Paul and Cloe rubbed me the wrong way from the first page and it didn't get better. 4 chapters was all I could stomach...
January 18, 2020
This is a great read and I've actually had the pleasure of reading the entire series. I really wanted to read more by this author but it seems that he has dropped off radar.
February 3, 2017
The back half totally made up for the front half. Not sure if I'll continue the series or not.
January 22, 2012
Geek Mafia, or as the book cover has it, G33K Mafia, is a techno-thriller that while being incredibly predictable, was also kind of fun to read. It was in no way particularly innovative. The print edition that I read was in serious need of copy editing (there were many typos and at one point even character names were wrong!). And frankly, everything from the initial con to the final line was formulaic at best and could be seen coming from a mile away. And for all those flaws, it was still fun to read.
The story starts with Paul, a comic book artist who has formed a video game company based on his comic book, about to get fired. While ruminating on this at a local restaurant, he meets Chloe, who offers to help him get back at his soon-to-be-former coworkers. He takes her up on the offer and finds himself falling in with a "crew" of misfits and geeks, techie con artists. Naturally, this mostly happens because he falls in love with Chloe. After the initial con, Paul comes up with an idea for a new one, runs it, and then gets pulled into yet another con. Soon, feeling like he's really part of the crew and wanting to impress Chlore, he comes up with yet another idea, seeing it through until almost the end when everything starts to go wrong. I won't spoil it, but what happens from Chapter 26 on is exactly what you'd expect with this kind of lead-in, right through the climax and into the ending.
I still kind of enjoyed it. I think what drew me in the most was the geek culture. It reminded me, in a lot of ways, of my time with a group I used to belong to (we weren't con-artists). It kind of brought me back to my old punk kid times. Geek Mafia won't win any awards and frankly I'm baffled by the praise it did get, but if you put aside seriousness and just want a fun, quick read, there are worse books out there. Just keep the expectations low.
The story starts with Paul, a comic book artist who has formed a video game company based on his comic book, about to get fired. While ruminating on this at a local restaurant, he meets Chloe, who offers to help him get back at his soon-to-be-former coworkers. He takes her up on the offer and finds himself falling in with a "crew" of misfits and geeks, techie con artists. Naturally, this mostly happens because he falls in love with Chloe. After the initial con, Paul comes up with an idea for a new one, runs it, and then gets pulled into yet another con. Soon, feeling like he's really part of the crew and wanting to impress Chlore, he comes up with yet another idea, seeing it through until almost the end when everything starts to go wrong. I won't spoil it, but what happens from Chapter 26 on is exactly what you'd expect with this kind of lead-in, right through the climax and into the ending.
I still kind of enjoyed it. I think what drew me in the most was the geek culture. It reminded me, in a lot of ways, of my time with a group I used to belong to (we weren't con-artists). It kind of brought me back to my old punk kid times. Geek Mafia won't win any awards and frankly I'm baffled by the praise it did get, but if you put aside seriousness and just want a fun, quick read, there are worse books out there. Just keep the expectations low.
March 31, 2008
I'm not going to lie; one of my main motivations for reading this book was knowing that I could get a free copy of it as an ebook from the author's website. I mean, it also seemed to have some interesting subject matter, but that ease of accessibility pushed me over the edge, and gave me a chance to read it over the Christmas holiday. And I'm really glad I did.[return]Depending on the type of person that you are, the ideas of "fraud", "graft", "comic book back-issue pricing", and "political donations" might seem like they're worlds apart. If you're someone like Rick Dakan, however, they make perfect sense together, and form the basis of a fast-paced, exciting caper novel.[return]The novels' protagonist is Paul Reynolds, comic book auter and video game designer who we meet in the process of being given the bum's rush by his former business partners. He happens to meet up with Chloe, a self-described modern-day pirate who offers to help him "get even" with those that wronged him.[return]What follows after that is a standard sort of caper tale, lovingly dipped in geek culture. If you're the sort of person who likes both of those things, you'll probably really enjoy this book. The characters are believable, sympathetic, and enjoyable; the plot moves along at a fast pace, with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing about where it's going next. [return]On the other hand, if you don't know what an FPS is, or haven't heard about open source movement, this may not be the book for you.[return]
September 20, 2012
Inspired by his own firing from a Silicon Valley gaming company, Dakan has written a fun, breezy tale of revenge and con-artistry in the '00s. Paul is an indie comic-book creator who heafs out West to try and turn his Eisner-winning world into a computer game. However, in the opening pages, we meet him as he is kicked to the curb by his friends/partners. Conveniently, he soon meets an alluring young woman who offers the prospect of financial and karmic revenge against his backstabbing, intellectual property thieving ex-friends. Wacky hijinks ensue as Paul gets drawn deeper and deeper into the world of a mysterious loose group of thieves who operate as a kind of hard-partying hacker collective. Of course, all is not quite as it seems, and anyone who's seen even a few con-artist movies will be able to spot some of the twists and turns Paul's headed for. My only two complaints is that as with many books, the feats of hacking seem somehow too easy (which may well just be my own naivete), and the gang of hackers isn't developed well enough. There are only really three of them who are fleshed out, which makes it kind of simple to spot the villain of the bunch. Similarly, Paul's a little too much of a shlub everyman to really connect with as a protagonist. On the whole, it's a fairly fun, well-paced variation on some classic themes designed to appeal to the titular geeks (one elaborate scam involves forging valuable comics that have been graded and sealed), but not so compelling that I'm likely to seek out the two sequels (Geek Mafia: Mile Zero and Geek Mafia: Black Hat Blues).
September 2, 2016
I found this to be quite the page turner, causing me a couple of late nights 'cause I REALLY wanted to know what happened next. It's a relatively, well, OK, somewhat plausible crime thriller set nowish (early 2000s) in Silicon Valley.
Technology plays a major role in the assorted escapades but the details of the hacking, both physical and logical, are mostly glossed over. This means that there aren't any technical hurdles to trip on and it didn't head down the crazy leet-speak path like Zero Day.
Apparently based on the authors life (according to the appendix in the version I read, startlingly so) it follows the rather bizarre fate of artist/computer game-designer Paul Reynolds after he falls afoul of office politics and is rescued from his scheduled ejection by a rather eclectic crew of modernistic con-artists. For some values of "rescued".
This wasn't "best book ever" territory, but I did enjoy reading it and I'll likely check out the subsequent stories.
A wee warning: I read the PM Press (pmpress.org) electronic version available from Amazon and ran across what I thought was a pretty substantial errata collection (11 issues that I actually wrote down, I know I missed noting a few more) that I submitted to the publisher. For the most part it's not too bad but it threw me a couple of times.
Technology plays a major role in the assorted escapades but the details of the hacking, both physical and logical, are mostly glossed over. This means that there aren't any technical hurdles to trip on and it didn't head down the crazy leet-speak path like Zero Day.
Apparently based on the authors life (according to the appendix in the version I read, startlingly so) it follows the rather bizarre fate of artist/computer game-designer Paul Reynolds after he falls afoul of office politics and is rescued from his scheduled ejection by a rather eclectic crew of modernistic con-artists. For some values of "rescued".
This wasn't "best book ever" territory, but I did enjoy reading it and I'll likely check out the subsequent stories.
A wee warning: I read the PM Press (pmpress.org) electronic version available from Amazon and ran across what I thought was a pretty substantial errata collection (11 issues that I actually wrote down, I know I missed noting a few more) that I submitted to the publisher. For the most part it's not too bad but it threw me a couple of times.
June 3, 2012
For subject matter, character, and pacing, thumbs up
I enjoyed the brisk, Elmore Leonard-esque prose. The dialogue was genuine to the demographic presented, and moved the action along well. The pacing kept me flipping (ok, swiping - Ebook, doncha know) pages well after bedtime. This is a quick, light read, and after coming on the heels of Rucker's Tetralogy and Stross' Accelreando, was a much appreciated break from idea and concept heavy reads
Proofing and editing, thumbs down.
I can forgive the occasional typo, but when 1/3 of a chapter is apparently cut and pasted in a few pages after it first showed up, it makes the reader a little batty. Speaking of batty, let's discuss pronouns.
Now, I'm not one to get worked up about transgender characters, or unisex, or asexual or waddevah. But please be consistent with pronouns. If he's sitting on the bed watching her dry her hair, then she sits on the bed beside her...WHERE THE FUCK DID THE OTHER WOMAN COME FROM?!?! Did the pages stick together? No, because this is an eBook.
Did I have a petite mal seizure and miss the introduction of a character? Nope. Just sloppy edits.
Please put at least as much effort, if not more, into proofing, editing, and preparing your work. PUH-LEEEEZ?!?!
I enjoyed the brisk, Elmore Leonard-esque prose. The dialogue was genuine to the demographic presented, and moved the action along well. The pacing kept me flipping (ok, swiping - Ebook, doncha know) pages well after bedtime. This is a quick, light read, and after coming on the heels of Rucker's Tetralogy and Stross' Accelreando, was a much appreciated break from idea and concept heavy reads
Proofing and editing, thumbs down.
I can forgive the occasional typo, but when 1/3 of a chapter is apparently cut and pasted in a few pages after it first showed up, it makes the reader a little batty. Speaking of batty, let's discuss pronouns.
Now, I'm not one to get worked up about transgender characters, or unisex, or asexual or waddevah. But please be consistent with pronouns. If he's sitting on the bed watching her dry her hair, then she sits on the bed beside her...WHERE THE FUCK DID THE OTHER WOMAN COME FROM?!?! Did the pages stick together? No, because this is an eBook.
Did I have a petite mal seizure and miss the introduction of a character? Nope. Just sloppy edits.
Please put at least as much effort, if not more, into proofing, editing, and preparing your work. PUH-LEEEEZ?!?!
June 22, 2013
I had heard such a glowing review of this book that I even carried it in my distro without having read it. I finally got around to reading it, and I'm kind of surprised how mediocre it is. To be fair, I just read a Neal Stephenson novel, and those are big shoes to fill. Neal Stephenson also writes suspenseful stories with technological bases, but the difference is that he's actually a good writer.
This is a con story though, and those are often pretty exciting. I like con/heist movies, and this satisfied that for me. It's also based on SF Bay Area counterculture, which made me homesick, especially when he described places that I knew.
It's a reasonably fast-paced suspense novel featuring a crew of hackers trying to make lucrative and elegant con jobs. The characters are pretty shallow for the most part, and the writing isn't particularly interesting. Also, this book has one of my least favorite cliches: average-looking but intelligent male protagonist meets up with a wild yet brilliant hot young woman who for some reason can't keep her hands off him.
I'll file this under "vacation reading."
This is a con story though, and those are often pretty exciting. I like con/heist movies, and this satisfied that for me. It's also based on SF Bay Area counterculture, which made me homesick, especially when he described places that I knew.
It's a reasonably fast-paced suspense novel featuring a crew of hackers trying to make lucrative and elegant con jobs. The characters are pretty shallow for the most part, and the writing isn't particularly interesting. Also, this book has one of my least favorite cliches: average-looking but intelligent male protagonist meets up with a wild yet brilliant hot young woman who for some reason can't keep her hands off him.
I'll file this under "vacation reading."
February 25, 2010
The good part: It was free. I enjoyed the fact that the story didn't get bogged down with the technical aspects too much.
The bad part: I couldn't relate to the characters at all.
There was no justification for their actions, they were breaking the law and conning people out of their money just because they could.
The main protagonist, Paul, complains that he got fired unfairly from a company he partially owns because he couldn't work a nine to five job. Sounds fair enough to me. As someone who slogs through a nine to six every day I have zero sympathy with him. He gets offered redundancy pay and shares in the company. Hooking up with Chloe and her crew he manages to blackmail his old partners into buying his shares from him for a lot of money, and then all the adventures start.
By the end of the book, he's got no shares and lost almost all the money, managed to accidentally destroy Chloe's crew, gotten someone shot and is a wanted felon. Its a much worse situation than he started in, but he doesn't seem to realise. That makes him an idiot.
I wouldn't bother with this one, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
The bad part: I couldn't relate to the characters at all.
There was no justification for their actions, they were breaking the law and conning people out of their money just because they could.
The main protagonist, Paul, complains that he got fired unfairly from a company he partially owns because he couldn't work a nine to five job. Sounds fair enough to me. As someone who slogs through a nine to six every day I have zero sympathy with him. He gets offered redundancy pay and shares in the company. Hooking up with Chloe and her crew he manages to blackmail his old partners into buying his shares from him for a lot of money, and then all the adventures start.
By the end of the book, he's got no shares and lost almost all the money, managed to accidentally destroy Chloe's crew, gotten someone shot and is a wanted felon. Its a much worse situation than he started in, but he doesn't seem to realise. That makes him an idiot.
I wouldn't bother with this one, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2016
enjoyed every part of the book.... especially towards the end where evry knot is untied and every picture falls into its place.It's a story of a comic artist Paul, who is fired from a company where he is a partner along with his friend. They dont tell him the proper reason though. Depressed, he goes a bar where he meets a girl . The actual story starts here. How he comes over evrything (does he really do??)with the help of chloe..He breaks up with his frineds .. hang aroung with chloe... her personal life.. her group of friends... evrything chnages him.Ultimately they both fall in love with each other. Does chloe's friends accept them?? Does he get back to his friends?? his career??
Its really an interesting adventure packed with cool techie stuff!!
Enjoyed it a lot.!
Worth a read would say:)
Its really an interesting adventure packed with cool techie stuff!!
Enjoyed it a lot.!
Worth a read would say:)
October 23, 2014
This was terrible. Every trope imaginable.
The main character tries to portray himself as a Nice Guy. But, he's really a jackass who believes he's entitled to anything he wants.
He spent half the book whining about how he isn't having sex with the romantic interest, but when it gets to the sex scene, the author fades to black. That's just poor writing. You can write in great detail about all the teasing touches and how she rebuffs his advances, but you refuse to write the smut?
Back to the entitled bit, the main character seems to believe whole heartedly that he is entitled to this woman, body and soul. This type of behaviour should not be encouraged by making it the defining characteristic of the protagonist.
In short, don't read this book.
The main character tries to portray himself as a Nice Guy. But, he's really a jackass who believes he's entitled to anything he wants.
He spent half the book whining about how he isn't having sex with the romantic interest, but when it gets to the sex scene, the author fades to black. That's just poor writing. You can write in great detail about all the teasing touches and how she rebuffs his advances, but you refuse to write the smut?
Back to the entitled bit, the main character seems to believe whole heartedly that he is entitled to this woman, body and soul. This type of behaviour should not be encouraged by making it the defining characteristic of the protagonist.
In short, don't read this book.
July 17, 2010
Geekpunk?
So it's a sort of Ocean's 11 but with l33t haxorz and technie nerds? Hustle with comics? Loaded with great characters, tonnes of pop-culture references and a plot full of crosses and double crosses and crosses of the double crosses and romance! What more could you want. Written in a relaxed, easygoing flowing style I raced through the pages and couldn't wait to find out who would come out on top as twists and turns played out and the ideas kept coming.
There are some great set pieces, some genuinely funny moments and a likeable protagonist for whom you can't help rooting.
Really makes me with I was in the Geek Mafia...can't wait to read the sequel
So it's a sort of Ocean's 11 but with l33t haxorz and technie nerds? Hustle with comics? Loaded with great characters, tonnes of pop-culture references and a plot full of crosses and double crosses and crosses of the double crosses and romance! What more could you want. Written in a relaxed, easygoing flowing style I raced through the pages and couldn't wait to find out who would come out on top as twists and turns played out and the ideas kept coming.
There are some great set pieces, some genuinely funny moments and a likeable protagonist for whom you can't help rooting.
Really makes me with I was in the Geek Mafia...can't wait to read the sequel
January 27, 2012
Not my usual genre but I was intrigued by Cory Doctorow's recommendation and took a chance. As it turns out, I really enjoyed the book. If you enjoy detective novels you might want to branch out and give this a try.
While I haven't read many caper-type books (think Oceans 11), this book seems to be a good example. The characters were interesting and while some of the twists were well signed, others were surprising.
The writing style is reasonable and the pacing is good. There are a few times where the author repeats himself and there were one or two noticeable errors but nothing that detracted too much from the book.
Definitely recommend.
While I haven't read many caper-type books (think Oceans 11), this book seems to be a good example. The characters were interesting and while some of the twists were well signed, others were surprising.
The writing style is reasonable and the pacing is good. There are a few times where the author repeats himself and there were one or two noticeable errors but nothing that detracted too much from the book.
Definitely recommend.
July 27, 2013
Geek Mafia is a quick read about a video game designer turned outlaw. When Paul is basically forced out of a company he helped start, he "happens upon" a con woman who leads him quickly from getting revenge against his own nemesis to going after big dollar game. Paul's new adventure turns from fun and exciting to incredibly dangerous, with plenty of plot twists to keep it exciting.
In the end, this is clearly a geek fantasy written by a geek. Nerdy gamer type encounters gorgeous babe who is also geeky, love, sex, adventure, and he gets to be the hero. It truly was a fun read, though completely unbelievable as a "this could really happen" story.
In the end, this is clearly a geek fantasy written by a geek. Nerdy gamer type encounters gorgeous babe who is also geeky, love, sex, adventure, and he gets to be the hero. It truly was a fun read, though completely unbelievable as a "this could really happen" story.
October 14, 2009
An engaging read with an interesting back story. The writer was one of the developers for City of Heroes, and the main character for the story seems to have an eerily similar history. Dakan insists that he parted with Cryptic on good terms and that his story is all fiction, but I have to wonder if there isn't some lingering bitterness there.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/200...
While needing a bit of editorial oversight the story was engaging and I am interested enough to perhaps pick up the sequels at some point in the future.
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/200...
While needing a bit of editorial oversight the story was engaging and I am interested enough to perhaps pick up the sequels at some point in the future.
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