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    Geekomancy
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    Geekomancy
    Unavailable
    Geekomancy
    Ebook384 pages5 hours

    Geekomancy

    By Michael R. Underwood

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Clerks meets Buffy the Vampire the Slayer in this original urban fantasy ebook about Geekomancers—humans that derive supernatural powers from pop culture.

    Ree Reyes’s life was easier when all she had to worry about was scraping together tips from her gig as a barista and comic shop slave to pursue her ambitions as a screenwriter.

    When a scruffy-looking guy storms into the shop looking for a comic like his life depends on it, Ree writes it off as just another day in the land of the geeks. Until a gigantic “BOOM!” echoes from the alley a minute later, and Ree follows the rabbit hole down into her town’s magical flip-side. Here, astral cowboy hackers fight trolls, rubber-suited werewolves, and elegant Gothic Lolita witches while wielding nostalgia-powered props.

    Ree joins Eastwood (aka Scruffy Guy), investigating a mysterious string of teen suicides as she tries to recover from her own drag-your-heart-through-jagged-glass breakup. But as she digs deeper, Ree discovers Eastwood may not be the knight-in-cardboard armor she thought. Will Ree be able to stop the suicides, save Eastwood from himself, and somehow keep her job?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPocket Star
    Release dateJul 10, 2012
    ISBN9781451698138
    Unavailable
    Geekomancy
    Author

    Michael R. Underwood

    While Michael Underwood was born in Bloomington, Indiana, he’s made his home everywhere from New York to Oregon and Texas to Brooklyn. Currently residing in Baltimore, Maryland, Michael considers himself a lifelong gamer and geek and also a huge sci-fi fan. He attributes this to working in a game store while in his teens. Michael graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Indiana University in 2005, where he received a bachelor of arts in creative mythology. He holds a master of arts in folklore studies from the University of Oregon, where he wrote his thesis on tabletop role-playing games. Michael’s passion has always been in teaching, and he has taken any opportunity he can to share his skills with others. He’s so far held classes for everything from web design to the tango and, of course, writing. He attributes his passion for public speaking and theatricality to his parents, who met while performing musical theater together. Michael combines his love of teaching and passion for performance across disciplines, from historical fencing to headlining an Argentine tango band. He is the author of Geekomancy, Celebromancy, and Shield and Crocus.

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    Reviews for Geekomancy

    3.5/5

    77 ratings14 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      This was ok, an interesting world and fun plot, I enjoyed catching all the references - but the world itself was kind of obvious geek wish fulfillment, there was basically no character developement, and the snarky humor came in large doses and I have think will be dated pretty fast.
    • 4/5
      Until reading this book, I thought I was pretty up on my geek trivia. After reading, I realize I have some catching up to do. This book has plenty of references to movies, tv shows, books, comics and games. Part of the fun is in catching all the references. The plot was solid and I liked the hint of romance between Ree and Drake. I enjoyed reading this book. If this is the first in a series, I look forward to reading the next one.
    • 4/5
      Look, I'm a geek. A nerd. One of those pop-culture, fannish folks. So when you hand me a book where someone can watch a show or movie and get powers based on it? I am so in. I mean, really. I told you I was a geek. This is the kind of thing I dream of.

      The book was a lot of geeky, nerdy fun. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
    • 3/5

      It panders shamelessly to geeks and nerds, which yields it another star or two, but other than that it lacks weight. The dangers aren't dangerous, the scares aren't scare and the emotional impact isn't bvery impactful.
    • 1/5
      There was something that was just a little too cheesy for me in this one. I had high hopes, but it just didn't hold my attention. Had to let it go. Don't know if I'll ever pick this one up again, but I guess it's not out of the realm of possibility.
    • 3/5
      Not bad. Lots of action, plenty of nods to geekdom.

      Complete review forthcoming at SporadicReviews.com
    • 4/5
      I’ve never really been able to get into Fantasy too well but occasionally I find an Urban Fantasy novel that I really enjoy. Geekomancy tells the story of Ree who discovers that she is a Geekomancer; a human that derive supernatural powers from pop culture. One day she is a struggling screen writer work as a barista at a comic shop the next she is discovering the town’s magical flip-side as well as her own abilities. Ree needs to help Eastwood in solving the mysterious increase of teen suicides while discovering who she is.

      While this is a typical Urban Fanstasy novel this offers so much more; I would say a must read for any geeks out there is a lot of references to The Princess Bride, Buffy, Firefly, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, Doctor Who, Sherlock and the list goes on and on. Many people talk about this book as a book that Kevin Smith would write if he wrote Urban Fantasy; while I see the homage towards Kevin Smith, I also feel like this is a homage to Joss Whedon as well.

      In some parts I think Michael R. Underwood did step into the realm of the clique but overall I think this book was a fast pace geek-out and any predictability was overshadowed by the millions of pop culture references. This is the kind of book I would recommend to anyone looking for another nerdfest after finishing Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. This book would have been so much fun researching and Michael R. Underwood said he has been researching this book his whole life but let’s face it; it would be a good excuse to watch the entire series of Buffy or Sherlock again or to play some more video games like Crimson Skies.

      Geekomancy had a nice balance between pop culture and urban fantasy to satisfy a read like myself who is a little wary of reading fantasy novels. This novel is the beginning of what seems like a great series and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. While the plot is fairly standard, what Michael R. Underwood has done with the pop culture references and blending humour and fantasy elements into this book has resulted in a fast paced enjoyable nerdfest.
    • 3/5
      This one is a fun romp through an adventure of a 20-something, filled with magic, mystery, and a large dose of all things geek.
    • 3/5
      Like any true geek homage, GEEKOMANCY is aggressively packed with cult pop culture references, memorabilia, and television slang. Though these hallmarks are fun in conversation, in narrative form this deluge came across as "let me tell you everything I know" noise. It took awhile for me to acclimate to GEEKOMANCY's quippy style, but once I learned to relax and love the bomb... oh no, it's contagious.

      But seriously, folks, after a few chapters of tell, tell, tell, Ree was finally up to speed and ready to kick some butt. In a world where consuming your favorite entertainment can literally fuel your magic, Ree's encyclopedic knowledge movies, TV, comics, and games is a finely honed weapon in her arsenal.

      Full review to follow.

      Sexual Content: None.
    • 5/5
      In my top three of the best books of 2012.

      Have you ever have epic brain fart where you were absolutely sure you posted a book review months ago and then you discover, much to your embarrassment, that you didn’t? I guess it works out that I’ve got a new blog now to post it on.

      So, maybe that makes up for it a little? Maybe? *sheepish grin*

      On with the review!

      Geekomancy has succeed where many urban fantasies have failed miserably. It surprised me. Not a small feat when I’ve been reading in this genre for over two decades, and was all but done with the recycled ideas. Honestly, there are only so many blood you can get out of a turnip of a genre that is based on recycling old, sometimes tired tropes from other genres. Yet Underwood came up with an original idea I had never seen before, and he won my heart with his leading lady.

      Despite the title, premise and overwhelming amount of geek culture references this book never once jumps the shark into ridiculous. If anything once the layers are peeled back readers will find a very real, relatable human story. It has depth, a compelling plot and vibrant characters who defy the very conventions and tropes that inspired them.

      Before I wax poetic about how this story wooed my pants off, let’s talk about how it went a long way toward redeeming the urban fantasy genre for this very jaded fan.

      Let’s hear it for a female leads who are complex human beings!

      In a sea of one-liner dropping, two dimensional approximations of female empowerment that too many authors in this genre have been trying to pass off as women for decades, a real, complex female lead is a rare find. Not for a lack of looking. I’ve been searching like a one-woman archaeological expedition pickaxe and shovel in hand, digging through this genre for decades trying to find one and have come up empty handed more often than not.

      Ree is funny, flawed, relatable and best of all authentically geeky. It never feels forced or affect. She isn’t just a pretty girl in glasses regurgitating famous lines from Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, everything about Ree is real and natural. Underwood never has to tell us she is strong, because the story itself runs her through the ringer and she comes through with banners flying.

      Geekomancy is a heroes journey with a woman (finally) front and center. Ree faces all the challenges, terror and trials befitting classic heroes, but never once did I feel the story was tailored to her gender. No dumbing down (in fact, quite the opposite for the non-geeky reader), no emphasis on her hair, clothes or makeup. In fact, I’m not even sure she wears any make up, because I was too busy falling in love with her personality.

      Despite the strange world and circumstances she’s plunged into Ree handles every situations with a very believeable grain of salt. She’s rational, intelligent and sarcastic as hell. Though, her sarcasm and snarky comments never come off as flippant, but rather as a realistic coping mechanism we all might use when faced with the frightening reality that Trolls or Demons are real. Plus her jokes are actually funny. I laughed out loud more than once.

      Sweet baby Jebus, Ree is the kind of heroine I’ve dreamed of reading about. One who I could show to my fourteen year old, extremely geeky, female cousins and say “Look, she’s just like you and she’s a hero, not the hero’s girlfriend.”

      All right, I set down my fangirl pom poms for two seconds to actually talk about the story, because it is fantastic.

      Underwood created a reality that is just slightly to the left of the one we know. A world where every tiny scrap of geek culture has real tangible power and can be used as weapons in a shadowy war happening right under our noses. There is no nerdy stone left unturned in this story. I went dizzy from listing the movies, tv shows, games, and various other geeky pursuits that were referenced in this novel. Some were even new to me.

      Despite all this nerdtastic name dropping, we never get pulled out of the story. Quite the contrary actually. With each new reference the magic of this world unfurls a little more, giving it depth and heart. It’s the kind of world dreamed about as a kid. Where a Magic: The Gather card can save your life. Where you can download the skills of your favorite characters just by watching a few scenes of a movie. Where a true believer could actually become a Jedi knight, and even a nerdy barista can become a hero.

      I was very surprised by how deeply this book affected me. It is after all a fun, fictional adventure and wonderful tribute to geek culture, but more than that it is a very real story of a woman coming into her own power. I think that is something that I’ve been yearning to read from the moment I first learned how to read.

      I would recommend this book to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or anything by Joss Whedon really), Doctor Who, The Dresden Files, and strong female leads.
    • 4/5
      I was very sceptical when I first saw this. Was someone trying to make a quick buck from geek society? Was it someone just trying to ram as many references into a book as they could? Well it might be a bit of both but it's also a fun, entertaining action-adventure read.

      The magic system is great, something fresh and different to most fantasy. The characters were enjoyable but a tad cliché though as this is all about references and tropes the characters fit the story. The story wasn't the strongest. It was predictable and if it wasn't for the setting wouldn't have been worth reading.

      The first half of the book is a bit slow. There is a lot of introductory sections that are needed but at times it trips itself up trying to fit too many references in. Once the book gets moving and the references slip back to being more necessary it becomes a lot more enjoyable.

      All in all though it's a great debut book, with lots of fun moments and a lot of places it could go from here. I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
    • 3/5
      Another new 'Geek' book along the lines of a Ready Player One. A good read, quick and fun. I only had a problem in that some of the characters and their skills became confusing in that I found myself asking 'how did she do that' or 'is that her power.' The geek factor is pretty high on this which is good and the references are not forced. It is not like Family Guy that way. Here, references are made without explanation, either you get them or not but they are done as a part of the story, not as simple asides to make you think 'gee, I know what that is.'
    • 5/5
      If you love all things geek--video game, movie, comic book--if you have brown coat and aren't afraid to use it--if you succeed at a task and hear the Final Fantasy victory music play in your head--this book is for you. Geekomancy blends urban fantasy with the awesomeness of Ready Player One, though I found Geekomancy much more accessible. Ready Player One was all about the 1980s; Geekomancy isn't confined to any decade or media.I read part of the book in early draft form and loved it. It didn't surprise me at all that publishers clamored for this book. Ree is a great heroine--strong, yet vulnerable, completely at ease with her inner geek and not ashamed. She discovers that by tapping her inner geek she can channel magic. That's right, the magic is derived of pop culture. Watch Princess Bride, and you're suddenly an expert swordsman. Watch an episode of the new Sherlock, and you see things with his incredible attention to detail, complete with text overlaying reality (this scene is one of the funniest in the book and had me giggling out loud).It's easy to love Ree. Heck, it's easy to want to BE Ree. Most urban fantasies drop you in a world that is so dark that you would never want to exist there. That's not the case here. The book ended and I felt that cozy melancholy of enjoying another world and wanting it to linger a while longer.
    • 5/5
      I just got through reading this and was so impressed! It was kick ass and fast, this is a book where the characters are introduced by game stats and the references to pop culture icons are begging the reader to "get it". loved this book.