Books › Off to be the wizard
Off to be the wizard
373 pages
A delightfully nerdy romp where coding meets spellcasting in a glitchy medieval playground.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting down for a tabletop RPG session with your funniest, nerdiest friends. It is a breezy, laugh-out-loud escapade that never takes itself too seriously, blending the logic of computer programming with the tropes of high fantasy. The prose is snappy and conversational, heavily seasoned with pop culture nods and wry observations about the absurdity of human history. You are immediately swept up in the protagonist's chaotic attempts to fake it till he makes it, riding a brisk pace through a series of escalating, self-inflicted blunders. It is pure, unadulterated comfort food for geeks, offering a playful, low-stakes atmosphere where the biggest threat is often just the main character's own hubris.
- Mood
- playful
- breezy
- escapist
- Tone
- wry
- geeky
- irreverent
- lighthearted
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- imposter syndrome · unintended consequences · absurdity of history · finding your tribe
- The writing
- Conversational, punchy, and heavily laden with pop culture references and situational irony.
- The arc
- Moves from panicked bumbling to confident, albeit still chaotic, camaraderie and problem-solving.
- Who it's for
- Geeks, programmers, and fans of lighthearted sci-fi who love a good fish-out-of-water comedy.
Content notes
- mild peril
- comic violence
About the book
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little "tweaks" have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard. What could possibly go wrong? An American hacker in King Arthur's court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin... and not, y'know, die or anything.
Description from Open Library.
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