Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks coming to Gen Con

egilsdorf · 11th August 2009, 08:47 PM

Hi -- I'm a late addition to the Gen Con program, but wanted to make sure you knew about my new book and that I'll be at Gen Con talking it up.

The book is coming out September 1 from Globe Pequot/The Lyons Press. Called "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms," the narrative non-fiction book is (what I hope is) a humorous, lively, and provocative blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir that takes a look at fantasy subcultures.

The book has a chapter on the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention (2008) and mentions many of the Troll Lord gamers and associated folks.

And I'm kicking off my nationwide book tour at Gen Con.

At Gen Con, I'll be at the Troll Lord Games booth (# 221) meeting folks and selling and signing books. I'll also be giving two readings, immediately followed by two book signings:

Reading schedule:
Friday 8/14, 3-4pm, location: Marriott Phoenix
& Sat 8/15 4-5pm, location: Marriott Phoenix

Book Signing schedule:
Friday 8/14, 4-5pm, location: Author’s Avenue
& Saturday 8/15, 5-6pm, location: Author’s Avenue

More about the book:
"Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks" plumbs, explains and celebrates fantasy and gaming subcultures like Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft, Harry Potter, the Society for Creative Anachronism, LARPS, and D&D.On a quest that begins in my own geeky teenage past and ends in our online gaming future, I ask gaming and fantasy geeks how they balance their so-called "escapist" urges with the kingdom of adulthood, crisscrossing America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to Wisconsin, New Zealand to France, and Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. I also spend time in the book debunking popular stereotypes about gamers and geeks.

Here's what some folks have to say:

"a breathless adventure/quest/memoir " –Andrei Codrescu, NPR commentator and author ofThe Posthuman Dada Guide

"Witty, downright funny, poignant, honest and ... well, wistful....Reading Ethan Gilsdorf's tale conjured my own Dungeons & Dragons and fantasy experiences, vividly, right down to finding some of my old character sheets in a 3-ring binder a decade and more after I had stopped using them." –R.A. Salvatore, New York Timesbestselling author of forty novels, including The Dark Elf Trilogy, Paths of Darkness, The Hunter's Blades Trilogy, and The Cleric Quintet and lead storyteller, 38 Studios game company

"A fun, quirky and fresh perspective for those wanting to know more about the amazing world of gaming." –David Brin, winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards, and author ofThe Postman, Kiln PeopleandThe Transparent Society

"An orcs-and-all journey through geekdom, told with affection for every elf, wizard and Dungeon Master it meets along the way. —Melissa Anelli,authorof Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon  

"This is a delightful book—more fun than being a Dungeon Master to a group of high-level mages and thieves." —A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically

"Gilsdorf takes a Kerouac meets Cliffs Notes approach and gives us On the Road for theStar Warsgeneration."–Juan Carlos and Victor Piñeiro Escoriaza, creators of the award-winning documentary Second Skin

If you drop by booth #221 you can get info to register for The Great Geek Giveaway --- a trove of cool prizes and merchandise, including the new Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (Amazon.com: Dungeon Master's Guide 2: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook (9780786952441): Mike Mearls, Robin D. Laws, Greg Gorden: Books ), a set of original paperbacks in TSR's "Endless Quest" (Choose Your Own Adventure) book series, a DVD of the gamer documentary "Second Skin" (Home | Second Skin) now hitting theaters, music from Harry and the Potters (We Are Harry and the Potters), a signed copy of my book, and other goodies.

You can read more about my book "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks" here: http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com/

Drop by Troll Lord Games booth # 221 and let's chat. I look forward to meeting you!

Ethan Gilsdorf

Ethan Gilsdorf
ethan@ethangilsdorf.com
http://www.ethangilsdorf.com
http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com
617-718-7007

My book "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms" will be published September 1, 2009, by The Lyons Press/Globe Pequot Press.

* NEW INTRODUCTORY VIDEO: