Review

“Forget Frodo; Ethan Gilsdorf guides readers through fantasy lands far more enchanting than anything you’ll find in Tolkien’s books. Donning his cloak of invisibility, he takes readers along on a mind-blowing tour of nerd universes—from a knighting ceremony in a Pennsylvania park to vampire slayers in a Marriot Hotel. The result is a compassionate, humorous and magical trip that makes reality seem like a poor substitute for the realms of imagination.” –Pagan Kennedy, author of New York Times Notable Book Black Livingstone and The First Man-Made Man
“Vivid, moving, evocative, intriguing, engaging.” –Chris Castellani, Artistic Director Grub Street, Inc., and author of A Kiss from Maddalena and The Saint of Lost Things


Product Description

Fantasy. Sci-Fi. Role-playing games. Tens of millions of people around the globe today turn away from the “real” world to inhabit others. The online game World of Warcraft has alone lured nearly twelve million users.

Who are these game-players and fantasy fans? What explains the irresistible appeal of such escapist adventures? And what could one man find if he embarked on a quest through fantasy world after fantasy world?

In an enthralling blend of travelogue, pop culture analysis, and memoir, former role-player Ethan Gilsdorf crisscrosses America, the world, and other worlds—from Boston to California, New Zealand to France, Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar. He asks gaming and fantasy geeks how they balance their escapist urges with the kingdom of adulthood. He seeks out those who dream of elves, long swords, and heroic deeds. He hangs out with Harry Potter tribute bands. He goes to fan conventions. He battles online goblins, trolls, and sorcerers. He camps with medieval reenactors. He becomes Ethor, Ethorian, and Ethor-An3. What he discovers is funny, poignant, and enlightening.