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casebounder's review against another edition
2.0
When I found this LGBT choose-your-own-adventure in a bookshop, I immediately had to have it! This summer, I ended up bringing it along to a beach trip and read it aloud with friends. As hoped, it really is a lot of fun to return to this childhood technique, and I enjoyed it a lot. However, I have a problem with the use of "tranny" in the book - I even double-checked the date of publication (FYI, the edition is smartly made to look more retro) and couldn't believe it was published in 2003. I just can't get over the idiotic use of the slur. It's a prime example of intra-community insensitivity that really annoys me, and, more importantly, drives wedges between the LGBT+ community.
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
This is a splendid take on the childhood favorite 'Choose Your Own Adventure' series. The 'A Date With Destiny' series only has one other title - 'Night of a Thousand Boyfriends'.
'Escape From Fire Island!' finds you and your narcissistic best friend Jose battling the weekend crowds to Fire Island only to have a zombie apocalypse break out almost as soon as you set out your towel.
First of all, let's get the bad stuff out of the way: some of the humor is dated. The jokes against drag queens and transsexuals can easily be taken the wrong way. There is a spirit of fun to the piece, but....urgh. On the other hand, the radioactive zombies' "tells" are a penchant for boas and calling you Mary as their press on nails slice open your throat, so some aggressive language against the queen zombies is to be expected.
The other problem I had was more mechanical, in several instances the exact page is duplicated: same text, same directions at the bottom, etc. Why not just have instructions go back to one page instead of wasting space? We could have fit in a couple more story threads with those pages.
Everything else about this book is amahzing. The cover design and interior illustrations call back to the original book series and it was a lot of fun seeing all the adventures to be had while saving Fire Island from Champagne Toast's zombie horde and/or President Bush's nukes. There were mermen, there were sexy secret agents, there were glory holes. It has everything.
I needed a good laugh, and you probably do too. This should do the trick.
'Escape From Fire Island!' finds you and your narcissistic best friend Jose battling the weekend crowds to Fire Island only to have a zombie apocalypse break out almost as soon as you set out your towel.
First of all, let's get the bad stuff out of the way: some of the humor is dated. The jokes against drag queens and transsexuals can easily be taken the wrong way. There is a spirit of fun to the piece, but....urgh. On the other hand, the radioactive zombies' "tells" are a penchant for boas and calling you Mary as their press on nails slice open your throat, so some aggressive language against the queen zombies is to be expected.
The other problem I had was more mechanical, in several instances the exact page is duplicated: same text, same directions at the bottom, etc. Why not just have instructions go back to one page instead of wasting space? We could have fit in a couple more story threads with those pages.
Everything else about this book is amahzing. The cover design and interior illustrations call back to the original book series and it was a lot of fun seeing all the adventures to be had while saving Fire Island from Champagne Toast's zombie horde and/or President Bush's nukes. There were mermen, there were sexy secret agents, there were glory holes. It has everything.
I needed a good laugh, and you probably do too. This should do the trick.
pastel_clouds's review
2.0
rating: 2.5 stars
I have never read a choose your own adventure book, so I though I might as well try this parody of one as it's targeted for adults.
It's light and there are very interesting endings that can be reached.
I have never read a choose your own adventure book, so I though I might as well try this parody of one as it's targeted for adults.
It's light and there are very interesting endings that can be reached.
apostrophen's review
4.0
Just like the Choose Your Own Adventure books I used to read growing up. Only with hotter guys. In speedoes. And blow-jobs!
Okay, it's cheesy and it's silly, and there's things like magical Prada Running Shoes and drag queen zombies and you might meet an FBI Agent (Agent Bottom, I kid you not) or have the most amazing glory hole experience of your life, but the nostalgia factor tied in with the queer content was just hilarious, and I loved it. I did the usual thing I always kid as a kid though, and found all the endings and figured out my way backwards from them, too, just so I could have had all the experiences the book had to offer. ;)
Okay, it's cheesy and it's silly, and there's things like magical Prada Running Shoes and drag queen zombies and you might meet an FBI Agent (Agent Bottom, I kid you not) or have the most amazing glory hole experience of your life, but the nostalgia factor tied in with the queer content was just hilarious, and I loved it. I did the usual thing I always kid as a kid though, and found all the endings and figured out my way backwards from them, too, just so I could have had all the experiences the book had to offer. ;)
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