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jjc245's review against another edition
2.0
Sooooooo much fat-shaming, with very little character development. Left a bad taste in my mouth, overall.
hdbblog's review against another edition
4.0
Look, I'll be completely honest with you straight off the bat. I went into this book not sure if I was going to make it the whole way through. Billy, Alf and Clark started out as this misfit group of boys that, despite the fact that I'm sure teenage boys actually do act exactly as they did, drove me to the brink of madness. I honestly wasn't certain I was going to be able to follow them through the entirety of the story.
Then, something magical happened. Video games came into play! 80's nostalgia blossomed, and suddenly Billy was more than just a typical teenage boy to me. He was a video game obsessed, extremely talented, passionate young man. He was a character who wasn't afraid to put his heart, soul, and ample amounts of his time into doing something that he really loved. After that, I felt so much more connected to this story. I wanted Billy to succeed, and I so hoped he'd learn how amazing he really was.
Things picked up from there. Mary was introduced, and I instantly fell in love with her character. I adored that she was intelligent, unafraid to show her passion for coding, and full of the kind of wit that I can only wish for. She screamed "future girl boss" to me, and I ate it up. Her banter with Billy was perfection, her no nonsense look at the world was intoxicating, and I was hooked. If this book had simply revolved around Mary, I would have been smitten from the beginning. As it stands though, Mary was the part of this story that made Billy whole. Their little romance, even the rough parts of it, gave me life.
Jason Rekulak showed me that I really shouldn't give up on characters after the first few pages. Billy, Alf, and Clark turned into boys that I actually fell head over heels for. I didn't always agree with their thoughts, or their actions, but it didn't change the fact that they were realistically flawed human beings. They were just teenage boys, obsessed with Vanna White, intent on getting girls, and learning to navigate this crazy world we all live in. We'd all love to pretend that our teenage years weren't peppered with bad decisions, and mistakes. That's just life though, and Rekulak shows that in a way that is equal parts funny and honest.
Then, something magical happened. Video games came into play! 80's nostalgia blossomed, and suddenly Billy was more than just a typical teenage boy to me. He was a video game obsessed, extremely talented, passionate young man. He was a character who wasn't afraid to put his heart, soul, and ample amounts of his time into doing something that he really loved. After that, I felt so much more connected to this story. I wanted Billy to succeed, and I so hoped he'd learn how amazing he really was.
Things picked up from there. Mary was introduced, and I instantly fell in love with her character. I adored that she was intelligent, unafraid to show her passion for coding, and full of the kind of wit that I can only wish for. She screamed "future girl boss" to me, and I ate it up. Her banter with Billy was perfection, her no nonsense look at the world was intoxicating, and I was hooked. If this book had simply revolved around Mary, I would have been smitten from the beginning. As it stands though, Mary was the part of this story that made Billy whole. Their little romance, even the rough parts of it, gave me life.
Jason Rekulak showed me that I really shouldn't give up on characters after the first few pages. Billy, Alf, and Clark turned into boys that I actually fell head over heels for. I didn't always agree with their thoughts, or their actions, but it didn't change the fact that they were realistically flawed human beings. They were just teenage boys, obsessed with Vanna White, intent on getting girls, and learning to navigate this crazy world we all live in. We'd all love to pretend that our teenage years weren't peppered with bad decisions, and mistakes. That's just life though, and Rekulak shows that in a way that is equal parts funny and honest.
thebobsphere's review against another edition
4.0
After the success of Ready Player One, I was expecting a slew of books set int he 80’s with computers featuring and I guess The Impossible Fortress is one of those novels.
Do not get me wrong, The Impossible Fortress is not a Ready Player One rip off. It does share the same elements: 80’s pop culture references, computers and even a computer mogul but the similarity stops there. The book is more a coming of age story and how one action can lead to another that is worse than the last.
The premise behind the book is Vanna White’s Playboy spread, which a group of schoolboys desperately want. After some failed attempts the boys (somehow I kept thinking of the younger teens in Freaks and Geeks) finally manage to think of a plan, which involves one of the boys befriending the shop owner’s daughter and using her in order to get the shop code.
The next part of the book is predictable. The boy befriends the girl and starts to like her, they work together on a computer game in order to win a competition and when it finally comes to getting the password, the boy fails until an incident happens that changes the plan somewhat.
Doug Walker aka The Nostalgia Critic has stated in one of his videos that one movie cliche he dislikes is the liar revealed. This is more or less the set up for The Impossible Fortress and, yes, the actual reveal is predictable, but Rekulak throws in a clever red herring not only redeems the book but makes it credible and it happens at the right moment as I was actually amazed that the publishers let an author get away with a blatantly obvious plot.
One gripe I do have with the book is that the book is a sort of memoir and yet the ending does not really convey that so will there be a sequel?? As such, I think it would ruin the book itself but we’ll see.
I read The Impossible Fortress in the space of two hours so it is a quick breezy read, it is funny in places and the characters are sweet. It’s a perfect rainy day book or plane read, especially if you are into 80’s coming of age stories then really you can do no wrong with this one.
Do not get me wrong, The Impossible Fortress is not a Ready Player One rip off. It does share the same elements: 80’s pop culture references, computers and even a computer mogul but the similarity stops there. The book is more a coming of age story and how one action can lead to another that is worse than the last.
The premise behind the book is Vanna White’s Playboy spread, which a group of schoolboys desperately want. After some failed attempts the boys (somehow I kept thinking of the younger teens in Freaks and Geeks) finally manage to think of a plan, which involves one of the boys befriending the shop owner’s daughter and using her in order to get the shop code.
The next part of the book is predictable. The boy befriends the girl and starts to like her, they work together on a computer game in order to win a competition and when it finally comes to getting the password, the boy fails until an incident happens that changes the plan somewhat.
Doug Walker aka The Nostalgia Critic has stated in one of his videos that one movie cliche he dislikes is the liar revealed. This is more or less the set up for The Impossible Fortress and, yes, the actual reveal is predictable, but Rekulak throws in a clever red herring not only redeems the book but makes it credible and it happens at the right moment as I was actually amazed that the publishers let an author get away with a blatantly obvious plot.
One gripe I do have with the book is that the book is a sort of memoir and yet the ending does not really convey that so will there be a sequel?? As such, I think it would ruin the book itself but we’ll see.
I read The Impossible Fortress in the space of two hours so it is a quick breezy read, it is funny in places and the characters are sweet. It’s a perfect rainy day book or plane read, especially if you are into 80’s coming of age stories then really you can do no wrong with this one.
canthappenhere's review against another edition
2.0
Starts off as a nostalgia joy ride but quickly burns out. The middle of the book is filled with an excess of dull downtime used as relationship building that eventually leads no where. A main character that makes awful choices and is for the most part pretty forgettable. A big twist that really devalues the character building. And an ending that felt akin to every 90’s sports movie I’ve ever seen, this time with coding.
emmyg_photo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
caumphryes's review against another edition
4.0
I have read this book twice in the past 5 years. It's a fun book about teens who do dumb stuff and have fun and make a video game. There's a beautiful story of friendship, with all its ups and downs, video games and computers, and a truly endearing love story. It's totally worth the read. I liked It enough to read it twice. You might too!
P.s. this author has another book that is in no way similar to this one, but it's also great.
P.s. this author has another book that is in no way similar to this one, but it's also great.
belinda_frisch's review against another edition
5.0
Jason Rekulak’s The Impossible Fortress is as 1980s as John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, and Aqua Net, and I really enjoyed it.
Billy is a good kid but a poor student, focusing on teaching himself computer programming instead of on his school work at a time when programming is a laughable job prospect. He has been making games for his C64 such as “Strip Poker with Christie Brinkley” and, as an inexperienced teenage boy, is preoccupied with boobs.
When Vanna White appears on the cover of Playboy, Billy and two of his friends decide they have to get their hands on a copy. The problem is that the only place that carries it is Mr. Zelinsky’s typewriter repair shop and general store.
Enter Mr. Zelinsky’s daughter, Mary, who, like Billy, is learning programming, but who, unlike Billy, has ivy-league college plans. She tells Billy about a contest for a game company—the prize being a far faster and newer computer than the C64. He wants to participate but needs Mary’s help because the graphics in his game, The Impossible Fortress, are too slow to play. The two dedicate themselves to learning ML (machine language) and to ironing out the bugs in Billy’s game in time to enter the competition. Billy and his friends, meanwhile, have not forgotten Vanna White. Not only is she an obsession, but the photographs of her have become a business opportunity. This is where the meet-cute between boy and girl begins to unravel…
I commend the author’s effort to recapture the nostalgia of a decade I grew up in (and am excited to report that there is a version of this game on the author’s website). I remember C64 programming in the computer lab at my school, and it was fun to think about something I haven’t thought of in decades. The characters are absolutely compelling—Billy’s in particular—and I’m thrilled that Jason Rekulak left political correctness at the curb. Some of what is said or done in the book is typical 1980s before bullying was a “thing,” and when shaming of any sort (in this case mostly weight-shaming) wasn’t only common but sort of a given among kids and their peers. If you’re not of this generation, perhaps you’re going to make a bigger deal of these finer points, but know they are absolutely authentic.
I am not normally a reader of YA fiction, and I’m not sure The Impossible Fortress is really meant for millennial young adults. I expect most of the references would be lost on anyone who didn’t experience the 80s firsthand. As a throwback, this book is every bit as enjoyable as watching The Goonies or Stand by Me (totally different generation, I know, but equally coming of age) in that it is a story about a wacky young adult caper with deeper subtext about choices and consequences. I wasn’t wild about Mary’s side story *no spoilers* but I wasn’t put off by it enough to downgrade to four stars. I just think that whole thing, and the scene with Billy and the others headed to the convent, could have been stripped out and the book would have been stronger for it. Still, I loved it. I haven’t wanted to binge-read so badly in a long time, and I’m sad to see The Impossible Fortress end. 5-stars and highly recommended.
Billy is a good kid but a poor student, focusing on teaching himself computer programming instead of on his school work at a time when programming is a laughable job prospect. He has been making games for his C64 such as “Strip Poker with Christie Brinkley” and, as an inexperienced teenage boy, is preoccupied with boobs.
When Vanna White appears on the cover of Playboy, Billy and two of his friends decide they have to get their hands on a copy. The problem is that the only place that carries it is Mr. Zelinsky’s typewriter repair shop and general store.
Enter Mr. Zelinsky’s daughter, Mary, who, like Billy, is learning programming, but who, unlike Billy, has ivy-league college plans. She tells Billy about a contest for a game company—the prize being a far faster and newer computer than the C64. He wants to participate but needs Mary’s help because the graphics in his game, The Impossible Fortress, are too slow to play. The two dedicate themselves to learning ML (machine language) and to ironing out the bugs in Billy’s game in time to enter the competition. Billy and his friends, meanwhile, have not forgotten Vanna White. Not only is she an obsession, but the photographs of her have become a business opportunity. This is where the meet-cute between boy and girl begins to unravel…
I commend the author’s effort to recapture the nostalgia of a decade I grew up in (and am excited to report that there is a version of this game on the author’s website). I remember C64 programming in the computer lab at my school, and it was fun to think about something I haven’t thought of in decades. The characters are absolutely compelling—Billy’s in particular—and I’m thrilled that Jason Rekulak left political correctness at the curb. Some of what is said or done in the book is typical 1980s before bullying was a “thing,” and when shaming of any sort (in this case mostly weight-shaming) wasn’t only common but sort of a given among kids and their peers. If you’re not of this generation, perhaps you’re going to make a bigger deal of these finer points, but know they are absolutely authentic.
I am not normally a reader of YA fiction, and I’m not sure The Impossible Fortress is really meant for millennial young adults. I expect most of the references would be lost on anyone who didn’t experience the 80s firsthand. As a throwback, this book is every bit as enjoyable as watching The Goonies or Stand by Me (totally different generation, I know, but equally coming of age) in that it is a story about a wacky young adult caper with deeper subtext about choices and consequences. I wasn’t wild about Mary’s side story *no spoilers* but I wasn’t put off by it enough to downgrade to four stars. I just think that whole thing, and the scene with Billy and the others headed to the convent, could have been stripped out and the book would have been stronger for it. Still, I loved it. I haven’t wanted to binge-read so badly in a long time, and I’m sad to see The Impossible Fortress end. 5-stars and highly recommended.
b00kh0arder's review against another edition
5.0
You know the phrase "You can't understand someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes?" (One of the chief reasons we read fiction I would've thought.) Well, reading this certainly gave me an insight into the mindset & emotional landscape of teenage boys. (Now, if boys could be persuaded to read a book with a teenage girl as the main character, so we might all come to a better understanding of each other. ;D) But joking aside, this is a big, wonderful, funny, warm-hearted novel. Not only a love letter to the eighties but a love letter to youth, friendship, first love and video games. Whether you're male or female, a computer enthusiast or wouldn't know how to programme a calculator, this is a book I implore you to give a read.
archangelesq's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Very strong debut novel. Extremely fun read. It made me really want to get back into learning code Language, and binary code. I am excited for future books from this writer.