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Twenty-Sided Die #1
Twenty-Sided Die
Dorks versus orcs! Twenty-Sided Die chronicles the trials and tribulations of a group of small-town Pennsylvania summer camp counselors and their regular Dungeons & Dragons group. Young love, nerd hate, magic, Magic: The Gathering, swords and sousaphones abound. It's one part Stand By Me, one part Clerks, and one part The Guild, shaken and served. These twenty interconnected short stories delve into the seedy underbelly of surburban life, as well as navigating the halls of high school and beyond. Marvel as our intrepid heroes battle savage Abercrombies, gun-toting hillbillies, and -- more often than not -- each other.
207 pages, Paperback
First published December 23, 2013
3 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Brian J. Prisco
8Ìýbooks17ÌýfollowersBrian Prisco is an actor, a director, a filmmaker, a playwright, a poet, a screenwriter, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker, a charlatan, a ruse, and a surly baked potato with feelings. He has a B.A. in English and Theatre from Washington and Lee University, a MFA in Screenwriting from Boston University, and a degree in mixology from the Allentown Bartending School. He is actively using none of these degrees. At one time or another he has been a summer camp counselor, a haunted hayride scare actor, a community theater actor, a bank teller, a pharmaceutical sales auditor, a bookseller, a coffee seller, a karaoke DJ, a trivia host, a costume character, a balloon sculptor, a face painter, a carnival hawker, a waiter, a museum docent, a tour guide, a film and television actor, a background artist, and some sort of accountant for shopping carts. He has only resided in states whose postal codes end in A. Raised on the east coast outside of Philadelphia, he vagabonded his way to the Left Coast, where he lives somewheres in the greater Los Angeles vicinity with his lovely wife and his dog, Porkchop.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 5, 2014
So good! It starts as a loose collection of short stories and ends as a tightly wound package. A poignant look at high school in a small town, D&D, Risk, and group dynamics. My favorite chapter was "The Wages of Sin," which is a darkly funny look at a haunted house run by a church. Highly recommend this book.
January 28, 2014
A good coming-of-age novel is interesting in that, even if the main character's experience is vastly different from the reader's, the reader still feels the nostalgia. Twenty-Sided Die is a good coming-of-age novel. It's a series of vignettes following the lives of five young men who play Dungeons & Dragons together.
I was a nerd of a different ilk in my youth; I tried D&D once, but it didn't really take. The boys I knew who played D&D (and they were all boys, actually) were as varied as Prisco's characters: some were the stereotypically socially awkward geeks, some were socially adept and intelligent (if physically lacking in various ways), and there were even a rare few who were athletic and popular and hid their D&D fetishes from their teammates and girlfriends.
Prisco paints his characters with stark, but loving brushstrokes. He's almost harsh in his descriptions of some of the boys -- fat, acne-ridden, arrogant, awkward. But his affection for his characters shines through in his narration of their daily lives, their inner monologues, their vivid fantasy adventures, and their secrets. Like Steinbeck, he finds the beauty in the mundane, a reminder that even those whom society disdains have secret pains and joys and worth.
If was an homage, then Twenty-Sided Die is a love song -- a bittersweet ode to what was, what is, and what could have been.
I was a nerd of a different ilk in my youth; I tried D&D once, but it didn't really take. The boys I knew who played D&D (and they were all boys, actually) were as varied as Prisco's characters: some were the stereotypically socially awkward geeks, some were socially adept and intelligent (if physically lacking in various ways), and there were even a rare few who were athletic and popular and hid their D&D fetishes from their teammates and girlfriends.
Prisco paints his characters with stark, but loving brushstrokes. He's almost harsh in his descriptions of some of the boys -- fat, acne-ridden, arrogant, awkward. But his affection for his characters shines through in his narration of their daily lives, their inner monologues, their vivid fantasy adventures, and their secrets. Like Steinbeck, he finds the beauty in the mundane, a reminder that even those whom society disdains have secret pains and joys and worth.
If was an homage, then Twenty-Sided Die is a love song -- a bittersweet ode to what was, what is, and what could have been.
January 25, 2014
When I saw this as a proposed project on Kickstarter I was instantly hooked. As a massive fan of RPG's, in any form, a book written about them would combine two things I love in one package. Twenty Sided Die is a lovely book which delivered narratively far more than I thought it would. The interaction between each short story, coming together towards the end, was a nice device. There wasn't as much in the way of D&D playing as perhaps as I'd have liked (more interaction between players during games would have been nice) but the balance works - never boring and always with new twists and turns. I would have liked there to be a little less belief suspending (a couple of events seemed elevated beyond the believable of this form of 'high school based' fiction) but, ultimately, if you can put that aside you have a great collection of stories, vibrant characters and something D&D players will enjoy. I am very happy I sponsored the project and will keep my paperback copy with pride, knowing I put my money towards something which was infinitely worth reading.
January 11, 2014
Prisco's passion for storytelling and wit shows throughout the book. Small town life is captured with ease and the reader is taken on a journey. While I've never played Dungeons & Dragons, the narrative of the characters' adventures provides its own unique experience. Besides small town life and D&D, the reader is treated to stories about how underdogs can rise above their bullies and still seek revenge in some cases.
March 10, 2014
Twenty-Sided Die is a short story collection that centers around one year in the lives of five friends of varying ages who play a Dungeons and Dragons style role playing game. The five young men know each other from summer camp but lead very different lives during the school year. Each chapter is told from a different character’s viewpoint and the passing of time is experienced as the characters mention outcomes from the previous chapter’s actions. During the school year the gentlemen deal with bullies, domestic abuse, girlfriends, frustrations within the group, and the role playing game they share.
I was initially bored with the characters as they seemed too cookie cutter geek. The main characters include a misogynist and overweight game master, a trailer park tough kid, and a closeted geek that seemingly walks between the nerd and normal world. The dialogue began as overly scripted banter among young men but leveled out into fairly realistic conversation after a few chapters. Throughout the book the verbal lashings doled out were overly crafted with quotes and swear words, and at times distracting. However, as I am a sucker for the plight of the nerd, I eventually overlooked the stereotypes and lightened up. Upon finishing the book I learned that, overall, the author showed he understands the range of the male nerd. The characters were likeable, though if at times unbelievable.
In several chapters, the reader gets a first-hand look at the role playing world as the chapter begins within the game world. We are no longer reading about five young men in Quakertown, but rather four men on a quest who battle evil creatures and search for adventure. In the vein of The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, the author distinguishes between the gaming world story and the current story seamlessly. The action moves from a mountaintop during a fight with a warlock to five people at a gaming table surrounded by their stats sheets and dice after one of the guys does something out of touch with the game. Arguments ensue, compromises are made, and back into the gaming world the reader goes. These moments were some of my favorite to read as they brought back wonderful gaming memories of my own.
Since the book is a collection of short stories as opposed to a continuous story, Prisco did miss out on a chance for more character and plot development. As a result, the conclusions to his bully subplots seem a bit over the top, even for a good revenge story, and unwarranted. The short story format also lent to instances when the pace of the story was difficult to determine. The time elapsed from chapter to chapter was not always equal and could only be recognized through the dialogue. Many times this proved to be disorienting. Once I realized where we were in the school year, I felt cheated that we jumped forward in time. The glossing over of consequences and subsequent events does give the story a “status quo� kind of feel, meaning not all moments in life are interesting or important. Though a true to life philosophy, it does confuse the reader on what we are supposed to consider important to the plot and how an action plays into character development.
With all that said, this book was very fun to read. Anyone of any age who enjoys gaming, seeing the bully get theirs, geek girls and geek girl rants will enjoy this. Though I recommend parents concerned with swearing give it a read first as some of the dialogue is rather eyebrow raising. I give this book a strong 3 stars.
I was initially bored with the characters as they seemed too cookie cutter geek. The main characters include a misogynist and overweight game master, a trailer park tough kid, and a closeted geek that seemingly walks between the nerd and normal world. The dialogue began as overly scripted banter among young men but leveled out into fairly realistic conversation after a few chapters. Throughout the book the verbal lashings doled out were overly crafted with quotes and swear words, and at times distracting. However, as I am a sucker for the plight of the nerd, I eventually overlooked the stereotypes and lightened up. Upon finishing the book I learned that, overall, the author showed he understands the range of the male nerd. The characters were likeable, though if at times unbelievable.
In several chapters, the reader gets a first-hand look at the role playing world as the chapter begins within the game world. We are no longer reading about five young men in Quakertown, but rather four men on a quest who battle evil creatures and search for adventure. In the vein of The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, the author distinguishes between the gaming world story and the current story seamlessly. The action moves from a mountaintop during a fight with a warlock to five people at a gaming table surrounded by their stats sheets and dice after one of the guys does something out of touch with the game. Arguments ensue, compromises are made, and back into the gaming world the reader goes. These moments were some of my favorite to read as they brought back wonderful gaming memories of my own.
Since the book is a collection of short stories as opposed to a continuous story, Prisco did miss out on a chance for more character and plot development. As a result, the conclusions to his bully subplots seem a bit over the top, even for a good revenge story, and unwarranted. The short story format also lent to instances when the pace of the story was difficult to determine. The time elapsed from chapter to chapter was not always equal and could only be recognized through the dialogue. Many times this proved to be disorienting. Once I realized where we were in the school year, I felt cheated that we jumped forward in time. The glossing over of consequences and subsequent events does give the story a “status quo� kind of feel, meaning not all moments in life are interesting or important. Though a true to life philosophy, it does confuse the reader on what we are supposed to consider important to the plot and how an action plays into character development.
With all that said, this book was very fun to read. Anyone of any age who enjoys gaming, seeing the bully get theirs, geek girls and geek girl rants will enjoy this. Though I recommend parents concerned with swearing give it a read first as some of the dialogue is rather eyebrow raising. I give this book a strong 3 stars.
January 3, 2016
Despite D&D not being my personal brand of nerd, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only was it delightfully nostalgic (I'm a product of Upper Bucks County myself), but I also couldn't help mentally casting my teenage son and his own band of roleplaying friends as the core group of characters, making this a read that I feel multiple generations can relate to. So, whether you enjoy witty writings, are proud to have grown up/to be raising a nerd or have any idea what a Jojo Tato is, this book's for you.
May 11, 2014
Wonderful! Hilarious and entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
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