Sidequest: In Realms Ungoogled

By: Frank J Fleming

Narrated by: Richard Cefalos

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Terrance Denby takes an unusual route to work one day and finds himself in an enchanted forest where winged fairies give him a sword and tell him, “Your journey is about to begin. Learn to use this sword or perish.”

Terrance doesn’t have time to go on a magical quest: he’s late for his job as a computer programmer. But when he gets to work, he suddenly notices things he hadn’t seen before. Like the fact that his boss is a demon with scaly skin, horns, and bloodstained fangs. Or that an “unnamed thing below” feasts on human victims in an arena filled with people absorbed in their cell phones.

Set up on a blind date with a perky blonde named Shannon, Terrance finds that she is wearing a full suit of armor complete with a helmet and sword. “I’m a Sister of Torment,” she explains. “We’re a group of women who serve the Darkness.” Terrance can't help wondering how such a nice, attractive girl ended up beheading people with an ax.

But their budding romance is complicated when Terrance is recruited by The Infinite, a shadowy group that is at war with the Sisters of Torment and their demonic overlords. Will Terrance join them? Or will he try to return to his old life and forget the evidence of his now-awakened senses? Faeries, elves, warriors, mermaids, and his dark-souled girlfriend will help him decide.

If J.R.R. Tolkien and Mike Judge got drunk and wrote a book together with the sole purpose of making it epic, it might be Sidequest. With cleverly written dialog and dry humor set against a fantastical, apocalyptic backdrop, Sidequest reads like an episode of Silicon Valley that crossbred with Lord of the Rings.

A hilarious, fun and exciting ride, Sidequest possesses a wry hilarity, lovable characters and a plot that starts mundane and turns gargantuan in its scope.

I'm not one who is into typically geeky things, but I geeked out when I read Sidequest.

©2018 Frank J. Fleming (P)2018 Post Hill Press

A fantasy clash with reality expertly done

What made the experience of listening to Sidequest: In Realms Ungoogled the most enjoyable?
The story does not bludgeon the listener with explanation of every fantasy creature. It does not try to go 5 layers deep into how magic works, and lets us know just enough that most people recently introduced into the fantasy genre will understand the context, without having to fully explore each aspect of every bit of lore.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sidequest: In Realms Ungoogled?
The ending. This is one of the best endings to a story I have seen in a while. It is not a cliff hanger, it explains everything that takes place in the book, while saying little. It leaves on a high note, rather than a cheap cliff hanger or some cop out.

Which character – as performed by Richard Cefalos – was your favorite?
Overall it was the MC. Most of the performances where immersive, but I liked the pilot bear alot more than I probably should.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The ending. It really just tied everything together. It was the summation of the all of the characters growth, without hammering out needlessly, or overexplain what has happened.

Any additional comments?
Get it, it's a great book, that has a great performance. I can't think of the last time a fantasy novel really left me that happy overall days after for the experience of it.

*Edit a few months after the review: The book is still something I recommend to people. I don't recall the last time I enjoyed a book so much, and I actually look forward to more from the author, after I read his other books.

clever story

Used to read Frnak at imao. He has always had a gift for writing dry comedy. This book did not disappoint.

Suggestions: I most like spaceships, Cheetarah, and peking ducks. Please include these in your next work.

good story, but reader was a little fast

The story was good, liked that the main character wasn't the typical hero type. had to turn the speed down to 90% to make the book sound normal.

Entrancing story and fantastic narrator

This simultaneously fantastical and down-to-earth story was great to listen to. It's the first Frank Fleming book I've read, and I will be looking for more. Richard Cefalos was a hilarious and sharp narrator.

The general universe and style are somewhat like Terry Pratchett, but more focused on human relationships and moral dynamics.
The only quibble I have is the chapter where one character explains "this is all an allegory for the Christian life". I think the book didn't need that and stands on its own two feet quite well in any event.

I hope there are more Fleming stories with this cast of characters.

Fun, original story

As it started I thought, this feels like "Off to be the Wizard" one of my favorites, and I was right. But the key word is "feel," as "Sidequest" is a very fun original story.
There are a lot of fun pop culture references without being gratuitous about it. (Have I mentioned that I found this book "fun"?)

The narration was very good except for that I wish there was a greater pause where there was an ellipse in the story. A couple of times I thought, "Wait, how did we get here? And I hit reverse to figure out that it was just a jump in the book to a different part of the story."

Entertaining and surprising

Entertaining and surprising audio book. Easy listen, good narration, easy flowing story. Highly recommend the purchase.

First Audible book I’ve ever returned

While the overall concept of the Sidequest is great, the details become completely lost. It reads like it was written by a sixth-grader with gaping plot holes and unbelievable characters. The character that was most annoying is the girlfriend/demonic warrior. Why would anyone fall in love with a merciless killer just for a nice smile or a good lay? How shallow is Terrance, the protagonist? Perhaps the most annoying facet of her character was the way reader, Richard Cefalos voiced her sounding like a spoiled child. Even though I tried to concentrate on what she was saying rather than how it sounded, it always made her seem totally shallow and self-centered. BTW, Cefalos reading of the male characters were superb, especially Terrance’s office buddy. I really had to plow through to finish the book but was useful in putting me to sleep most nights. I was thankful when I got to the end...so it went back. A first for this Audible subscriber.

Great listen

great quirky story with some funny moments. The voice work was great, really clarified the characters and added to the listen.

This book is a "must hear!"

I can't say enough good things about this book: well-written, cleverly plotted, wonderfully narrated and with a killer ending. The author has created a fantasy world in which web designers, annoying HR people, cell phones, fast food outlets, Hyundais, and Priuses coexist with fairy swords, harpies, vampires, demons and manifestations of ultimate evil. But most important, he makes it all believable and manages to make it all hang together. All the while listening to this book I worried, "how the devil is he going to end it in a way that is consistent and satisfying?" I should not have worried; the ending (totally unexpected) was perfect. Speaking of perfect: the narrator was able to voice each character in such an individual way (men, women and children) that I could recognize each one without relying on the "x said" and "y said" to know who was speaking. And there are some great, almost hidden digs at some of the professions and aspects of modern life that we all (or at least many of us) love to hate.

breaks free of the normal urban fantasy mold

This story doesn't necessarily follow the normal urban fantasy novel model and that makes it fresh. I normally just listen to audio books on my commute but found myself taking the less traveled roads to get more listening time and finally found myself listening to the end of the book in my cubicle, staring at my computer screen trying to decipher some cryptic code....