Title: Geekomancy (Goodreads)
Author: Michael R. Underwood
Series: Geekomancy #1
Published: Pocket Stars, 2012
Pages: 255
Genres: Fantasy
My Copy: eBook

Buy: Amazon (or visit your local Indie bookstore)

I’ve never really been able to get into Fantasy too well but occasionally I find an urban fantasy novel that I really enjoy. Geekomancy tells the story of Ree who discovers that she is a Geekomancer; a human that derives supernatural powers from pop culture. One day she is a struggling screen writer work as a barista at a comic shop, the next she is discovering the town’s magical flip-side as well as her own abilities. Ree needs to help Eastwood in solving the mysterious increase of teen suicides while discovering who she is.

While this is a typical urban fanstasy novel this offers so much more; I would say a must read for any geeks out; there are many references to The Princess Bride, Buffy, Firefly, Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragons, Doctor Who, Sherlock and the list goes on and on. Many people talk about this book as a book that Kevin Smith would write if he wrote urban fantasy; while I see the homage towards Kevin Smith, I also feel like this is homage to Joss Whedon as well.

In some parts I think Michael R. Underwood did step into the realm of the cliché but overall I think this book was a fast pace geek-out and any predictability was overshadowed by the millions of pop culture references. This is the kind of book I would recommend to anyone looking for another nerdfest after finishing Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. This book would have been so much fun researching and Michael R. Underwood said he has been researching this book his whole life but let’s face it; it would be a good excuse to watch the entire series of Buffy or Sherlock again or to play some more video games like Crimson Skies.

Geekomancy had a nice balance between pop culture and urban fantasy to satisfy a reader like myself who is a little wary of reading fantasy novels. This novel is the beginning of what seems like a great series and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. While the plot is fairly standard, what Michael R. Underwood has done with the pop culture references and blending humour and fantasy elements into this book has resulted in a fast paced enjoyable nerdfest.