Questland

By: Carrie Vaughn

Narrated by: Erin Bennett

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

"Questland is a thrill ride.... Richly imagined, action-packed, maximum fun." (Charles Yu, New York Times best-selling author of Interior Chinatown)

You find yourself in a maze full of twisty passages....

Literature Professor Dr. Addie Cox is living a happy, if sheltered, life in her ivory tower when Harris Lang, the famously eccentric billionaire tech genius, offers her an unusual job. He wants her to guide a mercenary strike team sent to infiltrate his island retreat off the northwest coast of the United States. Addie is puzzled by her role on the mission until she understands what Lang has built: Insula Mirabilis, an isolated resort where tourists will one day pay big bucks for a convincing, high-tech-powered fantasy-world experience, complete with dragons, unicorns, and, yes, magic.

Unfortunately, one of the island's employees has gone rogue and activated an invisible force shield that has cut off all outside communication. A Coast Guard cutter attempting to pass through the shield has been destroyed. Suspicion rests on Dominic Brand, the project’s head designer—and Addie Cox's ex-boyfriend. Lang has tasked Addie and the mercenary team with taking back control of the island at any cost.

But Addie is wrestling demons of her own—and not the fantastical kind. Now, she must navigate the deadly traps of Insula Mirabilis as well as her own past trauma. And no d20, however lucky, can help Addie make this saving throw.

“Gamers rejoice! Carrie Vaughn has conjured up a fun and fast-paced story filled with elves, d20s, and Monty Python riffs.” (Monte Cook, ENnie Award-winning creator of the Numenera roleplaying game)

©2021 Carrie Vaughn (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

I really enjoyed this book

This was my first exposure to Carrie’s writing, and I loved the book. The sample made me laugh, and I picked it up on a whim. I’m so glad that I did. RPGs, and so many pop culture references. What’s not to love. Plus there is a very strong core message about Feminism, overcoming traumatic experiences, and learning to cope in the real world while not surrendering the fantasy. If you recognized the d20 on the cover, I highly recommend this book. I’d give it 5 stars, but then how would I differentiate Hemingway, Fitzgerald, or Tolkien?

Phenomenal! On point for Many Genres!

An amazing blend of tabletop game, fantasy literature, and video game references make this book already fun plotline full of little easter eggs that will have you nodding and smiling across so many fandoms!

Excellently crafted with a good mixture of description and action, this was a very fun read!

Such an exciting story

Carrie Vaughn's voice is so great. She's combined adventure, excitement, magic, danger and romance in a fairytale dreamscape. What could possibly go wrong? What indeed! Oh my!

I really needed a good story

Not only was this book fun for my RPG, fantasy-loving little heart — it was just a good story. Not predictable, completely relatable, and high on the types of references that make my inner geek happy. Definitely recommend.

Don’t listen to the porr star review

The female protagonist was a character that’s actually believable . There are more ladies that are like this rather than Xena., despite the beliefs of the poor star reviewer. Very enjoyable story

Not Her Best

It's a fast, fun read, but not one of Carrie's best. She again has a weak/damaged protagonist, which always takes me a few deep breaths to deal with, and I just didn't have enough invested in her and the characters by the end of the book to care that much.

Good Read

Maybe a 4 star is a little harsh, because it was a good read, however I am not a seasoned reviewer. Enjoyed the story having so many allusions to other pieces of literature in the same genre, brought the story to life as a relatable story that could actually happen.

loved it.

Great characters. fast paced. great gobs of geek. well worth the credit. would recommend

Loved it

I read the reviews and got it despite them. I don’t regret it all all. The storyline kept me entertained with enough pop culture references to make my mind work. The descriptions were just enough that I could visualize things without detracting from the story. The snippets of the fantasy and reality merging were well done and the main characters struggles that blurring of the lines and even her past were done respectfully. The realism was great using a lot of hard science blended in, creating a fantasy theme park that I want to visit. The ending left enough closure to satisfy me while keeping in mind how the real world operates.

do you miss Jurassic Park? Try this

First, really fun book!
Solid performance.
Next, this book strikes me as the mutant love child of Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings. Too fun!
Carrie Vaughn tells a story of science run a bit off the rails, and affable, clear, likeable characters who need to rise to the challenge.
solid adventure, seasoned with a lot of humor and a touch of pathos. Grab your d20 and settle in.