The Impossible Fortress
- Narrated by:
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release Date:02-07-17
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
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Publisher's Summary
A dazzling debut novel - at once a charming romance, a hilarious crime caper, and a moving coming-of-age story - about what happens when a 14-year-old boy pretends to seduce a girl to steal a copy of Playboy but then discovers she is his computer-loving soul mate.
Billy Marvin's first love was a computer. Then he met Mary Zelinsky.
Do you remember your first love?
The Impossible Fortress begins with a magazine. The year is 1987, and Playboy has just published scandalous photographs of Vanna White, from the popular TV game show Wheel of Fortune. For three teenage boys - Billy, Alf, and Clark - who are desperately uneducated in the ways of women, the magazine is somewhat of a Holy Grail: priceless beyond measure and impossible to attain. So, they hatch a plan to steal it.
The heist will be fraught with peril: a locked building, intrepid police officers, rusty fire escapes, leaps across rooftops, electronic alarm systems, and a hyperactive Shih Tzu named Arnold Schwarzenegger. Failed attempt after failed attempt leads them to a genius master plan - they'll swipe the security code to Zelinsky's convenience store by seducing the owner's daughter, Mary Zelinsky. It becomes Billy's mission to befriend her and get the information by any means necessary. But Mary isn't your average teenage girl. She's a computer loving expert coder, already strides ahead of Billy in ability, with a wry sense of humor and a hidden big heart. But what starts as a game to win Mary's affection leaves Billy with a gut-wrenching choice: deceive the girl who may well be his first love or break a promise to his best friends.
At its heart, The Impossible Fortress is a tender exploration of young love, true friends, and the confusing realities of male adolescence - with a dash of old-school computer programming.
©2017 Jason Rekulak (P)2017 Simon & Schuster Audio
What Members Say
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"Great story !"
This book was a delightful surprise. Funny and touching, well developed characters, good narration. It's not as YA as it might seem initially. Definitely worth a credit.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful -
"It's GOOD!"
This is a charming coming of age story and moves along at a good pace. The story and the narration are excellent! I hope Jason writes another one and Grffin Newman reads it to us!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful -
"Great story with a few twists"
I loved everything about this book except for the 30 to 45 seconds of code entering at the opening of every chapter
1 of 1 people found this review helpful -
"predictable"
I felt it was predictable and would have done just fine as a 30 minute program on nickelodeon.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Touching story"
Very well read and entertaining. The author captures the setting perfectly and the characters feel so real. Everything reminds me of being a teenager in the 1980s.
A very creative, original, and fun novel. I'm glad I found it.
The narrator does an exceptional job of making himself sound like a teenage boy.
One minor negative about the audio. The computer code at the beginning of each chapter is a great example of something that works in print but not on an audiobook. I think that they should have left it out after the first chapter. it's very helpful to have the 30 second fast forward button to move past it.0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Slight but enjoyable"
A fun read. The characters are believable, the plot a little less so. It's reminiscent of a lot of teen films from the 80s.
The narrator does a good job of sounding like a kid. The "code" sections at the start of each chapter are a little annoying, and pointless, but they're brief.0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Engaging story with one-of-a-kind narration"
If you can relate to the 1980s subculture of home computers, cassette tapes and the emergence of CompuServe you'll like this book. As a bonus, the narration is excellent and will keep you engaged at all times.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"Good Story"
Good story, good narration, but the beginning of each chapter with computer language, too much.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
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