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

I’m not a fan of fiction, but....

I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks, around 10 hours a week. But I haven’t listened to or read a work of fiction in years. And I haven’t read a work of science / fantasy fiction in, maybe, ever.

But Sidequest had me hooked from the beginning and kept my interest through the end.

The book was very well done, with multiple interesting themes running in the undercurrent. And the artist reading it did a fantastic job.

Definitely worth the time and money.

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.

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."

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.

Everything is normal move along! Highly Recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book! I'm quite surprised by the variance in ratings this book has received on Audible, especially the narration performance, as my impression of the narration by Richard Cefalos was only positive! There was a great amount of variation in character voicing and, for the most part, I had no issue with any of the voices. I can see how some people might not be fans of some of the female voices but it didn't take long for each voice to grow on me.

I found the story extremely entertaining and enjoyed how the normal turned into abnormal (but still 'normal'). I liked how the story remained only semi-serious at most and lighthearted for the most part with touches of real and weird. Overall it was a fun listen and 10 hours well spent! I would have no issue listening to more narration by Richard Cefalos and will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books written by Frank J Fleming.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

So much fun!

I loved this story so much. It was surreal and fun. I'm not sure how to describe it maybe it's like a Salvador Dali painting in book form. I'm not good at writing reviews I just know that I loved this book so much. Give it a try if you like surreal adventures.

Quirky and Fun

This book was very silly in an endearing way. It seemed to drag on a little towards the end, but I enjoyed it. The world the author builds had me smiling frequently, and the main character was relatable. All in all, I feel this book was worth listening to.

I'm not very good at writing reviews.

Worlds collide to those who can see them

We live in a world and we see what we wish to see. Our minds automatically block our awareness from seeing things that don’t belong. What happens when we awaken from that state? What happens when our friend sets us up with a woman who is in reality a soulless dark warrior who routinely slaughters people? What do you do when you go to a meeting where a person is actually being sacrificed to a dark entity? Well in most cases you have a mental breakdown and go to the loony bin. Our hero gets a magical fairy sword and dives wholeheartedly into this mixed world, with very mixed yet hilarious results. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

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.

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.

Ok

So this is a pretty good book but the ending is a bit of a letdown.