Dionysus Logged Out

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I was searching for info re Dionysus the god when I came across the website for "Dionysus Logged Out" (www.dionysusloggedout.com). The blurb piqued my curiosity so I read the excerpt and knew I had to order a copy of the book so I'd find out what happened next. Though I was not even aware of the existence of BBS's back in the eighties, I could still relate to this book because I was into D&D back then, owned a Commodore 64, and would later become even more of a geek when I could finally afford a PC and get on to the Internet.

And even though I lived in New York City, not the suburbs of California, reading this book brought back a lot of memories from when I was a teenager (both good and bad). It really made the eighties live again for me, and to my surprise I found that I actually wanted, and maybe even needed, to return to that bittersweet time in my life, if only for a little while. This book helped me do that, in a way that was both pleasant and painful.

But I also consider this a great book for more objective reasons. It's extremely well-written, and the characters really come to life, not just toward the middle of the book, but in the first 10 pages. I know this is a cliche but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I read the whole thing in one sitting, and when I got to the end I turned back to the first page and started reading it again. I highly recommend this book, and I will look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Memory Lane!
Review: Those who were into Bulletin Board Systems (BBS's) during the 80's and early 90's would enjoy this fictional story about a BBS called ChatNet. The story takes place in the East Bay suburbs of San Francisco (Berkeley, Orinda, Walnut Creek, etc), with the main character narrating the story to his good friend who has obviously passed away, but the reader has to wait to find out what really happened and the answer to that all-important question: WHY? The author takes us through all the emotions of losing something important in a person's life. Like many stereotypical BBSers, the characters are a bit unique. Okay, let's face it, they're geeks! For example, the main character is a mathematical genius who is allowed to leave his high school each day for a course at UC Berkeley. Chances are you knew of one or two people like that in high school. I was an active member of the BBS on which the author bases his story, so forgive me for being a bit biased when I say that this book held my attention throughout and beyond, leaving me with a wish that James David King could write a series of similar books, perhaps following the lives of a few other characters during those years of ups and downs. Then there could be a concluding book in the series, telling the story of a ChatNet reunion, bringing the characters in the series together. How would he write the sequel? Did they grow up to be successful? Could they put the sadness and depression behind them? What happened to their lives when the Internet practically made BBS's obsolete? Unfortunately, I can completely understand why this book may not interest someone who was not into BBS's and computer communications back in the 80's, but for those of us who were, it will definitely leave you thinking about some of your old memories. By the way, I do not personally know the author, so I am not trying to sell the products of a friend.