Customer Reviews

Geek Mafia

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Fresh from his experience as a co-creator of the online hit City of Heroes, author Rick Dakan takes his knowledge of the video game industry and California counterculture and twists it into an elaborate revenge fantasy fueled by gen-x con-men; Lovable con men and women in the tradition of The Sting and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

Peopled with tech-heads, hippies and comic-book artists, Dakan's Mis-en-Scene is a fascinating fringe full of pop-culture infused societal dropouts who scatter like subversive cockroaches when he shines the light on them. But even more fascinating is that the author seems ready to crawl into the walls with them. He doesn't just romanticize their renegade guerilla lifestyle. He practically enshrines it.

Unapologetically liberal, Dakan finds time to get his digs in on the other side, glossing over the fact that con-men are, by definition, more ruthlessly capitalistic than even Republicans. Whether putting his politico in the mouths of criminals advances his cause is questionable. Whether it advances his story I leave to the reader. But if you're squeamish about broad, acerbic partisanism, be forewarned.

That aside, Dakan proves he can spin a thriller with the best of them, winning us over to his side, at least for the duration of the book. He doesn't shy away from the danger, ruthlessness, and often pettiness of his beloved cut-throat anarchy, and the series of capers, chases, fights and betrayals that ensue are hard-boiled enough to entertain any reader, regardless of their political stripe. And while they would perhaps be unlikable if brought to life, on paper Dakan's characters are charming enough to make an admirable addition to any collection of fictional friends. The sentiments may sometimes be divisive, but the storytelling never is, suggesting that nothing unites Americans like a good fiction.

"Geek Mafia" is one of the finest first novels I have ever read, and I have read a lot of them. You just gotta love a story where the geek gets the girl (maybe) and has more off-the-grid adventures that the rest of us chair-dwellers can only imagine in our wildest fantasies!!

Rick Dakan does a masterful job of drawing the reader into a madcap series of situations that just could possibly happen. His grasp of the gaming and comic book industries lend credence to the plot line and make the ensuing adventures believable. The main characters Paul and Chloe (if that's her real name. . .) are fully developed throughout the story and are picaresquely sympathetic to the point of leading us normally law-abiding citizens to cheer aloud (I don't get out much. . .) as they lead their band of miscreants afoul of the law as they fleece those unsuspecting marks that desperately deserve it.

I found the storyline to be quite original and the ultimate unfolding of the plot, though not a total surprise, was well enough concealed to hold my interest throughout the book. The end of the book was satisfying while leaving room for further adventures of the Geek Mafia.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Mr. Dakan as this one was a great read!!.

The book had me from the start! I found myself unable to put it down, and only did out of guilt for neglecting my work. It was a real page turner. I can hardly wait for his next book!

Geek Mafia is a well written, easy to read, and - most importantly- fun book. I live in the setting for the book (Silicon Valley), and it definitely feels like 'the real world'. The technology is all plausible, the characters are believable and I was always interested in what was going to happen next. If I had to give it a genre, I'd say cyberpunk- without the hallucinogenic nonsensical ending. I look forward to a sequel!

As the other reviewers have mentioned, this is a fun, breezy and original book. Dakan did a fine job of creating a believable subculture and some well-rounded characters. I'm glad I read it.

That being said, the poor editing in this book drove me a little bit nuts. On virtually every page there's something that needs to be corrected. If I had to read about someone "hitting the breaks" in their car one more time, I would have screamed. I'm a big supporter of small publishers, but this stuff is far too common among them. Are competent copy editors really that hard to find?

This is a great novel-a must read for geeks and non-geeks alike. Rick Dakan brings his colorful characters to life and keeps the reader guessing about what will happen next. Chloe especially provides a new picture of a heroine; she is strong willed, beautiful, fearless, and feminine all in one. This is an amazing story that will keep you hooked and wanting more. Bring on the sequel!

It always amazes me that there is such an vast gap between professional and amateur writing. There is a decent plot and story, here, but it would have benefitted a great deal from an editor and a few revisions. LESS is definitely more. The characters are inconsistent, and the dialogue between them is plain awful, cliched, unauthentic, uninteresting and at times, lacking any semblance of conflict. The protagonist is the weakest I have ever read, and instead of driving the story, gets dragged around by his johnson while his love interest ignores, patronizes and condescends to him. How can I get on board with a hero who is merely a puppy dog, seemingly incapable of making a decision for himself? The author prefers to let his characters vomit out unnecessary and trivial details of their behind-the-scene contributions to the plotlines in the story. We get it - you've thought every detail through. That doesn't mean we want to know every detail, because the unnecessary detail KILLS the story's flow. Likewise, just because you think your character might have an interesting back-story doesn't mean you need to spend an entire chapter explaining it in detail. There are better ways to develop your characters. What's worse, he uses the OLDEST cliche in the book: the villian who goes into unnecessary detail explaining their sinister plan to the heros. Give me a freakin' break, Scooby Doo. I think I'll skip the sequel.

I too got sucked into the story, and soon found I was waiting to get back home and read some more each day.

Whilst I agree with the other reviews, bits of the plot are bordering on the farfetched, and a few too many silly mistakes made it through the editing, these didn't put me off (when they usually would - the improbable coincidences in Hardys "Far from the Madding Crowd" I found far more frustrating).

The plot is startlingly original. Not so much a 'who done it', but a 'who is doing what to whom, and why'.

As a serious book-a-holic, it was a great pleasure to come across this little gem. Quite possibly one of the most fun to read pieces of literature to grace the pages between two covers in about a decade, this book was a fast-paced, quick read that will leave you breathless and begging for more. The protagonist of the book goes through a wonderous catharsis that, while a bit far-fetched, leaves the reader rooting for him. The ingenue is all at once, sexy, mysterious, and vibrant. The plot is a genuine mix of mystery, fun, and with just enough action.
Bravo, Mr. Dakan. I look forward to many more great books from you.

This is a fun read. The writing draws you in and is definitely unpretentious. The characters are fantastic, and I think that's what really keeps you turning the pages, possibly more than the action involved. It's more of a quick, not-too-guilty pleasure read than something that you'll talk about for years.

They could have used a better copy editor. There were enough mistakes that I felt I should comment, but not so many as to detract from the book.