Customer Reviews

Heir Apparent

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

User Unfriendly is the one Vivian Vande Velde book I come close to actively disliking, so I was disappointed when I discovered that Heir Apparent would be a sort of companion book, also dealing with fantasy role playing games. Happily, it isn't at all necessary to have read User Unfriendly to enjoy Heir Apparent, which is by far the best of Vivian Vande Velde's more recent books.

Heir Apparent is an entertaining twist on the been-there-done-that fantasy cliche of Lost Heirs. (See Diana Wynne Jones's entry in The Tough Guide to Fantasyland.) Giannine, the protagonist and narrator, plays one of those ubiquitous misplaced heirs in what at first appears to be a standard fantasy setting in a virtual reality game, full of courtly intrigue, wizards, magic rings/boots/crowns, dragons, etc. The only problem: the virtual reality equipment has been damaged, and Giannine must finish the game within a certain amount of time before suffering very real brain damage in actual life. Every poor decision resulting in death means starting over at the beginning of the game, and Heir Apparent is lacking that most essential option of all computer games-- the ability to save a game.

Because Giannine dies so many times, particularly at first, the beginning sequences can become a little repetitive. But she learns very quickly, and every mistake makes her warier, wiser, more diplomatic, and better prepared to make good judgments. In the end, navigating through a maze of people and events, equipped with newly gained assurance and leadership, Giannine is seriously kicking... Unfortunately, it isn't just a matter of winning the game; it's winning the game within a set period of time, and she's running seriously short on time...

Giannine is an instantly likable narrator, smart, sarcastic, and far from perfect. Her first person narration makes Heir Apparent very immediate and accessible, and the rising tensions from both the internal world of the game and Giannine's external reality make the book nearly impossible to put down unfinished. The framing device requires a little suspension of skepticism, but the science fiction of Heir Apparent is no less plausible than, say, hyperspace engines and little green men.

The pace is rapid, the dialogue snappy, and the characters quirky. In other words, Heir Apparent is Vivian Vande Velde at her best; thoroughly entertaining, and yet with some substance. As earlier reviewers pointed out, the intersections between Giannine's experiences in her two worlds are particularly thoughtful, as is its commentary on censorship. This is not a book for anyone who thinks Harry Potter should be banned! Although technically science fiction, Heir Apparent should be readily accessible to YA fantasy fans, particularly of fractured fairy tale cliches. And for a *very* different take on a similar theme, try Diana Wynne Jones's Hexwood.

Ailanna

Okay, so the real reason I snatched this book off the library shelf was because I liked the colorful spine. And because I knew that this book was wedged between two other Vande Velde novels; why not? I liked the author, and it sounded like my kind of book.

But once I started reading, I couldn't tear myself away from the pages. It was not cliche as so many library finds proved to be; it was original, witty, and dead-on funny.

Giannine Bellisario is a fourteen year old girl who lives (apparently) many years in the future, in a time of smart computers and talking buses. Arcades that will hook you up to a computer and let you be "in" the game. Which is exactly what Giannine is planning to do with the certificate her father gave (suprisingly on-time)to her for her birthday.

Giannine selects the game she wants to be in; Heir Apparent, a semi-difficult role-play game in which she is to claim the throne to her country, left to her by her father the King. The unknowing Heir Apparent must work around their scheming siblings and play the game just right to get out. Easy, and if you fail, no big deal, it was fun playing. Right? Well, maybe not for Giannine.

Everything wouyld have been fine if the people from CPOC (citizens to protect our children), attempting to "save the children from their imaginations", hadn't messed up the system while she was still hooked up to the machine. Now Giannine has only a limited time left to complete the game correctly--or they won't be able to get her out alive.

Fun, furturistic, and true to the life of a fourteen year old girl (from one), this novel was a good read. I would reccomend it to anyone who has an open mind and who likes an original story. However, I do think that some people would think that this novel was just not to your taste; if you like this kind of thing, no doubt you'll love it, but if you aren't into this kind of novel, you'd probably hate it. The reason I left off the fifth star was because I felt sometimes the storyline lagged, otherwise it deserved full ratings.

Okay, so have fun with this book! I know I did. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Bye! -Lia

Heir Apparent is one of the greatest books I have ever read, and believe me when I say I've read literally thousands of books! (and I'm only 14)Anyway, this is a very realistic book. I felt like I was right next to Janine. The author does a great job of being descriptive, but not overloading. (Pardon the pun!)The plot was very imaginative and different.

When I read the description, I thought, "oh, this'll just be another book with a magic ring and a dragon and all that." But it wasn't. Usually, when there are magic items in the plot, they are the main concern. This time, they helped, but weren't always there, depending on which level of the game Janine was on.

I also thought that the book uses futuristic stuff very ingeniously. I mean, I never would have thought of taking a virtual game and combining it with a magic ring.
Overall, this book was absolutely fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend it!

ok, i admit-when i first read about heir apparent in a scholastic book order, i thought it would be pretty lame. but i went ahead and ordered it anyway, because i wanted to get something and it looked the most interesting out of all the books (and besides, scholastic's descriptions in their bookorders are always lame even for a really good book)
it was worth it. as soon as i opened the book, i was hooked. vivian vande velde is a really talented writer, and despite the seriousness in some parts she skillfully winds humor throughout, including the ridulus parents against fantasy or something like that, and of course the wizard's dwarf father.
the plot itself is actually alot more interesting than i thought it would be. ill probably make it sound lame here, but its about Giannine, a girl in a world clearly a few years ahead of us, but it isnt just one of those oh-look-how-bad-the-future-is-but-its-ok-cuz-look-at-all-these-new-inventions. its much better. you learn a little about giannine's past, including divorced parents(or they may have never married, i dont remember), neither of whom seem overly interested in her (she lives with her grandmother).
she begins playing a 'real life' game, heir apparent. in these real life games, a computer genereates signals to your mind, so in the course of an hour, you can spend three days actually playing the game. giannine plays the heir to a throne in a medival setting, complete with battles, fencing, wizards, and all. she keeps dying and returning to the beginning, but learns a little more each time.
theres just one problem-a protesting accident in the real world while shes playing results in the computers keeping her there-so she has two options, finish the game SOON, or dont and possibly die or at the least be a vegetable the rest of her life.
it was surprisingly good, the game is convincing, the story itself without the game part of it could have made a good enough medival story, but its even better with that part. a must-read for all kinds of book readers, fantasy lover or not.

I work in a library and have a lot of books vying for my precious reading time. The beautiful cover of Heir Apparent caught my eye and also being a story about medieval times, a pet subject, I took it home. I read this incredible book in one sitting, then read the last half again in another sitting. Covering modern, as well as timeless, themes in a fourteen year old girl's life, Heir Apparent carries suspense, strategy, and romance in this coming of age tale. Set in a futuristic America, Giannine, our heroine with a bit of attitude, plays a virtual reality game that is set in a mythical kingdom with a time limit, a crown to win, and three scheming, albeit gorgeous, brothers and a stepmother who (surprise!) doesn't care if she were to meet her doom at any moment. Making this even more complicated is the fact that due to damaged equipment, our heroine must win within a certain amount of time, or she'll suffer brain damage from the game. One of the most touching things about Giannine is the way she brings her personal struggles and heartache into the game and in doing so learns how to better deal with reality. Always entertaining and often quite hilarious, (and made me cry at the end) I would recommend Heir Apparent to anyone of any age looking for a fun, but heartfelt, read.

I teach Grade 6 and used this book for my boy's-only book club meeting. It was a big hit! The boys loved the game aspect, the fighting, and the amazing characters.

Vivan Vande Velde is one of the best fantasy writers out there. Her stories are believable and populated with characters you'll remember long after the book is closed. They are also surprisingly believable given that they are fantasies. Such is the case with "Heir Apparent", which takes place in some undisclosed future time. Despite the short amount of time spent in the story's "present," Vande Velde manages to describe enough of the the environment to make it feel real. The problems start for the narrator,Giannine, when the automated bus won't let her off at her chosen stop (a game store). Like all good characters, fourteen-year-old Giannine easily circumvents the computer and makes her way back to the Rasmussem Gaming Center.

The story gets into gear when Giannine enters a full-immersion virtual reality game (by the same name as the title of the book) to compete to rule a kingdom. Giannine is just getting the hang of the game when she receives some bad news from the owner of the gaming center: Protesters outside of the gaming center (from Citizens to Protect Our Children ironically enough) stormed the entrance and damaged the equipment.Giannine can't get out of the game unless she wins. The problem? If Giannine loses she might not be able to leave the game environment at all--because she'll be dead.

As you might have guessed by that little summary, most of this story revolves around Giannine playing the game over and over as she tries to win. This creates a lot of repetition--as we watch Giannine go through the same scenarios repeatedly with varying levels of success. (If this sounds similar to the premise of "Groundhog Day" that's because it is.)

Happily, instead of seeming redundant, the story/plot remains interesting. Vande Velde artfully describes the gameplay so that readers won't get bored. This makes the book go by really fast. Even though Vande Velde covers the same territory multiple times, she never gets redundant. Each run through reads slightly differently and covers a different part of the story. Similarly, sinceGiannine also loses the game several times, Vande Velde creates pseudo-alternative endings for the story by showing Giannine pitfalls as she works her way towards a win.

The characters are extremely interesting and the premise--while not totally new--is unique, as is the author's handling of it. The story features Vande Velde's usual humor throughout. What it doesn't feature is her usual ambiguous ending. The story is still open-ended but it has more closure than are found in "A Well-Timed Enchantment" or "Companions of the Night" (both also by Vande Velde and also highly recommended), which makes for a nice change. "Heir Apparent" also lacks the typical romantic subplot, making the novel's appeal stronger for boys and placing a heavier focus on the action and relations between all of the characters (instead of the main character and her romantic interest).

"Heir Apparent" is a timely book looking forward to what video games might one day be while also reminding readers that there's no harm in a good game--as long as overzealous protesters don't get in the way at least.

"Playing Heir Apparent... is like making bean soup." When Giannine spent all $50 of her Rasmussem Gaming Center certificate, the only thing on her mind was the lack of attention and consideration from her father, who had to ask his secretary what his daughter would like for her 14th birthday. She needed some time away, even if it meant running through CPOC (citizens to protect our children), an organization petitioning outside of the arcade. When finally inside, Giannine picked the virtual reality game Heir Apparent from the cool looking promo, and spent all her money, giving her 30 mins. in real life; 3 days in the virtual game. In the game she is Janine de St. Jehan, next in line for the throne. If she can survive. In a 3 days, she must be crowned king, or die at the hands of her four royal brothers, the barbarian king, the quick-tempered guards, the widowed queen, the man-eating dragon, the head-chopping statue, and so on and so on. But the stakes are raised even higher when the gaming center's CEO enters the virtual reality and tells Giannine that the petitioners have damaged the equipment, so that the only way out of the game is to finish it. Giannine is forced to use all the wit and diplomacy she has to make the right friends, choices, and final decisions.
Heir Apparent was an original and throughly exciting book, even with the not-so-original plot. Giannine was a great heroine, clever, sarcasic, but no where near prefect, dying at least 10 times before getting through the first day. Giannine's character progression was also one of the great things in this book; everytime she started over she became much more wary, polite, and thought her actions and choices through. The ending was exceptional also, giving you a nice surprise just as you're thinking it's going to be predictable.

This book was great because it combined the best of sci-fi and fantasy for this I gave it 2 stars. I give it another star because it was hilarious. The other star was for its great setting(castle/kings).

Heir Apparent is a page turning spectacular adventure. It is of a girl who is lost in a game where her life depends on winning it. During the game she comes to find herself going through a maze of puzzels only to start back at the beginning several times before finally finding her way out of the game. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an exciting on going adventure.