Customer Reviews

When a Fan Hits the Shit: The Rise and Fall of a Phony Charity

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This particular sideshow? Worth the price of admission. Really.
Renne, whether or not it was her intention, has presented two highly memorable anti-heroes. Without in any way diminishing the reader's natural sympathy for the fraud victims, she nevertheless fascinates and amuses with the details of an almost unbelievable scam. Amy and Abby, at least as they appear in this book, are like villains from a nineteenth-century melodrama: charming scoundrals, dazzling montebanks, an object-lesson in manic creativity gone awry.
Renne's book may not be "objective," but why should it be? She was involved. If anything, the simmering anger and wholesale rejection of an "unbiased" stance only add to the hilarity. And history, really, isn't written by the victors: it's written by those with enough determination and self-discipline to keep their arses firmly planted in a chair long enough do the job. She's done that, and created a thoroughly readable and entertaining book. Go read it, and urge any fellow afficiandos of true crime stories to do so as well.

This is a self-published tome, and as such, it isn't perfect. There are points where the prose could use a little bit of polish, and the jumping back and forth in time can get a little confusing. But honestly, if Jeanine Renne can write something this gripping without an editor, I'd really love to see what she can do with one. I wasn't involved in the events discussed in this book at all and in fact have nothing to do with Lord of the Rings fandom, but this story has fascinated me ever since I first heard about it last December, and it's great to finally get the full scoop in one place. One of the best parts is the "appendices," which include transcripts of an Internet chat in which supposed "hobbit channeling" took place, and Amy Player's final "suicide note" to her parents. Anyone who's interested in pathological liars, what makes them tick, and how they succeed in making people believe them is going to want to read this book.

As a book, it's lively and funny, crammed with the kind of details bring the reader right into the story. It's almost too much information: I could have wished for a scorecard to keep track of the cast of characters, and a linear timeline - the book's chapters jump back and forth chronologically, which is an effective storytelling device but confusing as hell when you've got so many different versions of the same events. At times I thought that the lies should have been printed in red and the truth in blue; it would have made for a very colorful book.

This book is a must read for any fan of ANY thing. This all really happened. As they say, the truth is stranger than fiction. Mentally unstable fans ripping off other fans, committing fraud, taking advantage of legitmate charities and unsuspecting film stars. The story is a twisting, winding road of lies and deceit. You'll read it in one sitting, but you'll be amazed by it for days and weeks. Someone needs to make a movie out of this. I wonder if Sean Astin would be willing to play himself in it???

This story - the better for being true - moves quickly from revelation to revelation of astounding yet small-time duplicity, and of the gullibility all too common among those who wish to do good. Getting to know the anti-heroines (without being burned by them) is alone worth the price of admission. There is something pricelessly absurd about a self-proclaimed Warrior whose ultimate weapon is the fake suicide attempt.
Unusual among true crime stories, this one concerns major players - both con artists and dupes/avengers - who are women. The action takes place in a fandom centering around a group of men, the LoTR actors, of whom only one plays more than an elusive background role in the book. There is much food here for thought about sexual and gender politics.
While the story is dramatic even on a quick read, more of it would be accessible to a wider variety of readers if more background information were given; for instance about the organization of an international on-line fandom, the typical requirements for the success of a fan convention, or the IRS regulations concerning non-profit status. A great deal can however be gleaned from the text, with attentive reading.
A serious discussion of transsexuality and whether that is a relevant issue would have strengthened the book's focus. It is currently an unexplored subtext that has distracted some readers from the primary story.
The second part of Appendix A could, with a a bit of narrative added to the chat transcript, stand on its own as a very funny short story about clashing agendas. (Too bad that would probably not be quite legal.)

It's an enjoyable read about one of the strangest things to happen in the LoTR fandom from one of the people caught up in it.

Interesting to note that the three bad reviews here come from people who seem to have something against the author wanting to write the book in the first place.

Although the venue of this true story is "Lord of the Rings" fandom, the book is bootcamp for ALL trusting, good-willed folk--no matter WHAT your passion--in how con-artists beguile. Indeed, it tells exactly how, and how FAR, two con-artists actually went to get what they wanted, everybody else be damned. Fake gender? Fake suicide note? Fake charity? Multiple fake pasts? NO PROBLEM! Let's hope, as I believe, that author Jeanine Renne's first-hand experience will make a fake *future* seriously difficult for two depraved narcissists still on the loose--and oh-so-eager to con YOU! This book is a fascinating read, and a valuable expose. Buy it before YOU get snookered!

...because fiction has to make sense. This is one of the most bizarre stories to come out of Real Life, and Renne tells it with a mixture of indignance (as one of the victims of the scammers) and appreciation for the absurd. Part fandom memoir, part cautionary tale, the story of two scam artists and the lengths they go to in order to avoid reality--and since the profits from the book sales go to attempt to undo some of the damage the antagonists caused, it's worth the price.

What is so interesting about this book is the fact it is a true story. The author was swindled as were many other fans and Sean Astin himself. Don't be too hard on this woman for beleiving the lies when even Sean Astin was suckered in. Give it a read and in the process help pay back all the victims of this Lord of the Swindle.

I remember reading vague bits of this whole mess years ago, toward the end of its coming-apart. I definitely remember thinking, how could anybody be fooled to such an extent?? In my ignorance I couldn't imagine being so gullible as to accept these clearly outrageous claims and behaviors.

And then I became part of an online fan community for a wildly popular TV show, and found myself sucked in to a hoax so elaborate, and so rabidly defended and maintained by its acolytes, that when it finally unraveled I actually wrote to Ms. Renne to apologize for judging her and the others taken in by this scam. I'd like to think that my personal alarm system would have been activated by the money involved (our hoax, similar though it was, didn't result in any financial involvement, thank heaven), but we all certainly accepted some pretty crazy, outrageous stuff.

In other words, no matter how incredible it may sound, it's definitely a possibility, and always something to be aware of and on guard for. Stay safe, people.