Heir Apparent (Hardcover)

by Vivian Vande Velde (Author) "It was fourteenth birthday, and I was arguing with a bus..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sister Mary Ursula, Sir Deming, Queen Andreanna (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Vande Velde (Never Trust a Dead Man) establishes a clever premise for this consistently entertaining fantasy novel. When Giannine arrives at the virtual reality arcade, the organization Citizens to Protect Our Children is protesting out front (their signs bear such messages as inappropriate for children and magic = satanism). Giannine goes in anyway, choosing to play Heir Apparent. In it, she assumes the role of shepherd Janine de St. Jehan, illegitimate daughter of the late king, and she will become the new king if she can survive constant threats, including potential warfare and perhaps even a dragon. For Giannine, the stakes are raised when a man claiming to be the arcade's CEO appears in her game, telling her that the CPOC protestors have vandalized the equipment: Her only way out of the game is to successfully complete it-and quickly, or she risks "fatal overload." The story line is ingeniously developed; each time Giannine's character "dies," Giannine must start back at the beginning, making more informed choices and using her developing diplomacy to prevent a war with barbarians, or win over the royal troops. It can be a little hard to keep track of all the people and the plotting, but hilarious characters (like a sweet-talking barbarian king and a centipede-eating wizard) plus fantastical elements (e.g., a hat that "lets you avoid the time stream [so you can] keep moving when all about you is still") will spur readers on toward the satisfying conclusion. Ages 8-12.-- keep moving when all about you is still") will spur readers on toward the satisfying conclusion. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-All of the elements of a good fantasy are present in this adventure. Giannine Bellisario is about to celebrate her 14th birthday. This year, she actually receives a present from her father on time. It is a gift certificate to any Rasmussem Gaming Center Virtual Reality Arcade. Crossing a picket line formed by CPOC (Citizens to Protect Our Children) to enter, she decides to use her certificate for a total-immersion game called Heir Apparent. The object is to be crowned king. When the demonstrators damage the center, the protagonist is on her own and must complete the game successfully in order to escape permanent brain damage. Ghosts, witches, wizards, and magical tools help her as she races against time and faces many setbacks. Challenges range from barbarian attacks and peasant uprisings to a giant dragon. In addition, the half brothers and the hostile queen have treacherous plans to keep the crown for themselves. This adventure includes a cast of intriguing characters and personalities. The feisty heroine has a funny, sarcastic sense of humor and succeeds because of her ingenuity and determination. This unique combination of futuristic and medieval themes will appeal to fans of fantasy and science fiction.
Lana Miles, Duchesne Academy, Houston, TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152045600
• ISBN-13: 978-0152045609
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,011,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reader Friendly, March 30, 2003

By	Jennifer Mo "ailanna" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Apparent-ly fun!, February 17, 2003

By	"liaden" (Somewhere Over the Rainbow) - See all my reviews

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

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Um...read this book?? (ha ha), July 15, 2003

By	Kelcony "katk303" (Penfield, NY United States) - See all my reviews

OK, right off, I'm going to admit that I'm biased towards this book for two reasons: I've met the author, and it takes place in Rochester, NY which is coincidentally where I live. Also it has a cool cover.
However even if you live in...I don't know, Utah...(no offense) you'll like reading this. Vivian Vande Velde has a knack for coming up with good characters and, of course, she has an awesome sense of humor. Even her chapter titles are funny...no small feat, I assure you.
In Heir Apparent, Gianninne (I'm sure I spelled that wrong) is playing a total immersion virtual reality game when a group of angry people protesting fantasy break in to the building and damage the equipment. It so happens that if Gianninne doens't win the game, soon, she'll die. However, make no mistake: this isn't a drama...its a comedy. (or, though I hate to say it, a dramedy.)
Inside the game, she is Janine, the lost heir of King Cynric. To win, she has to ally herself with one of her halfbrothers, make peace with barbarians, fight a dragon, get a magical ring, make decisions regarding laws, answer three riddles, regain her treasury, and deal with a large group of bored ghosts who have decided to hang around. And more.

This is a great book that I would recommend buying. That way if you dont like it, you can cut out the page at the back of the book and start your own DOWN WITH FANTASY protest!!

(Unfortunately if you get it from the library you cant cut out the back page.)
-Katherine