Two Geeks are Better Than One at Pandemonium Books and Games 10/4

Two local geek memoirist have teamed up to offer an evening of geekery at Cambridge's Pandemonium Books and Games, Monday October 4 at 7pm.

Ethan Gilsdorf, a Somerville resident, wrote FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS (Lyons Press). Tony Pacitti, a Lynn native and Providence resident, is the author of MY BEST FRIEND IS A WOOKIEE " (Adams Media). The authors will discuss their books and the appeal of fantasy, science fiction and gaming, followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Both are heartbreaking works of staggering geekiness --- coming-of-age tales set against the backdrop of Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons obsessions --- that are ultimately quests to make peace with their geeky pasts and accept their "inner geeks."

Plus, they're serving free Mountain Dew and Doritos.

National Public Radio described "FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers, and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms" as "Lord of the Rings meets Jack Kerouac's On the Road." Wired.com proclaimed, "For anyone who has ever spent time within imaginary realms, the book will speak volumes." It was also named a "Must-Read" by the Massachusetts Book Awards.

Gilsdorf's geek-out travel memoir investigates fantasy and gaming subcultures. In FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS, the author travels from Boston to England, France to New Zealand, Planet Earth to the realm of Aggramar, to ask gaming and fantasy geeks how they balance their escapist urges with the kingdom of adulthood. He hangs out with Harry Potter tribute bands, attends fan conventions and gaming tournaments, camps with 12,000 medieval reenactors, sews his own tunic, learns to sword fight, battles online goblins and trolls, and plays D&D again for the first time in 25 years. FANTASY FREAKS AND GAMING GEEKS was recently released in paperback.

Pacitti's "MY BEST FRIEND IS A WOOKIEE: A Memoir, One Boy's Journey to Find His Place in the Galaxy" is a hilarious and heart-wrenching tale of a real-life certified geek and official Jedi Knight wannabe, framed around Lucas' epic Star Wars, the movie that changed one little boy's life. With the Force on his side, Pacitti survives countless hurdles of adolescence, temptations from the Dark Side, and ultimately lives to see the day when he can be comfortable in his own skin.

Time.com's Techland says, "[My Best Friend Is A Wookiee] is an autobiographical coming of age tale with a bit of sci-fi thrown in for good measure that reminds us all of the good old days when we were being picked on and laughed at." Alec Sulkin, executive producer of
Family Guy, calls the book "hilarious, tragic, touching, and most of all, honest. Tony Pacitti deserves a medal from Princess Leia and a hug from Chewbacca."

Tony Pacitti has written for SouthCoast247.com as a features writer and video game reviewer and has had his short science fiction published at 365tomorrows. He has been the writer for the online comics RoboPlanet and The Silencer at Pandemonium Comics. Tony lives in Providence, Rhode Island and is probably watching The Empire mStrikes Back on laserdisc at this very moment.

More info: or http://wookiee.adamsmedia.com/

Gilsdorf publishes travel, arts, and pop culture stories regularly in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and other magazines and newspapers worldwide. His blog "Geek Pride" is seen regularly on PsychologyToday.com and he has also
been a guest on talk radio as a fantasy and escapism expert. He watches the extended edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy at least once a year.

Follow Ethan's adventures at http://www.fantasyfreaksbook.com