A Hundred Thousand Worlds, Bob Proehl
A Hundred Thousand Worlds, Bob Proehl
1 Rating(s)
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A Hundred Thousand Worlds

Author: Bob Proehl

Narrator: MacLeod Andrews

Unabridged: 12 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 06/28/2016


Synopsis

“A Kavalier & Clay for the Comic-Con Age, this is a bighearted, inventive, exuberant debut.” —Eleanor Henderson, author of Ten Thousand Saints

"Proehl creates worlds within worlds within worlds, all of them full of surprise and wonder."
—Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

Valerie Torrey took her son, Alex, and fled Los Angeles six years ago—leaving both her role on a cult sci-fi TV show and her costar husband after a tragedy blew their small family apart. Now Val must reunite nine-year-old Alex with his estranged father, so they set out on a road trip from New York, Val making appearances at comic book conventions along the way. 

As they travel west, encountering superheroes, monsters, time travelers, and robots, Val and Alex are drawn into the orbit of the comic-con regulars, from a hapless twentysomething illustrator to a brilliant corporate comics writer stuggling with her industry's old-school ways to a group of cosplay women who provide a chorus of knowing commentary. For Alex, this world is a magical place where fiction becomes reality, but as they get closer to their destination, he begins to realize that the story his mother is telling him about their journey might have a very different ending than he imagined.

A knowing and affectionate portrait of the geeky pleasures of fandom, A Hundred Thousand Worlds is also a tribute to the fierce and complicated love between a mother and son—and to the way the stories we create come to shape us.

About The Author

Bob Proehl grew up in Buffalo, New York, where his local comics shop was Queen City Bookstore. He has worked as a bookseller and programming director for Buffalo Street Books, a DJ, a record store owner, and a bartender. He has written for the 33⅓ book series and worked as a columnist and reviewer for the arts and culture site PopMatters.com. Proehl currently lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife, stepson, and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Always on July 03, 2017

I really liked the writing style and the characters but the plot line was kind of boring in itself. It might not help that I'm not into comic books myself so maybe a lot of what was talked about didn't interest me as much. I probably missed a lot because of it but also the whole thing was just Val g......more

Goodreads review by Fantaghiro23 on May 03, 2016

I started this book thinking I'd just dip into it. Did not expect to be blown away. Sure, it's set in the world of the comicons. Sure, there are characters that are their world's analogue of Joss Whedon, actresses who've played Companions to Doctor Who, Alan Moore, etc. Sure, there's a LOAD of refer......more

Goodreads review by Virginia on November 10, 2015

This book was dropped off at my desk with a post-it note that read "READ THIS NOW! I think you will love it!" I blindly obeyed, dropping almost everything to read this book from beginning to end, and I'm glad I did. This book is BEAUTIFUL. The reader follows several different people on their journey......more

Goodreads review by Alana on August 19, 2018

Full fandom book club discussion here: [URL not allowed]......more

Goodreads review by Audrey on April 30, 2016

This love story between a mother and son felt very real and beautiful and funny and sad. But it's also so much more than that, I wanted to watch every show, read every comic, and hear every story mentioned throughout this book; most do have a real life counterpart but I want to watch/read these ones......more


Quotes

"With enthralling characters and tons of heart, this read (much like a good con) has something for everyone."
—Bustle

"A perfect summer read for the Comic-Con crowd . . . Anybody up on superheroes and X-Files will have a lot to love here."
—USA Today

"Comic-Con age's definitive novel about a road trip through geek culture."
—The Wall Street Journal, Speakeasy Podcast

"Anyone who is a geek or a parent of a geek should read this novel. In these interesting times . . . books like A Hundred Thousand Worlds are doing the work of navigating a new reality, where work, family, and adulthood are all being redefined."
—Tor.com

"Who doesn’t like a good origin story? This delightful novel has a dozen of them, each sparking deftly off the next. A work of wit and heart, A Hundred Thousand Worlds is for anyone who craves a smart family saga. Especially one with superheroes. I loved it completely." 
—Karen Joy Fowler, Booker Prize finalist and author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

"Proehl creates worlds within worlds within worlds, all of them full of surprise and wonder. One of the best novels I have read in a while." 
—Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

"For all its acrobatic wit and outsize charm, at its heart this is the love story of two everyday heroes—a mother and a son—who, like their author, possess the superpower of storytelling. A Kavalier & Clay for the Comic-Con age, A Hundred Thousand Worlds is a bighearted, inventive, exuberant debut." 
—Eleanor Henderson, author of Ten Thousand Saints