Caster's Blog: A Geek Love Story: 15th Anniversary Edition

In an age where nothing is real, one thing is: a blog. Envision a blog that could draw an audience so vast, it makes Oprah's Book Club seem like a grade school reading group. Imagine updating a blog page every 5 minutes while you're at work to get the next part of the story. Picture telling all of your friends and every cashier who breaks your Hamiltons about what's new in that journal. This is Caster's Blog. For one year it captured the hearts and minds of its audience and grew a faithful reader base. A whirlwind story of romance, revenge, deception, ups and downs became so unbelievable that it just had to be true. This book captures the best elements of what makes a good story so great. Looking back over the story, at some points it may seem too incredible to be believable. This is in part because the book edits a substantial amount of unimportant posts and comments from the real journal. It was largely because of those same details that the audience was so hooked into the underlying story. At the same time though, the reader wants to believe the story. We cheer him on in the good times and come together to lift him in the bad times. You might think you read all of the great blogs, but have you read an interesting one?

I was there man. In the trenches, taking the blows as they happened. As one of the hapless saps that was taken in by this hoax, I have to say.. prepare to be amused. Terribly so, in fact. Marcus spun us a blog so compelling, even our friends who didn't have access to the web hammered me for updates to Castor's life. When I found out there was to be a book and that, in fact, Ray wasn't *REAL*, I was shocked. The story was just too weird and interesting to not be real, but I got over it after realizing just how much entertainment Castor had provided me over the past year. I got my copy as quickly as possible, read it, relived the whole thing all over again, and you know what? It was just as funny the second time around. Marcus has a flair for, as they say, taking several thousand words and arranging them in a cunning order. Go grab this book and one for your friends to borrow because you won't want to let *your* copy go.

I never fully understood the term laugh riot until I read Caster's Blog : A Geek Love Story. This book is off the chain like a rabid bear at the fair. Smart, witty and entirely entertaining - one of those books that you read all the way through in one sitting (and you stay up until four am accidentally and work SUCKS in the morning). Read this book! You'll feel better.

Hart proves again that he can weave a story as well as the best and shows us exactly why he is a rising star in his medium. Caster's Blog is about as tightly-woven and engaging as they come, showcasing Hart's distinct Kevin-Smithian knowledge of American pop culture and razor-sharp comedic wit. The author's attention to detail is so precise, you'll swear this is the real thing. Caster's draws you in and keeps you turning pages well past your bedtime. That Hart has put this book up as a free download is testament to his talent and fortitude. Do yourself a favor and download this book for free. A few pages in, just like me, you will want to own the real thing. Hart is an undeniable trailblazer in this unique genre. We anxiously await more fine work from this talented author.

There is no review that can possibly come close to summing up the level of awesome contained in this book. Marcus Alexander Hart has managed to convey a story that is so unbelievable, that it has to be real (and oddly enough, that is exactly how this book came to be). The posts capture your attention, and leave you in dire need to read the next update. What is Ray going to do about Shadoe? Where is Turbo Dan going to show up next? How bad can HR poetry get? These questions sometimes will take months to answer, but the payoff is always well worth it. The commentaries from Caster's friends give the book a realistic touch that many of us can relate to. So many times a writer will go to any length to make an unrealistic situation pan out, but in this case, Caster's life is guided by the concerns of his friends. They aren't always right, but who is? In the end, "Caster's Blog" is a brilliant exercise in internet based writing. Comedy, pop culture, and real-life drama mix flawlessly to create one of the most interesting stories of 2006. Pick this book up today, and get ready for a good time.