Heir Apparent

by Vivian Vande Velde

Book Overview

In Heir Apparent there are as many ways to win as there are to get killed. "A stylish tale [that] addresses both fantasy gaming and censorship." (New York Times Book Review)

From Edgar Award-winning author Vivian Vande Velde comes a rollicking story that puts a high-tech twist on the classic medieval fantasy-adventure.

In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed--and Giannine...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152051252
• ISBN13: 9780152051259
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 315 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

An AWESOME book!

Heir Apparent is one of the greatest books I have ever read, and believe me when I say I've read literally thousands of books! (and I'm only 14)Anyway, this is a very realistic book. I felt like I was right next to Janine. The author does a great job of being descriptive, but not overloading. (Pardon the pun!)The plot was very imaginative and different. When I read the description, I thought, "oh, this'll just be another book with a magic ring and a dragon and all that." But it wasn't. Usually, when there are magic items in the plot, they are the main concern. This time, they helped, but weren't always there, depending on which level of the game Janine was on. I also thought that the book uses futuristic stuff very ingeniously. I mean, I never would have thought of taking a virtual game and combining it with a magic ring. Overall, this book was absolutely fantastic. I HIGHLY recommend it!

*very good book*

ok, i admit-when i first read about heir apparent in a scholastic book order, i thought it would be pretty lame. but i went ahead and ordered it anyway, because i wanted to get something and it looked the most interesting out of all the books (and besides, scholastic's descriptions in their bookorders are always lame even for a really good book) it was worth it. as soon as i opened the book, i was hooked. vivian vande velde is a really talented writer, and despite the seriousness in some parts she skillfully winds humor throughout, including the ridulus parents against fantasy or something like that, and of course the wizard's dwarf father. the plot itself is actually alot more interesting than i thought it would be. ill probably make it sound lame here, but its about Giannine, a girl in a world clearly a few years ahead of us, but it isnt just one of those oh-look-how-bad-the-future-is-but-its-ok-cuz-look-at-all-these-new-inventions. its much better. you learn a little about giannine's past, including divorced parents(or they may have never married, i dont remember), neither of whom seem overly interested in her (she lives with her grandmother). she begins playing a 'real life' game, heir apparent. in these real life games, a computer genereates signals to your mind, so in the course of an hour, you can spend three days actually playing the game. giannine plays the heir to a throne in a medival setting, complete with battles, fencing, wizards, and all. she keeps dying and returning to the beginning, but learns a little more each time. theres just one problem-a protesting accident in the real world while shes playing results in the computers keeping her there-so she has two options, finish the game SOON, or dont and possibly die or at the least be a vegetable the rest of her life. it was surprisingly good, the game is convincing, the story itself without the game part of it could have made a good enough medival story, but its even better with that part. a must-read for all kinds of book readers, fantasy lover or not.

Um...read this book?? (ha ha)

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

Reader Friendly

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

A Game of Survival

I work in a library and have a lot of books vying for my precious reading time. The beautiful cover of Heir Apparent caught my eye and also being a story about medieval times, a pet subject, I took it home. I read this incredible book in one sitting, then read the last half again in another sitting. Covering modern, as well as timeless, themes in a fourteen year old girl's life, Heir Apparent carries suspense, strategy, and romance in this coming of age tale. Set in a futuristic America, Giannine, our heroine with a bit of attitude, plays a virtual reality game that is set in a mythical kingdom with a time limit, a crown to win, and three scheming, albeit gorgeous, brothers and a stepmother who (surprise!) doesn't care if she were to meet her doom at any moment. Making this even more complicated is the fact that due to damaged equipment, our heroine must win within a certain amount of time, or she'll suffer brain damage from the game. One of the most touching things about Giannine is the way she brings her personal struggles and heartache into the game and in doing so learns how to better deal with reality. Always entertaining and often quite hilarious, (and made me cry at the end) I would recommend Heir Apparent to anyone of any age looking for a fun, but heartfelt, read.