The Cleveland Heights : Book Review


  Book Review


Title: The Cleveland Heights

Author: Doug Henderson

Genre: Sci fi/Fantasy 

 

 

The Cleveland Heights is an interesting story within the story. 

 

Every Thursday We have our protagonist twenty-five-year-old Ben-a gamer who lives with his family in a basement. He is your regular guy who is warding off his mother’s pestering questions and nursing a broken heart. He also suffers from a low self-confidence. The only place where Ben feels confident is Readmore-a store of comics and games. Every Thursday night, he and his friends get together to play a game-filled with dungeons and dragons. Things begin to take a sudden turn when the parallels between the real life and fantasy one become stronger.  

 

The Cleveland Heights is a quick read with some interesting characters. They are people you instantly connect with. Ben is openly Gay along with other characters. He is nerdy and enjoys spending time with his cat. He longs for a real relationship and is on the quest for love. While this isn’t exactly a love story as such, elements of romance are brought out in all the characters’ lives. It’s interesting how the story begins to take a turn projecting blurred lines between the fantasy and real world. One of the strengths of the book lies in the author’s world building ability.  Another thing relatable in the story is the character’s tendency to find solace in the world of gaming or technology because of his inability to fit in with the society. The writing is fluid and simple. Themes of relationships and sexuality are touched upon here. 

 

Overall this book made a fun and queer read. 

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