Twenty-Sided Die by Brian Prisco

Dorks versus orcs! Twenty-Sided Die chronicles the trials and tribulations of a group of small-town Pennsylvania summer camp counselors and their regular Dungeons & Dragons group. Young love, nerd hate, magic, Magic: The Gathering, swords and sousaphones abound. It's one part Stand By Me, one part Clerks, and one part The Guild, shaken and served. These twenty interconnected short stories delve into the seedy underbelly of surburban life, as well as navigating the halls of high school and beyond. Marvel as our intrepid heroes battle savage Abercrombies, gun-toting hillbillies, and -- more often than not -- each other.

One new experience for me in 2013 was being a beta-reader. I was honored to be a beta-reader for this book. I always try to support debut authors as much as I can and this author just happens to be a good friend from high school.  Plus, this book is loosely based on my hometown and the author has always demonstrated great creativity.

Prisco's passion for storytelling and wit shows throughout the book.  Small town life is captured with ease and the reader is taken on a journey.  While I've never played Dungeons & Dragons, the narrative of the characters' adventures provides its own unique experience. Besides small town life and D&D, the reader is treated to stories about how underdogs can rise above their bullies and still seek revenge in some cases.

This book was financed by a Kickstarter campaign with matching funds from a benefactor.  Prior to publishing this book, Prisco also wrote Boogeymen which brings all your favorite horror film characters together for one awesome event to fight to the death.   He also was the co-creator of Cannonball Read which challenges readers to read 52 books in a year.