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Interesting . I liked the coding and the idea of the book. Would recommend to any one who loves computers and reading.

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Great book! Out of the ordinary plot, with believable characters. Definitely recommended!!

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I found this book and the way it was written to be a tad bit confusing, but at the same time, the story and plot were both original and it was kind of fun. I would definitely recommend this one.

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Really liked this book. It indeed took me back to those days of coding and games building from the scratch. It's a bit childlike at times but cute. Love the teens and the adolescents. Light read.

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This book was not at all what I expected, and yet it was a fun and awesome read. A book that made me feel like I was living the teen years my parents had, a book that made me fall in love with coding, a book that conjured up the magic of the 80s in a way you only see in movies like War Games and Tron.

Billy is not your usual nerd – his grades are awful, he doesn’t care for books or role playing games. He is, however, more than slightly obsessed with his Commodore 64. He codes for fun, and he’s outstandingly good, not just for a 14 year old. It’s a hobby he doesn’t expect his friends or family to understand, but it’s something he loves to do.

So when he meets Mary, a girl his age who might just be better at coding than he is, a friendship blossoms that could change everything.

It’s important to remember that we’re int he mind of a 14 year old, here. Billy’s friends Alf and Clyde share one goal – to get the newest issue of Playboy, and get a look at the nude goddess that is Vanna White. It’s all they can think about, and they’re hatching a plan to get their hands on it. And they need Billy to seduce Mary as part of it.

This doesn’t seem like a problem for Billy: it even gives him an excuse to hang out with this brilliant girl, and work together on their video game, the Impossible Fortress, which could win them fame and fortune… all without getting mocked by the boys. You see, Mary is a little chubby. Or outright fat, if you believe Alf and Clyde. She isn’t really worth Billy’s time, they say. Plus, she has a reputation – if you know what I mean.

Some of the characters felt a little flat to me, but I don’t think it’s a problem, since Billy and Mary have so much depth. The story is about them, after all. It’s partially love story, partially friendship – though maybe you could say the real love story is between Billy and coding, or the reader and the 80s.

And while part of the story was a little predictable, the real twist came right out of left field. Totally unexpected, though made perfect sense all in the end, answering questions we didn’t know we had. It’s also fun to read a book intended for 14 years olds as an adult, seeing how bad a lot of the decisions are, wanting to reach in and tell a character to their face that what they’re doing is a bad idea.

It’s also fun, if you want to go deeper, to look into the symbolism of impossible fortresses through the book. There are the evident ones: like the game itself, impossible to code, or the school at the very end, or even the heist itself. But you’ve also got the impossible fortress of Mary herself – can you break down her walls, and navigate the maze of her personality? Maybe life itself is an impossible fortress.

It’s a book about expectations, a book about first impressions, a book about being a teenager in the age of arcade games. It combines the tropes of the teenage heist with the ultimate competition, all wrapped up in a coming of age story. I mean, what’s not to love about a love letter to the 80s?

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The Impossible Fortress is a fast, enjoyable read full of eighties nostalgia. Unfortunately, that's all it is. A clever coming-of-age love story packed to the ever-lovin' brim with eighties pop-culture references that would even have Earnest Cline turning to Dr. Google to investigate.

Jason Rekulak has an approachable style - and a story to tell. This story, however, has been done before.

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This was a wonderful coming of age story reminiscent of great John Hughes movies of the 1980s. It was like taking a trip back to my high school years and I loved it.

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Here’s a novel that will take you back to 1987 complete with 14 year old computer nerd Billy Marvin who is currently failing ninth grade and his equally awkward sidekicks Alf and Clark. Outcasts from all the requisite cliques at their high school, they devise a plan to not only obtain a copy of the coveted Vanna White issue of Playboy, but also profit from the the object of their desires.

By the end of The Impossible Fortress, you really know Billy and the even more digitally talented Mary, and you have laughed and cringed your way through many early teen escapades. The pair programs on TRS-80 computers and the Commodore 64. Appropriate touches of the 80’s are sprinkled throughout the book--mention of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Christie Brinkley, the must have Bugle Boy pants, and Mark Cerny who started working for Atari at age 17. More than a nostalgic look at the 80’s, we explore the tough times of kids working their way through the difficult teen years. There are times when you hold your breath. times when you laugh, and moments of suspense. This is a book you will be glad you read.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: General Fiction (Adult)

Notes: This book abounds with male teenage profanity

Publication: February 7, 2017--Simon & Schuster

Memorable Lines:

The first step was easy. But the second step, the step where I fully removed myself from the roof--that was commitment. The wood trembled beneath my weight, quivering like the edge of a diving board. I made the mistake of looking down, but there was nothing to see--no alley, just a vast black gulf, a bottomless sinkhole.

“Imagine a computer not bigger than a candy bar!” he exclaimed, and we laughed at the absurdity of his predictions; they were all straight out of The Jetsons.

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Billy is an outcast at school, and the only thing he is interested in is computer programming. Until Vannah White's photos are in Playboy. He and his friends need to get that magazine, and the only store that has it is a computer store owned by a man and his young daughter, Mary. Billy's friends convince Billy to befriend Mary to get the access code to the security system. But Billy discovers a lot more.

This story is a cute coming-of age tale, about a boy and a girl. This is 1987, so I was 4 at this time, haha. There are "nerd" words and computer programming lingo. It's a fun read, but very shocking also. I enjoyed this read a lot.

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This feels so authentically 80s! It feels like it could fit into the canon no problem. I'd call it a raunchy Ready Player One meets Eleanor and Park coming of age romp.

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Bill Marvin is a typical 14-year-old in the year 1987. When the Playboy publishes photographs of Vanna White, presenter of the famous „Wheel of Fortune“ show, Bill and his friends Alf and Clark are discussing strategies of how to buy the magazine at their age. Their master plan includes the security code to a small store owned by Mr Zelinsky. But how to get hold of it? The owner’s daughter Mary is the key. Bill is to befriend her to acquire the code from her. But when Bill gets to know Mary, he finds out that they both share the love for computer programming and that Mary is an expert in operating a C 64. She can help him to finalize his computer game The Impossible Fortress, Billy’s submission to an important competition. They more the two work on the programme, the more their mutual affection grows and Billy has already forgotten his initial mission while slowly falling in love. But then he is reminded of it and he takes an important decision.

I liked Jason Rekulak’s story immediately because the author sends you straight back into the 80s. I have rarely read a novel set in the not too far away past in which the setting is that well established and plays such an important role. It is the music played in the shop, the TV programmes the boy watch, the heroes they discuss – and especially the Stone Age of computers that made me remember the time 30 years ago. All the small bits and pieces work well together to create an authentic setting for the plot.

The characters are also well drawn and interestingly designed. Both Billy and Mary are outsiders without being the typical misfits. They are under the radar somehow, inconspicuous in a way but remarkable when you take a closer look. The nerd girl who is interested in typical boyish pastimes, the boy raised by a single mom who is clever on the one hand, but maximum negligent of school and his marks and even running the risk of having to leave high school without any degree. Seeing both of them immerse in programming, teaching themselves and pursuing their goal of the perfect programming for the computer game without realising what is happening to them, is a joy to read.

Besides the story which is convincing and quickly captivating, it is Jason Rekulak’s style of writing which I genuinely enjoyed. He has a subtle humour and a way of describing situations that made me grin more than once and adore reading the novel.

Even though the protagonists are young teenagers and the story somehow is a kind of love story, I would not call it a classic of the genre since particularly the setting could make the novel also interesting and appealing to people who remember the 80s and who would like to indulge in their memories of that time.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it's a coming of age story set in 80s America and features Will who is struggling academically, some old school computer programming and the age old quandary of best friends versus soul mate.
Although the UK cover is slightly off putting, this is one of the best "geek" reads since Ready Player One.
There's even a playable version of the Impossible Fortress game on the author's website - www.jasonrekulak.com

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The moment that a book is marketed as similar to Ernest Cline's "Ready Player One", I am hooked. Really, it's embarrassing how quickly I requested this book. Although it's not a dystopian novel, and it's not about VR, I can see some similarities such as an abundance of pop culture references and geeky characters obsessed with video games.

The only problem with books about video games is that a reader who enjoys gaming will naturally wish the game existed. After finishing this book, I logged in Jason Rekulak's website and got the play The Impossible Fortress, and this little extra just made the book much more special and it just highlights the connection that a good book can have with a video game, and vice versa.

As for the book itself, I found it really good until about 75% in. It takes a turn I didn't quite expect, and to be perfectly honest, also didn't love. This plateau continued to an ending that was underwhelming considering the great pace throughout the book.

Nonetheless, the themes and characters are well done - these are 14 year old boys from the 80s, through and through. I figure that reading this book with a bit of a motherly outlook can change how you experience the story -- I personally looked past Billy's faults (because at times you'll want to metaphorically strangle the little devil) to see all his endearing qualities. I rooted for him and for Mary through the entire book, and I hope you will too.

So overall, this is a good book! I'll even go as far as saying that if you enjoyed the slower bits of "Ready Player One", you will definitely enjoy this too.

I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster, as well as Netgalley, for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will hit the shelves on January 7th, 2017... but the game is live on the website right now. Go play it, and see if it piques your interest enough to read the story of its creation! ;)

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3 teen boys want to get their hands on the most recent Playboy magazine because it features Vanna White. (No, I did not google to see if she ever did appear in Playboy. For once, I just went with it.) One of these teen boys, Will, also loves computer games and programming. But, it is 1987. That means the only computers are very basic and very slow. While in the process of trying to obtain a copy of the magazine, Will meets Mary, the daughter of the store owner where they are trying to steal the magazine and a fellow computer geek. Let's just say a couple things: teen boys are not the most observant and it was pretty funny that Will and Mary are working on a video game the other 2 boys, Alf and Clark, are planning the heist in an almost computer game fashion, small scale model included. I wish this were a YA book but I fear they wouldn't understand the computer nostalgia. And for the people who are thrilled about all the early computer geekness, the sweet story of Will might be too much for them. But this book is for anyone who has ever stared at a blinking DOS dot, been a teen boy, or known a teen boy. Oh, and the book comes with a nice retro video game!

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The Impossible Fortress is a love story to the early days of computer programming, as well as to the hazy days of youth, when the pleasures of adult life remain tantalizingly out of reach. Rekulak brings the '80s to life, from the carefree latchkey kid afternoons to the TV shows to the art of making a mix tape off the radio. The writing is excellent, the characters vivid and small town New Jersey a deep and detailed world of its own.

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First, and most importantly, The Impossible Fortress, the video game this book is titled after, is available to play on Jason Rekulak's website. It is seriously adorable, I died really hard, and got a rating of "Better Luck Next Time". WTF.

This book is really fun if you don't look too hard at it. It centers around Billy/Will, a high school Freshman, who prefers programming computers to school work. He's your stereotypical 14-year old boy. Sports Illustrated models on his walls, ridiculously moronic pranks and juvenile delinquency. Single mother who he kind of takes advantage of. And his two best friends, who are also stereotypical 14-year olds.

They want Vanna White. The 2D version. And the only way they're going to get her (because they're minors, and also masturbation is embarrassing) is by breaking into the corner store and stealing her Playboy spread. Enter Mary, our fat heroine.

Why do I call her our fat heroine? Because you don't really get the chance to forget that she's our fat heroine.

Mary is smart, and clever, and has kick-ass taste in music. She's a better programmer than Will, and in the midst of trying to scam her for the code to break into the store, they work on his game The Impossible Fortress.

Also, she's fat.

I had to remind myself that fat shaming was heavily normalized in the 80's. I lived in the 80's, and was the fat heroine*. I do know this well. But there are some parts of this book that are nasty, and ugly. And it left a very bad taste in my mouth.

But Billy does manage to see past her enormity, all that maybe 30 pounds of blubber. He realizes she's smart, and pretty, and he maybe kind of sort of likes her. And that could cause a problem with the whole breaking and entering masturbation plan. Damn.

Seriously, this book really was cute. I'm kind of ripping it to shreds, because the unpleasant parts are *so* unpleasant. And sadly, Will really doesn't redeem himself here. He's never held accountable for his actions throughout. And while Mary seems happy in the end, and she's even got new friends, I feel her character didn't get the happy ending she so richly deserved.

I'm disappointed because the parts I love, I really love. It's a simple story, set in a time when wearing clothes reminiscent of Miami Vice was tres chic. There's binary code, and computer language, and Van Halen, and it's just so fun.

I'm really, really sad that the problems taint the rest of this really neat book for me.



* Yes, I was the heroine. Try me. I will cut you.

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THE IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS by Jason Rekulak is a coming of age story of Billy Marvin, who starts out trying to steal a Playboy with his buddies, hijinks, mistakes, and lies ensue and in the end, Billy's secret love of computer programming opens up doors for him he never thought possible. Oh, and he falls in love.
The story is set in 1987, a simpler time, where three young boys, Billy, Alf, and Clark, devise a way to obtain the ultimate male puberty prize, the Playboy with Vanna White in it. Quickly, the plan morphs into stealing it, making copies, and turning it into a business of selling those copies at school. Billy's job is to help the theft from the inside out, by getting to know the owner of the store and his daughter, Mary. Billy is quickly pulled in several directions at once, his friends, this new girl, and a computer programming contest that is he is beyond excited to enter. The story is fun, light and entertaining the whole way through. Maybe some would say its not a very deep or emotionally challenging story, but that's why I liked it, I didn't have to gear myself up to read some, I just found myself getting lost on the book whenever I could and finished it in a couple of days. Funny, great 1980's references, and a little lesson in 1980's computer programming to boot.

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This was the funnest book. Set in the '80s, fourteen-year-old Will Marvin and his buddies plot to steal the Vanna White issue of Playboy from Zelinsky's, the local office supply store/newsstand. Will is a self-taught programmer on his Commodore 64, and at Zelinsky's he meets Mary, the owner's daughter and a fellow programmer.

The "impossible fortress" is the name of the game they create, as well as a metaphor for Zelinsky's, Mary's convent school, and the whole big business of growing up and managing life.

I think my 15YO son would enjoy it, except he'd find it awkward that I'd read it too, since there are teenage-boy-ish jokes and thought lives, with all that entails...

Highly recommend.

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1980’s? Coming of age story? Misfits? Sign me up. I cannot wait to read this novel, The Impossible Fortress, it’s next to be read on my Kindle. I love a good, quirky story that takes place in the eighties, there are far too few out there!

Here’s what you need to know:

The Impossible Fortress begins with a magazine…The year is 1987 and Playboy has just published scandalous photographs of Vanna White, from the popular TV game show Wheel of Fortune. For three teenage boys—Billy, Alf, and Clark—who are desperately uneducated in the ways of women, the magazine is somewhat of a Holy Grail: priceless beyond measure and impossible to attain. So, they hatch a plan to steal it.

The heist will be fraught with peril: a locked building, intrepid police officers, rusty fire escapes, leaps across rooftops, electronic alarm systems, and a hyperactive Shih Tzu named Arnold Schwarzenegger. Failed attempt after failed attempt leads them to a genius master plan—they’ll swipe the security code to Zelinsky’s convenience store by seducing the owner’s daughter, Mary Zelinsky. It becomes Billy’s mission to befriend her and get the information by any means necessary. But Mary isn’t your average teenage girl. She’s a computer loving, expert coder, already strides ahead of Billy in ability, with a wry sense of humor and a hidden, big heart. But what starts as a game to win Mary’s affection leaves Billy with a gut-wrenching choice: deceive the girl who may well be his first love or break a promise to his best friends.

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