Heir Apparent (novel): Difference between revisions
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==Trivia== |
==Trivia== |
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*Giannine and her friends also appear in Vivian Vande Velde's book ''[[User Unfriendly ( |
*Giannine and her friends also appear in Vivian Vande Velde's book ''[[User Unfriendly (novel)|User Unfriendly]]'' although she is not the main character. |
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*'''Rasmussem.com''', which is mentioned several times in the book, does not correspond to any actual Internet web site as of 2006. |
*'''Rasmussem.com''', which is mentioned several times in the book, does not correspond to any actual Internet web site as of 2006. |
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Revision as of 02:02, 25 November 2007
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| Author | Vivian Vande Velde |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's, fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Harcourt |
Publication date | 2002 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-15-204560-0 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
- For the usage of the term, see Heir Apparent
Heir Apparent is a fantasy novel by Vivian Vande Velde.
Plot summary
Giannine Bellisario receives a gift certificate for a Rasmussem Gaming Center as a birthday present from her father, which would allow her to play one virtual reality game for free. Unfortunately, when she arrives at the local center (which is similar in layout to a movie theater, although for virtual reality games instead of feature films) a crowd from "CPOC," the "Citizens to Protect Our Children," has come for a demonstration against such games.
She continues on despite this, and is hooked up to the game Heir Apparent, where the character is the illegitimate child of the king and has for some reason been made his heir when he dies. Soon into the game, she discovers that the equipment she is attached to has been sabotaged (ironically, it was the CPOC, who were actually trying to help"our children"), and the only way out is to beat the game.
The game, unfortunately, is rather difficult and complicated, and she repeatedly loses and has to restart. To win, she has to not only restore the kingdom, but also recover a magic ring, stop whoever has been robbing the treasury, outwit a clever dwarf who enjoys riddles, recite poetry to "Saint Bruce the Warrior Poet" (a statue who chops the head off of anyone whose poetry he doesn't like or who recites something he has already heard), and several other insane tasks. As she plays, the people running Rasmussem are monitoring her progress and worrying because there is a good chance of her dying – for real.
Just as she is about to complete the game, her character is killed again, which further adds to the despair of the programmers. In the little time she has left, though, she still manages to complete the game successfully.
It is revealed at the end of the book that Nigel Rasmussem, who is the president of the company, is actually a sixteen-year-old prodigy who started the company at the age of fourteen. Somewhat ironically, his parents don't allow him to spend too much time on the computer, so he works at the snack counter of his own company's establishment, and awkwardly smells like popcorn. At first Giannine still thinks she is in the game and is still be held by Kenric, until the receptionist from Rasmussem comes into the scene. It turns out that Nigel used himself as the base for the character Kenric.He personally explains to Giannine exactly what has happened, and although it is not directly stated it can easily be inferred that there is some sort of strange romantic attraction between the two. The book ends with Giannine's father coming to take her home.
Setting
This story partly takes place in Rochester, New York, in the future. In the game, it also travels back in time to medieval times with magic, dragons, and the black plague.
Major characters
- Giannine Bellisario (Princess Janine de St. Jehan in the game) – protagonist; see also User Unfriendly.
- Andreanna – Queen and wife of the late king. Loathes Giannine.
- Wulfgar, Abas, and Kenric – three legitimate children of the late king. Resent Giannine deeply.
- Xenos, Uldemar, and Orielle – three wizards who help Giannine. Xenos crafts magical artifacts and likes eating centipedes, Uldemar is blind and can sense the dead, and Orielle is the female of the group, she makes many kinds of potions.
- Sir Deming – one of the nobles of the castle.
- Counselor Rawdon – counselor to the late King; robs the Royal Treasury.
- Grimbold – ruler of the barbarian tribe living north of the kingdom. In love with Andreanna.
- Nigel Rasmussem – sixteen-year-old founder of Rasmussem.
- Sister Mary Ursula – an old woman obsessed with the "Oneness" of the world
- Lady Cynthia and Lady Bliss – two of the royal ladies of the court
Trivia
- Giannine and her friends also appear in Vivian Vande Velde's book User Unfriendly although she is not the main character.
- Rasmussem.com, which is mentioned several times in the book, does not correspond to any actual Internet web site as of 2006.
- In the book Magic can be Murder Nola and her mother stay at an inn called "Witch's Stew", which is also one of the promotions for a game at the Gaming Center.