Heir Apparent

Vivian Vande Velde

Jun 2004 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

At first her goal was winning. Now it’s surviving . . . .“A stylish tale [that] addresses both fantasy gaming and censorship.” —TheNew York Times Book Review

The Edgar Award–winning author presents a rollicking story that puts a high-tech twist on the classic medieval fantasy-adventure . . .

Giannine has made it through the crowd of demonstrators outside the arcade to use the gift certificate from her dad. In the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, there are way too many ways to get killed—and Giannine seems to be finding them all. Which is a shame, because unless she can get the magic ring, locate the stolen treasure, answer the dwarf’s dumb riddles, impress the head-chopping statue, charm the army of ghosts, fend off the barbarians, and defeat the man-eating dragon, she’ll never win.

And she has to, because the protesters have broken into the system, and losing means she’ll die—for real this time . . .

“Consistently entertaining.” —Publishers Weekly

“Thrilling sf drama [and] a tough girl protagonist.” —Booklist 

“Suspenseful. . . . hilarious. . . . riveting reading for experienced gamers and tyros alike.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A Junior Library Guild Selection and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Ratings and reviews

Best book ever!!!! Especially the ending, when Giannine finds out that Nigel Rasmussem is used Kenric for his physical appearance

I read this book the day it came out. It was good then, it's like fine wine now.

I loved this book. It makes to think and rethink decisions. Great for kids who are into video games

About the author

Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.