On Thursday nights, the players assemble in the back of Readmore Comix and Games. Celeste is the dungeon master; Valerie, who works at the store, was roped in by default; Mooneyham, the banker, likes to argue; and Ben, sensitive, unemployed, and living at home, is still recovering from an unrequited love. In the real world they go about their days falling in love, coming out at work, and dealing with their family lives all with varying degrees of success. But in the world of their fantasy game, they are heroes and wizards fighting to stop an evil cult from waking a sleeping god.
But then a sexy new guy, Albert, joins the club, Ben鈥檚 character is killed, and Mooneyham鈥檚 boyfriend is accosted on the street. The connections and parallels between the real world and the fantasy one become stronger and more important than ever as Ben struggles to bring his character back to life and win Albert鈥檚 affection, and the group unites to organize a protest at a neighborhood bar. All the while the slighted and competing vampire role playing club, working secretly in the shadows, begins to make its move.
鈥Henderson鈥檚 novel is sure to delight proud nerds with its story of a young man searching to belong against a backdrop of mischief and magic.鈥濃Foreword Reviews
鈥Henderson has created something special鈥攑art Hobbit and part Breakfast Club鈥a bittersweet story of love and friendship that tackles big subjects like homophobia, social anxiety, and coming out with a touch of magic. Even if you can鈥檛 tell neutral-chaotic from lawful-good, or a paladin from a druid, you鈥檒l be swept up with Ben and his lovable band of outsiders鈥攚here the game becomes a map for real life and real life sets the course for the game.鈥濃擪. M. Soehnlein, The World of Normal Boys
鈥淚t turns out that you don鈥檛 have to be a gay gamer nerd from Ohio to love Doug Henderson鈥檚 novel The Cleveland Heights LGBTQ Sci-Fi and Fantasy Role Playing Club. You just need to be someone who likes to laugh, or likes to watch people awkwardly attempt love and friendship, or likes to read a sweet, funny story about that time the geek got the boy. Henderson is a quirky, terrific, entertaining storyteller.鈥濃擫ori Ostlund, After the Parade