Don't Feed the Trolls

February 27, 2017
Kudisch tackles video game misogyny in this charming, geeky, but ultimately unwieldy romance. Daphne Benoit, a somewhat employed French-born actor living in the U.S., is elated when her fictionalized version of her online RPG gaming strategy wins the game company’s story-writing competition. However, male players who feel threatened by her success unleash a torrent of vitriol and actual threats on her. Hoping to evade notice, Daphne switches to a male persona in the game—which quickly leads to adopting the name Daphnis and trying on masculine mannerisms in person—and takes refuge with the help of Laura, another player who experienced similar harassment. Much of the early dialogue appears in chat log form and rewards those familiar with gamer slang and musical theater. Daphnis stumbles through overlapping online and offline dangers and a burgeoning romance with Laura until things come to a head at a national gaming convention. Kudisch brings needed attention to online harassment and rightly shows how well-meaning allies often cause more harm than good. However, the tale is hampered by the glib treatment of Daphnis’s sudden gender shift (including the implication that a transmasculine identity can save someone from misogynist abuse) and an extraneous acting career subplot. Kudisch’s attempt to cram so much into the story waters down its impact.

March 15, 2017
Being a woman online is difficult--even for a duchess.Daphne has just won the Eternal Reign Novelization Contest, which seems like a great achievement but, thanks to internet trolls, means her life is about to get much worse. In the world of Eternal Reign, the MMORPG she plays as Duchess Fatiguee, her inbox begins to fill with violent threats, and the company running the game refuses to help her fight back against the abuse. As she's a struggling actress who loves playing to relieve stress and doesn't want to leave the game entirely, she disguises herself as a new, male player in the kingdom of Duchess Uhruu. The player behind Duchess Uhruu is also a woman, and as they chat, their chemistry builds, especially after Duchess Fatiguee is deposed in a coup and Daphne spends more time in her new world. Daphne is excited to meet her crush at GeeKon but is worried that her new duchess won't like her when she finds out she's a woman--especially as Daphne has also started questioning her gender identity. This short and sweet story is light on romance, so its real joys are in the delightful friendships throughout the book, online and off. Readers unfamiliar with online gaming may feel overwhelmed by detail, especially by the sadly realistic depictions of online hate speech, but Kudisch is an able guide to a misunderstood world. Daphne's experimentations with gender are thoughtfully portrayed among all the geek drama, and while the happy-ever-after is nontraditional, it satisfies. A contemporary romance that will pleasantly surprise readers willing to try a new type of heroine.

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