Off to be the wizard
by Scott Meyer, Luke Daniels · first published 2013
80% recommend13% neutral7% critical
Why HN recommends it
Light, funny comic fantasy where reality is a editable computer file and a programmer learns to hack magic. Suits programmers and fans of Pratchett or Adams-style comedy; the audiobook is praised for commutes.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little "tweaks" have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard. What could possibly go wrong? An American hacker in King Arthur's court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin ... and not, y'know, die or anything
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Lots of dystopian and alternate world sci-fi (most recently read first): 1) The Handmaid’s Tale 2) Off to be the Wizard 3) The Three-Body Problem 4) Good Omens 5) We Are Legion (We Are Bob) 6) American Gods 7) Ready Player One I really enjoyed all of these, though the Neil Gaiman books are rather long-winded. Ready…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…everything'. Also, kids aren't stupid and eventually they figure this out: "Ninety percent of most magic merely consists of knowing one extra fact." Then they just need to work out those facts. Have you read Off to Be the Wizard or A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court? I wouldn't call them children's stories, but maybe young adult.
on “Ask HN: Help me weave in STEM topics for a children's book” ↗Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Mayer. Hear me out. This is a comedy novel in the vein of Pratchett or Douglas Adams. But the central conceit is that a hacker finds a large configuration file on a system he hacks into. He…
on “Hard comp-fi reading list” ↗Some suggestions: Any of the "Laundry Files" novels by Charles Stross, or Glasshouse also by Stross. Permutation City by Greg Egan. Off To Be The Wizard by Scott Meyer. Any of the "Dresden Files" novels by Jim Butcher. The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner. Neuromancer by William Gibson. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
on “Ask HN: Best non-business books to read on vacation” ↗…Trilogy and really enjoyed it. It's probably "not as bad" as Dan Brown (opinion only, possibly), but it's what most here would just classify as escapist trash. Also Scott Meyer released a sequel to his "Off to be the Wizard" book (Spell or Highwater) and I finished reading it soon after the Taken trilogy. It's a great series too. I bought the "Everything is Bullshit" book and I'm on a plane tomorrow, so I'll probably finish…
on “Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?” ↗…Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield Fiction: - Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality | Petunia married a professor, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction. http://www.hpmor.com/ - Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer | Reality is defined in a text file, making the protagonist a wizard when he discovers it while hacking a company. - The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman
on “Ask HN: Read any good books lately?” ↗…Antonya Nelson (sad, weird, but very good) - It's Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini - Backward Compatible - Sarah Daltry Also definitely recommend the Magic 2.0 trilogy by Scott Meyer (starting with Off to Be the Wizard).
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer is a very funny fiction book that is based on the concept of reality being a computer program that hackers can manually manipulate to do cool stuff. It mostly occurs in King Arthur's Court,…
on “Reality doesn’t exist until it is measured, quantum experiment finds” ↗…Creativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading) >> Startups: The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz The Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman The Launch Pad, by Randall Stross >> Other books: Trilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer Search Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan Joy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)
on “Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?” ↗That's basically the premise of Scott Meyer's "Off to be the Wizard" (Magic 2.0) book series. It's a lot of fun, I recommend it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Meyer_(author)#Magic_2.0 > The series follows Martin Banks, a programmer from 2012, who uses a computer…
on “A Cosmic Burst Repeats, Deepening a Mystery” ↗Some choice fiction: Daemon, by Daniel Suarez Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson Gold Bug Variations, by Richard Powers Galatea 2.2, by Richard Powers Off to Be the Wizard, by Scott Meyer Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline Neuromancer, by William Gibson The Adolescence Of P-1, by Thomas J. Ryan (from when I was just a kid)
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books for computer programmers?” ↗1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good. 2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided. 3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?” ↗If you discard any quantum computing, this is similar to the plot to the series of novels starting with "Off to Be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer. A fun, quick little read about a person who discovers the source database of reality, and then promptly starts messing with it.
on “Invention of satanic witchcraft by medieval authorities was met with skepticism” ↗"Galatea 2.2" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers "Off to Be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer "Daemon" by Daniel Suarez "The Adolescence of P1" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan "Snow Crash" by William Gibson "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline "We are Legion [We are Bob]" by Dennis…
on “Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?” ↗Off to be the wizard
on “Ask HN: Favorite audio book for long drives?” ↗