POCKET KINGS

Book ID/图书代码： 00342512B53829

English Summary/英文概要： In this dead-on satire of online obsessions, a novelist with writer’s block finds a new—and very lucrative—stream of income in a virtual world that appears to give him everything he lacks in the real world.

When frank Dixon, a frustrated writer who has seen his career crash and burn, decides to dabble in online poker, he discovers he has a knack for winning. In this newfound realm, populated by alluring characters—each of them elusive, mysterious, and glamorous—he becomes a smash success: popular, rich, and loved. Going by the name Chip Zero, he sees his fortunes and romantic liaisons thrive in cyberspace while he remains blind to the fact that his real life is sinking. His online success, however, does not come without complications, as he comes to realize that his “virtual” friends and lovers are, in fact, very real, and one rival player is not at all happy that Mr. Zero has taken all his money.

Heller’s cautionary tale is continually surprising and startlingly real, a tour de force of satirical storytelling in the vein of Jonathan Tropper and Sam Lipsyte.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 現實失意，虛擬得意
你，選擇活在哪個世界？

Dixon是位窮困潦倒的作家，在文壇闖不出名堂，Amazon上的排名遠遠落後，沒有出版社願意出版他的新書，創作事業跌入谷底…就在此時他在虛擬世界裡找到了「救贖」。

Dixon發現自己擅長玩網路撲克賭博遊戲，在這個虛擬世界裡，每個人都神秘莫測，又充滿魅力。在抓住獲勝的訣竅後，Dixon變的富有，受到眾人的敬仰與愛慕，獲得美滿的情感生活。現實世界得不到的，在虛擬的世界裡他都能輕易到手。他欲罷不能，利用虛擬世界的成功，來撫慰現實生活中每況愈下的事業與生活。

但這種幸福並非長久之道，Dixon漸漸意識到他的朋友與情人，在螢幕的另一端也是與虛擬世界不同的活生生個體。而且樹大招風，網路賭局也為他自己種下被怨恨的種子，曾輸給他的對手正籌劃復仇…。

此作品幽默又犀利，呈現網路成癮者在現實與虛擬之間落差極大的生活面貌，以及名不見經傳的小作家在出版界闖蕩的愛恨情仇，充滿諷刺與批判。Ted Heller寫作筆法沿襲強納生．崔普爾(Jonathan Tropper)（著有《如果那一天》等書）以及Sam Lipsyte的創作文風。（XMM & Eva）

Awards/获奖情况：“Heller shows himself a brilliant social satirist . . . A delightful, smart, twisted commentary on ambition, careerism, love, and modern life by the most likely newcomer since Nick Hornby to make you laugh out loud on a bus.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Heller’s novel about a failed writer offers an unlikable protagonist, vivid writing and a comic depiction of our most disgraceful inner states.”—The New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice list

“Ted Heller’s brazen, often hilarious and always disturbing new novel, Pocket Kings, is a hybrid love letter and suicide note to 21st-century publishing . . . What seemed at first to be a smart if limited satire about publishing and online gambling becomes an illuminating and fully realized story about identity and reputation in the digital age. At its best, Pocket Kings explores authentic existence and the desperate extremes to which a man will go to be recognized in an industry that he, like so many others, despises and loves.”—The Washington Post

“[A] recklessly funny, sparky satire of our obsession with the virtual world.”—Vanity Fair

“Pocket Kings is the kind of reading fun that offers nutritional value and not just empty calories. Ted Heller’s third novel is a satirical, charming literary ride.”—Buffalo News

“A poignant, funny satire ... Heller’s prose is razor sharp and his cultural reference points are spot on. In fact it’s all so believable that you have to wonder about Mr. Heller’s own online poker credentials. Watch out for him at the virtual tables.”—CultureMob

“Heller (Slab Rat, Funnymen) seems to have inherited the satire gene from his father, Joseph.”—New York Post

"The pace is fast, the plot twisty, and the satire bites viciously."—Library Journal

“Highly entertaining . . . Pocket Kings is, in spirit, the comical sequel to Frederick Exley’s Fan’s Notes, the classic and psychologically tragic depiction of machismo mediocrity.”—The New York Times Book Review

"Laugh-out-loud funny . . . There is a certain Everyman quality to Frank, whose hopes gradually fade away but whose self-deprecating humor helps carry him through his midlife angst and denial of addiction; you want to wish him well."—Booklist

“A well-crafted and entertaining satire.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Author/作者介绍： Ted Heller曾在《Nickelodeon》、《Spy》、法國《Premiere》、《Details》等雜誌擔任圖片編輯及資深作家，之後轉戰文壇。除了本書，Ted Heller著有《Slab Rat》和《Funnymen》兩本小說。《Slab Rat》被評選為當年度十大最佳小說，《GQ》及《華盛頓郵報》都大加讚賞。《Funnymen》獲得英國《衛報》以及《泰晤士報》青睞，評為「近幾年最讓人滿意的作品之一」。現居紐約。

TED HELLER is the author of Slab Rat, which GQ magazine called “diabolically witty” and the Washington Post called “uncommonly smart, funny, and dead on” and named as one of the 10 best novels of the year. He is also the author of Funnymen, which the Guardian of England called “a masterpiece of comic invention” and the Times of London called “one of the most satisfying books in years.” Previously a senior writer at Nickelodeon Magazine, Heller lives in New York.

Format:电子手稿

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE

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