Leaving Mundania

"Lizzie Stark takes us down the rabbit hole and into the curiouser and curiouser world of larp and shows us a place where imagination lives and breathes. Enter if you dare . . . and enjoy the ride! It's an enlightening and wondrous journey." -Tracy Hickman, New York Times bestselling author and game designer

"With humor, intelligence, and more than a little bravery, Lizzie Stark guides us into the vast subculture of larping, where lawyers become vampire hunters and systems analysts turn into knights. Hilarious, honest, and enlightening, Leaving Mundania reminds us how thin the boundaries are between the roles we play and the selves we believe ourselves to be." -Stacey Richter, Pushcart Prize-winning author of My Date With Satan and Twin Study: Stories

"A fascinating trip through the looking glass and into the subculture of larp. Stark gives us both the magic and the humanity of live-action make-believe. And as a social historian, she incisively points to a pop-culture trend on its way from the fringe toward the mainstream." -Samuel Freedman, author of The Inheritance and Letters to a Young Journalist

"Lizzie Stark isn't afraid to walk the goblin walk, talk the in-character talk, wear the makeup, and wield the boffer sword. With verve, wit, and candor, Leaving Mundania provides an important contribution to the history of role-playing and gaming, and proves the cultural significance of this flourishing game/performance/medium." -Ethan Gilsdorf, author of Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

"Leaving Mundania is a thrilling read. Stark presents a deep and true picture of one of the most compelling communities in contemporary leisure: the world of larp." -Gary Alan Fine, author of Shared Fantasy: Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds, and Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University

"Leaving Mundania is a knockout book. Stark guides us on a voyage into a world beyond our own walls, a world where author and reader are both ultimately changed." -Urban Waite, author of The Terror of Living

"Rich, unexpected and compelling. . . . Stark's keen observational skills and crisp writing style successfully cut through those hackneyed stereotypes to reveal the very real people who are drawn to deeply imaginary worlds." -Kirkus Reviews