Where the Hell is Tesla?

Gets Better and Better

This book starts sort of slowly, with some lame and predictable jokes, two slacker Bill and Ted characters, and the usual drinking, slobby behavior, smartmouth comments, and vague loserish vibe. But wait. You'll be pleased if you just drive on a bit. Once we find Tesla's journal and start the transdimensional adventure it's like going from black and white to color in the movie "Wizard of Oz".

An actual, clever, plot develops. The action picks up, as does the suspense. Chip and Pete develop into real characters who engage the reader's attention and sympathy. The humor becomes less slapstick and obvious, and reflects real wit and style. Because the book is presented as a running collection of e-mails that Chip is sending to his estranged girlfriend you get short, punchy chapters, with lots of changes in tone and topic. It becomes a manic stream of consciousness kind of tale, and as our hero/narrator Chip becomes more and then less unhinged the story also veers around wildly and unpredictably. Rather than being disorienting, this immediacy imparts great energy, and the reader always feels in the moment with Chip and Pete as they navigate a bizarre multi-dimensional universe of alternate Earths.

There's even a dark villain threatening these Earths. This means that instead of only just playing open-a-portal-and-find-a-new-weird-Earth, our heroes actually have to go somewhere and do something along with new companions, so you get a plot and a resolution instead of just a grab bag of clever alternate Earths.

The upshot is that there is some very funny stuff mixed in with odd characters, some deadpan humor, a weird space opera story, and a manic charm that is never too over the top. An awfully nice find.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I have to state that the "dudes in alternate reality" sub-genre is not one of my favourites. That said, this is an entertaining take on the subject. - if you liked Bill and Ted, then you'll probably like this. There's a little bit of superhero stuff in here as well as a touch of Narnia (with doors instead of pools for world-travelling). It's all good fun., but maybe best appreciated by a YA audience. I preferred Rob Dircks follow-up novel, ' "The Wrong Unit", which, for me, was more original and had broader appeal. Nevertheless, this was fun to read and I applaud the attention it draws to the man who did so much to invent the modern world.

As much as I love sci fi and all things Tesla (whose voice isn't very Tesla like in this but it was so fun I'm more than willing to give the writer some creative liberty) I sometimes worry science heavy books about complex subjects like time travel will be dull or even worse, be too hard to wrap my head around.

THIS WAS AMAZING AND I DIDN'T NEED TO WORRY. It's basically Bill + Ted's excellent adventure meets Hitchhiker's Guude to the Galaxy with a bit of romance thrown in to keep it from being all science and adventure all the time. By the end the emails to the main character's girlfriend got a bit repetitive and excessive, but overall a really fun read and the best sci fi book I've tried in ages.

Eccentric tribute to an eccentric man

I loved this book. Nikola Tesla was an underappreciated scientist/inventor and this book pays tribute to him in a funny, science fiction story. The story is told in the first person by the major protagonist who is travels interdimensionally. However he tells his story through a series of emails to someone back on Earth. This allows author Rob Dircks to use an informal writing style making this book fun to read. Although the story is silly, it is silly done well and I recommend it for fans of science fiction. I also liked the tribute to Tesla as he was so important to modern life.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

A couple of dude bros, a la Bill and Ted, here named Chip and Pete, find the long lost journal of Nikola Tesla in an old government desk drawer, and following its instructions find themselves on an adventure by way of the INTERDIMENSIONAL TRANSFER APPARATUS (which is always referred to IN CAPS in the journal). Chip and Pete travel to other versions of the infinite possibilities by opening evenly spaced doors in an infinite gray hallway.

Written as an epistolary (Chip writes emails on his phone to his ex-girlfriend), Chip and Pete make some poor decisions, hilarity ensues, and with a few new friends they save the world. Where the Hell is Telsa? is a really funny book, with empathetic and cheeky underdog protagonists that you just want to do well, even if they’re not that smart. This silly romp, complete with fun accents provided by the author himself in the audiobook version, even comes with Bobo, the cute alien creature they befriend in the interdimensional hallway (blink, blink).

Whereas the comedy is the highlight, the scifi odyssey and love story are only a backdrop. With Tesla’s name in the title, I am disappointed in the lack of science and the simplistic portrayal of Tesla himself. Does a fabricated invention that allows travel between dimensions diminish the incredible legacy of the man himself? Hopefully most readers unfamiliar with Tesla will followup on his eccentric life and precocious contributions to science.

Recommended as a fun and easy read with a few nods to science and scifi! Be prepared to laugh out loud!

In the tradition of Ron Goulart's <em>What's Become of Screwloose</em> and Douglas Adams' <em>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</em> comes Rob Dircks' <em>Where the Hell is Tesla?</em>

Slacker Chip, who manages to get a job as a security guard for the FBI, grabs an old desk out of a warehouse and discovers an old journal belonging to Nikola Tesla. In it, Tesla describes an inter-dimensional multi-verse, where all possibilities exist and describes where on earth the doorway to such a place exists. With Chip's almost-but-not-quite-as-much-of-a-slacker friend, Pete, the two buddies go off to experience the multi-verse (armed only with Telsa's journal and a pipe wrench [used to break down the inter-dimensional door]).

Access to all the different possible realities s through a door and between the doors is an eternal hallway. But all the doors look alike and Chip and Pete immediately forget which door they originally came through. Time to explore. But 'all possibilities' means just that and it doesn't take long for Chip and Pete to discover some pretty nasty alternatives. On exploring they go, picking up a furry little creature they name Bobo (I picture something akin to an Ewok with a monkey's head). They even become heroes in one possible reality when they arrive on a very similar reality but with only a fraction of the gravity.

Knowing that the only way they will probably ever get back to their own reality is with the help of Tesla himself, and the two goofballs set off to find one of the smartest men who ever lived in an infinite hallway of possibilities.

Wacky? You bet!

I listened to the Audible version of this book, narrator by the author, and I highly recommend it. Dircks captures the personalities of our main characters so well one has to wonder if he wasn't his own model for the character(s).

In many ways this book is not unlike a lot of epic fantasy adventure novels with the exception that this book is downright funny. But a good, humorous book finds a way to be funny AND tell a story, keeping the reader interested in what's happening and looking forward to the central characters achieving a goal. Dircks does this all extremely well - telling a story AND keeping us entertained.

At one point it occurred to me that this was very similar to a D&amp;D (Dungeons and Dragons for you non-geeks) quest except that instead of dungeon doors, our intrepid heroes went through alternate reality doors and instead of broadswords and longbows, they were armed with ... well ... a pipe wrench.

The narrative is told primarily from the point of Chip who is writing a series of emails to a girlfriend he hadn't treated particularly well but, faced with an uncertain future now, realizes how important she is to him. It's an interesting gimmick to have a fairly central character who doesn't really appear in the novel (not in our reality anyway).

Chip and Pete's juvenile behavior did grow a little tiring from time to time (I listened to this book in one long drive) and it would have been nice to have a little personal growth a little earlier, but still, for anyone who misses and craves a good humorous sci-fi book, this is just the ticket. And of course there's an infinite number of possible stories for future volumes...!

Looking for a good book? <em>Where the Hell is Tesla?</em> by Rob Dircks is a fun sci-fi comedy in the tradition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and both the book and the Audible versions are highly recommended.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, and the Audible version from the author, in exchange for an honest review.

This was a refreshing read after some of the dramatic sci-fi books I've read. The best way I can describe it is Abbott and Costello visit the Twilight Zone. Two friends stuck between dimensions, searching for Tesla and their way home, all the while never failing to laugh at the insanity of their situation. Interesting premise, and a light-hearted guide.

Loved "Where the Hell is Tesla". It is offbeat, quirky and funny.

Chip is a bit of a slacker, working as a security guard on the night shift, but when he demands a desk for his empty room and discovers the lost notebook of Nikola Tesla in a locked drawer everything changes. Chip and his friend Pete decide to test out the Interdimensional Transfer Apparatus that Tesla set up in the hotel room where he lived. Having figured out the portal into the multiverse – they forget to mark the way back home and the adventure begins. Humour is so subjective and I suspect I’d find this funnier if I were a leftpondian. It’s not laugh out loud, but it’s quirky in a ‘Hey, dude, where’s my flying car?’ kind of way. There are times when Chip’s voice gets a bit wearing and the comedy is a bit thin, but Tesla saves the day in more ways than one. If you’re a Bill and Ted fan, you’ll like this.

Enjoyable, funny, moving, and different. I enjoyed every slacker moment of the adventures of Chip, Pete, Bobo, Nikola, and the various iterations of reality and themselves. The use of emails to tell the story create just the right rhythm, and the authentic character voices make this one of my favorite reads this summer.

I thought this was a very funny book with some real comedy moments in it. The book was well written and made me want to read more from the author. I can highly recommend it

Hands down, just a fun, fabulous book. I <3 all things Nikola Tesla. Great title, great idea, great characters, great story.

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"Official Interdimensional Travel Observation #3: Be VERY careful with stuff you pick up in other dimensions. There are infinite possibilities, and infinite ways to accidentally kill yourself."
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This was a FANTASTIC read - I honestly cannot say enough good things about it... It was snarky and original and clever and absolutely one of the most fun books I've read this year. Rob Dircks has created a world that is believable, even in its most bizarre moments; characters that are endearing, even in their most inane; and a plot that is engaging and engrossing, even (especially?) when everything is running off the rails...

Chip is a delightful Everyman protagonist, full of personality quirks and foibles that would probably be infuriating in a real person, but are absolutely spot-on perfect in this story. His story arc is a nicely massaged personal growth tale, delicately buried in layers of infinite possibilities, ridiculously funny missteps, and a series of surprisingly sharp self-realizations that are delivered without an ounce of self-consciousness or preachy irksomeness. Pete is a fantastic foil for this, as are Tesla and the other secondary characters - all of whom provide just the right balance of personalities to keep the story relatable, regardless of which particular personality type you are/believe yourself to be.

The book is epistolary. I usually struggle with this as a format; it is difficult to write letters that don't feel forced while delivering adequate backstory and detail to really pull readers into the lives they are reading about. In this instance it worked perfectly though, and I found myself sucked into the story within the first pages. I think what makes the style work so well is the meticulous attention to detail - it's the little things, like the same date/time on every email, the grayness of the ITA, and the repetitive back-and-forth banter between Chip and Pete, that really make this story come together so tightly.

Honestly, I can't say enough good stuff here - read this one, you will NOT be sorry. It's hysterical and snarky and touching and clever and just plain fun.

This book reads like you've discovered your drunken conversations with friends were recorded and you're listening to it the next day when you are sober.. It is very silly and very funny and I found myself laughing out loud often. I immediately picked up the sequel. I want to keep reading about Chip, Pete, Bobo and Nikkoli's shenanigans and wacky inter dimensional adventures.