Chaotic Good by: Whitney Gardner
Most of you don’t know this about me, but as well as creating characters and rolling dice - I love to read! And boy, was this a good one.
I was drawn to Chaotic Good for two reasons, one the title. Any nerd who has read the player’s handbook front to back can recognize the alignments on sight. And two, the author Whitney Gardner. Whitney’s previous book You’re Welcome Universe was a beautiful and thoughtful window into a universe few of us have seen - one of a Deaf graffiti artist. Both of Gardner’s novels let us see into worlds almost as engaging as the girls that narrate them.
So when I saw these two things combined on the shelf of my favorite indie book shop, I picked it up immediately. And well, the blurb did not disappoint.
“Soon-to-be senior Cameron hopes to complete her costume portfolio away from the online abuse she has endured since winning a cosplay contest dressed as a character from a game she’s never played. Unfortunately the only comic shop in her new town-her main destination for character reference-is staffed by a dudebro who challenges every girl who comes into the shop.
At her twin brother’s suggestion, Cameron borrows a set of his clothes and uses her costuming expertise to waltz into the shop as Boy Cameron, where she’s shocked at how easily she’s accepted into the nerd inner sanctum. Before she can say ‘Demogorgon’, Cameron finds herself drafted into a D&D campaign alongside the dudebro, a friendly ( almost flirtatiously so ) clerk, a handsome Dungeon Master, and her brother Cooper, dragged along for good measure.
But as her ‘secret identity’ gets more and more entrenched, Cameron's portfolio falls by the wayside-and her feelings for her DM threaten to make a complicated situation even more precarious.”
I was drawn into a ( quite familiar ) world of Dungeons and Dragons, Cosplay, and game shops. As well as a tabletop nerd, I’m a huge sap, so the cute romance that accompanied the rolling of dice and thrumming of the sewing machine was one that warmed my heart. As someone who also likes to sew, I related to the main character Cameron pretty quickly. She is an expert cosplayer who breathes life into every character around the table.
The descriptions of Cam’s journey of discovering D&D felt like slipping into a well-worn jacket. I love the d20 she picks out “I pick up a deep purple die, each side stamped with a number in gold. It’s translucent with blue glitter suspended in the plastic.” I know what my next set will look like!! And speaking of dice, each chapter number is depicted as that side of a d20.
But we can’t talk about this novel without addressing some of the issues it tackles. Cameron is a girl who loves feminine things, she hand sews spring dresses and paints her nails sparkling colors, that’s who she is. And at first, Cam doesn’t feel welcome in the gaming community. Her local gaming shop is run by a gross dudebro type guy who freaks her out, I felt so grateful for my gaming shops while reading about Atomix Comix. With the rise of popularity of D&D and other games, the community has obviously gotten better, and this novel is a big “ WE DON'T CARE!!” to those who choose to gatekeep. If you’ve ever had to deal with someone calling you a fake geek girl, do yourself a favor and take a peek into Cam’s story.
