Walker - Fantasyland: a sportswriters obsessive bid to win the worlds most ruthless fantasy baseball

EntertainingOne of the books strengths is that Mr. Walker not only finds the humor in this world of the obsessed, he also finds the drama. Mr. Walkers prose is entertaining and informativeand often very sweet.

Dan Barry, The New York Times

A vivid journey into baseballs bizarro world.

The New York Times

A

Entertainment Weekly

Brilliantly funnyWalker understands both fantasy baseballs allure and its goofiness. This understanding gives Fantasyland its tension and its power. The work of a talented comic writer.

The Washington Post

A literary all-star.

Los Angeles Times

Walker succeeds in conveying the thrill of what is essentially derivatives trading.[ Fantasyland ] chugs along briskly, and the tense drama of the Tout Wars draft, held in a windowless hotel room near LaGuardia Airport, comes alive.

Newsday

Fascinating scenes and anecdotesThe laughs abound, but there is a dark side to fantasy baseball. This isnt only a book about baseball; it is a book about obsession.

The New York Sun

Highly entertaining.

Bloomberg

A compelling taleWhat Moneyball did for statistics, Fantasyland will do for fantasy sports.

ESPN.com

A dizzying high-speed carousel ride.

SI.com

A wonderful read. Do yourself a favor and purchase this book.

Sportsline.com

Funny and fascinating.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

A funny and mind-boggling read.

Ottawa Citizen

A delightful account. [Walker] indulged the male fantasy of fantasy sports.

The Star-Ledger (Newark)

With evangelical zeal, [Walker] blurs the line between fantasy baseball and the real thing.

The Denver Post

With its wonderful insight into what drives big leaguers to succeed and what makes rotisserie baseball so popular, [ Fantasyland ] is a clear winner.

The Hartford Courant

A fantasy leaguers dream journey. The exercise is such an over-the-top lark and Walker is so skillful at recounting it, that its hard not to be charmed. If youve already caught the fantasy bug, Walkers book will make you laugh as you see the signs of deepening obsession. For those who dont play, its a guidebook to how your friends and loved ones lost themselves in this imaginary pastime.

The Baltimore Sun

A hilarious look at the Rotisserie phenomenon.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Fantasyland is the exceptional story of one mans obsession with the game, but there are many stories in its layers, all of them compelling and expertly told. Arguably the best book on baseball since Michael Lewiss Moneyball , Fantasyland is as revealing as that book, and deserves similar acclaim, too.

Long Island Press

[Walker blurs] the line between objective journalism and complete Rotisserie obsession. The entertaining result will appeal to any fantasy player, no matter what the sport or level of seriousness.

The Salt Lake Tribune

An absolute must-read.

Fredericksburg.com

Funny, frightening.

Times-Mail News

The wildest, most entertaining book of the early seasonsolid reporting, moxie, wit, and laugh-out-loud humor.

The Indianapolis Star

Smart, funny, and colorful. An old-fashioned good read, well worth the price and time for anyone who loves baseball.

National Review Online

I found myself not wanting to put the book down.

The Hardball Times

Relentlessly entertaining.

Deadspin.com

Baseball fans of all stripes will find Fantasyland to be a romping yet informative escapade.

RotoAuthority.com

Quite simply the best baseball book since Moneyball .

Chris Maher, The Sports Frog

Skilled storytelling and tight prose.

Baseball America

I wholeheartedly endorse the book for anyone who loves fantasy baseball or is just looking for an entertaining read.

The Roto Times

Its all great fun, written with humor and a twinkling eye directed at the lunacy of it all. In offering a fascinating analysis of this underlying conflict within the sport, Walker gives his account of fantasy fanaticism an unexpected and satisfying depth. Fantasyland has a chance to be the Moneyball of 2006.

Booklist (starred review)

HilariousReaders might even pick up a few tips on how to draft their teams this spring, but the real fun is in watching Walkers well-laid plans unravel.

Publishers Weekly

The book mirrors the game itself: It is filled with pathos, humor, sorrow, tragedy, and triumph.

BookSense (Top 20 pick for April 2006)

Baseball has been so often dissected and analyzed over the years that its easy to lose sight of the fact that its a game people lovesometimes with a level of loyalty and commitment that staggers the mind. Sam Walkers Fantasyland is a book to remind everyone of that fact.

Keith Hernandez, former New York Met and author of Pure Baseball

I have read many books on baseball, but none of them approach the delight, the zaniness, the lunacy and the sheer reading pleasure of Sam Walkers Fantasyland . In trying to build the perfect fantasy baseball team, Walker takes us on an absolute joyride. His book is a riot and a romp, but he also cleverly crystallizes the raging baseball culture war between the stat freaks and the hard-line traditionalists.

Buzz Bissinger, author of Three Nights in August and Friday Night Lights

When he wasnt soliciting Rotisserie advice from star ballplayers like David Ortiz or top general managers like Billy Beane, Sam Walker managed to write the most entertaining baseball narrative Ive read in years. With enormous wit, razor-sharp reporting, and a passion that borders on maniacal, Fantasyland hits a grand slam.

Neal Bascomb, author of The Perfect Mile