In Real Life by Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang.The Emerald Macaw!
Feathers worth 450 gold.
It's weakness? Music.
Is this the first non-Boing Boing, or at least non-article writing of Doctorow's I've read? I think it might be. First an ettin,, now a Doctorow! You've probably heard about this book by now, it's gotten plenty of attention, but it deserves it. A nice all-ages book about gaming, with a "girl gamer" angle that widens the audience. I liked Jen Wang's first graphic novel, Koko Be Good, & the art doesn't disappoint here. Despite being about topical hot-button issues like "girls play video games too," which is blowing the mind of misogynistic bullies these days, that's not the dominant focus of the story. It is a friendship between a player & a Chinese gold farmer. Gold farming is...weird & pretty futuristic, in a dystopian way, huh? I don't have a lot to say but it's a fast, fun read that might make you think about things, surprising things about the global economy & such. Low risk, with a good return on your invested time. Oh, & I'm pretty sure I spotted a Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery background homage; there are probably others that I overlooked; maybe I'll go back & look to see if I can recognize more subtle video game references.