Reboot -- Justin Taylor, Hardcover

A raucous and wickedly smart satire of Hollywood, toxic fandom, and our chronically online culture, following a washed-up actor on his quest to revive the cult TV show that catapulted him to teenage fame

David Crader is a has-been. A former child actor from the hit teen drama Rev Beach, he now rotates between his new roles as deadbeat dad, recovering alcoholic, and occasional videogame voice actor. But when David is summoned to Los Angeles by Grace, his ex-wife and former co-star, he suddenly sees an opportunity for a reboot--not just of the show that made him famous, but also of his listless existence.

Hollywood, the Internet, and a fractured nation have other plans, however, and David soon drinks himself to a realization: This seemingly innocuous revival of an old Buffy rip-off could be the spark that sets ablaze a nation gripped by far-right conspiracy, climate catastrophe, and mass violence.

Reboot is a madcap speculative comedy for our era of glass-eyed doom-scrolling and Millennial nostalgia--and yet it's still full of heart. It's a tale of former teen heartthrobs, striving parents, internet edgelords, and fish-faced cryptids, for anyone who has looked back on their life and wanted--even if but for a moment--to hit "reset."

Author: Justin Taylor
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Published: 04/23/2024
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.93lbs
Size: 8.29h x 5.72w x 1.09d
ISBN: 9780553387629

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 11/01/2023 pg. 5
Publishers Weekly 02/05/2024
Kirkus Reviews 02/15/2024
Booklist 03/01/2024 pg. 22

About the Author
JUSTIN TAYLOR is the author of the novel The Gospel of Anarchy, the story collections Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever and Flings; and the memoir Riding with the Ghost, His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, Bookforum, and the Oxford American. He is a contributing writer to The Washington Post Book World and the director of the Sewanee School of Letters. He lives in Portland, Oregon.