Today the Adrenaline Vault is pleased to offer a unique inside look at a new young-adult fantasy book series being launched that’s heavily influenced by the world of gaming. This spring, Toonopolis: Gemini will be available for purchase. It’s a book featuring characters who inhabit a cartoon-themed universe created by author Jeremy Rodden. I was recently able to speak with Mr. Rodden about the new book series.

Rodden describes Toonopolis as “a combination of different genres, broken up into subgenres organized in a fashion not unlike videogames, cartoons and comics.” The focus of his novels is on their cartoon characters, which populate the “Tooniverse” and its various themed cities (a medieval town, an underwater environment, and even a city entirely based upon the rules and feel of classic role-playing games). Toonopolis explores the adventures these characters have as they interact with one another and with mysterious outside forces beyond their understanding.

One of the most interesting twists on the book’s concept is that the cartoons in Toonopolis exist in the same realm as humans, and are permanently linked to them. For example, if I were to draw a doodle in my notebook, that doodle would then exist in the Tooniverse so long as I, the creator, still exist. The bond between cartoon creations and sentient beings is a recurring and interesting theme that separates Toonopolis from other cartoon-based works, such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Adrenaline Vault readers will undoubtedly enjoy the many obvious references to videogame paradigms, especially in the first book of the series, Gemini, a reference to the name of the protagonist. The entire premise of the first entry in the Toonopolis canon surrounds a younger-than-he-should-be hero who takes up a quest simply because he must. Along the way, Gemini meets many other toons who often serve as an homage to a multitude of games and cartoons from our childhood.

The goal of the book, according to Rodden, is “to create a piece of work that everyone of all ages could feel a connection to.” As a former English teacher, Rodden says he drew upon his instructional philosophy of using prior knowledge and experiences to create a sense of enjoyment when introducing new ideas and topics when writing Toonopolis: Gemini.

Rodden is also an avid, self-proclaimed gamer, continuing to play to gain new inspiration and ideas. In his second book, Rodden promises to show the love and respect for the world of 8-bit gaming that helped spark his creativity in his younger years. Currently Rodden says he’s working through Mortal Kombat 9, having proudly completed his Pokedex for both Pokemon: Black and Pokemon: White.

Toonopolis: Gemini is a clever representation of the unique ideas and passion that are responsible for the types of media we all enjoy, whether they be drawn, animated or pixelated. Rodden has taken all of these wonderful concepts and brought them together in one place, then asks the question, “Okay, what happens now?” Read Toonopolis: Gemini and find out for yourself. The book is available on Amazon.com.