The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

Publication Date:  October 8, 2015  
Publisher:  Ebury Press
Pages:  224
Series:  Stand Alone
Genre:  Nonfiction 
Synopsis:  Hello reader,

In this book is a world. A world created by two awkward guys who share their lives on the internet!

We are Dan and Phil and we invite you on a journey inside our minds! From the stories of our actual births, to exploring Phil's teenage diary and all the reasons why Dan's a fail.

Learn how to draw the perfect cat whiskers, get advice on what to do in an awkward situation and discover which of our dining chairs represents you emotionally. With everything from what we text each other, to the time we met One Direction and what really happened in Vegas...

Review:  This review is a little different than any other I have done before.  In case you didn't know, Dan and Phil are YouTube sensations, known as danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil online.  

Now, I don't usually buy into the recent surge of YouTuber's getting handed book deals, but The Amazing Book is Not on Fire, AKA TABINOF, is hilarious and essentially just a physical form of the internet world Dan and Phil have created.

TABINOF is a delightful waste of time--and I do mean that in a good way.  It is stuffed full of hilarious and awkward stories and memories, not to mention the gorgeous aesthetic--and I do mean gorgeous.  Stunning photography and silly collages, bonus content, plus a quiz to help you find out which of Dan and Phil's dining chairs you are (I'm grey, in case you wanted to know).

It is a behind the scenes take on Dan and Phil's lives and careers, often referencing videos and building off of the assumption that you already know who they are.  This is certainly a book for fans of their YouTube channels.  I couldn't imagine a random person picking up this book in the store without preexisting knowledge.  

That is not a negative thing, since TABINOF was written and marketed for Dan and Phil's viewers.  It is pretty much a time capsule of reality at this stage in their and the viewers (myself included) lives.  

The amount of effort that went into creating this creative explosion of a book is plain to see.  Every last detail is laid out in careful chaos, and can I mention the aesthetic again?  The only minute thing that bothered me, and me personally, is the lack of formal grammar/punctuation.  I understand it is aimed to be more colloquial, but I couldn't help but cringe at every fallen off comma.  

I lied, since I actually do have one other complaint.  I was expecting a more down to earth, realistic version of their videos.  Less of the image they built up and more of the real people in front of the cameras.  But what did I expect from two guys who draw cat whiskers on their faces and once worse masks of Justin Bieber and the Queen in the same video?

Again, I would like to stress that this book is created with the community of the "Phandom" in mind, to include them (and me) in the the craziness that is their minds.  All of its quirks and jumbles of hilariousness are what define Dan and Phil and all of the viewers.