Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Author: Larry Gaudet
Publisher: Rare Machines
Released: June 11, 2024
Received: ARC
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Book Summary:

Technology has taken over the world. That statement is more literal for some people. Take Don Barton, he created a revolutionary new game that enabled players to save the (digital) world – from the safety of their own homes.

Unfortunately, his son has gotten completely obsessed with the game. Karmic? Maybe. Worse, this teenager is about to find himself completely over his head, as he gets pulled into a world full of terrorist groups and more.

My Review:

I was really excited to give Eris a try. Okay, admittedly, part of my hopes were set because of the awesome cover (I’m a sucker for brightly-covered covers, sue me). I also really liked the sound of this description – Ready Player One meets social activism.

There were things I really enjoyed about this book, and then there were things that I wish had been done differently. My biggest problem was the characters. They felt flat and hollow. Ironically, they almost felt like an AI interpretation of characters. That’d be awesome if it was done intentionally!

I also wish that we had gotten to see more of this digital world – the Greenhouse. It sounded really interesting, and seeing more of it helped to add context to the world(s). I understand that the author was probably afraid for Eris to feel too similar to Ready Player One, though.

On the bright side, I did enjoy the writing style of this book overall. It was bold and compelling. I think if the book had been a bit longer (it’s only 180 pages), there would have been more time to explore the elements I mentioned.

Highlights:

• Video Game Thriller
• Virtual Reality

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