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Gamers #1
Gamers
Two points for brushing your teeth. Ten points for keeping your room tidy. Seventy-two points for the Bioeconomic Game Design pop quiz on the ride to school in your personal FunCar. Another thirty for making every hurdle in gym class.
Life is a game, unless you're not the one winning.
Gabby DeCorte, top student and reality-hacker extraordinaire, has been doing whatever it takes to keep her best friend, Zaela, from falling behind in LifeGame. Zaela has gifts of artistry that amaze Gabby, but none of those skills translate in LifeGame and with final exams coming up, they can't afford to waste a single minute. But when a mysterious group called the Frags contacts Gabby claiming to know what really happens to the losers of LifeGame, she must choose between winning and what she believes in.
Life is a game, unless you're not the one winning.
Gabby DeCorte, top student and reality-hacker extraordinaire, has been doing whatever it takes to keep her best friend, Zaela, from falling behind in LifeGame. Zaela has gifts of artistry that amaze Gabby, but none of those skills translate in LifeGame and with final exams coming up, they can't afford to waste a single minute. But when a mysterious group called the Frags contacts Gabby claiming to know what really happens to the losers of LifeGame, she must choose between winning and what she believes in.
324 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2011
56 people are currently reading
798 people want to read
About the author
Thomas K. Carpenter
198 books209 followersThomas K. Carpenter is a full time contemporary fantasy author with over 70 independently published titles. His bestselling, multi-series universe, The Hundred Halls, has over 43 books and counting. His stories focus on fantastic families, magical academies, and epic adventures. All the books can be found at major retailers and directly from the author at https://thomaskcarpenter.com/.
You can sign up for his newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/trialso...
When he is not writing, he enjoys playing turn-based strategy games and MTG, skiing, hiking, traveling, and chilling on the couch with his wife and their little dog, Merlin, at home in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
You can sign up for his newsletter at https://www.subscribepage.com/trialso...
When he is not writing, he enjoys playing turn-based strategy games and MTG, skiing, hiking, traveling, and chilling on the couch with his wife and their little dog, Merlin, at home in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 2, 2013
Is there anything more disappointing as reading a book with an interesting premise and realizing in the first chunk how bland it is? There were several points while I was reading this and thinking back to Sword Art Online and that I should really ought to just find the translations of those books. Gamers isn’t as horrible that I was tempted to chuck my Kindle at the wall, but it’s so by the numbers.
Starting with the world-building, which is easily the worst part of the book. I feel like the whole mantra of “The real world isn’t real!” is just a lazy cop-out to avoid any real description of the setting. There is no clear distinction between the real world and what Gabby is seeing when she’s online. And for the record, how is the online overlaid onto the real world in here? I’m assuming ocular implants, but Carpenter never takes the time to make this distinction. Also, the time-frame of the world-building. If this form of society where gaming is your life and if you don’t have enough points, you literally lose…wouldn’t people start catching on that their children and loved ones are disappearing? Also, apparently there’s no medical advancement in this future, because if you get sick and miss one day of gaming, you’re screwed! I hate to be the cynic here, but it feels like the author read Extras and Ready Player One and decided he’s going to write a book just like those! And then missed the points of both.
The characters and plot are so boring and cookie-cutter. ‘Ordinary’ high school girl with a special talent sees mysterious boy at school. She wants to learn more about mysterious boy, and instead learns about grand conspiracy, which—DUN DUN!—she is a target of, despite being oh-so normal! It also doesn’t particularly help that half of the book is taken up by this “Final Raid” Gabby has to navigate. Apparently, there are high stakes involved, but I never got that she was playing for her life. Nor did I get any inkling that Gabby was willing to die for her friend Zaela, since the latter only appears for a handful of pages. The pacing is terrible, so much of the first half is info-dumping this grand conspiracy, and the second half is the Final Raid, which just reads like a transcript of WoW quest (with occasional interlude to remind you of the plot).
At best? This reads like a very, very early draft of a Nanowrimo book that just got a rough polish and then put online. (Speaking as an experienced Nano veteran who did self e-pub, that is a huge no-no.) The whole “Life as a game” has been done before, but it’s still an interesting concept that, in the right hands, could be really well-done. This is just feels like a rip-off of much better works, and I could find better things to recommend.
Starting with the world-building, which is easily the worst part of the book. I feel like the whole mantra of “The real world isn’t real!” is just a lazy cop-out to avoid any real description of the setting. There is no clear distinction between the real world and what Gabby is seeing when she’s online. And for the record, how is the online overlaid onto the real world in here? I’m assuming ocular implants, but Carpenter never takes the time to make this distinction. Also, the time-frame of the world-building. If this form of society where gaming is your life and if you don’t have enough points, you literally lose…wouldn’t people start catching on that their children and loved ones are disappearing? Also, apparently there’s no medical advancement in this future, because if you get sick and miss one day of gaming, you’re screwed! I hate to be the cynic here, but it feels like the author read Extras and Ready Player One and decided he’s going to write a book just like those! And then missed the points of both.
The characters and plot are so boring and cookie-cutter. ‘Ordinary’ high school girl with a special talent sees mysterious boy at school. She wants to learn more about mysterious boy, and instead learns about grand conspiracy, which—DUN DUN!—she is a target of, despite being oh-so normal! It also doesn’t particularly help that half of the book is taken up by this “Final Raid” Gabby has to navigate. Apparently, there are high stakes involved, but I never got that she was playing for her life. Nor did I get any inkling that Gabby was willing to die for her friend Zaela, since the latter only appears for a handful of pages. The pacing is terrible, so much of the first half is info-dumping this grand conspiracy, and the second half is the Final Raid, which just reads like a transcript of WoW quest (with occasional interlude to remind you of the plot).
At best? This reads like a very, very early draft of a Nanowrimo book that just got a rough polish and then put online. (Speaking as an experienced Nano veteran who did self e-pub, that is a huge no-no.) The whole “Life as a game” has been done before, but it’s still an interesting concept that, in the right hands, could be really well-done. This is just feels like a rip-off of much better works, and I could find better things to recommend.
December 18, 2012
There’s something to be said about a book that can entertain. Does Gamers suffer from shotty world-building and weak characterization? Most definitely. But did I mind while I was reading it? Not really.
A gifted hacker, Gabby has been “grinding points” for her LifeScore by performing mundane tasks (like brushing her teeth) and playing games to ensure she gets in to University, something that would guarantee her a good job. This is referenced repeatedly throughout Gamers, but exactly what job University will get you, is never explained. Other than being a Coder – someone who designs LifeGame – and a few vague references to a military, no other jobs are ever mentioned. Considering the plot depends on Gabby’s rude awakening about the truth for those who don’t get in to University, one would think that the types of jobs available would be better explained. This hole was made even more glaringly obvious when Gabby was left answerless after being asked what she thought the minor jobs were. How can you be so desperate to avoid the non-University jobs when you don’t even know what they are?
There were many such questions that I wished Gabby had asked, or explored a little deeper, that were implied and then given no attention. Her lack of curiosity about the truths shown to her by the Frags was something I had a really hard time overcoming. After the leap of faith it took for her to trust the Frags enough to even listen to their side of the story, I was surprised by how few questions she asked and how quickly she believed their version of events. And then once it was apparent that she was going to believe what they had shown her, she kind of meandered through Gamers without the urgency I felt her situation demanded. While she did rush back, it was only because she realized they had started Final Raid early and she was falling behind in points. Not once did she consider telling her teammates the truth about what she had learned from the Frags, nor did she confide her secrets to her best friend, Zaela. Rather, she played Final Raid to the best of her abilities, and hoped that Zaela would earn enough points on her own to end up safe at University with her.
But, while I had all of these thoughts swimming around in my head, I was also enjoying reading Gamers. Gabby’s constant checking of her LifeScore added a lot of suspense, as you worried she wouldn’t be able to catch up, and I loved the Dungeons and Dragons style gameplay used for Final Raid. I did have a hard time with some of the gaming terms used, and found myself wikking many of them – which generally, didn’t provide much clarity if I’m honest. But the concept behind LifeGame and Final Raid was pretty neat – you controlled your future, depending on how invested you were at learning how to play better. And personally, I really liked how some popular gaming characters were used as slang.
And then, of course, there’s the question of what playing games has to do with running a successful society…
But, my issues with Gamers aside, I really enjoyed reading it. There’s definitely room for improvement, and I think the ending was slightly rushed and anticlimactic, but it was entertaining. And sometimes, that’s enough.
A gifted hacker, Gabby has been “grinding points” for her LifeScore by performing mundane tasks (like brushing her teeth) and playing games to ensure she gets in to University, something that would guarantee her a good job. This is referenced repeatedly throughout Gamers, but exactly what job University will get you, is never explained. Other than being a Coder – someone who designs LifeGame – and a few vague references to a military, no other jobs are ever mentioned. Considering the plot depends on Gabby’s rude awakening about the truth for those who don’t get in to University, one would think that the types of jobs available would be better explained. This hole was made even more glaringly obvious when Gabby was left answerless after being asked what she thought the minor jobs were. How can you be so desperate to avoid the non-University jobs when you don’t even know what they are?
There were many such questions that I wished Gabby had asked, or explored a little deeper, that were implied and then given no attention. Her lack of curiosity about the truths shown to her by the Frags was something I had a really hard time overcoming. After the leap of faith it took for her to trust the Frags enough to even listen to their side of the story, I was surprised by how few questions she asked and how quickly she believed their version of events. And then once it was apparent that she was going to believe what they had shown her, she kind of meandered through Gamers without the urgency I felt her situation demanded. While she did rush back, it was only because she realized they had started Final Raid early and she was falling behind in points. Not once did she consider telling her teammates the truth about what she had learned from the Frags, nor did she confide her secrets to her best friend, Zaela. Rather, she played Final Raid to the best of her abilities, and hoped that Zaela would earn enough points on her own to end up safe at University with her.
But, while I had all of these thoughts swimming around in my head, I was also enjoying reading Gamers. Gabby’s constant checking of her LifeScore added a lot of suspense, as you worried she wouldn’t be able to catch up, and I loved the Dungeons and Dragons style gameplay used for Final Raid. I did have a hard time with some of the gaming terms used, and found myself wikking many of them – which generally, didn’t provide much clarity if I’m honest. But the concept behind LifeGame and Final Raid was pretty neat – you controlled your future, depending on how invested you were at learning how to play better. And personally, I really liked how some popular gaming characters were used as slang.
“It’s so Bowser that they made the Raid worth so many points.”
“What in Mario’s name is that thing?”But, I can also see how some of the slang used might put off others. It took a couple uses of the word “debuff” and “twinked” in context for me to slightly understand what they meant.
And then, of course, there’s the question of what playing games has to do with running a successful society…
But, my issues with Gamers aside, I really enjoyed reading it. There’s definitely room for improvement, and I think the ending was slightly rushed and anticlimactic, but it was entertaining. And sometimes, that’s enough.
February 15, 2013
Gamers is one of two self-pubs I have on my list to read for Dystopian February. Though I'm generally skeptical of self-published books, Thomas K. Carpenter sent me a real review request, one where he'd looked up my name and read some of my work. I appreciate when the requesters have done their due diligence before contacting me, and his book actually fit within the broad swath of genres I enjoy, which happens surprisingly rarely.
Like a few other dystopian novels I've read, Gamers considers a society where life is like a video game, the average person a mere player moving about in an artificial reality. The construct is a fascinating one, which is no doubt the reason it's proved so popular with authors. What's cool about it, though, is that, even though I've read at least four books which used this basic premise, they all have been able to do unique things with it, because the landscape and functioning of the gaming world can vary so widely.
The gamers get points for everything they do, from taking tests to personal hygiene to leisure activities. These points add up to a Life Score, a number which determines your ranking and whether the person will be able to attend college. This is LifeGame, where people walk around collecting points like Mario collects little gold coins from his car in MarioKart.
What's really cool about Gamers are the layers of gaming. From within LifeGame, the players can enter another game. It makes me wonder where real life actually begins. There's a sort of Inception-like quality to it, in that there's no way to say where the game ends. Every aspect of your life can be peered into and affected by a hacker or coder. It's a really scary thought.
The first half of Gamers reads like a science fiction novel, setting up the world and establishing how LifeGame works. Once that's done, you learn the inevitable dark underbelly of the world. At about the midway point, there's a sort of genre change when, from within LifeGame, Gabby and the other students enter a game as their final test to determine whether they will get into college. The game has the feel of a high fantasy video game. I found both parts entertaining, and fast-paced.
The characters never really grabbed me, and do not develop all that much over the course of the novel. I do appreciate, though, the complex relationships between Zaela, Gabby, and Avony. They could have been a bit more deftly-handled, but I like that they're not black and white, and none of the girls is demonized or placed on a pedestal. No one in Gamers comes off as utterly perfect, which is a nice change from so many idealized YA heroines.
So far as the editing goes, I do think Gamers could benefit from a bit more editing. I noticed several errors, but they weren't on every page by any mean. The strangest errors were misspellings with double letters, like scrapping instead of scraping, chaffed instead of chafed, and gripped instead of griped.
Gamers is a quick, enjoyable, fast-paced dystopian read. I think it is best-suited perhaps for a younger teen, even middle grade, audience or for more reluctant readers. As of 2/12/13, the Kindle edition is free temporarily on Amazon, on sale from $5.99, so if you're curious there's no better time!
Like a few other dystopian novels I've read, Gamers considers a society where life is like a video game, the average person a mere player moving about in an artificial reality. The construct is a fascinating one, which is no doubt the reason it's proved so popular with authors. What's cool about it, though, is that, even though I've read at least four books which used this basic premise, they all have been able to do unique things with it, because the landscape and functioning of the gaming world can vary so widely.
The gamers get points for everything they do, from taking tests to personal hygiene to leisure activities. These points add up to a Life Score, a number which determines your ranking and whether the person will be able to attend college. This is LifeGame, where people walk around collecting points like Mario collects little gold coins from his car in MarioKart.
What's really cool about Gamers are the layers of gaming. From within LifeGame, the players can enter another game. It makes me wonder where real life actually begins. There's a sort of Inception-like quality to it, in that there's no way to say where the game ends. Every aspect of your life can be peered into and affected by a hacker or coder. It's a really scary thought.
The first half of Gamers reads like a science fiction novel, setting up the world and establishing how LifeGame works. Once that's done, you learn the inevitable dark underbelly of the world. At about the midway point, there's a sort of genre change when, from within LifeGame, Gabby and the other students enter a game as their final test to determine whether they will get into college. The game has the feel of a high fantasy video game. I found both parts entertaining, and fast-paced.
The characters never really grabbed me, and do not develop all that much over the course of the novel. I do appreciate, though, the complex relationships between Zaela, Gabby, and Avony. They could have been a bit more deftly-handled, but I like that they're not black and white, and none of the girls is demonized or placed on a pedestal. No one in Gamers comes off as utterly perfect, which is a nice change from so many idealized YA heroines.
So far as the editing goes, I do think Gamers could benefit from a bit more editing. I noticed several errors, but they weren't on every page by any mean. The strangest errors were misspellings with double letters, like scrapping instead of scraping, chaffed instead of chafed, and gripped instead of griped.
Gamers is a quick, enjoyable, fast-paced dystopian read. I think it is best-suited perhaps for a younger teen, even middle grade, audience or for more reluctant readers. As of 2/12/13, the Kindle edition is free temporarily on Amazon, on sale from $5.99, so if you're curious there's no better time!
August 2, 2012
I won the second book in this series “Frags” in a Goodreads giveaway so I went ahead and purchased this book.
Life is a game, no REALLY it is. The concept of this book is fascinating; everyone is constantly plugged into a computer game known as LifeGames. You can earn points by doing chores, playing computer games that have been designed to give you life skills or by doing well in tests at school. Points can be used to purchase the latest fashions or designing your home. Only the top scoring gamers get to go on to university and the best jobs, everyone else gets reassigned. It reminded me somewhat of what life would be like to be in “The Sims”. The story soon starts to unfold and a government conspiracy is discovered. The last part of the book has the characters running around inside a computer game on an adventure where they have to battle against giants, specters and a dragon and solve puzzles in order to complete their quest, now that’s a final exam I would have loved to have participated in!
There is a huge amount of world building in this book especially at the start. The first part of the book there was so much world building going on that I was just getting my head around one concept when another one was introduced, it settles down after a while and gets on with the story. I did enjoy all the world building, it just seemed so crammed together at the start it could get confusing.
Being a fan of computer games certainly helps to understand and enjoy this book but I don’t think it is essential. It was fun to see references to some classic games such as Mario, Monkey Island and Leisure Suit Larry.
Sometimes the story itself was confusing, mostly it was due to the world language, they have a number of words that the use that aren’t used in the real world. But some sequences were just not well written and hard to follow.
The main character is very well written, she’s your typical YA heroine. Strong willed, talented, kind to her friends but fierce to her enemies. The other characters are good as well, with their own personalities, although most of them only appeared in small parts of the book and didn’t really get much time to be developed before they left the story and a new group of characters came in.
I read the Nook version of this book, and there were a couple of problems with it. Firstly the page count was messed up, whenever I turned a page the page number went up 2-4 pages, it wasn’t skipping pages, but the count was not correct. Also the index doesn’t recognize the chapters so you couldn’t find them easily or know how many pages were left in a chapter.
An excellent and original book that is suitable for fans of fantasy and/or dystopian novels.
Life is a game, no REALLY it is. The concept of this book is fascinating; everyone is constantly plugged into a computer game known as LifeGames. You can earn points by doing chores, playing computer games that have been designed to give you life skills or by doing well in tests at school. Points can be used to purchase the latest fashions or designing your home. Only the top scoring gamers get to go on to university and the best jobs, everyone else gets reassigned. It reminded me somewhat of what life would be like to be in “The Sims”. The story soon starts to unfold and a government conspiracy is discovered. The last part of the book has the characters running around inside a computer game on an adventure where they have to battle against giants, specters and a dragon and solve puzzles in order to complete their quest, now that’s a final exam I would have loved to have participated in!
There is a huge amount of world building in this book especially at the start. The first part of the book there was so much world building going on that I was just getting my head around one concept when another one was introduced, it settles down after a while and gets on with the story. I did enjoy all the world building, it just seemed so crammed together at the start it could get confusing.
Being a fan of computer games certainly helps to understand and enjoy this book but I don’t think it is essential. It was fun to see references to some classic games such as Mario, Monkey Island and Leisure Suit Larry.
Sometimes the story itself was confusing, mostly it was due to the world language, they have a number of words that the use that aren’t used in the real world. But some sequences were just not well written and hard to follow.
The main character is very well written, she’s your typical YA heroine. Strong willed, talented, kind to her friends but fierce to her enemies. The other characters are good as well, with their own personalities, although most of them only appeared in small parts of the book and didn’t really get much time to be developed before they left the story and a new group of characters came in.
I read the Nook version of this book, and there were a couple of problems with it. Firstly the page count was messed up, whenever I turned a page the page number went up 2-4 pages, it wasn’t skipping pages, but the count was not correct. Also the index doesn’t recognize the chapters so you couldn’t find them easily or know how many pages were left in a chapter.
An excellent and original book that is suitable for fans of fantasy and/or dystopian novels.
July 22, 2011
This synopsis from Amazon does NOTHING for the book. Nothing. About 30 pages in to the book I realized I was reading something that reminded me of Scott Westerfield's Pretties series. I don't mean the story sounded familiar (because it didn't), but the creepy "Big-Brother-is-out-to-get-you" aspect felt similar-- which is a good thing.
The idea of LifeGame is like a job placement test for aspiring University students. The highest scorers get the best jobs, while the others get lesser jobs. Except that's a complete lie. The winners do get top jobs, but the losers disappear forever. It's not certain whether or not they get killed or moved to some top secret facility, but they definitely disappear for good. Gabby didn't realize any of this was occurring until she meets a group of refugees/outcasts called Frags. This odd group of misfits teach her the truth about her altered reality, and the truth is haunting.
The majority of this book is fast paced action. It starts off with a nice world building aspect so you can understand LifeGame and Gabby, but then it quickly gets to the heart of the plot. I was engrossed with the story line. The characters felt a little flat, with the exception of Gabby. You could tell she was conflicted about her choices and current situation. But since so much of the book was built around this team aspect, I would have liked to have known the others more. Especially Mouse and the Frags. Of course, I have a feeling that I will get that opportunity in the next book.
One of my complaints with the book (and sci-fi in general) is some of the invented terminology. I still have no idea what "debuff" means. When I thought I had it figured out, I would see the word used in a different context that threw me for a loop. Of course, that's pretty minor in the grand scheme of a novel. There was also one scene with one of Gabby's dreams that seemed to pop out of nowhere. Again, this was probably just me. I read this book pretty late at night when my eyes wanted to close, but I refused to cooperate because I wanted to finish the book.
If you're a fan of science fiction, you'll love this book. Especially if you like Scott Westerfield's Pretties series. If you're like me, and not a big fan of sci-fi (but you liked the Pretties), then you will also like this book. The action keeps the story alive and makes it hard to put down. Plus, the concept behind life being a live or die game is highly original, which makes the book all that much better.
The idea of LifeGame is like a job placement test for aspiring University students. The highest scorers get the best jobs, while the others get lesser jobs. Except that's a complete lie. The winners do get top jobs, but the losers disappear forever. It's not certain whether or not they get killed or moved to some top secret facility, but they definitely disappear for good. Gabby didn't realize any of this was occurring until she meets a group of refugees/outcasts called Frags. This odd group of misfits teach her the truth about her altered reality, and the truth is haunting.
The majority of this book is fast paced action. It starts off with a nice world building aspect so you can understand LifeGame and Gabby, but then it quickly gets to the heart of the plot. I was engrossed with the story line. The characters felt a little flat, with the exception of Gabby. You could tell she was conflicted about her choices and current situation. But since so much of the book was built around this team aspect, I would have liked to have known the others more. Especially Mouse and the Frags. Of course, I have a feeling that I will get that opportunity in the next book.
One of my complaints with the book (and sci-fi in general) is some of the invented terminology. I still have no idea what "debuff" means. When I thought I had it figured out, I would see the word used in a different context that threw me for a loop. Of course, that's pretty minor in the grand scheme of a novel. There was also one scene with one of Gabby's dreams that seemed to pop out of nowhere. Again, this was probably just me. I read this book pretty late at night when my eyes wanted to close, but I refused to cooperate because I wanted to finish the book.
If you're a fan of science fiction, you'll love this book. Especially if you like Scott Westerfield's Pretties series. If you're like me, and not a big fan of sci-fi (but you liked the Pretties), then you will also like this book. The action keeps the story alive and makes it hard to put down. Plus, the concept behind life being a live or die game is highly original, which makes the book all that much better.
February 9, 2015
I now officially have a book to point people to when they want something to read after The Hunger Games. Sometimes I just enjoy a book so much that it's pointless picking flaws. Love the heroine, love the storytelling, love the world building, love the teen female antagonist. Great dystopian read.
I picked this up as part of a StoryBundle and it took ages to get around to reading it. My mistake. But at least I don't have to wait for the sequels.
I picked this up as part of a StoryBundle and it took ages to get around to reading it. My mistake. But at least I don't have to wait for the sequels.
September 27, 2012
Disclosure: I was given a free copy of the book by the author for review also Mild spoilers alert.
I am not rally a fan of Young Adult fiction as I am not really that young anymore and the genre unfortunately lends itself to simplified plot lines, one dimensional characters and pedestrian prose. Gamers is no exception to the rule but it is not as bad as some of the other books in the area which are a lot more prominent. I am looking at you hunger games.
The story follows a high school student named Gabby who lives in a dystopian future where our entire lives are just a game. There are points to be won for showing, skill, intellect or any other characteristic deemed positive by the LGIE (Life Game Integrity Engineers) and points are taken away for going against their wishes. The game has real consequences as those with the highest scores will be accepted in University while the fate of those with lower scores is a little bit murky but they will presumable be relegated to more menial tasks, or worse. The gamers are immersed in the game which are basically augmented reality using ocular implants and connecters which fake input to nerves (called sense webs). However having this level of control over what people perceive is obviously open to abuse and that is where the story gets interesting.
First, the good; I find the premise really interesting, as a Computer Scientist and one working the gaming industry I have often thought that game theory could be applied to real world problems to lead to a better outcome. This books takes that hypothesis to its logical conclusion and explores the dangers inherent in such an approach. The recent announcement of Google's Project Glass adds a whole new level of menace to the story. The story moves at a fair clip and remains interesting, the main characters are well fleshed out by the end of the book and have some depth to them. They are not all clearly good or bad guys as is the case with many books in this genre. There is also a little bit of intrigue where the motives of some of the characters are called into question which keeps the story interesting.
I get the feeling the author is World of WarCarft fan and this comes across in the book, The school has a final "Raid" which you must perform with a guild of fellow class mates and most of the action takes place in what is essentially a dungeon. As a gamer I liked finding little references and nods to the gaming heritage of this book and its author. However, the jargon got a little obscure for me and I had to have the urban dictionary open. The use of gamer jargon was a nice touch but I feel it should be only used inside dialog. Having, the narrator use the same jargon detracts from the readability of the story I feel.
The not so good. I mentioned the book has depth to characters and intrigue but so far that has been fairly blunt and direct. I often make reference to the Game of Throne books as an example of how to do intrigue with the requisite subtlety. I feel this book was a little heavy handed on the intrigue and plot twists and also some felt a little contrived at times. *SPOILER* When Gabby is partnered with her arch enemies it would have been more believable if those arch enemies had been introduced prior to that point. Perhaps an anecdote earlier in the book or an antagonistic run in. There were some problems in the descriptions especially with regards to scale, at one point Unthar blocks a sword attach from a Sand Giant and a later stage that sand giant is described to be a 100ft tall. There is a similar problem with distances, the raid are supposed to happen inside school grounds but the students are shown wondering in the simulated world for days. Further there are some weird descriptions; "Baleful eyes like a million rotten galaxies", I am really not sure what rotten galaxies look like and why they are baleful.
I am giving a rating of 3 in relation to other works in this genre as the story was interesting and I will certainly read the next installment. However, against all the books I read it probably deserves a lower rating. If you are a more serious reader this is probably not the book for you. I wanted to like this book because I find the subject matter interesting and it has enough substance that I was able to overlook its short comings. However, I could have just as easily hated it if I was not making an effort to like it.
I am not rally a fan of Young Adult fiction as I am not really that young anymore and the genre unfortunately lends itself to simplified plot lines, one dimensional characters and pedestrian prose. Gamers is no exception to the rule but it is not as bad as some of the other books in the area which are a lot more prominent. I am looking at you hunger games.
The story follows a high school student named Gabby who lives in a dystopian future where our entire lives are just a game. There are points to be won for showing, skill, intellect or any other characteristic deemed positive by the LGIE (Life Game Integrity Engineers) and points are taken away for going against their wishes. The game has real consequences as those with the highest scores will be accepted in University while the fate of those with lower scores is a little bit murky but they will presumable be relegated to more menial tasks, or worse. The gamers are immersed in the game which are basically augmented reality using ocular implants and connecters which fake input to nerves (called sense webs). However having this level of control over what people perceive is obviously open to abuse and that is where the story gets interesting.
First, the good; I find the premise really interesting, as a Computer Scientist and one working the gaming industry I have often thought that game theory could be applied to real world problems to lead to a better outcome. This books takes that hypothesis to its logical conclusion and explores the dangers inherent in such an approach. The recent announcement of Google's Project Glass adds a whole new level of menace to the story. The story moves at a fair clip and remains interesting, the main characters are well fleshed out by the end of the book and have some depth to them. They are not all clearly good or bad guys as is the case with many books in this genre. There is also a little bit of intrigue where the motives of some of the characters are called into question which keeps the story interesting.
I get the feeling the author is World of WarCarft fan and this comes across in the book, The school has a final "Raid" which you must perform with a guild of fellow class mates and most of the action takes place in what is essentially a dungeon. As a gamer I liked finding little references and nods to the gaming heritage of this book and its author. However, the jargon got a little obscure for me and I had to have the urban dictionary open. The use of gamer jargon was a nice touch but I feel it should be only used inside dialog. Having, the narrator use the same jargon detracts from the readability of the story I feel.
The not so good. I mentioned the book has depth to characters and intrigue but so far that has been fairly blunt and direct. I often make reference to the Game of Throne books as an example of how to do intrigue with the requisite subtlety. I feel this book was a little heavy handed on the intrigue and plot twists and also some felt a little contrived at times. *SPOILER* When Gabby is partnered with her arch enemies it would have been more believable if those arch enemies had been introduced prior to that point. Perhaps an anecdote earlier in the book or an antagonistic run in. There were some problems in the descriptions especially with regards to scale, at one point Unthar blocks a sword attach from a Sand Giant and a later stage that sand giant is described to be a 100ft tall. There is a similar problem with distances, the raid are supposed to happen inside school grounds but the students are shown wondering in the simulated world for days. Further there are some weird descriptions; "Baleful eyes like a million rotten galaxies", I am really not sure what rotten galaxies look like and why they are baleful.
I am giving a rating of 3 in relation to other works in this genre as the story was interesting and I will certainly read the next installment. However, against all the books I read it probably deserves a lower rating. If you are a more serious reader this is probably not the book for you. I wanted to like this book because I find the subject matter interesting and it has enough substance that I was able to overlook its short comings. However, I could have just as easily hated it if I was not making an effort to like it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2012
Tron meets Scott Westerfeld's world of Uglies and has a blast!
Most virtual gaming stories follow the same script: people's minds are hooked up to machines while their bodies lay still and useless (think Matrix or Total Recall). Carpenter takes things to a whole new level; like upgrading from Wii to Xbox Kinect kind of level. Sitting on your butt (getting strikes in bowling just by flicking your wrist) will get you nowhere in LifeGame...unless you count 'dead' as a place to get to. Guaranteed? Not quite. That's the problem. No one knows where the losers of LifeGame go and through a chaotic and thrilling course of events, our MC Gabby is determined to find out.
Extremely creative and thoroughly entertaining, Gamers is a sure hit for science fiction and dystopian fans alike. With detailed world building and a steady pace, readers are able to immerse themselves in Carpenter's universe and hang on for the ride until the end...which is NOT the end. Thank goodness because I would not have been happy. That said, I very much recommend this book and have added the sequel, Frags, to my TBR pile. I usually do not recap or summarize a book since the authors/publishers have their own but reading some people's reviews, it seems the printed 'blurb' was not enough to pique their interest or that the story is very different than what is implied. For this reason, I have come up with a summary/blurb of my own, including a couple quotes and my two cents. Ahem:
Gabby's world is earth with a virtual layer; everything you see may or may not be real. Confusing huh?
Having the knowledge that you are blind doesn't make it any less unsettling. So what are they not seeing and why?
Day and night, Gabby is subjected to endless games to defeat and earn points. Points determine a persons' intelligence and usefulness in society. The education system is specifically geared towards improving one's success in the games.
School is fueled by competition which makes for shallow and fake friendships. Having one true friend, Gabby will do anything to keep Zaela by her side; even if that means risking everything and hacking into the system to help Zaela stay ahead. After a suspicious and violating request is made by the LifeGame Integrity Engineers (LGIE), Gabby's dreams come to a halt. Enduring interrogations from the school Administrator and her parents, seeing a boy no one else can see, and following a group called the Frags into the unknown, Gabby doesn't know who to believe. As more characters are introduced, doubts of who to trust increase and panicked decisions are sure to be made. When Gabby and friends participate in the "Final Raid" to decide their future careers, she comes to realize that this is so much more than a game. If not played just right, Gabby wont get to live her dream life...or live at all. This is life. Welcome to the Gamers.
That was it. Any thoughts? Well I like it ^.^ I won an e-copy of Gamers through the Library Thing giveaway and spoke my true thoughts...or wrote them...typed them...I posted (there we go!) an honest review. Thank you Mr.Carpenter!
Most virtual gaming stories follow the same script: people's minds are hooked up to machines while their bodies lay still and useless (think Matrix or Total Recall). Carpenter takes things to a whole new level; like upgrading from Wii to Xbox Kinect kind of level. Sitting on your butt (getting strikes in bowling just by flicking your wrist) will get you nowhere in LifeGame...unless you count 'dead' as a place to get to. Guaranteed? Not quite. That's the problem. No one knows where the losers of LifeGame go and through a chaotic and thrilling course of events, our MC Gabby is determined to find out.
Extremely creative and thoroughly entertaining, Gamers is a sure hit for science fiction and dystopian fans alike. With detailed world building and a steady pace, readers are able to immerse themselves in Carpenter's universe and hang on for the ride until the end...which is NOT the end. Thank goodness because I would not have been happy. That said, I very much recommend this book and have added the sequel, Frags, to my TBR pile. I usually do not recap or summarize a book since the authors/publishers have their own but reading some people's reviews, it seems the printed 'blurb' was not enough to pique their interest or that the story is very different than what is implied. For this reason, I have come up with a summary/blurb of my own, including a couple quotes and my two cents. Ahem:
Gabby's world is earth with a virtual layer; everything you see may or may not be real. Confusing huh?
Normally, the games painted over the objects that were already there. This one had painted over the whole world so she couldn't actually see what was there. Gabby had the sudden feeling that she was about to run into a wall and had to steel herself to take the next step.
Thomas Carpenter. Gamers (Kindle Locations 1841-1843). Thomas Carpenter.
Having the knowledge that you are blind doesn't make it any less unsettling. So what are they not seeing and why?
Day and night, Gabby is subjected to endless games to defeat and earn points. Points determine a persons' intelligence and usefulness in society. The education system is specifically geared towards improving one's success in the games.
"The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided."
Thomas Carpenter. Gamers (Kindle Locations 99-100). Thomas Carpenter.
School is fueled by competition which makes for shallow and fake friendships. Having one true friend, Gabby will do anything to keep Zaela by her side; even if that means risking everything and hacking into the system to help Zaela stay ahead. After a suspicious and violating request is made by the LifeGame Integrity Engineers (LGIE), Gabby's dreams come to a halt. Enduring interrogations from the school Administrator and her parents, seeing a boy no one else can see, and following a group called the Frags into the unknown, Gabby doesn't know who to believe. As more characters are introduced, doubts of who to trust increase and panicked decisions are sure to be made. When Gabby and friends participate in the "Final Raid" to decide their future careers, she comes to realize that this is so much more than a game. If not played just right, Gabby wont get to live her dream life...or live at all. This is life. Welcome to the Gamers.
That was it. Any thoughts? Well I like it ^.^ I won an e-copy of Gamers through the Library Thing giveaway and spoke my true thoughts...or wrote them...typed them...I posted (there we go!) an honest review. Thank you Mr.Carpenter!
October 19, 2013
From http://readingandwritingurbanfantasy....
3.5 stars
At A Glance
This was my first substantial gamer book and I was surprised by how much fun it was.
The Good
In essence, life is a game. Everything you do earns you points. You need to have enough points by the end of your schooling to be able to go to University. If you don't, you are given the lowliest jobs, or so we assume. But with the approaching of the Final Raid, the last big game and way to earn points, Gabby, a top gamer, starts to find out the truth about LifeGames and how nothing is as it appears. She now has to save her friends from what truly lurks behind the world of gaming.
Let me start off by saying that I am not a gamer. The most gaming I do is Yoga on the Wii and watching PewDiePie on YouTube. So I think it says something that I really enjoyed Gamer, a heavy gamer book. I'm not saying it will be like that for all non-gamers, but I think this book is worth the try. The dialogue was fun and witty, the premise was scary and exciting, and the gaming was fascinating.
I loved Gabby as our heroine. She is a hacker which made things even more interesting. She is extremely loyal and protective of her friends. She truly does everything and anything to keep her friends safe. I felt bad for her during the Last Raid. She had so many obstacles, it wasn't even fair, but she took them on with perseverance and tenacity. She never let the bad guys bring her down.
What I loved most about this book was the surprises. I really didn't know who was good or bad until Carpenter wanted me to. And the people who became heroes shocked me even more. I think the first half of this is going to appeal the most to the general public. The second half, which is all gaming simulation, is fun but not for everyone.
I loved how real everything felt with Carpenter's amazing descriptions. I could totally visualize every game. The dragons and giants, it was all easily believable and life like. It all made sense to me too. I never felt lost with the gaming descriptions and lingo. Actually, the creativity of the language was the most appealing part.
The action was pretty much nonstop once we got to the last game. I loved that feeling I got while reading Gamers, like I wouldn't be able to relax until the very end. This is the kind of book you remember.
The Bad
There is something about Gamers that didn't sync well. I almost felt like I was reading three different novels. The first part has Gabby and her school life, the second part is her meeting the Frags and having an adventure, then the last part is all gaming. It was a bit disjointed.
The ending is a major cliffhanger, which really didn't bother me until I realized pretty much nothing got resolved or answered. I felt like the reader is left hanging when it comes to even a little closer.
The Snuggly
There is a peek of possible romance between Gabby and Michael but not even enough to talk about it. I suppose we will see them more together in the second book.
Final Thoughts
In my personal opinion, non-gamers can easily fall in love with this book. It reads like a gaming dystopian with lots of action and great dialogue. I would continue this series for sure. I'm interested to see what will happen next. Recommended.
"Now if you still want to meet with us, rub this lamp--" He held out a genie lamp. "--three times."
She shook her head. "Why would I have to do something lame like that? Why can't I just tell you I'm ready to go?"
Guybrush shrugged. "Thems the rules. Just be glad we didn't use Leisure Suit Larry like I wanted to."
"Okay, fine."
A horrible grin appeared on Guybrush's face and the cartoonish character stuck the genie lamp into his pants. Guybrush now sported an obscene bulge.
*Free book from author for honest review*
3.5 stars
At A Glance
This was my first substantial gamer book and I was surprised by how much fun it was.
The Good
In essence, life is a game. Everything you do earns you points. You need to have enough points by the end of your schooling to be able to go to University. If you don't, you are given the lowliest jobs, or so we assume. But with the approaching of the Final Raid, the last big game and way to earn points, Gabby, a top gamer, starts to find out the truth about LifeGames and how nothing is as it appears. She now has to save her friends from what truly lurks behind the world of gaming.
Let me start off by saying that I am not a gamer. The most gaming I do is Yoga on the Wii and watching PewDiePie on YouTube. So I think it says something that I really enjoyed Gamer, a heavy gamer book. I'm not saying it will be like that for all non-gamers, but I think this book is worth the try. The dialogue was fun and witty, the premise was scary and exciting, and the gaming was fascinating.
I loved Gabby as our heroine. She is a hacker which made things even more interesting. She is extremely loyal and protective of her friends. She truly does everything and anything to keep her friends safe. I felt bad for her during the Last Raid. She had so many obstacles, it wasn't even fair, but she took them on with perseverance and tenacity. She never let the bad guys bring her down.
What I loved most about this book was the surprises. I really didn't know who was good or bad until Carpenter wanted me to. And the people who became heroes shocked me even more. I think the first half of this is going to appeal the most to the general public. The second half, which is all gaming simulation, is fun but not for everyone.
I loved how real everything felt with Carpenter's amazing descriptions. I could totally visualize every game. The dragons and giants, it was all easily believable and life like. It all made sense to me too. I never felt lost with the gaming descriptions and lingo. Actually, the creativity of the language was the most appealing part.
The action was pretty much nonstop once we got to the last game. I loved that feeling I got while reading Gamers, like I wouldn't be able to relax until the very end. This is the kind of book you remember.
The Bad
There is something about Gamers that didn't sync well. I almost felt like I was reading three different novels. The first part has Gabby and her school life, the second part is her meeting the Frags and having an adventure, then the last part is all gaming. It was a bit disjointed.
The ending is a major cliffhanger, which really didn't bother me until I realized pretty much nothing got resolved or answered. I felt like the reader is left hanging when it comes to even a little closer.
The Snuggly
There is a peek of possible romance between Gabby and Michael but not even enough to talk about it. I suppose we will see them more together in the second book.
Final Thoughts
In my personal opinion, non-gamers can easily fall in love with this book. It reads like a gaming dystopian with lots of action and great dialogue. I would continue this series for sure. I'm interested to see what will happen next. Recommended.
"Now if you still want to meet with us, rub this lamp--" He held out a genie lamp. "--three times."
She shook her head. "Why would I have to do something lame like that? Why can't I just tell you I'm ready to go?"
Guybrush shrugged. "Thems the rules. Just be glad we didn't use Leisure Suit Larry like I wanted to."
"Okay, fine."
A horrible grin appeared on Guybrush's face and the cartoonish character stuck the genie lamp into his pants. Guybrush now sported an obscene bulge.
*Free book from author for honest review*
October 23, 2012
The style: Mr. Carpenter can be my Game Master any day. The novel mixed the futuristic world with the gaming world. Basically, Gabby’s life was a game of racking up points in order to reach the next level. Talk about your rat race.
It totally took me back to my EverQuest addicted days. The game talk, the leveling, the never-ending pursuit to acquire more, whether it be points, gear, etc… I was there. But it was a bit more, especially in the final raid. It took me out of online roleplaying and plunged me into paper DnD.
The plot: The story was well-paced. Once I got into it, I had a hard time putting it down, even going so far as taking it to the bathroom with me. Is that TMI? One thing I will say is Gamers seemed more like the beginning of something big. The major players were introduced but it didn’t have a sense of finality to it. It was more as if it set me up for the end of one adventure while opening the door for a whole new adventure. I haven’t read the full trilogy yet, but I definitely would say Gamers isn’t the book to stop on.
Okay… I really want to ruin this book for you with sentences that start with “like this one time…” But I know you’ll hate me for it. So… let’s talk about…
Characters: The novel was told from Gabby’s POV. She started out very much a part of the system, very focused on the end game, which in her case happened to be getting into the grand university. She reminded me a lot of the AP straight-A students I’d encountered while working in the high school. She knew what she wanted, how to do get it, and didn’t slack in reaching her goals. Yet she never acted like she was better than everyone else. She was just a regular kid (except for being a super genius) with typical problems…. well typical until the poo hit the fan. I liked her.
The other characters were rather fleeting. They didn’t take up much of my time, but each played important roles which pushed the plot forward or gave insight to an aspect of Gabby’s character of the total story. To be honest, if you quizzed me, I wouldn’t remember a single name. That doesn’t say a lot though. I’m horrible with names and even had to read the blurb to remember Gabby’s. Still, I love the cohesiveness the characters brought to the entire story. Each was rememberable (not so much the names for me but the personalities definitely). I’ve snapped a photograph of each of them in my mind’s eye.
Final thoughts: Gamers had a few loose ends which gave the first book a cliffhanger feel to it. You all know how much I hate cliffhangers. Yet at the same time, I was satisfied with the ending, especially knowing the next two books are already available.
My score? 4.5 – 5 out of 5 stars. HIGHLY recommended for RPG-ers.
I received my copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It totally took me back to my EverQuest addicted days. The game talk, the leveling, the never-ending pursuit to acquire more, whether it be points, gear, etc… I was there. But it was a bit more, especially in the final raid. It took me out of online roleplaying and plunged me into paper DnD.
The plot: The story was well-paced. Once I got into it, I had a hard time putting it down, even going so far as taking it to the bathroom with me. Is that TMI? One thing I will say is Gamers seemed more like the beginning of something big. The major players were introduced but it didn’t have a sense of finality to it. It was more as if it set me up for the end of one adventure while opening the door for a whole new adventure. I haven’t read the full trilogy yet, but I definitely would say Gamers isn’t the book to stop on.
Okay… I really want to ruin this book for you with sentences that start with “like this one time…” But I know you’ll hate me for it. So… let’s talk about…
Characters: The novel was told from Gabby’s POV. She started out very much a part of the system, very focused on the end game, which in her case happened to be getting into the grand university. She reminded me a lot of the AP straight-A students I’d encountered while working in the high school. She knew what she wanted, how to do get it, and didn’t slack in reaching her goals. Yet she never acted like she was better than everyone else. She was just a regular kid (except for being a super genius) with typical problems…. well typical until the poo hit the fan. I liked her.
The other characters were rather fleeting. They didn’t take up much of my time, but each played important roles which pushed the plot forward or gave insight to an aspect of Gabby’s character of the total story. To be honest, if you quizzed me, I wouldn’t remember a single name. That doesn’t say a lot though. I’m horrible with names and even had to read the blurb to remember Gabby’s. Still, I love the cohesiveness the characters brought to the entire story. Each was rememberable (not so much the names for me but the personalities definitely). I’ve snapped a photograph of each of them in my mind’s eye.
Final thoughts: Gamers had a few loose ends which gave the first book a cliffhanger feel to it. You all know how much I hate cliffhangers. Yet at the same time, I was satisfied with the ending, especially knowing the next two books are already available.
My score? 4.5 – 5 out of 5 stars. HIGHLY recommended for RPG-ers.
I received my copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
March 22, 2013
Review Copy
Some time ago, I was contacted by the author of Gamers, Thomas K. Carpenter, and was asked to read his book and provide a fair and honest review. I tend to worry when that happens. A few times it's lead to bad experiences and I'm not fond of giving any book a poor review. The good news is, I liked the story and will likely, at some point, get around to reading the other books in the trilogy, Frags and Coders.
It did take me a while to find the time to read this, things just kept getting in the way, but I'm very happy I finally squeezed it in.
In the not to distant future, LifeGame has become an all inclusive competition where scores separate those who will earn their Life Class and get into University and those who would get lesser, meaningless jobs. Jobs that don't have as much responsibility, a title, or many benefits within LifeGame.
Some explanation about LifeGame from the text of the story...
"Why was LifeGame introduced? Because the Greater States of America was losing it's competitive edge. The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided."
Gabby and Zaela are best friends and are getting ready for the upcoming Final Raid which will go a long way in determining who gets to go on to University. There are a lot of very imaginative peaks into the future in Gamers. For example, you don't drive, but there are "FunCar lots with hundreds of bubble shaped cars with four puffy tires." The cars would drive themselves while the occupants played games.
Of course we soon learn, from a subversive group called the Frags, that there may be more sinister intentions behind the LifeGame and our heroine Gabby winds up right in the middle of the action.
Gamers is what it is, a YA dystopian thriller that may not be as good as say, the Harry Potter series or The Hunger Games books, but it's certainly a completely entertaining entry into this particlar market and I would highly recommend the book for the younger audience or for any adult who enjoys this type of story.
All three books in the trilogy are currently available in paperback and e-book from a number of online retailers. Gamers is actually available for FREE from Amazon.com, so you can check this one out before deciding to spend money on the other two books.
Some time ago, I was contacted by the author of Gamers, Thomas K. Carpenter, and was asked to read his book and provide a fair and honest review. I tend to worry when that happens. A few times it's lead to bad experiences and I'm not fond of giving any book a poor review. The good news is, I liked the story and will likely, at some point, get around to reading the other books in the trilogy, Frags and Coders.
It did take me a while to find the time to read this, things just kept getting in the way, but I'm very happy I finally squeezed it in.
In the not to distant future, LifeGame has become an all inclusive competition where scores separate those who will earn their Life Class and get into University and those who would get lesser, meaningless jobs. Jobs that don't have as much responsibility, a title, or many benefits within LifeGame.
Some explanation about LifeGame from the text of the story...
"Why was LifeGame introduced? Because the Greater States of America was losing it's competitive edge. The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided."
Gabby and Zaela are best friends and are getting ready for the upcoming Final Raid which will go a long way in determining who gets to go on to University. There are a lot of very imaginative peaks into the future in Gamers. For example, you don't drive, but there are "FunCar lots with hundreds of bubble shaped cars with four puffy tires." The cars would drive themselves while the occupants played games.
Of course we soon learn, from a subversive group called the Frags, that there may be more sinister intentions behind the LifeGame and our heroine Gabby winds up right in the middle of the action.
Gamers is what it is, a YA dystopian thriller that may not be as good as say, the Harry Potter series or The Hunger Games books, but it's certainly a completely entertaining entry into this particlar market and I would highly recommend the book for the younger audience or for any adult who enjoys this type of story.
All three books in the trilogy are currently available in paperback and e-book from a number of online retailers. Gamers is actually available for FREE from Amazon.com, so you can check this one out before deciding to spend money on the other two books.
April 1, 2012
When life is a game high school takes on a whole new purpose. Learning the skills needed to play LifeGame and earning points are the main aims. After all, only the top scoring 15 girls and boys from each high school will get to go to university, all the others will be placed in the jobs that nobody wants. Or will they? When top student Gabby DeCorte meets a group of people who call themselves Frags, she discovers what really happens to those who lose the game. Now the stakes have been raised, and with the schools final raid drawing ever closer, Gabby must make sure that both her and best friend Zeala have enough points to be in the top 15. Or they might disappear, forever. And to make things even harder, it’s starting to look like someone wants Gabby to lose.
This was an enjoyable book. It was an interesting read and a good opening to a trilogy. The world of Gamers is well developed and there is lots of description of all the technology and the games. The characters felt a little underdeveloped and lots of questions were asked in the book that remained unanswered by the end. This is the first in a trilogy though, so it is likely that those two small problems will be resolved in the next book, and there is also the start of a romance that I hope to see developed.
A large percentage of this book focuses on the final raid; a game designed like a fantasy complete with giants and a quest to kill a dragon and I loved the change into a more fantasy based book that this brought. This book felt like a cross between Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and Divergent by Veronica Roth, so fans of those books will enjoy Gamers. I would also recommend this book to fans of dystopian fiction and fantasy.
reviewed for readers favourite
This was an enjoyable book. It was an interesting read and a good opening to a trilogy. The world of Gamers is well developed and there is lots of description of all the technology and the games. The characters felt a little underdeveloped and lots of questions were asked in the book that remained unanswered by the end. This is the first in a trilogy though, so it is likely that those two small problems will be resolved in the next book, and there is also the start of a romance that I hope to see developed.
A large percentage of this book focuses on the final raid; a game designed like a fantasy complete with giants and a quest to kill a dragon and I loved the change into a more fantasy based book that this brought. This book felt like a cross between Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and Divergent by Veronica Roth, so fans of those books will enjoy Gamers. I would also recommend this book to fans of dystopian fiction and fantasy.
reviewed for readers favourite
July 5, 2012
Initial reaction: That's it? It's over?
All cliffhangers (!) aside, Gamers was quite a ride. The premise of the book, though it's been thoroughly explored in other novels, seemed fresh, and though the mod slang caused a bit of confusion (Debuff? I can guess... But I wasn't sure) the author did a good job of making it seem like the reader was actually in the future, not in the present thinking about the future.
I couldn't have guessed the ending from the beginning, which I find rather refreshing in a dystopian trilogy, and the romance levels weren't off the charts ridiculous, though they were there, thankfully sans the awkward third point to tip it to triangle status.
All in all, Gamers was a solid three point four star novel, and mostly only because I round down naturally. I liked the characters, though some of them confused me (as all realistic characters should), and I found the three or four hours of reading time I got out of the 313 pages fun and easy to blast through.
Disclaimer: Thank you to Thomas K. Carpenter and the Goodreads First Reads program for the free promotional copy I received. Y'all are the best :D
All cliffhangers (!) aside, Gamers was quite a ride. The premise of the book, though it's been thoroughly explored in other novels, seemed fresh, and though the mod slang caused a bit of confusion (Debuff? I can guess... But I wasn't sure) the author did a good job of making it seem like the reader was actually in the future, not in the present thinking about the future.
I couldn't have guessed the ending from the beginning, which I find rather refreshing in a dystopian trilogy, and the romance levels weren't off the charts ridiculous, though they were there, thankfully sans the awkward third point to tip it to triangle status.
All in all, Gamers was a solid three point four star novel, and mostly only because I round down naturally. I liked the characters, though some of them confused me (as all realistic characters should), and I found the three or four hours of reading time I got out of the 313 pages fun and easy to blast through.
Disclaimer: Thank you to Thomas K. Carpenter and the Goodreads First Reads program for the free promotional copy I received. Y'all are the best :D
February 3, 2018
The setting is interesting, though it could be better developed. The first part of the book is pretty good, and I really liked where the author was going.
Then we got to the Final Raid, and the book went downhill. The new characters that were added were stereotypes and poorly developed. The idea behind the Final Raid (think an MMO raid, except instead of sitting at a keyboard, you are in the game) is interesting, but the way the Raid was rigged was rather dumb. (Avoiding spoilers, so no more details.) Plus, it went on too long (about 30% of the book, give or take).
Finally, we get to the ending. Or rather, what passes for an ending, as the book just ends and almost nothing is resolved. I want to know what happens, but don't want to have to read the next book in order to find out.
Then we got to the Final Raid, and the book went downhill. The new characters that were added were stereotypes and poorly developed. The idea behind the Final Raid (think an MMO raid, except instead of sitting at a keyboard, you are in the game) is interesting, but the way the Raid was rigged was rather dumb. (Avoiding spoilers, so no more details.) Plus, it went on too long (about 30% of the book, give or take).
Finally, we get to the ending. Or rather, what passes for an ending, as the book just ends and almost nothing is resolved. I want to know what happens, but don't want to have to read the next book in order to find out.
December 22, 2017
What an interesting read
Lots of gamer lingo. Luckily I'm a gamer! For a YA book I found this to be really enjoyable. Not focused on sexuality. I mean it is a book about gamers so personally I would not think that would be a focus. Yet you never know.
I found the plot to be pretty interesting. Blending a few elements in a well written way. It's virtual reality meets rpg/simulation games meets a matrix dystopian world. Yes it's teens, but they are pretty intelligent for the most part. Yes there is awkwardness, but not overly so.
Mystery, action with gamer elements will definitely read the next book!
Lots of gamer lingo. Luckily I'm a gamer! For a YA book I found this to be really enjoyable. Not focused on sexuality. I mean it is a book about gamers so personally I would not think that would be a focus. Yet you never know.
I found the plot to be pretty interesting. Blending a few elements in a well written way. It's virtual reality meets rpg/simulation games meets a matrix dystopian world. Yes it's teens, but they are pretty intelligent for the most part. Yes there is awkwardness, but not overly so.
Mystery, action with gamer elements will definitely read the next book!
October 3, 2019
Not a Gamer . . . But!
I really enjoyed this book! I do wish that the author would include a glossary of gamer terminology. I was able to find some terminology on Wiki, but was stumped on a lot of it. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the story line and I will begin the second book as soon as I finish this review.
I really enjoyed this book! I do wish that the author would include a glossary of gamer terminology. I was able to find some terminology on Wiki, but was stumped on a lot of it. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the story line and I will begin the second book as soon as I finish this review.
September 26, 2023
Purchased three book set for $9.99 from Amazon.
February 20, 2015
For some reason, I've found myself reading a lot of YA fiction over the last couple years. On the negative side, it appears that Dystopias are the genre du jour. Nothing wrong with them, and I think something about them speaks to teens. When I was a teen, that was my favorite genre - 1984, A Brave New World, and many others. But I think there can definitely end up being a bit of fatigue from reading books where the conflict is with the evil government rather than internal or with other peers.
But there have also been quite positive trends like an increase in female protagonists. In this case, Gabby was even likable, unlike Katniss. As I commented in a status update, she seemed to be a pretty authentically written girl. Sure, just like pretty much every bit of YA fiction for the past couple decades (or more) there's the mean girl clique trope and the I used to be one of them trope. But Carpenter appears to rely on less stereotypes and the friendships and fights seem to be realistically portrayed. Another good trend, while no one appears to be explicitly gay or lesbian, in a scene I'd rather not spoil, the main character mentions she wouldn't be grossed out by another female character kissing her. It's not what she'd want, but it wouldn't be any different from a guy she didn't like kissing her.
As you can currently read on the Goodreads description of this book, the entire world has been gamified; this is what led me to decide to read this book (I'd gotten it as part of a Storybundle collection). I've seen a huge increase and intrusion of gamification into our world. Once people realized how much we loved Xbox, PS3, and Steam trophies/achievements, they started incorporating them into everything. Fitocracy, which I used to use to log my exercises, has trophies for doing random amounts of exercise. The Fedora Project (governing body of the Fedora distribution of Linux) has badges for various achievements. Even my Marriott frequent stay program has badges for various things - stays of certain lengths, writing reviews, etc. So the idea of an entire world in which this was true sounded pretty neat. Carpenter even has fun with the idea by having the culture revolve around video games. Just as the citizens of Brave New World used Ford as an invocation, in this world "that's so cool/rad/awesome" becomes "That's so Mario!" and the opposite is, naturally, "that's so Bowser!" I went back and forth with finding it cute and groan-worthy.
I am not going to accuse Carpenter of stealing any ideas because the ideas really seem to be in the zeitgeist right now - the general idea follows that of The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, and Battle Royale - there's a competition in which the stakes are more or less life or death at the climax of this book. The main difference is that, unlike those other books - the kids are in the dark about the stakes at hand. They just think it's the difference between a good university and a crappy job. It shares more with Mars Rising and Devil on my Back in that sense. And Carpenter does a good job of presenting the challenge in the form of a Raid, in keeping with the culture of this world.
Really there's just one thing I don't like about this book when compared to its brethren. If you look at The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, or (in the movie world) The Matrix - each of those has a first book that works on its own. If you never read books 2 and 3 you'll still come away having had a full story arc. I don't know how the Mars Rising Sequels will work, but for both Hunger Games and The Matrix - part 2 does not end nice and neat like the first entry. If you experience 2, you need 3. But Gamers does not work well on its own. And, frankly, if it's going to end that way, I'd rather just have a bigger book instead of a trilogy. For another analogy, if you look at the world of comics - many of them have long-running stories going on. But each arc (usually published as a trade) tends to be self-sufficient. You can read the trade and feel that you got a beginning, middle, and end - even if it's dropping hints of various levels of subtlety about what's coming next.
Overall, it's a good setup in a neat world with a female protagonist. Things could have been a lot worse. But I wish we could have had a bit more closure in this first entry into the trilogy.
But there have also been quite positive trends like an increase in female protagonists. In this case, Gabby was even likable, unlike Katniss. As I commented in a status update, she seemed to be a pretty authentically written girl. Sure, just like pretty much every bit of YA fiction for the past couple decades (or more) there's the mean girl clique trope and the I used to be one of them trope. But Carpenter appears to rely on less stereotypes and the friendships and fights seem to be realistically portrayed. Another good trend, while no one appears to be explicitly gay or lesbian, in a scene I'd rather not spoil, the main character mentions she wouldn't be grossed out by another female character kissing her. It's not what she'd want, but it wouldn't be any different from a guy she didn't like kissing her.
As you can currently read on the Goodreads description of this book, the entire world has been gamified; this is what led me to decide to read this book (I'd gotten it as part of a Storybundle collection). I've seen a huge increase and intrusion of gamification into our world. Once people realized how much we loved Xbox, PS3, and Steam trophies/achievements, they started incorporating them into everything. Fitocracy, which I used to use to log my exercises, has trophies for doing random amounts of exercise. The Fedora Project (governing body of the Fedora distribution of Linux) has badges for various achievements. Even my Marriott frequent stay program has badges for various things - stays of certain lengths, writing reviews, etc. So the idea of an entire world in which this was true sounded pretty neat. Carpenter even has fun with the idea by having the culture revolve around video games. Just as the citizens of Brave New World used Ford as an invocation, in this world "that's so cool/rad/awesome" becomes "That's so Mario!" and the opposite is, naturally, "that's so Bowser!" I went back and forth with finding it cute and groan-worthy.
I am not going to accuse Carpenter of stealing any ideas because the ideas really seem to be in the zeitgeist right now - the general idea follows that of The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, and Battle Royale - there's a competition in which the stakes are more or less life or death at the climax of this book. The main difference is that, unlike those other books - the kids are in the dark about the stakes at hand. They just think it's the difference between a good university and a crappy job. It shares more with Mars Rising and Devil on my Back in that sense. And Carpenter does a good job of presenting the challenge in the form of a Raid, in keeping with the culture of this world.
Really there's just one thing I don't like about this book when compared to its brethren. If you look at The Hunger Games, Mars Rising, or (in the movie world) The Matrix - each of those has a first book that works on its own. If you never read books 2 and 3 you'll still come away having had a full story arc. I don't know how the Mars Rising Sequels will work, but for both Hunger Games and The Matrix - part 2 does not end nice and neat like the first entry. If you experience 2, you need 3. But Gamers does not work well on its own. And, frankly, if it's going to end that way, I'd rather just have a bigger book instead of a trilogy. For another analogy, if you look at the world of comics - many of them have long-running stories going on. But each arc (usually published as a trade) tends to be self-sufficient. You can read the trade and feel that you got a beginning, middle, and end - even if it's dropping hints of various levels of subtlety about what's coming next.
Overall, it's a good setup in a neat world with a female protagonist. Things could have been a lot worse. But I wish we could have had a bit more closure in this first entry into the trilogy.
December 2, 2012
**This book was received as a Free Advanced Reader's Copy**
Gamers is a book about, well, Gamers. Running with the dystopian theme that is so popular right now, Gamers provides a look at a future where people have shifted over to a very technological reality. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit, and thought that it offered an interesting approach to the genre. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars because of some things I'd like to see improved, but even so, it had a way of drawing you into the story.
Gabby is a somewhat hacker and gifted student that is preparing for her Final Raid. In Gabby's world, people are ranked by points that will tell whether they get into a job by university or be regulated into the lower class jobs offered to those who don't score high enough. These points are built up by performing regular tasks, playing games at school, and in general succeeding at life. When Gabby's reality is disrupted by a group dubbing themselves the Frags, she learns that her world is not quite what it seems. LifeGame is more real than one could imagine, and the consequences for not scoring high are dire. Especially in the Final Raid, which will determine her and her classmates fates.
Gabby is an ok character. She seems to genuinely care for her friend. Her parents are a different story but we don't see much of them so it doesn't seem to matter if Gabby likes them or not. The Frags as a group were interesting, but we only had a limited time with them so I couldn't really feel connected to them or their plight. I would have liked to know more about this and why Gabby trusted them so much, but I suspect that is reserved for the next book in the series. Gabby's friend also had a limited time in the book but Zaela is a character I connected with. She's an artist, and while that's not highly valued in Gabby's worl, I value it. By contrast, Gabby spends more time with her arch-nemesis, the leader of a group called the Evil Dolls during the final raid. Which don't get me wrong, she was a complex character, I just don't think she should have had more time than Zaela since she's so integral to Gabby's life.
The plot was interesting. Being a past gamer myself I was able to appreciate the Dungeons and Dragons type setting of the last raid. In fact, it may have even brought back some memories for me. That being said, people who aren't gamers might not understand some of the lingo that was used, but I don't think it was greatly devastate their enjoyment of the book. I also didn't really understand the role of the government in the book and why precisely they were fighting a war. There were hints at it all over, but nothing was ever really explained about why such an entity came into the power it had. I also realize this could come in the later books, but it would have been nice to have a little more background to understand Gabby's world together. As it is, it's almost alien. The actual running of the games and the points system was well done. I could see the concept being used efficiently to rank people, and while I may not understand why the games are so important compared to reality type life skills, it made the book interesting to read about the different types of games. I also liked the descriptions of how they could change their rooms and appearances. It just added to the total effect of Gabby's world. The book is descriptive which helps because there is a lot of detail in it. It may end somewhat abruptly, but that just gives a good reason to read the next book in the series.
An interesting take on a dystopian book. I can definitely see myself reading the rest of the books in the series at some point.
Gamers
Copyright 2011
313 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
Gamers is a book about, well, Gamers. Running with the dystopian theme that is so popular right now, Gamers provides a look at a future where people have shifted over to a very technological reality. I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit, and thought that it offered an interesting approach to the genre. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars because of some things I'd like to see improved, but even so, it had a way of drawing you into the story.
Gabby is a somewhat hacker and gifted student that is preparing for her Final Raid. In Gabby's world, people are ranked by points that will tell whether they get into a job by university or be regulated into the lower class jobs offered to those who don't score high enough. These points are built up by performing regular tasks, playing games at school, and in general succeeding at life. When Gabby's reality is disrupted by a group dubbing themselves the Frags, she learns that her world is not quite what it seems. LifeGame is more real than one could imagine, and the consequences for not scoring high are dire. Especially in the Final Raid, which will determine her and her classmates fates.
Gabby is an ok character. She seems to genuinely care for her friend. Her parents are a different story but we don't see much of them so it doesn't seem to matter if Gabby likes them or not. The Frags as a group were interesting, but we only had a limited time with them so I couldn't really feel connected to them or their plight. I would have liked to know more about this and why Gabby trusted them so much, but I suspect that is reserved for the next book in the series. Gabby's friend also had a limited time in the book but Zaela is a character I connected with. She's an artist, and while that's not highly valued in Gabby's worl, I value it. By contrast, Gabby spends more time with her arch-nemesis, the leader of a group called the Evil Dolls during the final raid. Which don't get me wrong, she was a complex character, I just don't think she should have had more time than Zaela since she's so integral to Gabby's life.
The plot was interesting. Being a past gamer myself I was able to appreciate the Dungeons and Dragons type setting of the last raid. In fact, it may have even brought back some memories for me. That being said, people who aren't gamers might not understand some of the lingo that was used, but I don't think it was greatly devastate their enjoyment of the book. I also didn't really understand the role of the government in the book and why precisely they were fighting a war. There were hints at it all over, but nothing was ever really explained about why such an entity came into the power it had. I also realize this could come in the later books, but it would have been nice to have a little more background to understand Gabby's world together. As it is, it's almost alien. The actual running of the games and the points system was well done. I could see the concept being used efficiently to rank people, and while I may not understand why the games are so important compared to reality type life skills, it made the book interesting to read about the different types of games. I also liked the descriptions of how they could change their rooms and appearances. It just added to the total effect of Gabby's world. The book is descriptive which helps because there is a lot of detail in it. It may end somewhat abruptly, but that just gives a good reason to read the next book in the series.
An interesting take on a dystopian book. I can definitely see myself reading the rest of the books in the series at some point.
Gamers
Copyright 2011
313 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2012
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
January 17, 2013
Thomas K. Carpenter’s GAMERS is a YA novel set in a dystopian future where virtual reality and constant game-playing are the norms. High school student Gabby DeCorte is great at playing LifeGame, which is the only reality she has ever known. She has been amassing points for years, and if she can score big at the Final Raid (the most dangerous LifeGame of all), she might make it into University . . . or even to a cushy job at the mysterious LGIE (the organization behind the LifeGames). But when Gabby meets Michael, a Frag (or outcast) living outside society, she discovers that everything she knows has been a lie. Now she has a choice – either cooperate with the LGIE and turn in Michael and his friends, or try to do something on her own to change the world.
GAMERS reminded me a lot of Scott Westerfield’s UGLIES novels – Gabby’s world is a lot like Tally’s, complete with its own lingo (“Holy Mario!”). The novel also reminded me of M. T. Anderson’s FEED – in both novels technology has merged with humanity in a way that is both frightening and believable. Gabby’s world is manipulated by virtual reality programs that create clothing, design buildings, and even define the environment. If all you know is what exists within the Game, how can you ever know what’s real and what isn’t?
I liked the first part of GAMERS very much. I liked Gabby – she’s a recognizable teen, with recognizable friends. The dialogue is clever, and the conflict that develops when Gabby meets Michael and his friends has great potential. There’s a hint of romance between Gabby and Michael, and I understood her confusion over who to trust and what to believe.
Then, at about the half-way point, the novel shifts to an extensive sequence on the so-called Final Raid, which is sort of like a final exam for Gabby and her high school friends. The rest of the novel – the remaining 180 pages – is about the Final Raid, which becomes sort of a video game version of HUNGER GAMES, where teens are forced to unravel puzzles, fight monsters, and kill each other (virtually . . . or not). If Gabby can “win” the Final Raid, she can go to University. If she loses . . . well, I won’t give that part away. I didn’t find this section of the novel anywhere near as interesting or engaging as the first half. Part of the problem may be that I’m not much of a video game fan, so it was hard for me to feel engaged during all the “gaming.” I was very interested in what might happen between Gabby and the Frags, but Carpenter never really gets back to that. I guess he leaves that for the sequel.
Which brings me to my biggest complaint here. GAMERS ends with a cliff-hanger. There is no resolution, not even a temporary one. This is the first of a trilogy, and as such Carpenter is using the book to lure readers in to buying the other two. I get that – it’s a huge trend right now. But it’s also infuriating. Book series need to at least offer enough resolution to make the experience satisfying to readers. There’s nothing more annoying than getting to the end of a novel and finding out you have to buy the next one (or the next two) just to find out what happens in the final chapter.
GAMERS isn’t a bad novel. It’s well-written (although Carpenter would benefit from a careful editor to catch the typos and word use problems scattered through the book). Readers who are heavy into video games will probably like it a lot more than I did. Just know from the beginning that this is the first of a trilogy and you won’t get anything close to a satisfying ending. If you like YA dystopian fiction, and you’re up on your video game lingo, give this one a try.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
‘
GAMERS reminded me a lot of Scott Westerfield’s UGLIES novels – Gabby’s world is a lot like Tally’s, complete with its own lingo (“Holy Mario!”). The novel also reminded me of M. T. Anderson’s FEED – in both novels technology has merged with humanity in a way that is both frightening and believable. Gabby’s world is manipulated by virtual reality programs that create clothing, design buildings, and even define the environment. If all you know is what exists within the Game, how can you ever know what’s real and what isn’t?
I liked the first part of GAMERS very much. I liked Gabby – she’s a recognizable teen, with recognizable friends. The dialogue is clever, and the conflict that develops when Gabby meets Michael and his friends has great potential. There’s a hint of romance between Gabby and Michael, and I understood her confusion over who to trust and what to believe.
Then, at about the half-way point, the novel shifts to an extensive sequence on the so-called Final Raid, which is sort of like a final exam for Gabby and her high school friends. The rest of the novel – the remaining 180 pages – is about the Final Raid, which becomes sort of a video game version of HUNGER GAMES, where teens are forced to unravel puzzles, fight monsters, and kill each other (virtually . . . or not). If Gabby can “win” the Final Raid, she can go to University. If she loses . . . well, I won’t give that part away. I didn’t find this section of the novel anywhere near as interesting or engaging as the first half. Part of the problem may be that I’m not much of a video game fan, so it was hard for me to feel engaged during all the “gaming.” I was very interested in what might happen between Gabby and the Frags, but Carpenter never really gets back to that. I guess he leaves that for the sequel.
Which brings me to my biggest complaint here. GAMERS ends with a cliff-hanger. There is no resolution, not even a temporary one. This is the first of a trilogy, and as such Carpenter is using the book to lure readers in to buying the other two. I get that – it’s a huge trend right now. But it’s also infuriating. Book series need to at least offer enough resolution to make the experience satisfying to readers. There’s nothing more annoying than getting to the end of a novel and finding out you have to buy the next one (or the next two) just to find out what happens in the final chapter.
GAMERS isn’t a bad novel. It’s well-written (although Carpenter would benefit from a careful editor to catch the typos and word use problems scattered through the book). Readers who are heavy into video games will probably like it a lot more than I did. Just know from the beginning that this is the first of a trilogy and you won’t get anything close to a satisfying ending. If you like YA dystopian fiction, and you’re up on your video game lingo, give this one a try.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed here are my own.]
‘
February 15, 2012
"Gamers" by Thomas K. Carpenter is a fun and enjoyable adventure through a world littered with references to video gaming, both modern and classic. As someone who grew up playing video games, I couldn't help but smile throughout the story as I recognised the various references.
The story itself follows the antics of a High School girl named Gabby. High School is this world is based around taking part in LifeGame which is a virtual augmented reality where students receive points based on various actions they may perform throughout the day. The student's score in LifeGame at graduation is then used to decide if they can go on to University or if they are demoted into taking on a "lesser" job. However, Gabby soon discovers there is more to her augmented reality than she ever knew and so begins her adventure to learn the truth whilst still trying to ensure a successful graduation.
I found the novel comprise of two parts, the first part basically set up the world, characters and overall series plot in a relatively slow and detailed manner that had me rather intrigued and interested. Then, the second part develops into an action-packed fast paced adventure through Gabby's graduation test, which takes the form of a Role Play Game (RPG) where she encounters, giants, dragons and many other fantasy related clichés. Both sections of the novel entertained me for rather different reasons. The first part got me hooked into the overall story and the opportunities that may appear in the remaining books of the series, whilst the second part just basically took me on an enjoyable ride through a virtual fantasy world that reminded me strongly of my own online RPG playing days.
One of the warnings I need to make about the book though is in relation to the language used. The story is infused with quite a lot of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game (MMORPG) terminology that could be very confusing to someone who has not been involved in some of the more hardcore online RPG games. I managed to understand most of it but if for example the word "Debuff" means very little to you then you are probably going to struggle a little to follow the story. Personally, I enjoyed this use of online slang, but my wife constantly tells me I am gaming geek so that could be why.
The only issue I personally had with the novel was probably in relation to the characters themselves. They all just felt a little bit flat and un-developed, even Gabby herself didn't mean much more to me that being an intelligent hacker caricature. Some of the issue here is that the characters can change their appearance, roles and so much more based on which aspect of LifeGame there are in, therefore it is hard to really find a core personality beneath it all. I just hope that in the sequel we get to see more of the "real world" and gain a better understanding of the characters themselves.
Overall, I found this to be a fun, light hearted adventure story that offers the opportunity of a deeper and more dystopian outlook in future novels. If you are someone who has been involved in playing MMORPG over the years then I suspect you will find aspects of this book to be highly entertaining and enjoyable. The whole thing felt a little bit different from many other dystopian books which I appreciated and I now look forward to reading the sequel.
The story itself follows the antics of a High School girl named Gabby. High School is this world is based around taking part in LifeGame which is a virtual augmented reality where students receive points based on various actions they may perform throughout the day. The student's score in LifeGame at graduation is then used to decide if they can go on to University or if they are demoted into taking on a "lesser" job. However, Gabby soon discovers there is more to her augmented reality than she ever knew and so begins her adventure to learn the truth whilst still trying to ensure a successful graduation.
I found the novel comprise of two parts, the first part basically set up the world, characters and overall series plot in a relatively slow and detailed manner that had me rather intrigued and interested. Then, the second part develops into an action-packed fast paced adventure through Gabby's graduation test, which takes the form of a Role Play Game (RPG) where she encounters, giants, dragons and many other fantasy related clichés. Both sections of the novel entertained me for rather different reasons. The first part got me hooked into the overall story and the opportunities that may appear in the remaining books of the series, whilst the second part just basically took me on an enjoyable ride through a virtual fantasy world that reminded me strongly of my own online RPG playing days.
One of the warnings I need to make about the book though is in relation to the language used. The story is infused with quite a lot of Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game (MMORPG) terminology that could be very confusing to someone who has not been involved in some of the more hardcore online RPG games. I managed to understand most of it but if for example the word "Debuff" means very little to you then you are probably going to struggle a little to follow the story. Personally, I enjoyed this use of online slang, but my wife constantly tells me I am gaming geek so that could be why.
The only issue I personally had with the novel was probably in relation to the characters themselves. They all just felt a little bit flat and un-developed, even Gabby herself didn't mean much more to me that being an intelligent hacker caricature. Some of the issue here is that the characters can change their appearance, roles and so much more based on which aspect of LifeGame there are in, therefore it is hard to really find a core personality beneath it all. I just hope that in the sequel we get to see more of the "real world" and gain a better understanding of the characters themselves.
Overall, I found this to be a fun, light hearted adventure story that offers the opportunity of a deeper and more dystopian outlook in future novels. If you are someone who has been involved in playing MMORPG over the years then I suspect you will find aspects of this book to be highly entertaining and enjoyable. The whole thing felt a little bit different from many other dystopian books which I appreciated and I now look forward to reading the sequel.
January 14, 2012
This is a story about a high school girl that wants to graduate with good results and get her best-friend in the the same University as her. The only difference between this girl and any other high school girl is that she lives in our future when everything is hidden behind layers of augmented reality. Even the world itself is edited and controlled by a government agency. Oh, and everything is a game and can be played. Welcome to LifeGame. Reality starts breaking down when Gabby learns that her personal files, literally her identity has been hacked by dissidents calling themselves the Frags and that the government wants to check what they have altered. Gabby can't let them do this because then they would find out that she has been hacking LifeGame to help her friend improve her scores.
The cover art features the face of a young lady with her LifeScore superimposed beneath her left eye. Its quite catchy except for the typography which cheapens the overall impact. The blurb and the opening chapter is intriguing and had me reading the first three chapters even before I had considered reviewing it.
The concept isn't a new one, with Hollywood already having given the game world encroaching on reality the big screen treatment, e.g. Tron and the now retro-looking Running Man, amongst other more recent efforts. But Carpenter's take on it is refreshingly modern and applies the rules of Massive Multiplayer Online (MMOs) games like Second Life and Playstation Home, with mini-games adding to an overall score and customisable wardrobe and living spaces as standard. He also captures the obsessive behaviour of MMO players of squirrelling away every spare minute and immersing themeselves in marathon-length sorties into the game world through the addition of LifeScore, with the students seeking every opportunity from brushing their teeth to doing homework to get points. There even is a school league table to show whose currently on top and who is below the required level to qualify for university. The world of LifeGame has its own slang too, just like in the world of Harry Potter, which is a very nice touch, even though some readers may initially find themselves as at a loss to understanding what buffering is.
So why didn't this book get four stars? The occasional word mix-up or confusing sentences on their own don't overly take away from this story and the writing and language for most part is good, but the pacing of the narrative and the individual components of it don't quite sync. Also, I found the ending rather unsatisfactory, even though there is still plenty of story to carry on in a sequel, I think it could have been handled better and kept the reader more on edge for the next installment. Another issue of concern, though it doesn't affect how good this book is, is the use of the names of existing or former game developers for school names, especially considering how touchy corporations are about thier IP and branding.
Gamers scores a very good 3.75 and I do recommend that you read this book to experience the trippy world of LifeGame.
The cover art features the face of a young lady with her LifeScore superimposed beneath her left eye. Its quite catchy except for the typography which cheapens the overall impact. The blurb and the opening chapter is intriguing and had me reading the first three chapters even before I had considered reviewing it.
The concept isn't a new one, with Hollywood already having given the game world encroaching on reality the big screen treatment, e.g. Tron and the now retro-looking Running Man, amongst other more recent efforts. But Carpenter's take on it is refreshingly modern and applies the rules of Massive Multiplayer Online (MMOs) games like Second Life and Playstation Home, with mini-games adding to an overall score and customisable wardrobe and living spaces as standard. He also captures the obsessive behaviour of MMO players of squirrelling away every spare minute and immersing themeselves in marathon-length sorties into the game world through the addition of LifeScore, with the students seeking every opportunity from brushing their teeth to doing homework to get points. There even is a school league table to show whose currently on top and who is below the required level to qualify for university. The world of LifeGame has its own slang too, just like in the world of Harry Potter, which is a very nice touch, even though some readers may initially find themselves as at a loss to understanding what buffering is.
So why didn't this book get four stars? The occasional word mix-up or confusing sentences on their own don't overly take away from this story and the writing and language for most part is good, but the pacing of the narrative and the individual components of it don't quite sync. Also, I found the ending rather unsatisfactory, even though there is still plenty of story to carry on in a sequel, I think it could have been handled better and kept the reader more on edge for the next installment. Another issue of concern, though it doesn't affect how good this book is, is the use of the names of existing or former game developers for school names, especially considering how touchy corporations are about thier IP and branding.
Gamers scores a very good 3.75 and I do recommend that you read this book to experience the trippy world of LifeGame.
December 3, 2012
I received Gamers in return for an honest review as part of a giveaway from Librarything. Gabby lives in a world where her whole future hinges on her LifeScore. Society has advanced to the point that everyone can manipulate what the world looks like, example what they wear, what happens like falling pigs. Students who score high in the LifeGame move on to the University where they get the best jobs. While those who don't are sent to lesser jobs, but are really never heard from again. Gabby is a wiz when it comes to hacking into the system she helps boost her friend's score so she can hopefully move on to University.
When Gabby learns that the Frags a rogue group who don't support the ways of the LifeGame. Gabby also learns that her TPS (thoughts per second) are ranked among the highest in the LifeGame. When she is confronted by the Frags who tell her they know what's really happening to those who don't pass the LifeGame and it's not lesser jobs. When Gabby is sent off on a final Raid teaming up with her former friend and now archenemy as well as three other students. The five of them head off into the cyber world to compete with the other teams and defeat the final raid boss. The challenges that her team faces will test every member as well as cause Gabby to question her loyalties. Will she defeat the raid boss and move on to the University or will be doomed to the life the Frags have hinted about.
Gamers is a fast paced, cyber adventure in a world unlike any other I've read about. I found the concept for LifeGame exciting and reminded me of my World of Warcraft raiding days. I really liked the idea of being able to change the way objects like by using a different skin, it's very futuristic which I really enjoyed. Gabby is a great character she's easy to connect with and her friendship with Zaela brings out the humanity in here that many of her fellow students don't seem to have which makes it easy to like her. I found Gamers well written the story-line flows smooth making it an easy read for anyone teen to adult to enjoy. I overall really love the concept of the story, it's something I could see happening as more and more people are getting into computers, games who knows maybe one day I'll be able to change the skin on my fun car anytime soon. I had a hard time putting the book down it's such an interesting story and I'm still new to the whole Sci Fi genre so I stayed up super late reading just to know how it would end. I can't wait to read the next one because I really want to know what happens next to Gabby.
When Gabby learns that the Frags a rogue group who don't support the ways of the LifeGame. Gabby also learns that her TPS (thoughts per second) are ranked among the highest in the LifeGame. When she is confronted by the Frags who tell her they know what's really happening to those who don't pass the LifeGame and it's not lesser jobs. When Gabby is sent off on a final Raid teaming up with her former friend and now archenemy as well as three other students. The five of them head off into the cyber world to compete with the other teams and defeat the final raid boss. The challenges that her team faces will test every member as well as cause Gabby to question her loyalties. Will she defeat the raid boss and move on to the University or will be doomed to the life the Frags have hinted about.
Gamers is a fast paced, cyber adventure in a world unlike any other I've read about. I found the concept for LifeGame exciting and reminded me of my World of Warcraft raiding days. I really liked the idea of being able to change the way objects like by using a different skin, it's very futuristic which I really enjoyed. Gabby is a great character she's easy to connect with and her friendship with Zaela brings out the humanity in here that many of her fellow students don't seem to have which makes it easy to like her. I found Gamers well written the story-line flows smooth making it an easy read for anyone teen to adult to enjoy. I overall really love the concept of the story, it's something I could see happening as more and more people are getting into computers, games who knows maybe one day I'll be able to change the skin on my fun car anytime soon. I had a hard time putting the book down it's such an interesting story and I'm still new to the whole Sci Fi genre so I stayed up super late reading just to know how it would end. I can't wait to read the next one because I really want to know what happens next to Gabby.
December 26, 2012
The Virtual World of the Future
All is not what it appears to be in Gamers. A future world where all the feelings and sensations one experiences is the product of high technology virtual interfaces. Web skin simulates the sensation of feel and touch. Internally generated holograms control what one sees and controls all their experiences. These and other virtual tools are used to equip the youngsters to play LifeGame where every problem to be solved is a game of sorts. Riddles, puzzles, simulations and game theory are continually thrown at high school students so they can rack up points. They spend all their young lives compiling enough points to get into University. And those that fail, well, that remains somewhat of a mystery.
As the story unfolds, a group of teenagers are thrown together on a team to participate in the Final Raid. It's The Breakfast Club meets Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each with their own skills, tools and perceived enemies, they fight there way through a complex maze, solving problems and advancing with the hope of beating the other teams and scoring enough points to win LifeGame.
Only one, however, is suspicious that the Coder may have rigged the game and the outcome had already been determined. All the while, a sub-culture of hackers called Frags, who had previously failed at LifeGame, intentionally try to sabotage and expose LifeGame for the fraud they believe it is.
Carpenter moves the narrative along at a decent pace though it slows at times. The characters are mostly uniquely identifiable but only Gabby is reasonably well developed. The futuristic technical terms and adolescent jargon (am I the only one who didn't know what debuffed meant?) sometimes confuse, especially for those with little scientific inclination who may struggle to follow the descriptions and capabilities commonly available in the fictional future.
I'm sure current Gamers would relate better to the jargon and the story than those not into game-playing or game-theory but for everyone else it's simply a decent yarn about a future world that is, at times, difficult to comprehend or imagine. Fairly well written and edited, Gamers had an ending that did not satisfy me and appears to be leaving some unanswered questions to the sequel.
Not a bad read for the price and the right audience.
John E. Nevola - Author of the Last Jump - A Novel of World War II
All is not what it appears to be in Gamers. A future world where all the feelings and sensations one experiences is the product of high technology virtual interfaces. Web skin simulates the sensation of feel and touch. Internally generated holograms control what one sees and controls all their experiences. These and other virtual tools are used to equip the youngsters to play LifeGame where every problem to be solved is a game of sorts. Riddles, puzzles, simulations and game theory are continually thrown at high school students so they can rack up points. They spend all their young lives compiling enough points to get into University. And those that fail, well, that remains somewhat of a mystery.
As the story unfolds, a group of teenagers are thrown together on a team to participate in the Final Raid. It's The Breakfast Club meets Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each with their own skills, tools and perceived enemies, they fight there way through a complex maze, solving problems and advancing with the hope of beating the other teams and scoring enough points to win LifeGame.
Only one, however, is suspicious that the Coder may have rigged the game and the outcome had already been determined. All the while, a sub-culture of hackers called Frags, who had previously failed at LifeGame, intentionally try to sabotage and expose LifeGame for the fraud they believe it is.
Carpenter moves the narrative along at a decent pace though it slows at times. The characters are mostly uniquely identifiable but only Gabby is reasonably well developed. The futuristic technical terms and adolescent jargon (am I the only one who didn't know what debuffed meant?) sometimes confuse, especially for those with little scientific inclination who may struggle to follow the descriptions and capabilities commonly available in the fictional future.
I'm sure current Gamers would relate better to the jargon and the story than those not into game-playing or game-theory but for everyone else it's simply a decent yarn about a future world that is, at times, difficult to comprehend or imagine. Fairly well written and edited, Gamers had an ending that did not satisfy me and appears to be leaving some unanswered questions to the sequel.
Not a bad read for the price and the right audience.
John E. Nevola - Author of the Last Jump - A Novel of World War II
October 28, 2012
LifeGame is more than a game; it’s a matter of life and death
In Thomas K. Carpenter first dystopian novel Gamers, in the Gamers Trilogy, he has created a futuristic society where LifeGame is all that matters. LifeGame is an ultra-realistic virtual reality video game where players score points for doing regular things, like brushing teeth and cleaning their room, to higher points for passing tests and solving complicated mathematical and physics problems. The top 15 boys and girls will make it to the University and get good jobs, but those whose scores fall below the line must settle for the jobs that no one wants.
Gabby DeCorte is a naturally skilled gamer. Her life revolves around trying to keep her LifeGame score up to guarantee her place at the University and dealing with typical high school drama. Everything from mean girls, controlling parents, and boys, to insuring her best friend Zaela makes University with her. Unfortunately, Zaela lacks the natural ability of her best friend, so Gabby must constantly use her natural gaming talent as well as her extraordinary hacking skills and to insure her best friend’s success.
In this re-envisioned society, the Greater States of America (GSA) is competing to stay a prominent world power, and the future of society depends upon developing the best students, the LifeGame winners. Gabby soon finds herself paired with a group known as the Frags. A group determined to undermine the GSA, and prove that those who don’t make it to University, don’t get undesirable jobs, but permanently disappear. The Frags need Gabby’s help, but will all the new revelations, Gabby is not so sure what is the truth and what is virtual reality, or who to trust.
Carpenter does a great job of setting the stage and creating characters that readers can relate to. Gamers is a fast read, with a creative plot, and intriguing premise. Readers not familiar with phrases such as noob, and DoT, may miss some of the humor, but it does not distract from the storyline. Overall, Gamers was a surprising good read, despite the bland cover art.
baseballvalbooks.wordpress.com
In Thomas K. Carpenter first dystopian novel Gamers, in the Gamers Trilogy, he has created a futuristic society where LifeGame is all that matters. LifeGame is an ultra-realistic virtual reality video game where players score points for doing regular things, like brushing teeth and cleaning their room, to higher points for passing tests and solving complicated mathematical and physics problems. The top 15 boys and girls will make it to the University and get good jobs, but those whose scores fall below the line must settle for the jobs that no one wants.
Gabby DeCorte is a naturally skilled gamer. Her life revolves around trying to keep her LifeGame score up to guarantee her place at the University and dealing with typical high school drama. Everything from mean girls, controlling parents, and boys, to insuring her best friend Zaela makes University with her. Unfortunately, Zaela lacks the natural ability of her best friend, so Gabby must constantly use her natural gaming talent as well as her extraordinary hacking skills and to insure her best friend’s success.
In this re-envisioned society, the Greater States of America (GSA) is competing to stay a prominent world power, and the future of society depends upon developing the best students, the LifeGame winners. Gabby soon finds herself paired with a group known as the Frags. A group determined to undermine the GSA, and prove that those who don’t make it to University, don’t get undesirable jobs, but permanently disappear. The Frags need Gabby’s help, but will all the new revelations, Gabby is not so sure what is the truth and what is virtual reality, or who to trust.
Carpenter does a great job of setting the stage and creating characters that readers can relate to. Gamers is a fast read, with a creative plot, and intriguing premise. Readers not familiar with phrases such as noob, and DoT, may miss some of the humor, but it does not distract from the storyline. Overall, Gamers was a surprising good read, despite the bland cover art.
baseballvalbooks.wordpress.com
January 25, 2012
I loved this book...to me it was one of those books where you think it's going to be about the premise (which was cool in and of itself), but it really ends up being so much more than that, not only in terms of plot but in the people. The characters really got under my skin and felt very realistic to me, which isn't always the case in books of this kind. In terms of the premise, Gabby's world is pretty much of the logical extension of where we are heading now. It's a virtual reality type landscape, where instead of attending school the way children do now, they essentially are playing one giant video game in order to earn point thresholds that might allow them to make it into university. Carpenter does a great job setting up the world in the first part of the book, and establishing the main character, Gabby, as one of the ambitious overachievers in her class...yet also hinting she's not above a little hacking and game manipulation to help out her friends...especially those who struggle to maintain the high scores that come so easily to her, due to her high thoughts per second (TPS) scores. But then the story goes into a totally different direction, with a mystery thrown Gabby's way about the true purpose of the game, and what's really at stake for those who don't make it to "university." Wrapped into all of this is a lot of action and quirky characters, especially the frags who live outside the society, and the surprising depth behind one of the "mean girl" characters who seems totally different when you first meet her in the book.
A really great read, and I'll definitely be looking for the sequel. There is still so much I want to know about the world. While it resolved well for a book one, a ton of mysteries remain as to who really runs the world and what will happen with the frags and the other kids who don't make it into university (and those who do). There are also a lot of great villains and potential villains...one character in particular who could go either way...so really left on a highly suspenseful note.
A really great read, and I'll definitely be looking for the sequel. There is still so much I want to know about the world. While it resolved well for a book one, a ton of mysteries remain as to who really runs the world and what will happen with the frags and the other kids who don't make it into university (and those who do). There are also a lot of great villains and potential villains...one character in particular who could go either way...so really left on a highly suspenseful note.
December 20, 2012
First of all, I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will be reading the next in the series in the near future. I'd want to play LifeGame, although maybe not for the stakes.
This story is about a future in which success and one's future is based on scores in a virtual reality game system. Being a long-time gamer myself, I imagined it like the Sims mixed with World of Warcraft, with little elements from a few different classics added in.
The main character, Gabby, is preparing for her Final Raid, the game equivalent to modern-day SATs, and her score will determine whether she is sent to Blizzard University or endures something a bit more...sinister. Gabby seems to be a typical teenager; fickle, sometimes shallow, and always second-guessing herself. Some of the supporting characters are a bit two-dimensional, and I would have liked to have seen a few of them fleshed out a little more, which is part of the reason this book didn't receive 5 stars. But, I am also holding out hope that Carpenter will deliver in the second book.
I was really pulled in by the description of the technology, and how well-organized Carpenter was able to keep LifeGame and all of the components while explaining it. I'll admit that I think I pretty much caught all of the gamer culture references (I wasn't kidding, I'm a gamer nerd. I almost died when Guybrush Threepwood made an appearance!) but I think that the general population probably would be confused by some of it. That's the only other reason this book didn't get 5 stars.
But in general, I really like this story, and I expect that most young adults (as well as some of us older ones) will appreciate the gamer culture history that is expressed in this book, and will be cheering for certain characters at the end. I definitely was, and am pretty anxious to read the next one to find out what happens next.
This story is about a future in which success and one's future is based on scores in a virtual reality game system. Being a long-time gamer myself, I imagined it like the Sims mixed with World of Warcraft, with little elements from a few different classics added in.
The main character, Gabby, is preparing for her Final Raid, the game equivalent to modern-day SATs, and her score will determine whether she is sent to Blizzard University or endures something a bit more...sinister. Gabby seems to be a typical teenager; fickle, sometimes shallow, and always second-guessing herself. Some of the supporting characters are a bit two-dimensional, and I would have liked to have seen a few of them fleshed out a little more, which is part of the reason this book didn't receive 5 stars. But, I am also holding out hope that Carpenter will deliver in the second book.
I was really pulled in by the description of the technology, and how well-organized Carpenter was able to keep LifeGame and all of the components while explaining it. I'll admit that I think I pretty much caught all of the gamer culture references (I wasn't kidding, I'm a gamer nerd. I almost died when Guybrush Threepwood made an appearance!) but I think that the general population probably would be confused by some of it. That's the only other reason this book didn't get 5 stars.
But in general, I really like this story, and I expect that most young adults (as well as some of us older ones) will appreciate the gamer culture history that is expressed in this book, and will be cheering for certain characters at the end. I definitely was, and am pretty anxious to read the next one to find out what happens next.
Read
March 3, 2014taking a while to make my way through the writing. it's weird, sometimes the author writes really well, gets thing right that most other people dont, and then totally messes up on the easy stuff....
I just did a quick scan of the reviews and can't understand how not one person has commented on the authors horrendous writing! I mean, it is REALLY bad. Not one single page goes by without an error, whether it's grammatical or he used the wring word entirely...starling instead of startling and gripped instead of griped. Or just left out words altogether! I am kicking myself for actually paying for this train wreck! At least I bought the ebook and not the $18aperback....really, a paperback the price of a hardcover?! I WILL be contacting the publisher for a refund. There in NO EXCUSE for that many mistakes to get past an editor? I don't think there really was an editor, or a proofreader, or that the author even reread the story (not novel, it doesn't deserve that title) before it went to print! Reads like a rough draft of someone that has no experience with the English language, or someone who isn't familiar with it at all, like it's not their first language. Sadly, the premise is fantastic but the atrocious execution just kills it! KILLS IT!!!! There is also no complexity in the writing AT ALL! It's very simple and straightforward. I'm thinking the reading level is even below MG!
Ah, there it is: createspace publishing is a website that aids in self-publishing. At least done of it makes sense now....
I just did a quick scan of the reviews and can't understand how not one person has commented on the authors horrendous writing! I mean, it is REALLY bad. Not one single page goes by without an error, whether it's grammatical or he used the wring word entirely...starling instead of startling and gripped instead of griped. Or just left out words altogether! I am kicking myself for actually paying for this train wreck! At least I bought the ebook and not the $18aperback....really, a paperback the price of a hardcover?! I WILL be contacting the publisher for a refund. There in NO EXCUSE for that many mistakes to get past an editor? I don't think there really was an editor, or a proofreader, or that the author even reread the story (not novel, it doesn't deserve that title) before it went to print! Reads like a rough draft of someone that has no experience with the English language, or someone who isn't familiar with it at all, like it's not their first language. Sadly, the premise is fantastic but the atrocious execution just kills it! KILLS IT!!!! There is also no complexity in the writing AT ALL! It's very simple and straightforward. I'm thinking the reading level is even below MG!
Ah, there it is: createspace publishing is a website that aids in self-publishing. At least done of it makes sense now....
November 4, 2012
Disclosure: Tom Carpenter contacted me and offered me a free copy of this book, requesting a review.
Pros: Characters are believable; plot is engaging and well-paced; the female protagonist is strong but flawed. All these are essential for a really great, immersive book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. If I could rate in half-stars, this would be 3.5, but I rounded up because I did enjoy the story and the characters.
Cons: There is a lot of gamer-specific language. I've been a gamer for years, so this didn't throw me off, but if you're completely unfamiliar with that subculture and its language, that could be a problem. Also, there were a couple of times when the niche language felt forced, like Carpenter was trying to work in a certain number of gamer terms per chapter.
The manuscript could have used a firmer editorial hand. I found at least two dozen typos, homonyms, odd word choices, and other things that pulled me out of the story. This happened frequently enough to be distracting from the story line. I found myself mentally editing the book for the last half or so. Carpenter also chose to end with a mild cliffhanger. If I like Book 1, I'll buy Book 2 without being left hanging. I prefer a bit more resolution in a book ending.
Is it worth reading? Sure. It's an interesting world that I haven't seen before. Will I read the next one? Probably, but I'm going to take a bit of a break and read something else.
Recommended for gamers and fans of dystopia and/or YA fiction, with the caveats noted above.
Pros: Characters are believable; plot is engaging and well-paced; the female protagonist is strong but flawed. All these are essential for a really great, immersive book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. If I could rate in half-stars, this would be 3.5, but I rounded up because I did enjoy the story and the characters.
Cons: There is a lot of gamer-specific language. I've been a gamer for years, so this didn't throw me off, but if you're completely unfamiliar with that subculture and its language, that could be a problem. Also, there were a couple of times when the niche language felt forced, like Carpenter was trying to work in a certain number of gamer terms per chapter.
The manuscript could have used a firmer editorial hand. I found at least two dozen typos, homonyms, odd word choices, and other things that pulled me out of the story. This happened frequently enough to be distracting from the story line. I found myself mentally editing the book for the last half or so. Carpenter also chose to end with a mild cliffhanger. If I like Book 1, I'll buy Book 2 without being left hanging. I prefer a bit more resolution in a book ending.
Is it worth reading? Sure. It's an interesting world that I haven't seen before. Will I read the next one? Probably, but I'm going to take a bit of a break and read something else.
Recommended for gamers and fans of dystopia and/or YA fiction, with the caveats noted above.
December 31, 2012
The first rule is what can be gamed can be improved. The second rule is that everything can be a game, and the last rule is to never look backwards because the past is a game that's already been decided”
Imagine life being nothing but a game. You earn points and strive to rise above the rest; the higher the points the better your life will be. That's Gabby's life, and the book opens up with her working to help her friend grind some points. Her friend, unlike the hacker Gabby, is struggling in LifeGame and is falling behind in points. Those with lesser points do not go off to University, and Gabby wants her BFF with her after the Final Raid. Before Gabby can even grind more points or prepare for the Final Raid she is rushed off to a meeting with the principle of sorts, who explains to her that her files have been hacked by a group called the Frags. When Gabby meets the Frags, she finds out that they hacked her files because they need her; LifeGame is not as it appears. Those with lesser scores do not simply get lesser jobs --- they disappear!
When Gabby returns to Final Raids, she is paired up with people who are not her friends, and finds out who she can trust and who she cannot. This book is amazing and is filled with twists and turns and the games and boss battles and such are described with such detail, I almost felt as if I was there myself playing in the Final Raid, grinding points, and what have you. If you like the Uglies, you will definitely enjoy this book. In fact, in some ways, it is better, in my opinion. Check it out, guys! It's totally worth it!
Imagine life being nothing but a game. You earn points and strive to rise above the rest; the higher the points the better your life will be. That's Gabby's life, and the book opens up with her working to help her friend grind some points. Her friend, unlike the hacker Gabby, is struggling in LifeGame and is falling behind in points. Those with lesser points do not go off to University, and Gabby wants her BFF with her after the Final Raid. Before Gabby can even grind more points or prepare for the Final Raid she is rushed off to a meeting with the principle of sorts, who explains to her that her files have been hacked by a group called the Frags. When Gabby meets the Frags, she finds out that they hacked her files because they need her; LifeGame is not as it appears. Those with lesser scores do not simply get lesser jobs --- they disappear!
When Gabby returns to Final Raids, she is paired up with people who are not her friends, and finds out who she can trust and who she cannot. This book is amazing and is filled with twists and turns and the games and boss battles and such are described with such detail, I almost felt as if I was there myself playing in the Final Raid, grinding points, and what have you. If you like the Uglies, you will definitely enjoy this book. In fact, in some ways, it is better, in my opinion. Check it out, guys! It's totally worth it!
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