The complete (all four levels) ebook of the young adult sci-fi thriller 'EleMental: A First-person Shooter'.
One moment, you're sitting at your desk, the next, you're battling something that's hallf-dinosaur, half-tank. Set in 2050, three teenagers encounter a deadly new virtual reality game called EleMental. Deliberately designed to be highly addictive, to control rebellious asteroid miners, EleMental has a byproduct no one was ready for: gameblur – the confusion of reality and virtuality.
'... a fantastic and exciting debut novel by Steven O’Connor ... entertaining mix of futuristic sci-fi, horror, action and angst ... this reads like Philip K Dick for teenagers. With the narrative sneakily shifting between the real and virtual worlds, O’Connor explores some fairly complex and sophisticated issues in a thrilling and accessible way.' Bookseller+Publisher, June 2010.
'... the author does an excellent job of creating Virtualitee, and by the end readers might feel as if they have had a lucky escape from its clutches, too.' Booklist, May 2012.
A great read: find out what can happen when reality and fiction merge
Famous philosophers and physicists (Einstein was one of them) sometimes debate topics such as: If you look towards the moon and see it, you know the moon is there; if you then turn your back to the moon and don’t see it, can you still be certain that the moon is there?
What is reality? That’s a fascinating question, not only for famous thinkers but also for young people sitting in front of a gaming console. But now imagine, a few decades in the future, young people may live, play games and make real life equivalent experiences by entering a 3-D virtual reality. This is not far-fetched. Unless you are a philosopher or physicist yourself, you will probably agree that it is actually less far-fetched than the above question about the existence of the moon.
Steven O’Conner’s brilliant young adult novel, “EleMental: A First-person Shooter”, allows the reader to obtain a feeling for such a world: a world where reality and fiction merge. This book is a page-turner: there is action, adventure, friendship, addiction, humour, a bit of romance and great mystery-suspense. The author’s creativity, that enabled him to write this book, is utterly amazing. I highly recommend this book to young and old alike.
Fantasy and science fiction are the genres I love to read so when I came across this book I just had to give it a try. I’m glad I did. This book is well written and like all good books you will find yourself drawn into the story and captivated. This is an action book that is set in the future but it is very well written and everything feels so real. The vivid imagination of the author is apparent and he writes with ease. If you love action and adventure this is what you are going to get with this book. You’ll find mystery, suspense, rebellion and a little bit of horror thrown into the mix as well. Although written as a YA novel, I really enjoyed catapulting myself into this and discovering a world where reality and virtual can co-exist. Definitely a real page turner and an author to watch.
You have got to read this! No wonder this book is an award winner. The Author has an amazing ability to write for the senses. This is a book you experience on many levels.There is a reality inside the fantasy of it. "Attention game," Zeb shouted "weapon!"What weapon do you choose, said a voice in the air? If you love visual writing and a fascinating journey- what book do you choose- this one. It's a totally mesmerizing, captivating, strategically, challenging scenario that makes you think. Clever, fast- paced and brilliant. A masterpiece from a genius in this genre. I highly recommend this book.
This story set almost 40 years from now but the author, Steven O’Connor, has such great craft that it is easily imagined and feels realistic. The characters are very well thought out and believable. I particularly enjoyed how the action never really lets up making it a fast, enjoyable read. Definitely a great book for young adults and fun even for the not-so-young adults as well.
Elemental is a very well written book with fierce action and nail-biting sequences. This would've made a fantastic movie; and hopefully it will be one some day. My only personal complaint is that I had trouble relating to the main characters throughout most of the story. Their actions and dialogues were short and swift, causing me to bypass their emotions as I kept flipping the electronic pages. And that's not necessarily a bad thing; who doesn't appreciate a page turner? Regardless of this opinionated flaw, I do appreciate how the three protagonists evolve towards the end as they utilize the lessons they've learned to conquer their enemy.
There is much more good stuff in Elemental to be found. Go buy the eBook. Or rather...Go to Virtualitee and see for yourself. Skynet's little brother is waiting. ;)
What can I say about Elemental? Author Steven O’Conner created a magnificent story that lured me in and kept me hostage until I finished the book. Elemental was well written. The characters were completely developed, realistic, and likable. The storyline was totally unique, believable, and scary—if it came to pass. I look forward to reading the next installment.