MetaWars: Battle Of The Immortal

MetaWars #3

by Jeff Norton

The dead have risen and now it's war between the living and the dead in this thrilling third instalment in the epic MetaWars saga.

Jonah Delacroix is on a mission to free the Metasphere virtual world, but hordes of Uploaded (the digital immortals) have escaped the Metasphere and taken over the bodies of living people - 'Reborn' in the real world.

When Jonah's best friend, Sam, is usurped by a digital Uploaded, he finds himself on the opposite side of his dead father in a savage battle of the immortal.

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Dystopia, Action

302 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2013

About the author

Jeff is the author of the award-winning MetaWars series for young adult readers and 'Memoirs of a Neurotic Zombie' and 'Alienated: Grounded At Groom Lake' for middle-grade readers.

Jeff is also a writer and Executive Producer in television. He is the showrunner and EP of 'Finding Her Edge' for Netflix (based on the book by Jennifer Iacopelli). He is also the originating EP of 'Geek Girl' (based on the books by Holly Smale).

His new book series is 'Dino Knights', a chapter book series about brave knights riding into adventure on the backs of dinosaurs!

A reluctant reader as a youth, Jeff is passionate about creating stories that will turn reluctant readers into lifelong ones.

Before writing novels, Jeff managed the Enid Blyton literary estate. Jeff moved to London from Los Angeles where he'd developed and produced the critically acclaimed interactive movie Choose Your Own Adventure, based on the best-selling books.

Jeff recently moved back to his homeland of Canada from London, UK where he lives with his wife, two sons, and a fluffy Bernedoodle.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Battle of the Immortal is the third book in Jeff Norton's Metawars series and the stakes are higher than ever for Jonah. As much as he is happy to have his father back in his life he knows that it is wrong that Jason has stolen Luke's body and that moral dilemma plays on his mind as more and more of the Uploaded escape the Metasphere by usurping the living. He is also torn between the Guardians and the Millennials over who should have control over the Metasphere and what lengths they should be prepared to go to to achieve their goals. I really don't envy Jonah the choices he has to make in this series, he often finds himself in situations where there isn't really any right answer and he can only try to choose the path with the lowest number of casualties. He is also starting to realise that the consequences for his previous actions have had much further reach than he ever could have imagined and that perhaps some of his choices have caused more harm than good.

No matter how tough things get Jonah remains true to himself though, he always tries so hard to protect not just the people he loves but also other innocent lives that are in his radar. He's the kind of friend that anyone would want at their back because no matter how much it costs him he will always try to keep you safe. This is shown more clearly than ever when Sam ends up being usurped by one of the Uploaded. Jonah has to make some frightening choices in his quest to save her, including allying himself with someone he has always considered an enemy. We really start to see Jonah grow up in this instalment to the series, he is starting to be more proactive in his choices and to think of the long term effects of his actions rather than just flying by the seat of his pants like he has done in the past. We're seeing him turn into a young man who is wise beyond his years but it has cost him a lot to get to where he is now.

I don't want to say too much about the actual plot because it's more fun for you to discover that for yourselves but I'm sure that fans of the first two books will love this one just as much. This is the kind of series that has so many layers to it so no matter how much fun it is reading about a world where virtual reality is almost as important as real life that is only the beginning. Jeff Norton encourages readers to think about the differences between good and evil and how the line between them isn't quite so black and white. There are times when the good guys to terrible things and it's up to you to decide if they are ever justifiable or not. I'm kind of sad to know I've only got one book left to read in this series but I'm still excited to read The Final Frontier so I can find out who wins the war and finally discover whether the ends justified the means.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam and Jonah don't have it easy in MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal, after the catastrophe in The Dead are Rising, they are now part of the Guardians mission, they patrol the Metasphere looking for Uploaded and capture them to take them to a safe island, to protect humans from them, but also to protect them until they can find a way to stop the hunger. But they are also putting themselves in danger every time they set foot in the Metasphere, risking their own lives every single time.
Granger is also making his own plans to make the Metasphere safe, he has the same idea as the Guardians but uses different techniques to capture the Uploaded and the Usurped As MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal progresses we get to see the Guardians island close up and it really made me question whose way was right. Yes Granger is the enemy but his way initially seems more humane, even though the Guardians do what they did for security reasons it didn't sit right with me.

MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal is quick to jump into the nerve wracking action, and I worried so much more reading this than I did the previous books. The lives of the Guardians are at stake, and Jonah has to find a way to get back Sam, Axel, and all those who he cares about. When he makes a decision that will help him I was shocked to see his make this choice. After everything he has been through and had done to him, I didn't expect him to pick sides, but I quickly saw his reasoning and when he has to make a tough call I applaud his actions.

MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal is more hard hitting than the previous books, and if I hadn't taken a few days away from review reading,  would have finished reading this book in one day. The minute you pick it up you are pulled back into the world Jeff has created and we get to see more of the 'real' side to these characters that we know and love, and see how far they are willing to go to get what they want.

Jonah has grown a lot throughout this series, and he is less a boy, and more of a man, a leader who has to make decisions for the Guardians. Having Granger tell him he needs to act for the future and not the here and now, spurs him into a very resourceful and great plan. So much so that the last few chapters of MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal had me crying, it was emotional in every way, sadness but happiness, and some closure for Jonah, and some peace for those involved.

One thing that I enjoyed about MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal was getting others point of views. We get to see the world and the current situation through the Uploaded's eyes. We see what they are feeling and thinking, and why they do what they do. Part of me still thinks it wrong for them to do what they do, but a small part of me knows they did it for reasons they couldn't control.

Once again I am so glad I have the next instalment waiting to be read, and while part of me is sad its going to be over, I am still looking forward to taking anther adventure with the Guardians.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Spoiler warning: contains small spoilers from previous books.)

Battle of the immortal is the latest in the incredible MetaWars quartet and its just as good as the previous two books. Although there felt like there was a lot of back and forth in the book, I really enjoyed all the action and the way the war is really starting to heat up. Granger is really starting to lose his cool as things are going beyond his control, whereas Jonah is starting to grow up and think ahead of his actions and is growing into a great hero. I'm also enjoying his very slow romance with Sam, though I'm dying for them to realise they like each other and get together cus they're going to make an awesome couple.
There was some really good character growth in this edition and I can't tell you just how excited I am for the final book. So far all the novels have been full of action so I really don't know how Mr Jeff Norton will top it in the last book but I'm confident in his writing powers and expect he will wow me!
As you know, in book two the Uploaded were very 'hungry' for life and this book is as much about them as it is about the battle between the Guardians and the Millennials. I don't want to say to much but it was really exciting to see the events play out, Jonah's clever ideas on how to deal with them and I was happy with how it ended.
Battle of the immortal is also written just as well as its predecessors so you can expect more high quality story telling and battles you an easily imagine and follow. There's also some new, very interesting characters that I liked.
So, overall, Battle of the immortal was a brilliant book and if you like the series, you're gonna love this!

Favourite quotes

'She leaned in to Jonah and, hesitantly, he reached around her and rested his arm on her shoulders. He pulled Sam close. He braced himself for her to move away, but she didn't. She rested her head between his shoulder and his chest. Despite the glorious infinite colours of the dawn in front of him, Jonah's mind was distracted by the feel of Sam's warm body next to his and by the beating of his own heart, a little faster than before.'

''And that means people like us will always have to fight for freedom,' said Sam. 'As long as there are people like Matthew Granger who are willing to kill to be in control.'
'I just wish there was another way,' sighed Jonah.
'You can't wish for that, Jonah,' Sam whispered.
'You have to fight for it.'

[The Book Review Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

POSSIBLY CONTAINS SERIES SPOILERS.




The Metawars series is one of my favourites. I started the first book not expecting it to be as good as I found it. I love the world, the technology, and characters, and I've loved all the books in the series.

This is the third book in the series. While I still loved it, I *did* prefer the other two in the series - but I still enjoyed it. One thing I think this series does very well is how, unlike many other books I've read, there isn't a clear 'good' and 'evil' side. Each side does things that could be considered good or bad depending on someone's opinion, and (especially in the first book) it's clear Jonah still hasn't decided who he agrees with the most. I loved this part of the series - it makes it more complex and interesting to read.

As the book carries on the plot of the second book, I thought it was great how the point of view of the Uploaded was shown more. I liked how the addition of more Uploaded characters and their views - it was a good idea to include what they thought of what was going on.

One thing I love about this series is the awesome technology used. It's futuristic, but the amount of detail put into the Metasphere makes it feel a lot more realistic and more likely to be something that could happen in real life.

The plot carries on from the previous books. It is good, but without the characters and other things I have mentioned in this review it wouldn't have been as good as it is.

I like the character development throughout the series, especially for Jonah. I like the characters in general, they all feel like real people and there's no 'perfect' characters which is something that annoys me in books.

Overall I loved this book, but I did slightly prefer the other ones. This series really should be a LOT more popular!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you.


Metawars: Battle Of The Immortal is about a boy named Jonah Delacroix who breaks his father Jason out of prison. Jason is dead but he usurped the mind of a game designer Luke Wexler in a online world called The Metasphere.

The Metasphere is a online world where users can escape from their real lives but it is also a place for the dead. People can be Uploaded in the Metasphere and live forever. But the Uploaded have a Hunger where they want to usurp people and steal their bodies so they can go back to the real world and live forever.

Jonah, his friend Sam, and her father Axel are a part of the group called The Guardians who are at war with The Millennials led by the Metasphere creator Matthew Granger. Jonah and The Guardians want to find a cure for the Hunger and keep the Metasphere safe.

This book was really confusing at times because I haven't read the first two books but I still really liked this book. The plot is very interesting. It was well written. Very suspenseful and hard to put down.

This is a great book. I recommend it.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took my a bit to get into it and figure out what's going on because I didn't read the book 1 or book 2. But when I figured it out it was cool, the creativity of everything and when people go online they become like a inner creature, and it could be anything.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for a review.

So first off, I have to say that I read this book without reading the first two in the series so I spent a great deal of this book playing catch up. This book moved fast and was interesting but I think I would have liked it a lot more if I had read the other books. There wasn't very much recap of the first two books in this novel so it very much isn't a stand alone book. I would recommend reading the others in the series before attempting this book.

MetaWars: Battle of the Immortal starts right back off with action as Jonah is trying to save his father. It's set in a kind of mix of virtual and real reality. People who've died can live on in a sort of virtual heaven but now these passed on are trying to Upload themselves and take over real living bodies.

Usually this type of virtual/science fiction genre of novels drive me crazy and even though all the technology still drove me crazy the author had created some pretty great and likable characters. Main character Jonah was smart, fearless, and witty. Gal pal Sam was more of a tomboyish and brave sort of girl and I kept rooting for something more to happen between these two mostly because they were so cute together.

The book had a lot of action and suspense but had some down times that were hard to get through. Much of the technology side bored me since I had no idea what it all meant not being into technology myself. However I did like this novel enough to consider reading the first two in the series.

[Kevin McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good read, a bit boring compared to the 2 books before this in the series but still a good satisfying read, I wouldn't recommend this book as I did the others because of the quality of writing and imagination had disappeared in this book. The action scenes were well written and expressed but the a lot of the other scenes were extremely "Streched-Out" and boring. The level of detail of the new characteres was low and the characters didn't seem "alive". Well, in some ways, some of the characters were dead and living as Ghosts or Spirits so yeah, well done Jeff Norton if your goal was to make everyone "Dead" in this book.

I am dissapointed in this book. I had expected more from it.... I am sad. :( thank you for reading this. I am crying now..... :'(

[Vincent Ripley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the last book now.....

[Marielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looked awesome was stellar