The Starfighter Invitation

The Singularity Game #1

by Andrea K. Höst

The only thing bigger than the world's first full virtual reality game is the mystery surrounding its origins. Who is behind Ryzonart Games? How was such a huge advance in technology achieved?

Taia de Haas loves having her own virtual spaceship, and wants nothing more than to visit every planet in the solar system. But she cannot ignore the question of whether such a magnificent gift comes with strings attached. Is the game a trick, a trap, a subtle invasion? Or an opportunity to step up and fight for her own planet?

Caught in a tangle of riddles and lies, Taia can't resist trying to win answers from Ryzonart's mysterious administrators. But will finding the truth cost her the Singularity Game?

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Space, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 8, 2018

About the author

Born in Sweden and raised in Australia, Andrea K Höst currently lives in Sydney. She writes fantasy, but wanders occasionally into science fantasy.

Her novel "The Silence of Medair" was a finalist for the 2010 Aurealis Award for best fantasy novel. Her novella "Forfeit" won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novella.

She also occasionally publishes romance under the name Karan K Anders.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fairly good, though you might need to be a gamer to appreciate a lot of the story. Most of the action is bound to gamer activities in an MMO and a lot of the wonder exists in the valley between what games can do and what this new game does. For example, it's very clear that this game is a quantum jump from what can be done by existing technology or any conceivable technology for at least the next decade and that creates a tension that the players skim over in the nervous way you do when you have a treat and don't want it taken away.

Since I'm a gamer, and frequently cycle through MMOs, I found the story intriguing. And Taia is an interesting protagonist. She's interested in what she is interested in and doesn't bother with the fringe things others are messing around with. And her focus helps us see the edges of where this game could be something more serious than it claims. And she's a great protagonist to follow through on that exploration, with just enough wonder to engage fully and just enough skepticism that we're ready for the next shoe to drop.

She's also different from other Höst leads in that she's probably asexual. It's never explicit, but Höst does a great job with characterization so all the cues you'd expect for sexual interest are simply absent, leaving the rest of her world intact. This is very well-done, but leaves something of a void that readers may find niggling at them since we're so used to a single person having an eye out for companionship. At one point her in-game mentor asks if she wasn't interested in someone and Taia's internal monologue goes something like "they wouldn't have wondered if they knew how well I have to know someone before that kind of interest is possible", which is the strongest cue I had that she's probably asexual and knows it herself without worrying overmuch about it.

I was heading for a solid four stars on this one, dropping it one for being a bit wrapped up in the gaming aspect of things and neglecting some elements of the story. But then the ending happened and I discovered additional outside factors which leads me to drop another star. It might be excused having the not-really-a-cliffhanger ending, despite being a huge downer, if it were the beginning of a longer series. There's certainly space for it being a series opener. But the next book, with a very nice cover (way nicer than the cover of this story), has been teased for years and no sign of actual publication. Or plan for publication that I can find. So three stars for a series starter that leaned a bit heavily on being a series opener but without actually having a series to go on to. Seriously, I can't recommend reading this even though it's three stars and not bad. That urge for the rest of the story is an invitation for disappointment.

A note about Chaste: Asexual Taia isn't interested in sex so there isn't any. Like, at all. Not even hand holding, let alone kissing.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up yesterday and just finished it. I'm a big fan of this author. Coming from someone who wouldn't know a video game if it hit her in the head I think I followed along well enough. Host's other books prepared me in the sci fi way that made understanding a little easier although the video game lingo was a little harder to follow. I did eventually figure my way through it and give this one a solid three stars. I am not going to lie, I read her books for the romance. She does really really good very back seat romance that is just my type. So the romance was hinted at but not fully formed and I need the other books in the series to get to the angsty love scenes if she has them planned in the future.

[Laura (Kyahgirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the latter 2/3 of this book but the first part was painfully difficult to get into. I have noticed this more than once with this author but generally there is a pretty good reward for sticking it out. I look forward to more books in the series.

[Debbie Gascoyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of time for this author, and have enjoyed all of her books. I enjoyed this one, but it lost marks for a rushed and unsatisfactory ending. I see that a second book is in the works: I'll definitely read it, but I hope it provides more of a payoff than this one did. And I wish she wouldn't keep starting series and then not continuing them (still waiting impatiently for the next substantial book in the Pyramids of London series!).

[Anne Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. What I really love to read about in a book is interesting characters coming to care about each other, and this book delivered! I've read a lot of "the video game is real" media and i think this one compares favorably. I especially like comparing it to the manga, 1/2 prince because while both stories deal with the idea of what would we do if video game avatars really looked like us, this book takes a much more nuanced approach and really asks questions about self-perception. I liked the references to current gaming culture and even though i don't play video games I could follow everything that was happening.
one downside to the book was that a lot of the world building was exposition dumps in conversations that were a bit hard for me to follow. but I think it was sufficiently balanced in those conversations with a deepening of connection between the characters.
Overall i really enjoyed this book.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh you clever, clever writer.

I stand by my comment that the first half feels like a game tutorial - which depending on how you interact with reading or games could be frustrating and/or immersive. Some of it is dry, almost textbook like, as Taia is not given to undue dramatics in any form.

Much of it is so intriguing from a gaming standpoint - DS is what I want from a MMO. How could I not when portal Fantasies, "LitRPG" and isekai (transported to another world, specifically it's considered a subgenre in anime and manga largely) stories fascinate me? I want to be immersed wholeheartedly.

So on that level THE STARFIGHTER INVITATION works from start to finish for me

On another level very little happens until the last 45% when Taia and Dio make a bet in regards to her chances in surviving a long line quest set.

The same careful, deliberate detail is at play in Host's writing (something all her books share in common), but the urgency is a bit more amped. You know, as a reader, there is MORE. There has to be. And with each strategy and path that Taia and her Quest mates discuss you know the MORE is just in reach.

In truth this feels similar to AND ALL THE STARS (another crossover sci-fi novel by Host that involves the feeling that MORE is just around the corner with each chapter done).

Dio's admissions, clues, lies, truths, jokes, teasing and lectures all lead to an uncomfortable truth that I really want to go back and pick out all the moments that led to the end. I don't know if this Bio could handle it again though.

Fun asides:
- so much game, fantasy, SciFi and culture references
- maybe Dio wasn't meant to be like Dio from Last Exile, but te felt like that character so often
- my broody elf love of life Fenris was name dropped bc 2D romanceable folk is definitely where it's at
- aside from anything else I really enjoyed the conversations the chars had in relation to Self. DS starts your avatar off as your inner perceived "self image". There was good discussion about what that really meant (for one char the fact her perceived self-image was visibly thinner despite her years of fat activism made her deeply uncomfortable) vs. what it could mean
- I may have also had the song "Shelter" running thru my head the entire time

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ultimately, I tried really really REALLY hard to enjoy this book, but it was simply too odd for me to do so.

Now, I love Host's worldbuilding. She is one of the better fantasy worldbuilders out there, someone who doesn't let massive plot holes fall through the cracks and actually puts effort into envisaging original features. I will always be impressed at how much effort she put into constructing a world for her standalone Hunting, when there are full fantasy series which don't have that much effort invested in them.

BUT. In this book, it just because far too much. The first third of the book was very slow and boring. Even when the action picked up, I never felt really interested in it. Is it because I'm not a gamer? Maybe. But the intense immersion into the world of gaming really didn't work for me. I found it, in many places, confusing and unenjoyable.

Also... THERE WAS NO ROMANCE. None. Nada. Zilch. I don't mind if it's just slight romance, but I do need a little element of that to sustain me through books - especially dense books like this. There wasn't anything like that here, and I think that's what ultimately killed this book for me. What makes it worse is I know Host can write a satisfying romance - I reread Hunting all the time, and the Medair series has one of the most original and pleasing resolutions of a love triangle I've ever read.

I may take a peek at the sequel, whenever it comes out, but unless there's major relationship development in there I probably won't continue.

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride!

From the first page to the last I was fascinated by the complexity of this world within a world. I am totally looking forward to finding out if this will be a series and the next pieces of the puzzle! As usual I found the story well paced and hard to put aside.

[Evenstar Deane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book because I’m not really into video games, I’ve only played a few over the years and no MMOs. That didn’t matter at all.
This book is more a travelogue, describing a future where the earth is mostly underwater, the moon is destroyed, technology allows for amazing virtual reality games, and AIs control everything but need “Bios” for their magical powers - all within a virtual reality game that’s being played not too far in our future. Like the main character, Taia, I want to be able to see the earth from space, go to Mars, go anywhere in the galaxy, in amazingly real virtual reality. I want the game to be real!
Everyone wonders how the game is possible, it seems too far beyond the current technology, and there’s endless speculation about whether it’s run by aliens or AIs and why they’re doing it. The plot may be a little thin through the beginning of the book, buried in so much description, but the ending is amazing and devastating.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed the Is This Hyper-Realistic Video Game Real? stories, and this went beyond my expectations. Not sure that it would be a good fit for those who like a more structured plot, as it very much follows the path of a person exploring a new game with lots of unsuccessful attempts to figure out the why behind it all. But unlike many books I read like this, I was pretty satisfied with the answers eventually given to the questions racking up throughout the book.

The ending was somehow a real, satisfactory ending that also made me desperate for a sequel which I don't think has been published. (Normally I only feel desperation during cliffhangers, which I hate)

[Gretar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inventive, well-paced, and great characterization.

The premise is a new virtual reality MMO involving AI. Unlike other recent books in this vein, though, the main characters are adults who are suspicious about the nature of the MMO and thoughtful about its implications. They waste no time on wide-eyed naïveté, and instead engage directly with the more interesting aspects of the game. One character says, “I’m so used to dystopias that I can’t help but look for the cracks.”

The wonder you can feel when playing a well designed MMO translates beautifully into the writing. The concept of seeing new places beyond the limits of our current ability to travel is skillfully realized. The idea that the rest of the players are all trying to do the same thing in the same game, and usually better than you, is also rendered surprisingly well.

I also like very much that Host is willing to write books with more characters than the typical number. It makes the world richer and more complete, and it makes her books less bound by conventional templates. The cast is large and varied, and I expect it will develop more over the next books.

Overall, this was captivating, and I can’t wait for the next installment.

[Semunky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I'm overwhelmed with surprise at how GOOD this book was and I can only offer singular words to describe it:
Rich.
Mysterious.
Intense.
Poignant.
Beautiful.

I can't wait for the next.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting twist 🤔
Probably won't happen 😕 but I'd love a sequel, or another Gratuitous Epilogue like the author did for the Lab Rat series 🤔

[Fides Mabanta · Rating 5 out of 5]

:o

Profound as usual. I feel kind of bereft, waiting in the unknown and hoping for more Taia (& Dio) in the next book... 🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽

[Books In Brogan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this her writing she always creates a world that you want to visit. The only warning I would give about this book is that unless you are big MMO gamer you will be lost and probably won't get past the first chapter. Other then this issue, I loved the plot, characters and a great new possible "world" to explore.
This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um. Gosh. I don’t really know where to start with this one. I love Andrea K Höst, and I trust her as an author, and that’s probably the biggest reason I made it past the first third of this book, and kept reading to the end, for the whiplash I’d expected much earlier. I slogged through the first part, was much more intrigued by the second but still had a sense of waiting for things to pick up and then the final came around and smacked me in the face. I’ll be reading the next instalment, but I wish the first part had spent more time in the world, tbh; being walked through game menus is exactly as turgid as the early game tutorials in FF where you’re kept from skipping ahead.

Still. I loved the way it turned out. I always do.

Roll on, Book 2.

[Soede · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this book (though it's still Snug Ship in my head). If you like MMOs, Snowcrash, Ready Player One, Buffy, geekdom, or idk People!! You'll probably love this book. I have strong faith in this author based on her previous body of work, so went into it feeling like it was MY book, esp as it's MMO themed, and for the first few pages, slightly distracted worrying if non-gamers would be put off by the on-point terminology. Very glad to see a couple other early reviewers saying that wasn't an issue for them!

I'm on to my second read and totally obsessed with everything Dio does and evaluating what it Means. I love how this author pays attention to the little moments, the subtle bits of body language, (or lack-of-body language), focuses on the pauses between action, which makes the action actually matter most to me. I like that it's a world that has bathrooms and doors that need to be closed behind you. It feels Real to me, not a set with nice perfect people in it, *yawn*. And I love the ratio of good guys to bad guys in all her books, cause it feels more real. (bad guys are vastly over rated).

All of my personal obsessions were touched on in this book, so much that it feels like I got my brain scanned and this was the matched result. MMO's, Mars, Apocalypse, Whedonesque banter, barely hinted at angst, quests, character creation screen, pop philosophical debates on Self....etc!!!

It's going to be hard for me to wait and see what happens to the entire cast of character (especially Imoenne!!) I'll just have to re-re-read everything else she's written!

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

SF/F at its best

Some authors make you actually think while you read - you don’t merely ingest a plot and storyline (you DO do that, and what a storyline and plot it is!), you also have extended existential and philosophical ponderances while being enveloped in the book. Host manages this particularly well, with her wild plot lines explored by some inevitably reserved and highly rational character....which might sound boring (?). But think of it more like a slow burn romance for SF/F....the story is intriguing all along, but it takes a while to see all the pieces coalesce, but when it does, Host always, always delivers a dramatic finish. This book is no different - awesome premise (alien overlords, MMO games, time travel), a realistic and sympathetic lead character...what else could you ask for? Oh that’s right...the next book in the series :). My waiting starts now...

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof, my first ever less-than-3-star rating for this author's work!

I am a gamer, so I enjoyed those aspects of the book. But the biggest issue I had was probably having a difficult time understanding what the author was trying to impart half the time. Suppression modals, Renbas, etc etc - I just couldn't follow very well. Even her physical descriptions in this book had me unable to picture what she was trying to portray.

I still appreciate a lot of what she incorporates into her story (prioritizing courtesy, "No, what are you really?", and so forth). But the plot just did not take us in any direction that I personally enjoyed very much.

Also, besides the amazing VR experience (and outside of suspected potential ulterior motives), Dream Speed actually sounded like a pretty awful game to me!

This one just wasn't for me personally, so I won't likely continue with the series, but all other works by this author will still be an autobuy for me

[Abigail Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this book, although I struggled through most of it, in a good sort of struggle (?) I adore the concept of this book, and the concept alone is what drove me for most of the book. Taia and Dio were the only characters I really connected with and all the other characters just fell flat for me. To me, I felt there were no real stakes at risk or conflict for a large part of the book. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book or so that I really got into and felt something was at stake. And the ending made the whole journey worth it and I'm excited to see where the story heads next.

I would give this 3.5 stars if possible, but I'm rounding it up to 4 as the whole concept of the book is very appealing to me and I did enjoy it.

[Dave Versace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a huge science fiction mystery lingering in the background from the outset of Andrea K Höst's latest, but the tantalising wonder of Dream Speed, the immersive online game at the story's centre, is a marvelous distraction from it. Starfighter Invitation does an amazing job of recreating the experience of the first flush of excitement with a new online world, learning its rules and uncovering its secrets. The impossibly perfect Dream Speed and its various human participants are so compelling that you'll wish you could stay with the game and never learn the truth about what's really going on.

(Caveat: I'm a gamer buddy of the author's from back in the day, and I want to gratefully acknowledge the shout out to my old World of Warcraft character. FTW!)

[Donald Mclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truthfully, I am not sure what I think of this book. It ends with an sad, out-of-left-field plot twist that becomes a giant cliffhanger. It might be brilliant and necessary (second book of Paksenarion by Elizabeth Moon) but without reading the next part of the story, it's hard to be sure.

Either way, I found the story compelling.

My other complaint is that there are really only two characters that have enough page time to be meaningful. Not really surprising considering the main character's back story, but still kind of disappointing considering how character rich the author's Stray books are.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry to say I really didn’t enjoy this book. I am a fan of the author so I have been waiting for it for some time, which may have also worked against it.

I found the premise initially interesting, however having to read what I through was constant minutia over and over again really made getting through this book a chore. By the time I reached the end and the big reveal, I was pretty much disinterested.

The things I find interesting about a book are the relationships between people, yet I thought most of these were barely explored. It felt a times like the main character has aspergers, then she would take charge of the situation and lead. She felt quite inconsistent to me, and not really likable at all.

I won’t be reading anything else from this series.

[Vincent Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good use of litrpg combined with a true SF novel.

The litrpg part is well anchored in the good old times, and the novel is peppered with shout-outs to old-time MMO and recent "cyber" culture. But the fact that the heroine is neither the best, nor manages to win world-first challenges is the best indicator that you're not reading a classic litrpg with their overpowered heroes. The whole "starfighter invitation" scenario is a good setup (the VR MMO is so advanced, people keep trying to figure out what exactly lies behind it). And the ending is... absolutely unexpected.

[Siavahda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So…this was an odd one.

The Starfighter Invitation is a book I would not have read if it had been written by anyone else; I have no interest in gaming, except as a social phenomenon, so a book that is literally just about playing one? Not my thing. But it was Höst, so I did read it, and I’m happy to say it blasts Ready Player One out of the water.

(Not that that’s a high bar…)

Starfighter functions a lot like a slow-paced, futuristic sci-fi – it actually reminded me of the Wayfarer books in tone, with that same kind of pleasantly lazy, low-stakes, just-enjoy-yourself feel – given that the vast majority of the book takes place inside The Game, where players must master the use of lan (think of something like soul-energy crossed with will, resulting in something similar to telekenesis) to earn their own spaceship and explore the galaxy. The conceit of the game is that it’s set in the future of our world, when most of Earth was drowned by unnamed perpetrators (finding out who they are is, in fact, another of the game’s goals) and humanity has now been ‘claimed’, more or less, by cycorgs, AIs that appear as glowing balls of light. Far from any kind of dystopia, what’s resulted is very much a utopian symbiotic relationship – basically all human suffering has been erased, and humans use their lan to assist cycorgs move through space (cycorgs having none of their own and lan being necessary for long-distance space-travel).

Read the rest at my blog, Every Book a Doorway!

[Nicki Cliffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hreat start to the series

Andrea created a fascinating world and characters you care about. One of the things I liked was that the main character was neither the best of all nor the worst of all. She was a regular, albeit creative and steadfast person trying her best. Andrea raises important questions and definitely leaves you thinking. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Lauren Lasseter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the last few chapters, this book felt like a bit of a slog. And that's coming from someone who is downright obsessed with her others books. I think the biggest letdown is that Host's biggest strength as an author is the character development; this felt like watching someone play a video game rather than diving into interpersonal relationships.

[Dichotomy Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely tend to enjoy this author's sci fi works better than her Fantasy ones. This one I found pretty fun, though someone who is neither a gamer, nor has much gaming knowledge might not enjoy it as much.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a lot. It was a bit slow paced at times, but the VR world was so interesting that it didn’t really matter. Although I loved the ending, it did feel that it came a bit abrupt and was too short compared to the long slow parts in the middle of the story.

[mirba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I am speechless. This book is just amazing and incredible, it is weird in the beginning, but it becomes more and more complex and breathtaking while the story proceeds to an incredible ending.
How will the story proceed?