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Olympus
Like millions of others around the world, Karl Huber is crazy about Olympus - the new full-cyber-suit, multi-player, virtual reality game on the Internet - even though his father hates it. When Mr. Huber forbids his son to play the game in his house any more, Karl's jealous brother, Jacob, seizes the opportunity to tempt his twin to run away. With trails leading in all directions, now he could be anywhere on earth. The only way to find Karl is to look for him in Olympus, where sinister forces are using high technology to build a world too fascinating for children to resist, and too profitable and powerful for adults to ignore.-From back cover
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
295 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 19, 2011
Karl and Jacob Huber are teenaged twins. Karl is proud and brave while Jacob is intelligent and sly. They live with their father and grandfather both of whom had escaped from behind the Iron Curtain back in the days of the Cold War. Their mother has died. The boys like to play an online cyber-suit, multi-player virtual reality game called Olympus, but Karl is especially hooked on it. After having new computer equipment installed by Mark Avery and his two homeschooled children, Nancy and Noah, Dan Huber forbids Karl to play Olympus. Goaded by Jacob, Karl runs away to CyberCamp. However, something very sinister is going on. Mr. Huber and Jacob, with the help of the Mark, Nancy, and Noah, Sheila Morrison, whose husband designed Olympus, her son Simon, known as “Wheeler” because he is in a wheelchair, and an adult player named Peter Antipas, search for Karl. Since they can’t find him on earth, they look for him in Olympus. But will they find him? And if they do, can they get him to come back?
When author Scott Somerville wrote this book, he was a staff attorney with Home School Legal Defense Association. Several years ago, I saw Olympus advertised by HSLDA and thought that it sounded good. I happened to have an HSLDA coupon at the time, so I tried to order it. However, the website wouldn’t take my coupon with the book, so I had to purchase something else. Recently, I came across a used copy and bought it. I must say that it is an exciting page-turner. Especially toward the end, I had trouble putting it down and read the last nine or so chapters in one sitting. There are many aspects of this book which are commendable. On the surface, there is the danger of virtual reality games. Of course, not all video games are necessarily sinful, but there can be no doubt that some are plainly evil, and even of those which are not bad by themselves, there is the danger of becoming addicted to them so that they become wrong. Also, the Avery family’s homeschooling is pictured in a positive light, yet, while they are believers, they are not caricatured but presented as real human beings, with the same struggles and trials that everyone else has.
Beyond these things, there are deeper values found in the story, such as the need for discernment, the emptiness of life without Christ, the importance of forgiveness, and the power of faith in Jesus. Also, as an attorney who has a lot of experience with the child welfare system in dealing with family issues, Scott well portrays how the system can be abused. In October of 2006, Somerville, who writes, “This story started as a story for my sons around an Appalachian campfire,” left his full-time position at HSLDA, though he is still “Of Counsel” with the organization, and continues to serve homeschooling families through the Tapestry of Grace curriculum, which has released a new, upgraded version of Olympus online where Scott is reinventing the story and adding new layers of secrets. The back of the book says that it is the “first of a trilogy of fast-action novels,” so I was thinking of writing Scott to see if there was a sequel, but then I saw that his biography at the HSLDA website says, “He is currently working on a sequel to his first novel (Olympus, an action/adventure novel for homeschooled teens).”
When author Scott Somerville wrote this book, he was a staff attorney with Home School Legal Defense Association. Several years ago, I saw Olympus advertised by HSLDA and thought that it sounded good. I happened to have an HSLDA coupon at the time, so I tried to order it. However, the website wouldn’t take my coupon with the book, so I had to purchase something else. Recently, I came across a used copy and bought it. I must say that it is an exciting page-turner. Especially toward the end, I had trouble putting it down and read the last nine or so chapters in one sitting. There are many aspects of this book which are commendable. On the surface, there is the danger of virtual reality games. Of course, not all video games are necessarily sinful, but there can be no doubt that some are plainly evil, and even of those which are not bad by themselves, there is the danger of becoming addicted to them so that they become wrong. Also, the Avery family’s homeschooling is pictured in a positive light, yet, while they are believers, they are not caricatured but presented as real human beings, with the same struggles and trials that everyone else has.
Beyond these things, there are deeper values found in the story, such as the need for discernment, the emptiness of life without Christ, the importance of forgiveness, and the power of faith in Jesus. Also, as an attorney who has a lot of experience with the child welfare system in dealing with family issues, Scott well portrays how the system can be abused. In October of 2006, Somerville, who writes, “This story started as a story for my sons around an Appalachian campfire,” left his full-time position at HSLDA, though he is still “Of Counsel” with the organization, and continues to serve homeschooling families through the Tapestry of Grace curriculum, which has released a new, upgraded version of Olympus online where Scott is reinventing the story and adding new layers of secrets. The back of the book says that it is the “first of a trilogy of fast-action novels,” so I was thinking of writing Scott to see if there was a sequel, but then I saw that his biography at the HSLDA website says, “He is currently working on a sequel to his first novel (Olympus, an action/adventure novel for homeschooled teens).”
February 22, 2017
Full immersion in a virtual reality game isn't a unique idea (see The Reality Bug and Heir Apparent), but it's still fun.
I always love to read about homeschoolers who are done well, not ones who sound socially inept. This book showed their parents asking them to analyze what they learned, even on a Saturday! (BTW, this is normal for homeschooling parents. You figure out pretty fast that you can learn things at anytime and anyplace.)
I always love to read about homeschoolers who are done well, not ones who sound socially inept. This book showed their parents asking them to analyze what they learned, even on a Saturday! (BTW, this is normal for homeschooling parents. You figure out pretty fast that you can learn things at anytime and anyplace.)
June 2, 2011
This is Scott Somerville, author of Olympus. I'm biased in my review, of course, but if you found this page, I thought you might like to know that I am re-releasing a new version of Olympus, with new plot twists, backstory, and an all-new ending, online at www.conquerolympus.com -- I hope you get a chance to check it out!
June 23, 2011
Somerville weaves a marvelous web of cyber-mystery and deceit in this thrilling novel. Things assumed to be safe turn out to be very dangerous. Karl is stuck... will his friends and family be able to retrieve him from the mysterious place he is imprisoned in?
August 30, 2009
This book was totally AWSOME! I've reread this book 4-5 times already and i'm thinking of reading it again. :D
April 6, 2014
Ridiculous cover...come on guys. But get past that and it's a great book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews