MindWar

Mindwar #1

by Andrew Klavan

Rick Dial has the potential to be a hero. He just doesn't know it yet.

Rick's high school football team couldn't be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled.

Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he's approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick's gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn't just a game . . . but Rick doesn't have many other options at the moment.

Entering "The Realm" gives Rick the one thing he thought he'd never have again: a body that's as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already . . . and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fantasy, Teen

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2014

About the author

Reference for now:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_K...

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being generous here, lol.

[Eve O. Spellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did like it. It was a bit confusing but I loved it!

No cussing, PG romance, Christian themes, I love it!

Thank you Mr. Andrew Klavan for this clean book. Thank you!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

From star quarterback to injured recluse, Rick Dial has been through a lot as a young teenager. His father left home, he found himself in a near-crippling accident and next thing he knows he is kidnapped and told he needs to save the his country through a virtual reality type of system called Mindwar.

It is a fairly faced paced read and some interesting concepts. Definitely more a read for a tech or gaming fan. For that is how Mindwar is laid out, A gaming world with monsters and villains to be stopped but can infiltrate and hack into real systems. And when the lead villain wants nothing more than to destroy the United States....well it is a lot to believe. Yet Rick does, almost without question! This bugged me. Certain parts of this book seemed to have some broken or oddly placed links that just didn't fit. Yet the concept intrigued me and the story pace worked well. Plus there are two virtual characters we meet that really intrigued me.

Overall a decent read. Yet it didn't thrill me like I had hoped. Parts were lacking. I loved how the alternate world is described. Great detail but not over the top.
3 1/2 stars

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

EEEEEEEEH.
Review coming eventually.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many of Andrew Klavan's novels and loved them all. They are definitely adult reading, for mature audiences only. This is my first foray into his YA series. It is terrific. It is very interesting when a gifted writer decides to write a series for teenagers--the writing remains great, the story as exciting as his adult books, and the message is uplifting. I will continue the series as well as recommending it to my grandchildren.

[Patience · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Klavan's autobiography. I figured it was time to give his fiction a go. The story was all right. I enjoyed the premise and most of the relationships. I also gleaned a couple writerly ideas: write the fun scenes and write for the reading speed. When it takes a narrator two minutes to read something that is realized in half a second, you know you have crossed the line into audiobook unsuitability.

[Christy Gould · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, clean story for the tween boy crowd.

[Christian Fiction Addiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

After an accident caused him to lose his athletic prowess, his status as highschool quarterback, and his general meaning in life, Rick Dial has drowned out the pain with a new obsession with playing video games. But his world is again rocked off of its axis when Rick is suddenly taken to a secret location where he learns that a very deadly war is going on, one that threatens the very existence of society as he knows it. When he agrees to join the battle using his skills, he finds himself tested in ways he never imagined possible.



Andrew Klavan has again spun a clever young adult fiction tale that explodes with non-stop action and fast moving scenes. The pacing is unreal, as readers are thrust into a fantastic what-if scenario that had me thinking about how quickly life as I know it could change if this plot were possible! Klavan is an excellent author, and one who doesn’t waste any words, but quickly draws readers into the story and doesn’t let them leave. I found myself experiencing each scene alongside of Rick, with a wonderful feeling of realism that even had me feeling his claustrophobia in one of the scenes! Not only is the writing crisp, but the characters are also solidly developed, and readers will quickly grow fond of Rick as they experience his emotional turmoil and witness him dig deep to find a new purpose and a new courage for living. The book is clearly the first in the series, but resolves one of the plot lines in a very touching manner indeed. I am left craving more, and wishing that it were already 2015 so I could read the next installment!



I greatly enjoyed this book from start to finish and highly recommend “Mindwar” not only for young adults, but for anyone looking for an adrenaline filled summer read. 5 out of 5 stars.


Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher via the Booklook Bloggers review program, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

[Darcy Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wouldn't it be interesting if someone entered a virtual world but if they die in the virtual world they die in the real world? But wait what if we took it one step further so whatever injuries they receive in game they also have in RL-Real Life (Almost every time the abbreviation RL appeared it was followed by the words it was abbreviating, completely ruining the point of an abbreviation) by connecting it to the "most intimate part of the brain" because your brain can cover you with cuts and bruises from the inside if it wants to.

Ok sorry about the sarcasm but this book deserved it. This started as a very touching story about dealing with loss and injury, the protagonist is well thought out and very realistic. This would be a really good book if it was just a story about Rick dealing with his situation, but it was mixed with and became a really badly done "enter a video game!" book.

One thing I really appreciated was that almost every chapter name was a video game reference. Thats why I gave it the third star.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was decent but not great. It was a good one time read that entertained me. I do have higher hopes for the next ones and look forward to reading them.

[Kitty]

I really don’t know why I read this shit

[Jenneth Leed · Rating 4 out of 5]

 My mom has superpowers. I'm sure of it. She was able to find a copy of this book over a week before it's release (it's still not released yet at the time of this review). Anyway.

Rick Dial used to have it all. The hero of the football team, got a girl, plenty of friends, everything. But that all ended when the accident happened that would render his legs useless. Seemingly right after, his dad walked out on the family, leaving only a note that he'd met back up with his college girl. Since then, Rick lived in his room, doing nothing but video games. Until Rick learns of the Realm: a virtual reality the terrorist group plans to use to bring America to its knees, and only Rick can stop them.

It's an Andrew Klavan novel! Of course I'm going to like it! I love how he throws the plot at you within the first couple chapters, creates suspense, gives you that one reason to read the next chapter, and his twists are fantastic!

However, I didn't quite connect with this book like I have with other books. Maybe because I now do more things than video games, and have always thought that books based on In-Game concepts were a little unbelievable (Spy Kids 3. Need I say more?). Klavan did a pretty good job describing the Game world: red earth, blue trees, a monster that was a cross between a spider and a snake--so there was never a time where I was overly disgusted with the unbelievable dimension. Maybe it was also the fact that Rick only spent about half the book there and had other things to worry about in the real world. There wasn't a thousand new names and places to learn in the Realm, which made it simple and easy.

I wasn't all that keen on the characters in the Realm. The water girl (Mariel) and Favian (who seemed kind of wimpy for someone who fights Game demons) and then there was the "boss" who worships the creator of the Realm. I'm not sure why a perfectly normal human being (aside from being a terrorist) would like to be upgraded in the game to a demonic purple creature with wings, talons, and a tail. I just didn't see him going, "Master, I want to be transformed into a hideous monster!"

Of course, I loved the terrorist side to the story, and the fact that a lot of it was told from the mind of Victor One was an interesting POV. One of the things I really like about Klavan is his twists with terrorists. There's almost always terrorists in his books. At the very least, crime.

Things to Watch Out For:

Romance: Rick has a girlfriend and remembers kissing her; Rick feels drawn to Mariel; father suddenly leaves the family and a note explains he went off with another woman

Language: "hurt like the devil"; "hellish"; several descriptions of one character are compared to Satan

Violence: teenager gets in a car wreck and damages his legs; man breaks into a house with a gun; a monster attempts to kill several characters; a danger that one character's mind will disintegrate; several fight scenes

Drugs: wine used as a simile for something pleasant; characters had drunk champaign at a wedding

Nudity: None

Other: One character seems to believe in works for salvation in one scene; strife between parent and son; one character explains that if someone dies in the Realm, their soul is stuck there forever, unable to go on to the afterlife. Later another character decides that isn't completely true, but believes their soul can still be trapped for awhile

319 pages

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klavan instantly surprised and entertained me with his Homelanders series, but this one was a bit of a pain to slog through in comparison. Not that it was a bad story, though. It was a pretty entertaining little mixture of Homelanders and The Mortality Doctrine. But it was quite complicated compared to Homelanders, much less futuristic and deadly than The Mortality Doctrine, and overall actually pretty middle-of-the-road. Also, I found it a lot harder to connect to Rick than to Charlie, largely because of Klavan's decision to write this book in third-person instead of first like Homelanders. We're less in Rick's head as a result, especially when the story temporarily leaves Rick to focus on the bad guys and what they're doing. Several times.

However, it's a good enough story on its own that I'm more than willing to pick up the sequel whenever I can find it at the library. And that's exactly what I'll do sometime in the near future.

[Pristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

woah this review is so old i’m cringing.


{2020 review - read at your own risk}

Mindwar is a YA, action, sci-fi novel by Andrew Klavan. The main character is a teenager named Rick Dial, who was the best quarterback in his high school. But note the word was. A car accident crushed his dreams one night, and he was unable to walk or play football. It didn’t just crush his dreams though. It crushed his life. Rick retreated into his room and wouldn’t do anything except play video games, eat when necessary, and feel sorry for himself. He ignored his family, his girlfriend, and his classmates. While playing his video games day and night, he gains extreme video game skills and has the best score in his games. However, his skills are getting noticed. One day, he goes for a walk, and he gets kidnapped by a lady named Miss Ferris and her ‘assistant/minion/goon/person’, Juliet Seven, and they take him to a secret government lab type of thing. There, a man named Commander Jonathan Mars tells Rick that there’s an evil person named Kurodar who is out to take over the world. Not joking. But: the twist. Kurodar is going to do this through the digital world. He’s invented his own Realm called………the Realm. The Realm is a digital world linked to the real world. Things Kurodar and his minions do in the Realm can affect the real world technology. Example: Kurodar hacked into a train’s system and changed the navigation so it ran off the tracks, crashed, and killed tons of people. Kurodar wants to make himself a god. Note the lowercase g. Commander Mars explains that when you go into the Realm, they take your brain waves and turn them into an avatar. So you’re there, you can touch and feel and see, but it’s not really you. You’re in the real world, asleep, while your brain is in the Realm. Mars says that they need Rick because they have sent countless other soldiers and gamers into the Realm, but they’ve either all failed the test or got killed in the Realm. When they got killed or failed to get their brain back to the portal to the real world in time, it got cut off from their real world body. So, needless to say, it’s a dangerous mission. But Mars wants Rick because his gaming skills are like nothing they’ve seen before, and he thinks that Rick actually stands a chance at surviving in the Realm. They have no other choice but Rick. The question is, will Rick take the risk? He could get killed, obviously. Rick doesn’t trust Mars and Ferris though. Why would they act so aggressively? And how does he know that Kurodar is actually real? You’ll have to find out *wink wink wink*

Worldviews: I am actually confused on whether Klavan is a Christian author. There were a few mentions of God and Christianity in here, and the main character actually had a christian faith, more towards the end of the series, and Klavan had had another Christian character in another of his books. But then I read a Kindle preview of his book Another Kingdom, and there were like three bad words in the first two chapters. That book was written in March 2019. Supposedly he converted to Christianity when he was 49, which would’ve been in 2003. This is just my personal stance, but I feel like if you’re a Christian, and your goal is to write clean books, then I wouldn’t put like 3 bad words in the first two chapters? I remember asking my dad about it, and he said Klavan might’ve used the words because he wanted his readers to feel how messed up the character’s life was. I mean, I can get that, but if I wanted to illustrate a messed up character, I think there are other ways to do that then using bad words. But I’m just saying I only read the first two chapters, so it could get better? I may read the entire thing eventually, and I’ll review that. But back to the worldviews in this book specifically. Rick’s parents aren’t divorced, but his dad isn’t living with them. Supposedly he ran off with an old college flame, and Rick believes it. But his mom doesn’t. Anyways, that’s another story. As a result, Rick has discarded his father’s christian faith and has chosen to take his own agnostic path. But there is a redemption arc circling through the book. There’s also a scene in which Kurodar calls himself a god, and his minions try to convince a guy that he is a god. 

Foul Language: No bad words. There’s some minor ‘being rudeness’, if that even makes any sense haha. There was a shut up… but that’s pretty much it.

Violence: There is some. Most of it comes from Rick’s escapades in the Realm, so technically they aren’t ‘real’, but there is good description. There’s also a flashback to Rick’s car accident, but there’s not really much involved there. I’ll also note some slightly more terrorist actions from Kurodar, like hijacking multiple planes and vehicles.

Romance: Rick has a girlfriend named Molly, but in the beginning they weren’t on the best of terms as after Rick’s accident injury happened, he kind of broke off talking to her even though she emailed him every day. There were some flashbacks to scenes where they encountered each other, or the scene where Rick asked her to be his girlfriend, etc, but that wasn’t the main focus of the plot line, and their present-day relationship doesn’t come into play until later.

Rating and recommended age level: I’m rating this 4 stars! I really liked it! It had a great plot and ideas, and I like Klavan’s writing style in general. He just knows how to write suspensefully and does it well. The story as well kinda reminded me of the Matrix too, so if you like that, you’ll probably like this too. But I’ll say that Mindwar is Matrix minus all the bad language. Seriously, Matrix had like three bad words every 5 minutes. Let me just note however, for any people that may be reading this, do not play video games day and night because you think a secret government agency will come and recruit you to fight in a Realm. It’s not gonna happen. Sorry to burst your bubble.
I’m going to put the age level at 11-12+, mostly because the story line definitely has a lot of plot line and depth/complication to it that would be easier for 11-12 year olds to follow, and probably with the amount of action, it would be better for that age range content wise. Overall, I enjoyed Mindwar a lot, and I really like the entire series!

[Rachel E. Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book more than I thought I was going to, but not enough to give it a higher rating. This is a kind of speculative fiction thriller book that I picked up from my library for two reasons. 1. It sounded interesting. 2. My brothers adore Andrew Klavan's podcast and I wanted to see if he could write.

He can, but it wasn't really my thing. For one thing, it was confusing. All the Realm stuff was quite hard to follow, as was the action sequences. I think the idea was cool, but the execution, for me, was lacking. Secondly, I never fully felt connected to the characters. It kind of felt like a book written by a guy for other guys. I'm okay with that, I'm just not a guy.

I did warm up to Rick, and I love his family. The Christian elements were pretty good. Mariel was pretty good. But I don't think I'll be continuing this series.

[Michael Tigges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It touched my heart strings several times, entertained the warrior inside, and did not scrape against too many scientific reality boundaries. I especially enjoyed the author's unique depiction of the mind machine interface. I will read sequels.

[Jonathon Burns · Rating 1 out of 5]

In high school he was the star football player. Now, the only thing Rick Dial is good at is moping and playing video games. His mom and younger brother attempt to engage with him, but he shuts them out. His father is no longer around, having left with an old girlfriend. After a traffic accident leaves him crippled, he turned to video games to dull the pain.

Little does Rick know that this obsession with video games makes him a prime candidate for a secret government program. A Russian terrorist has created a whole digital reality, named the Realm. Through the Realm, he can launch attacks on American systems, wreaking havoc wherever technology could be found. Rick is tasked with entering the Realm to help stop this man before he can sow seeds of destruction and chaos across the country. In this digital world, Rick is freed from the constraints of his injury, but anything that happens to him there will affect his real body. If you die in the Realm, there are no extra lives.


The concept for Mindwar is wonderful. With the prominence of video games in our culture, recent developments in real world technology such as the Oculus Rift, and the threats of digital security can certainly make you think about ways that technology can be exploited for evil, but also used for good.

The back cover offers comparisons to Ender’s Game and The Matrix. Unfortunately, these comparisons promise something that is not delivered. While the novel certainly has a digital world, the Realm is nowhere near as rich or detailed in the virtual Realm in those other stories. Rules governed those world, even if the audience wasn’t always aware of everything single detail. In the Realm there are bad guys with alligator heads because…..well, I can’t really tell you why, because I’m not sure myself.

Far too many times in Mindwar, things happen for no good reason and or are not very well described. Nothing illustrates this better than Rick being invited into the Realm. The reason he is singled out is because he plays video games and is really good at them. And this qualifies him for high-security government work in an environment where he could literally die? At one point Rick thinks about how video games have helped hone his reflexes, but playing video games doesn’t teach you how to actually handle weapons. Even if the rules of the Realm helped compensate for that, surely he would at least be seriously injured in his first encounter with a trained bad guy.

Why didn’t the government try to find a trained soldier who also happened to be really, really good at video games? A couple of other ‘reasons’ are offered latter in the book for why Rick might’ve been picked, but they still do not address the issue that he is a civilian who hasn’t been trained in any sort of combat but is being put into a situation where he may have to fight for his life!

If you can get past the wild leaps in logic that the story takes, there are still more issues with Mindwar, including extremely dull characters. When you first meet Rick, he’s a brat, but at least he has a character arc. I can’t think of a single other character that had any sort of depth. The government agents were your typical stone faced, get-r-done type, and the main bad guys played heavily off of the Muslims are terrorists stereotype (even though the evil mastermind is Russian!).

Not helping matters is the dull presentation of the Realm. The rules of the realm are unclear (intentionally at first), but even as information is revealed, it felt awkward. The idea of a digital realm sounded fascinating at first, but I found myself wanted to rush through those sections so I could get back to the real world, which was marginally more interesting.

There are a couple of ghosts/spirit type creatures in the Realm which were sort of interesting, but they were overshadowed by the laughably cheesy monsters and henchmen When it comes to virtual reality realms, I thought Epic created a much more thought out world which was believable within the constraints of the novel’s setting.

Upon receiving this book, I was looking forward to a thrilling ride. When I finally reached the last page, I found myself quite disappointing. The concept of the story is still exciting, but with a combination of dull characters, a story that didn’t make logical sense to me, and a confusing and cheesy virtual realm, I don’t see myself reading any sequels. At the final page I wonder if I would’ve enjoyed this at age 15, and I really don’t think I would.

1/5 Stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Gabs · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Mindwar doesn't make much sense. If you really think about what's going on in the story, the logic behind why it's happening...just is nonexistent. That isn't the book's only problem, but it is its main one.

The first thing that I noticed about this book and didn't like was the main character, Rick. He's very mopey and depressing at the beginning of the book, and I just couldn't feel sorry for him. When he starts going into the Realm, he pays no attention to the life-saving advice he was given by the people who sent him there and almost dies. Great. A lot of his decisions weren't well thought out, and honestly, I'm kind of surprised he wasn't dead by the end of this book.

And I'm sorry, but I don't see how getting depressed and deciding to play video games 24/7 makes you the best video game player in the world, or whatever. I mean, there are people who actually play video games professionally. How did Rick get so much better than them in such a relatively short amount of time? Even if he does have great reflexes or whatever because he's an athlete, it seems a bit implausible.

When it got to explaining the Realm, I became skeptical. I didn't get a lot of the design choices behind it. Like, why are the guards all alligator people. Why. Who thought that was a good idea. If you are trying to take over the world with this thing, make less laughable decisions when you design it.

The narrative was also really hard to get into. Rick was such a boring main character that there wasn't a lot of emotion in it. It was very dry and I just couldn't get into the story because of it.

The secondary characters were not fleshed out. The agents, Rick's family, the people he meets in the Realm...they were all very one dimensional. We didn't to learn much about them and what we did seemed very cliche.

I definitely am stopping here with this series, because this book was actually a bit painful to get through. There is no one who I'd recommend this to. I've read some of Andrew Klavan's other books and I enjoyed them, but Mindwar was not good.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, surprisingly so. I am not a huge fan of Science Fiction; I am more of a Fantasy girl, and have had little interest in video games throughout my life. I had to read it for a state award selection committee, but found that it wasn't Science Fiction-y in the technical sense that can bore, or not being able to understand because of jargon. Klavan wrote enough details and explained them well enough to understand the concepts, while keeping it light and interesting. This book will interest a large group of readers, male and female. Those who are interested in AI as well as video games, but also military families, and religious groups. The reading guide at the back is great for personal use after reading the novel or for any group discussion.

The concept of the book is that a terrorist has developed an entire world through the internet, the Realm, that he, only those who he imagines, or allows access to, can enter. The Americans have tried to fight back through developing technology that allows them to enter the alternate world, as well.

Rick Dial has recently experienced two obstacles: his father leaving and a crippling car accident. He spends his days in front of the TV playing video games fearing the pity of others, pitying himself, depressed over the fact that he is no longer able to play football, losing faith, losing his spirit, determination, and fight for his life and making something of his future. When he is recruited by the government to enter the Realm because of his exceptional video game scores, he starts to see that not everything is as it seems.

The novel is written very well. Thematically, the book is deep, however it is written simply that offers room for growth. The spiritual tie-in pleasantly surprised me, and works well with both the plot and growth of the characters. Klavan wraps up the book well, while still leaving some room for the next two books. Although there were a few times the reader could see things coming, how Klavan gets them there is surprising.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Dial used to have it all, the looks, the girls, and a football scholarship to Syracuse. But after a horrendous car accident that breaks both his legs everything becomes unclear. But when Rick is recruited by a top secret organization to engage in MindWars to protect the world as we know it, he cannot refuse, not when so much is at risk.
Can Rick succeed where others have failed, and be the hero that everyone believes him to be?

A fast-paced, action-packed, coming of age tale, set in a digital Realm where the trees are blue and the ground is red. MindWar is a book that is in many ways hard to explain without sounding crazy, yet the way it is presented, it all comes to life in vivid hues.

Rick is a likable young man, struggling to cope after his accident and his father left his family, the dangers he faces in the Realm are a secret that could put his family in danger if they knew about his activities.

I loved how Mr. Klavan created a world so unreal, and vivid, yet made it so believable and real. This is only the second book I have ever read by this author, and I've got to say that I'm hooked!

Overall this is a fantastic start to what is sure to be a fantastic trilogy, centered around a young man and an all out battle between good and evil in a digital age. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

[Marina Fontaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great entry into the YA thriller genre by Andrew Klavan. What starts out as a gamer wish-fulfillment fantasy becomes a well rounded story of family, duty and healing. Rick, the main character of the novel, starts out more pitiful than likable, an angsty teen wallowing in misery and escaping from the world in response to family issues and recent physical disability. However, following the familiar but nevertheless enjoyable pattern of Klavan's recent YA works, our hero discovers there is more to life than his personal issues and ends up serving a cause greater than himself.

MindWar is a more straightforward thriller with less social commentary and Christian overtones than Klavan has produced in the recent past, but both still exist, if only in the background. The action scenes set in the virtual world are spectacular. Although Klavan has written some horror/supernatural stories in the past, MindWar is probably his most ambitious attempt at inter-genre writing. I would not be surprised to see some pure scifi work to come from him in the future.

As always with this author, even though this is very clearly a YA novel based on the protagonist's age and language style, the questions raised are as heavy as they come. What makes life worth living? What cause- if any- is worth the greatest sacrifice? How does one recover from life's heaviest blows, both physical and emotional, to go on living and striving? Where does faith come into play? The protagonist finds some answers at the end of the book, although there is a promise of much more to come later in the trilogy. The readers, however, are encouraged to seek their own. Highly recommended.

[Emeebee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But after reading 13 sentences in a row that started with pronoun - 10 of which were the same pronoun - I didn't feel too great. The text was rough and at times incredibly confusing. For example: "But Raider saw him - his kid brother, Wade, eight years old." Raider, as I understand, is the younger brother. Rick is the older brother/main character. No idea who/what Wade is even after looking around the page and reading a few more pages. Even so I really wanted to give this book a fair shot but I only managed to make it through another few pages (and even read a bit maybe 2/3rds through the book in case the writing was only rough at the beginning) before finally giving up. I couldn't look pass the writing enough to make it more than 10 pages into the book.

[Specialk · Rating 1 out of 5]

This should have been a home run for me - all other books with this premise have always ranked high on my list, but Mind War fell flat.

Weird leaps and plot holes. A main character who is so schizophrenic it's painful. I wish I could blame the audio reading for this, but I've learned that audio very quickly unearths poor writing, and have little hope that a print version would redeem this story.

If you love Ender's Game, or The Invitation, or Ready Player One...go re-read those. While you think you would love Mind War, chances are it will disappoint and you're safer revisiting those tried and true genre favs.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Awesome as usual, Andrew Klavan writes a fast, haunting and mesmerizing story of a very well developed hero.

My problem was that I guessed a twist in the story, which surprises me because I have never done this before. Despite of that, this is an incredible adventure and I'm looking forward to read the next book!

[Ashton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read Klavan's other books and greatly enjoyed them, which is why I picked up this one. I liked his action/thriller books but this book strayed from the genre he is obviously best at and that was a mistake. I was bored in this book. I'm sorry, Mr. Klavan.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive story; a true page-turner.

[Candy · Rating 1 out of 5]

accidentally put review in comments

[McCaid Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning action, a thrilling plot, and an explosive ending! Andrew Klavan is one of my favorite authors and this didn't disappoint!
Recommend for fans of Sci-Fi, Video Games, and Fantasy.

[Scott Marks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible writing, clunky and childish. Plus the writer is a misogynist, anti-feminist and it comes across quite strongly in how he writes about women.
Red flags guys, avoid this novelists books.

[J.D. Sutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Fairly good, but I didn't enjoy nearly as much as the previous Klavan YA books I've read thus far. Not sure if I will continue the series or not.