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Dream Park #3
The California Voodoo Game
Dream Park, the ultimate in amusement parks, was about to embark on the greatest Game the California Voodoo Game. Across the world bets were being placed; fortunes and reputations hung in the balance. Gaming careers would be made--or destroyed. And the most advanced software package ever invented was going to be tested.
But one of the players was a murderer--and worse. Only Alex Griffin, head of Dream Park Security, and Game Master Tony McWhirter guessed the extent of the treachery tainting the Game. Somehow, they had to catch the killer--but above all, the Game must go on....
But one of the players was a murderer--and worse. Only Alex Griffin, head of Dream Park Security, and Game Master Tony McWhirter guessed the extent of the treachery tainting the Game. Somehow, they had to catch the killer--but above all, the Game must go on....
343 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
43 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
About the author
Larry Niven
687 books3,304 followersLaurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths.
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 26, 2020
Third book in a series (and for nearly 20 years, the last book of the series), this large cast story can be hard to follow and has more caricature than character. Technology was also starting to leave this description of a future world behind. That said, it brought the series to a nice conclusion.
In the world described, Dream Park has been a going venture for a number of years. This game represents a cast-only break from normal activities, and also five teams of five in competition. The plot describes both a mystery outside the game and a race within the game. When you add in the staff and major NPCs, the character total becomes quite unwieldy - though more than a few are killed off in the virtual world competition.
That's also part of the problem - the virtual world described in the first book (1981) consisted of holograms, props and makeup. This book (1992) adds visors - heads up displays with added character information and many of the injuries and death. VR headsets, already available at the time of writing, were not even considered. Another focus of this book is the media presentation of the game, with characters playing to the camera. How similar this would be to reality television...
It will be interesting to see how the 4th book (2011) connects our world with Dream Park. I plan to tackle it later this year, finishing off yet another series.
In the world described, Dream Park has been a going venture for a number of years. This game represents a cast-only break from normal activities, and also five teams of five in competition. The plot describes both a mystery outside the game and a race within the game. When you add in the staff and major NPCs, the character total becomes quite unwieldy - though more than a few are killed off in the virtual world competition.
That's also part of the problem - the virtual world described in the first book (1981) consisted of holograms, props and makeup. This book (1992) adds visors - heads up displays with added character information and many of the injuries and death. VR headsets, already available at the time of writing, were not even considered. Another focus of this book is the media presentation of the game, with characters playing to the camera. How similar this would be to reality television...
It will be interesting to see how the 4th book (2011) connects our world with Dream Park. I plan to tackle it later this year, finishing off yet another series.
April 26, 2019
The California Voodoo Game didn’t quite live up to the standard set by the first two books in this series. The outside the game mystery was quite intriguing, but the “game” storyline, for the first time in the series, never quite captured my interest.
The California Voodoo Game is the title of the latest roleplaying epic being sponsored by Dream Park. Five teams compete in a completely new location to solve the game. A couple of the players have appeared in earlier stories as had most of the Dream Park staff who play a role in the story. Just before the game starts, Alex Griffon’s girlfriend, and second in charge of the game security, is murdered. The reader sees this happen and knows who the villain is, but we don’t understand what the bad guy is after. While Alex’s staff pursues the murderer from outside, Alex once again goes into the game to see if he can draw him out.
All of that is great. Trying to navigate through the myriad blinds the murderer has constructed to uncover what he is really after was a solid storyline. Unfortunately, it happens within a game mystery which just didn’t measure up to the first two Dream Park stories. And since much of the action happened in the game, the book often seemed to plod along for me.
The novel is still worth reading if you liked the first two books in the series, it’s just not quite as good as the first two were.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The California Voodoo Game is the title of the latest roleplaying epic being sponsored by Dream Park. Five teams compete in a completely new location to solve the game. A couple of the players have appeared in earlier stories as had most of the Dream Park staff who play a role in the story. Just before the game starts, Alex Griffon’s girlfriend, and second in charge of the game security, is murdered. The reader sees this happen and knows who the villain is, but we don’t understand what the bad guy is after. While Alex’s staff pursues the murderer from outside, Alex once again goes into the game to see if he can draw him out.
All of that is great. Trying to navigate through the myriad blinds the murderer has constructed to uncover what he is really after was a solid storyline. Unfortunately, it happens within a game mystery which just didn’t measure up to the first two Dream Park stories. And since much of the action happened in the game, the book often seemed to plod along for me.
The novel is still worth reading if you liked the first two books in the series, it’s just not quite as good as the first two were.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
December 15, 2008
The third in Niven & Barnes' Dream Park series, this book was hindered by a cast almost too large to keep track of, and a dramatic change in the technology of the setting that was quite jarring to me, and in my opinion, a step backwards. The first two books featured holographic "Kruegeresque" VR technology, and this one backsteps into "Lanieresque" VR that uses visors with HUDs. If they'd started with the HUDs, that would have been ok, but going there after having holograms was definitely a bummer. The story itself is still good, And we finally get to see Griff kick some ass in the real world, so that's cool. The ending seems a bit too tidy, though.
All in all, this was the "Return of the Jedi" of the DP universe, while Barsoom Project was the "Empire Strikes Back", and the original novel was the "Star Wars". I trust anyone interested in this sort of fiction knows what I'm talking about.
All in all, this was the "Return of the Jedi" of the DP universe, while Barsoom Project was the "Empire Strikes Back", and the original novel was the "Star Wars". I trust anyone interested in this sort of fiction knows what I'm talking about.
June 5, 2024
A return to form after the very weak Barsoom project, this has a proper game in the plot, and the characters obsession with the game makes it work. There is a bigger setting, more characters, and another creative game that is created based on a fun Voodoo / Chariots of the Gods base. The idea of competitive teams could have been better, but the teams all get mashed together (possibly for plot clarity) and so does not play out as strongly as it could.
For the obligatory Dream Park mystery sub-plot, the story intertwines well by and large, although the ending is (again) let down by a poorly plotted scene which was not necessary.
The story did not grab me as much as Dream Park, but was still good fun, and I appreciated the notes that I had made in the early pages tracking which characters got killed out when (unlike Dream Park there were no inconsistencies).
The game remains the thing in these books, and as a LARP wish fulfilment exercise, this beats anything else.
For the obligatory Dream Park mystery sub-plot, the story intertwines well by and large, although the ending is (again) let down by a poorly plotted scene which was not necessary.
The story did not grab me as much as Dream Park, but was still good fun, and I appreciated the notes that I had made in the early pages tracking which characters got killed out when (unlike Dream Park there were no inconsistencies).
The game remains the thing in these books, and as a LARP wish fulfilment exercise, this beats anything else.
September 16, 2010
"His stride reminded Griffin of a two-legged lynx. Effortless grace". I'm visualizing a lynx with two legs cut off, and "grace" is not what I'm seeing.
Okay, obviously that isn't what the author meant, but I do have a serious point. This book has too many characters (~40) which forces the writer into terse hyperbole like the above description simply to save time. It also forces the writer to quickly kill/drop/ignore characters before they threaten to develop a personality. But it still takes precious time to do that, so we still end up with 35 characters MIA and 5 shallow main characters that we couldn't care less about.
Okay, obviously that isn't what the author meant, but I do have a serious point. This book has too many characters (~40) which forces the writer into terse hyperbole like the above description simply to save time. It also forces the writer to quickly kill/drop/ignore characters before they threaten to develop a personality. But it still takes precious time to do that, so we still end up with 35 characters MIA and 5 shallow main characters that we couldn't care less about.
November 13, 2017
California Voodoo Game is the third book in the Dream Park series, and another exciting mystery set within a game. The expanded cast is a bit hard to keep track of all the time, but it's an enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns. Gaming fans still love it!
January 28, 2009
Got about 50 pages in when I decided I didn't really care for the story anymore... gamers might find it a little more engaging.
October 22, 2011
Third book in the series so not as much impact or as original as the first one. Not bad but I did not like the overall scenario presented here as much as the others.
February 5, 2023
This third Dream Park book is a step up from the second but still not great. As usual there's a big LARP game going on, enhanced by Dream Park's magical special effects, plus a real world crime to be solved. The LARP game is much more complicated this time, set in a real world ruined city and featuring multiple teams. This means that there's an extensive cast of characters and, typical of Niven & Barnes, it's tough to stay on top of who's who amongst the supporting cast. And I have to say after a while I didn't care and it didn't matter to the story.
Written long after the earlier books in the series the technology of illusion has caught up with fiction. The trickery used to enhance the player experience here is far more detailed in its explanation and far more believable than the 'technology = magic' of the earlier books, #2 in particular. We get to see the team behind the game masters preparing special effects, actors in makeup, emergency responders staying carefully out of camera. In this regard Voodoo Game is the best of the three.
The LARP game is better as it is written and played in more open format, not tightly controlled like novel #2 (Barsoom), and at its most interesting when the players veer off script. We also get to see a lot of the behind the scenes action from the Dream Park team that allows all this to happen. I found this much more engaging than Barsoom's 'it all happens by magic'. It is also more engaging because, like Dream Park #1, one of the players is in the process of committing a crime. Downside is that it is essentially the same general plot as in #1 although differently executed. It is also similar to both previous novels in that it uses a series of battles with hoards of zombies to winnow down the number of players. Can we please have something other than zombies for a change??? I will say the final scenes of the LARP game were a classic piece of trickery and twisting of the plot that any RPG player will chuckle over.
There are a few old characters returned and an all new villain in Bishop, a Mary Sue type too good (or bad) to be true, capable of extraordinary physical feats, able to tap into any computer system, holding blackmail dirt on half the population of the US, well connected with evil foreign governments, a skilled lover able to bend women to his will, always icily in control, equipped with the full gamut of Mission Impossible spy gadgets - you get the idea. It's not a whodunit as Bishop is revealed as the villain early in the piece, the puzzle is more to figure out what he is really up to and how he's going to get away with it (as he thinks).
The epilogue seems a bit crudely tacked on, a slug of emotion that would have been better spread throughout the novel.
On average though I found this book just average and thus the three star rating.
Written long after the earlier books in the series the technology of illusion has caught up with fiction. The trickery used to enhance the player experience here is far more detailed in its explanation and far more believable than the 'technology = magic' of the earlier books, #2 in particular. We get to see the team behind the game masters preparing special effects, actors in makeup, emergency responders staying carefully out of camera. In this regard Voodoo Game is the best of the three.
The LARP game is better as it is written and played in more open format, not tightly controlled like novel #2 (Barsoom), and at its most interesting when the players veer off script. We also get to see a lot of the behind the scenes action from the Dream Park team that allows all this to happen. I found this much more engaging than Barsoom's 'it all happens by magic'. It is also more engaging because, like Dream Park #1, one of the players is in the process of committing a crime. Downside is that it is essentially the same general plot as in #1 although differently executed. It is also similar to both previous novels in that it uses a series of battles with hoards of zombies to winnow down the number of players. Can we please have something other than zombies for a change??? I will say the final scenes of the LARP game were a classic piece of trickery and twisting of the plot that any RPG player will chuckle over.
There are a few old characters returned and an all new villain in Bishop, a Mary Sue type too good (or bad) to be true, capable of extraordinary physical feats, able to tap into any computer system, holding blackmail dirt on half the population of the US, well connected with evil foreign governments, a skilled lover able to bend women to his will, always icily in control, equipped with the full gamut of Mission Impossible spy gadgets - you get the idea. It's not a whodunit as Bishop is revealed as the villain early in the piece, the puzzle is more to figure out what he is really up to and how he's going to get away with it (as he thinks).
The epilogue seems a bit crudely tacked on, a slug of emotion that would have been better spread throughout the novel.
On average though I found this book just average and thus the three star rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2020
Like the other books in this series, CVG worked on some levels, while falling short on others. It kept me entertained (once it got going, anyway...), but there are problematic aspects to the story as well. Spoilers below.
The change in tech was an odd choice, since it was a step backwards in many ways. The first two books took place in Dream Park's gaming domes, where hologram beasties and set pieces are nigh-indistinguishable from reality, and ultrasonics can subconsciously affect one's mood. The CVG is held in a(n admittedly unique) preexisting structure that's been retrofitted for the game, but requires the use of what amount to VR HUDs for the full effect. Why? Because it's unrealistic for a future high-tech gaming firm to port their bleeding-edge tech to a different location? I honestly don't know, but it's a head-scratching choice, especially if it was based on worries about straining the reader's suspension of disbelief.
The obligatory out-of-game mystery/crime to be solved felt convoluted, and I'm not even sure it's necessary. I can't help but wonder if simply treating the series like a fun, fictional Ultra-LARP session wouldn't have been the more natural route to take. Regardess, for the second book in a row unnecessarily dark back story was included. I'm not averse to a discussion of sensitive subjects, but a sci-fi/fantasy mashup series is an odd place to pepper in plot points about abortion and incest--especially since they're utterly unnecessary to either plot. In both instances, the inclusion feels forced and perfunctory, which is an odd combination.
Last but not least, one could easily argue that the entire series is an exercise in cultural appropriation. It's a concept I struggle with, as I've taken a number of anthropology classes precisely because foreign cultures fascinate me. I certainly understand the impulse to incorporate elements of other cultures into a story, devoid of any malice or intentional exploitation. I also see how that might not necessarily excuse it. Add to that the occasionally dudebro-y take on sex, and the books can exude a strong scent of eau du white heterosexual male.
But hey, maybe I'm putting more thought into this than I should. As I noted before, the series still entertains, but probably less so as an adult.
The change in tech was an odd choice, since it was a step backwards in many ways. The first two books took place in Dream Park's gaming domes, where hologram beasties and set pieces are nigh-indistinguishable from reality, and ultrasonics can subconsciously affect one's mood. The CVG is held in a(n admittedly unique) preexisting structure that's been retrofitted for the game, but requires the use of what amount to VR HUDs for the full effect. Why? Because it's unrealistic for a future high-tech gaming firm to port their bleeding-edge tech to a different location? I honestly don't know, but it's a head-scratching choice, especially if it was based on worries about straining the reader's suspension of disbelief.
The obligatory out-of-game mystery/crime to be solved felt convoluted, and I'm not even sure it's necessary. I can't help but wonder if simply treating the series like a fun, fictional Ultra-LARP session wouldn't have been the more natural route to take. Regardess, for the second book in a row unnecessarily dark back story was included. I'm not averse to a discussion of sensitive subjects, but a sci-fi/fantasy mashup series is an odd place to pepper in plot points about abortion and incest--especially since they're utterly unnecessary to either plot. In both instances, the inclusion feels forced and perfunctory, which is an odd combination.
Last but not least, one could easily argue that the entire series is an exercise in cultural appropriation. It's a concept I struggle with, as I've taken a number of anthropology classes precisely because foreign cultures fascinate me. I certainly understand the impulse to incorporate elements of other cultures into a story, devoid of any malice or intentional exploitation. I also see how that might not necessarily excuse it. Add to that the occasionally dudebro-y take on sex, and the books can exude a strong scent of eau du white heterosexual male.
But hey, maybe I'm putting more thought into this than I should. As I noted before, the series still entertains, but probably less so as an adult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2021
Of the Dream Park books I've read (this one and the previous two), California Voodoo Game has the most interesting Game being played. Unlike the first two books (where the immersive live role playing events involved Europeans saving indigenous peoples), here the Game setting is a futuristic megacomplex where "Valley" and mall culture humorously reign supreme. The cast is huge (we have five teams of players competing for the win), and the action - especially near the end - is very exciting.
But the cringe factor was too much for me. We start off the book with sex scenes full of deceit and dysfunction sandwiching a murder. That's not exactly what I want in a science fiction thriller based on LARPing, but what makes it worse is that (spoilers below)
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our murderer and murder victim (each of which has one of the awful sex scenes mentioned above) were apparently both victims of childhood rape by a family member and may have even met each other at a support group for childhood rape survivors. That's too much ick for me from a book I'm reading just for the gamer kicks.
But the cringe factor was too much for me. We start off the book with sex scenes full of deceit and dysfunction sandwiching a murder. That's not exactly what I want in a science fiction thriller based on LARPing, but what makes it worse is that (spoilers below)
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our murderer and murder victim (each of which has one of the awful sex scenes mentioned above) were apparently both victims of childhood rape by a family member and may have even met each other at a support group for childhood rape survivors. That's too much ick for me from a book I'm reading just for the gamer kicks.
September 4, 2020
I have reread this book many times. Almost as often as I have read DreamPark, the first of the series. Every time I read it, I notice more little flaws in an overall good book. I do wonder, how old was the murder victim in the book? Two different ages are giving by the same person a few chapters apart. Also there were five teams of 6 players each. Several of the players made it through most of the game without being mentioned, other than there are X number of party members remaining. Then how was one team supposed to win it? But those are mostly nitpicking. Overall lots of action and a suspenseful plot. The characters were uneven. Some were really well done, but some never seemed like they were more than bit people.
April 13, 2022
Pure guilty pleasure, pulp reading. I loved this series when I was young but only read books 1 & 2 so I took a break from heavy reading and was surprised this mostly held up - heck 3 stars is not terrible.
Many elements of this series were ahead of their time, particularly the description and use of virtual reality but even the Reality TV style of the content was prescient. I'm surprised this series has never been made into a series or a film. If you are looking for some shallow escape reading you could do far worse though I suggest book one, Dream Park, as this one has a port that drags a bit and is a bit convoluted vs the pure joy of the first book.
Many elements of this series were ahead of their time, particularly the description and use of virtual reality but even the Reality TV style of the content was prescient. I'm surprised this series has never been made into a series or a film. If you are looking for some shallow escape reading you could do far worse though I suggest book one, Dream Park, as this one has a port that drags a bit and is a bit convoluted vs the pure joy of the first book.
January 10, 2012
O Dream Park é uma (por agora) tetralogia cyberpunk escrita em colaboração por Larry Niven e Stephen Barnes, que decorre num mega parque de atracções com o dito nome. O livro mais recente saiu este ano (apesar que teve más reviews). Os quatro livros são:
Dream Park (1981)
The Barsoom Project (1989)
The California Voodoo Game (1992)
The Moon Maze Game (2011)
A série passa-se num futuro próximo na terra (o primeiro livro ocorrem em 2051). O Dream Park para além de ser um mega popular parque de atracções, é conhecido por ter jogos de Simulação (ou RPGs) ultra-realistas, nos quais os jogadores interpretam personagens -- utilizando actores e realidade virtual\hologramas, os Mestres de Jogo apresentam histórias e aventuras que são adorados pelos fãs. Ou seja, uma versão de LARP (Live Action Roleplaying) levada ao extremo.
No terceiro livro, a namorada do Chefe de Segurança do Park Alex (também parte da equipa de segurança) é assassinada, e ele tenta descobrir quem o fez e porquê -- e novamente se infiltra num grupo de jogadores.
Portanto, cyberpunk e roleplay. Isto devia ser a série dos meus sonhos, certo?
Pois, eu também achei isso quando li a descrição da série. Infelizmente, não é assim tão deliciosa.
Da mesma forma que a minha leitura do 13º Poder da Madalena Santos foi sabotada pelo meu background como roleplayer, estes livros sofreram do mesmo problema. Suponho que uma boa analogia à minha desilusão e irritação seria -- imaginem o tópico do qual são mais especialistas, o qual sabem mais. Agora imaginem que alguém que não sabe nada fez uma pesquisa rápida na Wikipédia, falou com algumas pessoas que sabem do assunto, e tentou escrever um livro sobre o assunto, baseada nesses conhecimentos.
Pois, foi exatamente assim que me senti. Notava-se MUITO que o autor tinha apenas conhecimentos leves, o que faziam as regras do jogo saltarem, mudarem, e, por vezes nem fazerem sentido. Acredito que para alguém que não seja um fanático deste jogos, o livro tenha uma magia extraordinária, mas para mim, era quase sempre uma grande parlapatice. Eu queria gritar com os personagens quando os mestres de jogo faziam coisas estúpidas e ilógicas apenas apara assegurar que a história continuava. Por exemplo: no terceiro livro, estavam a jogar com regras extremas, ie. fora do Dream Park num edifício enorme. O staff do Dream Park tinha os seus quartos numa parte do edifício, e os MdJ decidiram que para assegurarem que ninguém acedia à area, a unica forma era de declarar que apenas uma Morte Final de uma personagem poderia abrir as portas de acesso. E claro, depois ficam muito BURROS quando os jogadores fazem isso. Para começar, isto não era útil ao jogo em NADA. Por isso, porquê fazer algo tão toni? Simplesmente declaravam a porta OOC (out of character), de forma a que os jogadores não poderiam usar porque na lógica dos personagens não existia. Os jogadores saltavam entre estar em personagem e fora dela, e confundiam boa interpretação de personagem com criar uma personalidade alternativa para si próprio que era a personagem...
E entre estes exemplos muitos.
O meu grande problema inicial, foi aceitar que um parque deste género fazia milhões (um jogo grande supostamente ia render 30 milhões (nos 80s, por isso multipliquem) só em direitos de transmissão, jogos, filmes, direitos dos livros, etc.) como entretenimento popular a nível global. Eu adoro o meu Hobby, mas não tenho ilusões com o dinheiro que faz e a popularidade que têm. Sobretudo quando as histórias em si não são grande espiga, nem os jogadores são actores treinados -- e, pior, quando tem sempre uma temática muito forte de fantasia medieval.
Consegui ultrapassar esta minha descrença imaginando que, neste mundo, houve um desastre gigantesco em que TODOS aqueles que não tinham a) Uma conta de WOW ou outro MMO, b) comprado livros de BD ou manga ou videojogos e c) uma consola em casa tinham morrido todos, deixando um mundo povoado só por gamers e nerds. Ajudou um bocado a explicar a popularidade global, mas não o facto de PORQUÊ era popular. Porque, francamente, as histórias dos jogos eram ilógicas, burras e não faziam grande sentido. Nem eram particularmente interessantes.
Ambos os livros tinham personagens em excesso, e o Alex Griffin, inteligente, bonzão, super perfeito irritou-me do princípio ao fim, porque gritava "Projecção do Autor". Não só era o heroi, como era super forte, descobria quase tudo, todas as gajas se apaixonavam por ele... Por comparação, gostei muito mais do vilão do 3º livro, Nigel Bishop, e estive a torcer por ele o tempo todo.
Depois, nota-se TÃO claramente que isto é a visão dos 80s do futuro que até se tornou engraçado. O facto que estavam a planear vender... cassetes de video do jogo. E como a heroína, Acácia, era considerada tão sexy quando vestia-se toda num fato de lycra, por baixo do equipamento do jogo. E para não falar das Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles que fazem um cameo. Ah, e da Acácia receber instruções dos MdJ pelo seu moderníssimo... fax pessoal.
Em termos de setting original, as ideias são muito boas, e é o ponto forte da série. Precisavam de ser revistas por alguém que saiba ALGO de roleplay a sério.
Em termos de personagens, er... falha. As personagens não são odiosas, nas francamente, não criei laços com nenhum deles. Exceptuando o vilão do 3º livro.
Em termos de narrativa, o primeiro livro entra melhor, depois afunda-se; o terceiro é melhor, mas previsível.
Recomendado a fãs de Cyberpunk, e Dungeons and Dragons que saibam pouco de RPG.
Dream Park (1981)
The Barsoom Project (1989)
The California Voodoo Game (1992)
The Moon Maze Game (2011)
A série passa-se num futuro próximo na terra (o primeiro livro ocorrem em 2051). O Dream Park para além de ser um mega popular parque de atracções, é conhecido por ter jogos de Simulação (ou RPGs) ultra-realistas, nos quais os jogadores interpretam personagens -- utilizando actores e realidade virtual\hologramas, os Mestres de Jogo apresentam histórias e aventuras que são adorados pelos fãs. Ou seja, uma versão de LARP (Live Action Roleplaying) levada ao extremo.
No terceiro livro, a namorada do Chefe de Segurança do Park Alex (também parte da equipa de segurança) é assassinada, e ele tenta descobrir quem o fez e porquê -- e novamente se infiltra num grupo de jogadores.
Portanto, cyberpunk e roleplay. Isto devia ser a série dos meus sonhos, certo?
Pois, eu também achei isso quando li a descrição da série. Infelizmente, não é assim tão deliciosa.
Da mesma forma que a minha leitura do 13º Poder da Madalena Santos foi sabotada pelo meu background como roleplayer, estes livros sofreram do mesmo problema. Suponho que uma boa analogia à minha desilusão e irritação seria -- imaginem o tópico do qual são mais especialistas, o qual sabem mais. Agora imaginem que alguém que não sabe nada fez uma pesquisa rápida na Wikipédia, falou com algumas pessoas que sabem do assunto, e tentou escrever um livro sobre o assunto, baseada nesses conhecimentos.
Pois, foi exatamente assim que me senti. Notava-se MUITO que o autor tinha apenas conhecimentos leves, o que faziam as regras do jogo saltarem, mudarem, e, por vezes nem fazerem sentido. Acredito que para alguém que não seja um fanático deste jogos, o livro tenha uma magia extraordinária, mas para mim, era quase sempre uma grande parlapatice. Eu queria gritar com os personagens quando os mestres de jogo faziam coisas estúpidas e ilógicas apenas apara assegurar que a história continuava. Por exemplo: no terceiro livro, estavam a jogar com regras extremas, ie. fora do Dream Park num edifício enorme. O staff do Dream Park tinha os seus quartos numa parte do edifício, e os MdJ decidiram que para assegurarem que ninguém acedia à area, a unica forma era de declarar que apenas uma Morte Final de uma personagem poderia abrir as portas de acesso. E claro, depois ficam muito BURROS quando os jogadores fazem isso. Para começar, isto não era útil ao jogo em NADA. Por isso, porquê fazer algo tão toni? Simplesmente declaravam a porta OOC (out of character), de forma a que os jogadores não poderiam usar porque na lógica dos personagens não existia. Os jogadores saltavam entre estar em personagem e fora dela, e confundiam boa interpretação de personagem com criar uma personalidade alternativa para si próprio que era a personagem...
E entre estes exemplos muitos.
O meu grande problema inicial, foi aceitar que um parque deste género fazia milhões (um jogo grande supostamente ia render 30 milhões (nos 80s, por isso multipliquem) só em direitos de transmissão, jogos, filmes, direitos dos livros, etc.) como entretenimento popular a nível global. Eu adoro o meu Hobby, mas não tenho ilusões com o dinheiro que faz e a popularidade que têm. Sobretudo quando as histórias em si não são grande espiga, nem os jogadores são actores treinados -- e, pior, quando tem sempre uma temática muito forte de fantasia medieval.
Consegui ultrapassar esta minha descrença imaginando que, neste mundo, houve um desastre gigantesco em que TODOS aqueles que não tinham a) Uma conta de WOW ou outro MMO, b) comprado livros de BD ou manga ou videojogos e c) uma consola em casa tinham morrido todos, deixando um mundo povoado só por gamers e nerds. Ajudou um bocado a explicar a popularidade global, mas não o facto de PORQUÊ era popular. Porque, francamente, as histórias dos jogos eram ilógicas, burras e não faziam grande sentido. Nem eram particularmente interessantes.
Ambos os livros tinham personagens em excesso, e o Alex Griffin, inteligente, bonzão, super perfeito irritou-me do princípio ao fim, porque gritava "Projecção do Autor". Não só era o heroi, como era super forte, descobria quase tudo, todas as gajas se apaixonavam por ele... Por comparação, gostei muito mais do vilão do 3º livro, Nigel Bishop, e estive a torcer por ele o tempo todo.
Depois, nota-se TÃO claramente que isto é a visão dos 80s do futuro que até se tornou engraçado. O facto que estavam a planear vender... cassetes de video do jogo. E como a heroína, Acácia, era considerada tão sexy quando vestia-se toda num fato de lycra, por baixo do equipamento do jogo. E para não falar das Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles que fazem um cameo. Ah, e da Acácia receber instruções dos MdJ pelo seu moderníssimo... fax pessoal.
Em termos de setting original, as ideias são muito boas, e é o ponto forte da série. Precisavam de ser revistas por alguém que saiba ALGO de roleplay a sério.
Em termos de personagens, er... falha. As personagens não são odiosas, nas francamente, não criei laços com nenhum deles. Exceptuando o vilão do 3º livro.
Em termos de narrativa, o primeiro livro entra melhor, depois afunda-se; o terceiro é melhor, mas previsível.
Recomendado a fãs de Cyberpunk, e Dungeons and Dragons que saibam pouco de RPG.
November 9, 2023
A lot closer to the first book (not a repeat of in any form, just in how the backstage, players and game play interact). I enjoyed it, not sure about the balance towards the end, but a good use of the technology. It is scary looking at what they got correct in 1992 from a 2023 perspective, accepted sports betting & artificial intelligence are standouts and the most topical of what was speculative at the time.
Might be a bit before I get around to the 4th book. But I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book even if you weren’t sold on the second
Might be a bit before I get around to the 4th book. But I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the first book even if you weren’t sold on the second
February 22, 2018
I finished Dream Park #4, _The Moon Maze Game_ before starting this one. I own the first two books in the series, and I thought I had read Barsoom, and Ca. Voodoo, when they were first published, but found that there was much that I did not remember upon reading them this year, and I don't think I had ever read Ca. Voodoo before. Many characters from DP return for CV, but the main antagonist seems too talented to be believable.
December 14, 2017
I re-read this to check whether there wa a story about a uterine transplant, and there was. It's not very germane to the plot, since plots are Niven's forte, but it does provide insight into the characters which is Barnes'.
Good Dream park material, well verdue for a movie as they all are.
Good Dream park material, well verdue for a movie as they all are.
July 15, 2018
The dream park stories have always been fun. I love the idea of a high-tech, live-action dungeons and dragons game, but in this case the game was a jumble of barely connected scenes that were just the background for the story of the people running the tech. It makes the game seem pointless. The whole effort felt contrived and disjointed.
November 11, 2018
The voodoo in California voodoo game is internally consistent but bears not much resemblance to what little I know about voodoo.
For example
Mambo T Chita Tann (A Haitan Voodoo teacher and priest) says this about animal sacrifice
http://www.imamou.org/sacrifices-in-v...
There’s more archived on http://www.imamou.org/.
For example
Mambo T Chita Tann (A Haitan Voodoo teacher and priest) says this about animal sacrifice
http://www.imamou.org/sacrifices-in-v...
There’s more archived on http://www.imamou.org/.
July 13, 2023
This was back to having the game be a bigger part of the story, which I enjoyed. But, it spent more time discussing the characters' sex lives than was needed. Interestingly, despite a heavy libertine inclination, the authors still seem conflicted about abortion, and possibly leaning pro-life.
October 18, 2018
Good to the last word.
October 12, 2019
Tough to get into, perhaps read the others first. The language feels too odd and unnatural, but the ideas are great as always with a Niven book.
January 17, 2020
A little too much, muck like Barsoom Project. But a satisfying end saved it.
July 23, 2020
Just too much going on. Too many characters to keep up with. Ending is what saved it from a one star.
January 19, 2023
very well thought out. Good balance of many characters. A worthy continuation.
April 22, 2023
Enjoyed most of it. Ending didn’t resolve as much as I wanted or it would be 4 stars
December 3, 2023
It was okay but parts of it didn't ring as true as I would like. The unexpected relationship (trying to avoid spoilers) really wasn't believable which was too bad.
July 31, 2018
Ok read but sorta got a little lose lost focus or something just thinking it was not as good as the others
February 29, 2008
This is the third book in the Dream Park series. I accidently read it first, but it doesn't really matter too much, just makes it a little confusing if you read the other books later going "wait, didn't he? Wasn't she? Weren't they?" at least that's the way it was with me.
Like all Dream Park novels this is about a big nationally telecast Live Action Role Play. Yes, it's about a bunch of people walking around doing LARP, but you know what? It sounds like the most fun ever. Mostly because it has something real LARP doesn't: A budget of millions of dollars. I have nothing against LARP, some of my best friends are LARPers and while I don't LARP myself, if there actually was a theme park where I could go and interact with holograms and swing hologram swords and things, I'd be there in a minute.
The story involves teams of Players going to a huge empty building in the desert that has been converted for The Game. It's kind of like The World Series of Dream Park competitions. It's called The California VooDoo Game because that's the major story of the game. There's VooDoo, there's action and in general just a good time. Also there is the other story which is going on at the same time which is split between the gamers and the people running the game and has to do with a security leak in the Game. One of the players is trying to do Something illegal, what is it, who is doing it and what happens next are what really help drive the story along.
So, in short, this book is good, I really liked it and really want a theme park that has holograms in it. Really, can't stress enough how many times I've actually dreamed of Dream Park.
Like all Dream Park novels this is about a big nationally telecast Live Action Role Play. Yes, it's about a bunch of people walking around doing LARP, but you know what? It sounds like the most fun ever. Mostly because it has something real LARP doesn't: A budget of millions of dollars. I have nothing against LARP, some of my best friends are LARPers and while I don't LARP myself, if there actually was a theme park where I could go and interact with holograms and swing hologram swords and things, I'd be there in a minute.
The story involves teams of Players going to a huge empty building in the desert that has been converted for The Game. It's kind of like The World Series of Dream Park competitions. It's called The California VooDoo Game because that's the major story of the game. There's VooDoo, there's action and in general just a good time. Also there is the other story which is going on at the same time which is split between the gamers and the people running the game and has to do with a security leak in the Game. One of the players is trying to do Something illegal, what is it, who is doing it and what happens next are what really help drive the story along.
So, in short, this book is good, I really liked it and really want a theme park that has holograms in it. Really, can't stress enough how many times I've actually dreamed of Dream Park.
August 30, 2007
This is the third book in Niven's series on Live Action Role Playing gone high-tech, called the Dream Park series. The first book was Dream Park published in 1981, the second was The Barsoom Project in 1989.
In this series, our protagonists are participants in what modern readers would identify as a cross between Reality TV and a LARP. The characters are playing characters in a live game, run in a high tech setting to provide an immersive environment. There are levels for the characters, as well as special abilities, and working with and around non-player-characters is something each player/character has to work with. The events in game are filmed and broadcast, which is partly how the games are funded.
This is the last book in the series, and one where Niven made some serious corrections to the universe created in the previous two books. The earlier books used holograms and other classic SF ideas of the 1970's and early 1980's to provide the immersive environment. This book changes that to use Virtual Reality goggles, thumper vests, and other items to provide the space.
In this series, our protagonists are participants in what modern readers would identify as a cross between Reality TV and a LARP. The characters are playing characters in a live game, run in a high tech setting to provide an immersive environment. There are levels for the characters, as well as special abilities, and working with and around non-player-characters is something each player/character has to work with. The events in game are filmed and broadcast, which is partly how the games are funded.
This is the last book in the series, and one where Niven made some serious corrections to the universe created in the previous two books. The earlier books used holograms and other classic SF ideas of the 1970's and early 1980's to provide the immersive environment. This book changes that to use Virtual Reality goggles, thumper vests, and other items to provide the space.
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