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Solarversia
Solarversia is the story of an epic year-long game played by 100 million people inside a virtual world modelled on the real world Solar System. Given three lives, three vehicles, and told to master The Science of Solarversia to stand a chance of winning, players compete for the £10m grand prize, and the chance to help design the next game, starting in 2024.
Nova Negrahnu and her friends Burner and Sushi cannot wait to start playing. But when an international terrorist organisation sets its sights on the game and it’s creator, Nova finds her life turned upside down, as the line between simulation and reality blurs. Can she navigate between playing the game, coping with all the issues an eighteen-year-old girl faces and avoid the very real and present danger mounting outside Solaversia?
Nova Negrahnu and her friends Burner and Sushi cannot wait to start playing. But when an international terrorist organisation sets its sights on the game and it’s creator, Nova finds her life turned upside down, as the line between simulation and reality blurs. Can she navigate between playing the game, coping with all the issues an eighteen-year-old girl faces and avoid the very real and present danger mounting outside Solaversia?
287 pages, Nook
First published August 31, 2015
37 people are currently reading
1424 people want to read
About the author
Toby Downton
1 book68 followersToby's first novel, Solarversia, about a year-long game played in a virtual world, will be self-published through Amazon on the 31st August 2015.
The book was created by Toby to showcase the world of Solarversia, a game he plans to launch in the real world in the year 2020.
If you like sci-fi, think of yourself as a gamer, and are interested in the coming virtual reality revolution, this is a book you can't afford to miss!
The book was created by Toby to showcase the world of Solarversia, a game he plans to launch in the real world in the year 2020.
If you like sci-fi, think of yourself as a gamer, and are interested in the coming virtual reality revolution, this is a book you can't afford to miss!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
June 26, 2015
I received this advanced copy in the form of an e-book, in return I ham posting this honest book review.
This book is based on the premise that by 2020 a massive online virtual reality video game would exist. Solarversia imagines a virtual world representing our own solar system. The main story of the book tells the story of Nova’s journey through the one year game in Solarversia in 2020. The more you read Solarversia, the more you learn about the virtual reality world.
Nova’s story is the biggest strength of this novel because it adds a human element about the implications of creating a virtual world. Nova has to achieve a balance between playing Solarversia and her life in the real world. Nova wants to become a game designer, which could become a reality if she were to win the 2020 year long game in Solarversia. However, across the year she realises the value of good friends and family support. Nova’s best friends are Burner and Sushi. Both her friends play a key role in this novel, though I do not want to give anything away.
The parallel story which is linked to Nova’s journey is the Holy Order’s quest to create a super artificial intelligence called MAGI. The chapters related to the Holy Order are narrated by Casey. Casey murdered his girlfriend and felt worthless and felt his life was over until he joined the Holy Order. The Holy Order being a fanatical group, commit acts of terrorism to spread fear across the world. AI plays a major role in Solarversia as AI is used in the game to generate puzzles for the 10 million players to solve.
Although prize money is a big motivator for many of the gamers (called Solos) who play Solarversia, many of them have a passion for playing the game and there is the social aspect to Solarversia. Nova chose a place on the player grid to be next to her friend Sushi, so they could be Solarversia sisters. Not only is this book well plotted, it also tries the place virtual reality in a more realistic setting. The world today is dominated by technology and social media. For better or worse the world is well connected in cyberspace. Solarversia is what one would could the next step, a visual interactive space where people can communicate with each other and play games with each other.
My opinion on the Holy Order storyline is that it was well thought out and necessary to place this book in a real life context. Cyber warfare is a modern day reality with many systems getting hacked, including online game networks. Moreover, this novel is the first book by Toby Downton, and it was the first year long game, so there is room for a sequel.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who has read Ready Player One or other similar novels. The main character Nova is likable and her being British is a nice touch as many big Science Fiction novels are written by American authors and set in the USA, so this is a nice change. There is a small romance element to this novel, but it is not overbearing or unrealistic.
This book is based on the premise that by 2020 a massive online virtual reality video game would exist. Solarversia imagines a virtual world representing our own solar system. The main story of the book tells the story of Nova’s journey through the one year game in Solarversia in 2020. The more you read Solarversia, the more you learn about the virtual reality world.
Nova’s story is the biggest strength of this novel because it adds a human element about the implications of creating a virtual world. Nova has to achieve a balance between playing Solarversia and her life in the real world. Nova wants to become a game designer, which could become a reality if she were to win the 2020 year long game in Solarversia. However, across the year she realises the value of good friends and family support. Nova’s best friends are Burner and Sushi. Both her friends play a key role in this novel, though I do not want to give anything away.
The parallel story which is linked to Nova’s journey is the Holy Order’s quest to create a super artificial intelligence called MAGI. The chapters related to the Holy Order are narrated by Casey. Casey murdered his girlfriend and felt worthless and felt his life was over until he joined the Holy Order. The Holy Order being a fanatical group, commit acts of terrorism to spread fear across the world. AI plays a major role in Solarversia as AI is used in the game to generate puzzles for the 10 million players to solve.
Although prize money is a big motivator for many of the gamers (called Solos) who play Solarversia, many of them have a passion for playing the game and there is the social aspect to Solarversia. Nova chose a place on the player grid to be next to her friend Sushi, so they could be Solarversia sisters. Not only is this book well plotted, it also tries the place virtual reality in a more realistic setting. The world today is dominated by technology and social media. For better or worse the world is well connected in cyberspace. Solarversia is what one would could the next step, a visual interactive space where people can communicate with each other and play games with each other.
My opinion on the Holy Order storyline is that it was well thought out and necessary to place this book in a real life context. Cyber warfare is a modern day reality with many systems getting hacked, including online game networks. Moreover, this novel is the first book by Toby Downton, and it was the first year long game, so there is room for a sequel.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who has read Ready Player One or other similar novels. The main character Nova is likable and her being British is a nice touch as many big Science Fiction novels are written by American authors and set in the USA, so this is a nice change. There is a small romance element to this novel, but it is not overbearing or unrealistic.
July 10, 2015
First I'd like to thank Mr. Downton for providing me with a free version of the ebook to read. Although I wasn't a big fan of this one, I wanted to at least provide some context.
The book Solarversia was a large undertaking as it deals with Downton's vision of a VR universe, complete with backstory, a young girl's personal life as she heads to college, the corporation that built Solarversia, and a mysterious cult. Unlike in Ready Player One, I didn't feel these critical stories came together effectively and they also caused the story to lag at times as well as to make me want to bang my head at others.
I also kept running into linguistic and editing errors that I'd have to stop, detach from the book for a minute for, and try to decipher. I understand I'm an American and there are some British terms that I'm not used to, sure I learned some new terms. But tack on the Solarversia terms, abnormal names for just about everything except Charlie, and it was a bit much. Ok then editing issues- like when Nova, Charlie and Burner are in a climactic scene and she's referred to as the daughter, not friend. Or [SPOILERS] during the finals when it's said each round will decimate the finalists, but then has an arbitrary number of slots... or worse upon completing the first round of the finals and finding there would be a losers bracket where 100,000 contestants would come back for the *sixth* round (which turned out to be immediately). Or how the diving board thing was not the second round.[/END SPOILERS]
What also really irked me was how great Nova thought she was at puzzles, but how terrible she seemed to be in actuality. [SPOILERS]She claimed to be great at puzzle solving, but barely scraped by any challenge in the bottom slots. Worse, she often got solutions from people in the room.[/END SPOILERS]
And a 3rd thing that killed me was the game tests themselves, as well as the randomness of events. I guess some of it is my preferred genres of gaming- I don't play Myst or Crossword puzzles, so as a gamer I didn't connect with the tests (and feel like most other *gamers* wouldn't either). There were also too many game events that were "get lucky, or you're out"- these are fundamentally opposed to the implicit contract between designers and gamers which provide that a gamer's skill will determine his/her outcome.
Overall, there was just too much going on (too slowly), and simultaneously too much distracting me from enjoying the journey.
The book Solarversia was a large undertaking as it deals with Downton's vision of a VR universe, complete with backstory, a young girl's personal life as she heads to college, the corporation that built Solarversia, and a mysterious cult. Unlike in Ready Player One, I didn't feel these critical stories came together effectively and they also caused the story to lag at times as well as to make me want to bang my head at others.
I also kept running into linguistic and editing errors that I'd have to stop, detach from the book for a minute for, and try to decipher. I understand I'm an American and there are some British terms that I'm not used to, sure I learned some new terms. But tack on the Solarversia terms, abnormal names for just about everything except Charlie, and it was a bit much. Ok then editing issues- like when Nova, Charlie and Burner are in a climactic scene and she's referred to as the daughter, not friend. Or [SPOILERS] during the finals when it's said each round will decimate the finalists, but then has an arbitrary number of slots... or worse upon completing the first round of the finals and finding there would be a losers bracket where 100,000 contestants would come back for the *sixth* round (which turned out to be immediately). Or how the diving board thing was not the second round.[/END SPOILERS]
What also really irked me was how great Nova thought she was at puzzles, but how terrible she seemed to be in actuality. [SPOILERS]She claimed to be great at puzzle solving, but barely scraped by any challenge in the bottom slots. Worse, she often got solutions from people in the room.[/END SPOILERS]
And a 3rd thing that killed me was the game tests themselves, as well as the randomness of events. I guess some of it is my preferred genres of gaming- I don't play Myst or Crossword puzzles, so as a gamer I didn't connect with the tests (and feel like most other *gamers* wouldn't either). There were also too many game events that were "get lucky, or you're out"- these are fundamentally opposed to the implicit contract between designers and gamers which provide that a gamer's skill will determine his/her outcome.
Overall, there was just too much going on (too slowly), and simultaneously too much distracting me from enjoying the journey.
July 5, 2015
Aren't 1st novels always the best? This one was no exception. My expectations were high and Solarversia surpassed those with flying colors. A great story, with real living and breathing characters that finishes in a spectacular fashion. A coming of age story that makes me want to hand this book to my 14 yr old twin boys and tell them to listen to the lessons learned by Nova and the friends that surround her. Great job Toby Downton, thanks for creating this possible future world. I can't wait to play the game!
On a side note, you have to write a book about Soul Surfer, from one of the souls itself.
5 stars!
On a side note, you have to write a book about Soul Surfer, from one of the souls itself.
5 stars!
September 9, 2015
Solarversia by Toby Downton
Completed 07/29/15
5 of 5 stars
441 page book
Expected Publication ~ 8/31/15
I received this book from the author for my honest review.
I just finished reading Solarversia, and it was FANTASTIC!! Solarversia is a MUST read for fans of books like Ready Player One, Erebos and The Eye of Minds or fans of any type of gaming and virtual reality books. If you aren't at all interested in video gaming then this book isn't going to be for you. So far the reviews of this book seem to love it, with a few people disliking it. I saw one review that trashed the book because they didn't like the game. HELLO the cover says YEAR LONG GAME ~ if you aren't into video games don't read it. Geeeesh, I don't understand people.
Deep Breath!! Anyways, if you ARE a fan of gaming, then you're going to want to check this book out. Not only is it a great book but the author plans to create the actual game itself. All I can say to that, is that by the time 2020 comes around, I really really hope that VR rigs are affordable and I really really hope I have one because I want IN, I want to play this game, so much!! I've even though about what Grid Number I would want. Curious as to what I mean by that? Then READ THE BOOK!! The book was so much fun and I bet the game would be even better.
Now, I rated this book 5 stars but I'm not going to say it was without flaws. There were definitely some parts that I didn't like, but the overall story and the amazing games in it was good enough to warrant a 5 star rating ~ higher if I could. This is, once again, a book that I wish I could rate the different parts.
Solarversia is a book about a year long virtual reality game, and while 70% (or so) of the book is the actual game play, there are 3 major plot lines going on. One is of Nova and her game play which is the driving force behind the book. Nova is a flawed character, she isn't perfect like you see some characters in books today. She's often bitchy and selfish and sometimes you flat out don't like her. But she always ends up seeing the errors of her ways, even if it takes a while and we watch her grow through the book. The game play and the working on the game play were my favorite aspects of the book, by far. I didn't care about seeing the rest of her life story, especially the romance which felt forced. I would have LOVED if it wasn't in it at all, as I didn't care for his character and it didn't feel right. It feels almost as added as an afterthought to get some more females interested in the book. It definitely wasn't needed. Any female gamers, like myself, is going to be all about the gaming aspect and not care at all about the personal parts of the book. It didn't distract from the book, but I would have enjoyed it a little more if it wasn't there. Besides, she was with the wrong guy. The best kind of love is the love of a best friend. :) But that's just my own personal opinion (and experience) shining in there.
The 2nd of the major plot lines was from the developers of the game. The character we saw most there was likable enough, flawed in his ways too. The story told through this storyline enhanced the story by giving the background of some of the games or insights on how they came up with the puzzles and challenges in the games. Though the flashes into this part of the story did take us out of the almost non-stop action of the game, it only helped with the enjoyment of the game.
The 3rd and final plot line was that of the terrorist organization determined to bring the games, and a lot of civilization, down. This story line was the ONLY thing about the book that I didn't like. If it had been just the attacks, without the look in at the organization, then it would have been fine, would have kept the action moving with this scary unknown group causing chaos. Unfortunately, that's not how it was done in the book. Instead, we get a view into the group from a newly joined member, and I extremely disliked every moment of that part of the book, to the point where I started skipping those parts in the middle of the book. They added nothing to the book whatsoever and they halted the action from the main storyline. I'd be going along with Nova, all excited for her and rooting her on and then it'd switch to the terrorist group and everything would just slow down for a bit. If I could change anything about the book it wouldn't be to take out the group completely, the attacks would still happen, but it would be to not see in though the eyes of a character. It'd be so much better if it was a mystery to us, like it was a mystery to everyone else. My only other thoughts on it were that I wish the book had ended with Nova, not as the book did end.
My strong dislike of this 3rd storyline thankfully didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The gaming aspect of this book was fantastic. The author really went outside of the box on creating all the aspects of Solarversia, which extends beyond just the game. He went on to give incredible detailed background of the many creatures that Nova met along the way, as well as facts about the game, the planets and more. The gaming in Solarversia was a mix of mind and body, with ways to learn and practice along the way. The puzzles and challenges in the game were ever changing and interesting, with so many different things going on.
Overall, I definitely loved this book, and I look forward to following the progress of it. I hope that it is something that is created, because I'll try to be first in line, if I am able. While I absolutely LOVE gaming, I'm in no way great at it, so I know I wouldn't last half as long as Nova did, but I certainly would give it a try. I think it would be an absolutely FANTASTIC game and even if it is never to be, the book definitely has put a smile on my face and will keep one there for a while.
I highly recommend this book to gaming fans, you won't be disappointed!! I hope you'll check it out!
Setting = A++
Plot = A++
Conflict = B+
Characters = A
Theme = A++
Completed 07/29/15
5 of 5 stars
441 page book
Expected Publication ~ 8/31/15
I received this book from the author for my honest review.
I just finished reading Solarversia, and it was FANTASTIC!! Solarversia is a MUST read for fans of books like Ready Player One, Erebos and The Eye of Minds or fans of any type of gaming and virtual reality books. If you aren't at all interested in video gaming then this book isn't going to be for you. So far the reviews of this book seem to love it, with a few people disliking it. I saw one review that trashed the book because they didn't like the game. HELLO the cover says YEAR LONG GAME ~ if you aren't into video games don't read it. Geeeesh, I don't understand people.
Deep Breath!! Anyways, if you ARE a fan of gaming, then you're going to want to check this book out. Not only is it a great book but the author plans to create the actual game itself. All I can say to that, is that by the time 2020 comes around, I really really hope that VR rigs are affordable and I really really hope I have one because I want IN, I want to play this game, so much!! I've even though about what Grid Number I would want. Curious as to what I mean by that? Then READ THE BOOK!! The book was so much fun and I bet the game would be even better.
Now, I rated this book 5 stars but I'm not going to say it was without flaws. There were definitely some parts that I didn't like, but the overall story and the amazing games in it was good enough to warrant a 5 star rating ~ higher if I could. This is, once again, a book that I wish I could rate the different parts.
Solarversia is a book about a year long virtual reality game, and while 70% (or so) of the book is the actual game play, there are 3 major plot lines going on. One is of Nova and her game play which is the driving force behind the book. Nova is a flawed character, she isn't perfect like you see some characters in books today. She's often bitchy and selfish and sometimes you flat out don't like her. But she always ends up seeing the errors of her ways, even if it takes a while and we watch her grow through the book. The game play and the working on the game play were my favorite aspects of the book, by far. I didn't care about seeing the rest of her life story, especially the romance which felt forced. I would have LOVED if it wasn't in it at all, as I didn't care for his character and it didn't feel right. It feels almost as added as an afterthought to get some more females interested in the book. It definitely wasn't needed. Any female gamers, like myself, is going to be all about the gaming aspect and not care at all about the personal parts of the book. It didn't distract from the book, but I would have enjoyed it a little more if it wasn't there. Besides, she was with the wrong guy. The best kind of love is the love of a best friend. :) But that's just my own personal opinion (and experience) shining in there.
The 2nd of the major plot lines was from the developers of the game. The character we saw most there was likable enough, flawed in his ways too. The story told through this storyline enhanced the story by giving the background of some of the games or insights on how they came up with the puzzles and challenges in the games. Though the flashes into this part of the story did take us out of the almost non-stop action of the game, it only helped with the enjoyment of the game.
The 3rd and final plot line was that of the terrorist organization determined to bring the games, and a lot of civilization, down. This story line was the ONLY thing about the book that I didn't like. If it had been just the attacks, without the look in at the organization, then it would have been fine, would have kept the action moving with this scary unknown group causing chaos. Unfortunately, that's not how it was done in the book. Instead, we get a view into the group from a newly joined member, and I extremely disliked every moment of that part of the book, to the point where I started skipping those parts in the middle of the book. They added nothing to the book whatsoever and they halted the action from the main storyline. I'd be going along with Nova, all excited for her and rooting her on and then it'd switch to the terrorist group and everything would just slow down for a bit. If I could change anything about the book it wouldn't be to take out the group completely, the attacks would still happen, but it would be to not see in though the eyes of a character. It'd be so much better if it was a mystery to us, like it was a mystery to everyone else. My only other thoughts on it were that I wish the book had ended with Nova, not as the book did end.
My strong dislike of this 3rd storyline thankfully didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the book. The gaming aspect of this book was fantastic. The author really went outside of the box on creating all the aspects of Solarversia, which extends beyond just the game. He went on to give incredible detailed background of the many creatures that Nova met along the way, as well as facts about the game, the planets and more. The gaming in Solarversia was a mix of mind and body, with ways to learn and practice along the way. The puzzles and challenges in the game were ever changing and interesting, with so many different things going on.
Overall, I definitely loved this book, and I look forward to following the progress of it. I hope that it is something that is created, because I'll try to be first in line, if I am able. While I absolutely LOVE gaming, I'm in no way great at it, so I know I wouldn't last half as long as Nova did, but I certainly would give it a try. I think it would be an absolutely FANTASTIC game and even if it is never to be, the book definitely has put a smile on my face and will keep one there for a while.
I highly recommend this book to gaming fans, you won't be disappointed!! I hope you'll check it out!
Setting = A++
Plot = A++
Conflict = B+
Characters = A
Theme = A++
September 2, 2015
I was lucky enough to receive an advanced e-book edition from the Solarversia newsletter in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I would rate this book between a 3.5 to a 4.0. There are a number of pros and cons that I'd like to mention without going into any type of spoilers.
Cons:
- Nova's life outside of the game was rather boring and I found myself skimming over many of the chapters that included unnecessary romance and what felt like "forced" reality. The book should have focused more on in-game content, similar to Ready Player One.
- There were many parts that were downright confusing, or scenes that happened incredibly too quick that I missed important points. If these scenes were mentioned later on in the story I felt lost because when did THAT EVEN HAPPEN? More detail and better pacing could have helped.
- Dialogue. Not ALL of the dialogue, but there were some conversations that just didn't feel right between two college students. And furthermore, some of Nova's dialogue was just weird.
- The Holy Order. Like, what?
Pros:
- The Solarversia world was phenomenal. I loved the mythology and back-stories surrounding various portions of the universe, like with Princess Zibelda(sp?), the Gorrilla-Kangaroo, and the Emperor.
- The Sushi storyline. Trying to avoid spoilers, but I really enjoyed this portion of the plot.
- Krazy Karting! Downright my favorite scene in the book. But in general, any chapter that dove into the puzzles/challenges of Solarversia put me on the edge of my seat and made me want to eat up the words.
- The characters. This story was stuffed with unique characters that all contributed in different ways.
- The moral. I love the idea that even thought something is meant to only have one winner, teamwork is a key factor in success.
There are an equal amount of pros and cons within this book. However, I still highly recommend it to anyone seeking out a story similar to Ready Player One. This book is NOT a replica of RPO, though. While they both take place in a virtual reality game, Solarversia's plot is incredibly different and original. Definitely worth the read.
Overall, I would rate this book between a 3.5 to a 4.0. There are a number of pros and cons that I'd like to mention without going into any type of spoilers.
Cons:
- Nova's life outside of the game was rather boring and I found myself skimming over many of the chapters that included unnecessary romance and what felt like "forced" reality. The book should have focused more on in-game content, similar to Ready Player One.
- There were many parts that were downright confusing, or scenes that happened incredibly too quick that I missed important points. If these scenes were mentioned later on in the story I felt lost because when did THAT EVEN HAPPEN? More detail and better pacing could have helped.
- Dialogue. Not ALL of the dialogue, but there were some conversations that just didn't feel right between two college students. And furthermore, some of Nova's dialogue was just weird.
- The Holy Order. Like, what?
Pros:
- The Solarversia world was phenomenal. I loved the mythology and back-stories surrounding various portions of the universe, like with Princess Zibelda(sp?), the Gorrilla-Kangaroo, and the Emperor.
- The Sushi storyline. Trying to avoid spoilers, but I really enjoyed this portion of the plot.
- Krazy Karting! Downright my favorite scene in the book. But in general, any chapter that dove into the puzzles/challenges of Solarversia put me on the edge of my seat and made me want to eat up the words.
- The characters. This story was stuffed with unique characters that all contributed in different ways.
- The moral. I love the idea that even thought something is meant to only have one winner, teamwork is a key factor in success.
There are an equal amount of pros and cons within this book. However, I still highly recommend it to anyone seeking out a story similar to Ready Player One. This book is NOT a replica of RPO, though. While they both take place in a virtual reality game, Solarversia's plot is incredibly different and original. Definitely worth the read.
February 10, 2016
It's about a year long game called Solarversia, taking place in 2020. Other than that, it's nothing like ready player one
It's written much more like the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
a little like the hunger games.
It's written from different point of views, some of them are surprising and unexpected.
and when I read different pov's, I try to see if the characters are significantly different than one another, and they are.
Each one has a different narration in my head;
a different accent, a different tone
a different vocabulary
and our protagonist, Nova, is a girl and she's written very well and she evolves a lot in this book
I empathize with Nova the most, because she's human, she makes mistakes, she fails.
This isn't he typical hero that succeeds in everything
so it's very easy to relate to her.
This ticks all boxes when it comes to the 3 questions:
*Is there more than one character in this book?
*Do they talk to one another?
*And is it about something other than a man?
Despite being the protagonist, Nova wasn't the most interesting character in the book, IMO.
The most complex, confused and fascinating character in this book was Casey, he is so well developed and has an amazing arc.
The book talks about AI, there's a lot of talk at the moment about reaching that point where computers become better than us and we become obsolete, like the industrial revolution.
Very thought provoking and there's lots of fun geeky sci fi fun.
I got this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks Toby!
It's written much more like the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
a little like the hunger games.
It's written from different point of views, some of them are surprising and unexpected.
and when I read different pov's, I try to see if the characters are significantly different than one another, and they are.
Each one has a different narration in my head;
a different accent, a different tone
a different vocabulary
and our protagonist, Nova, is a girl and she's written very well and she evolves a lot in this book
I empathize with Nova the most, because she's human, she makes mistakes, she fails.
This isn't he typical hero that succeeds in everything
so it's very easy to relate to her.
This ticks all boxes when it comes to the 3 questions:
*Is there more than one character in this book?
*Do they talk to one another?
*And is it about something other than a man?
Despite being the protagonist, Nova wasn't the most interesting character in the book, IMO.
The most complex, confused and fascinating character in this book was Casey, he is so well developed and has an amazing arc.
The book talks about AI, there's a lot of talk at the moment about reaching that point where computers become better than us and we become obsolete, like the industrial revolution.
Very thought provoking and there's lots of fun geeky sci fi fun.
I got this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks Toby!
September 15, 2015
Like others here, I received an advanced copy of Solarversia from Toby Downton, and in return I am leaving my honest review.
Question: When is a game not just a game?
Answer: When Toby Downton is creating it.
What Mr. Downton has done is nothing short of amazing. He didn't just write a book. He created three different universes and then had them interact with each other. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been.
I actually enjoyed seeing how playing a year long game would impact a person's life. I feel like it's a side we really haven't seen to this measure before.
In review, Solarversia is a MUST read for gamers and non-gamers alike!
Question: When is a game not just a game?
Answer: When Toby Downton is creating it.
What Mr. Downton has done is nothing short of amazing. He didn't just write a book. He created three different universes and then had them interact with each other. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been.
I actually enjoyed seeing how playing a year long game would impact a person's life. I feel like it's a side we really haven't seen to this measure before.
In review, Solarversia is a MUST read for gamers and non-gamers alike!
June 28, 2015
Toby Downton's rendition of futuristic game of wit's, survival, and just plain luck is masterfully written in this novel. The characters are strong, well written and touch you deep in your soul. You cant help but rooting for Nova and team as they battle it out on the way to be "The One".
July 18, 2015
Brilliant but be careful - it's totally addictive! If you liked Reamde or Ready Player One, you're going to love Solarversia! I didn't want it to end; fortunately, it seems tailor made for a sequel (hint hint - are you listening Toby?). The most fun I've had in ages - don't miss it.
July 2, 2015
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from the author in return for writing an honest review of it once I'd finished.
I wasn't sure what to expect before reading this book and was scared it was going to be just a boring, uninspired rip-off of Ready Player One, which is one of my favourite books. Luckily it stands completely on its own and I LOVED this book. So if you liked Ready Player One, and were skeptical of this book, set those fears aside and know that you'll likely like this book as well!
I found Solarversia to be super creative (envisioning a near-future world where virtual reality is rampant and ingrained in society), darker than expected (which was awesome), and substantial (I expected a fluffy simple storyline).
The world the author has created in this book is very dynamic and unlike something I've seen before—unique, smart, complete and yet realistic. I could easily see some of the concepts in this book taking hold in the future and it makes me excited and uneasy at the same time. :)
The characters have personality, emotions and they really do come to life through the thoughts and dialogue the author presents. The non-VR world and human characters in the book are realistic and believable, which helps the reader see themselves in the same roles, who then get sucked into the fantastical VR world within the game the characters play without it seeming phoney.
I didn't expect there to be much conflict in this book other than in The Game that everyone was competing in in the book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the much deeper storyline and the more adult themes presented—this book really makes you wonder about the future implications technology will have on society! The conflict keeps an ebb and flow going between the different perspectives of the characters which makes it hard to put down.
I read this book in eight days! For me, that's QUICK. I'm a slow reader so reading usually takes me a while to get through a book (sometimes months), but with this book I just wanted to keep reading so I picked it up every chance I could get. Getting into the book removed me from reality for a time and pulled me into the world the author created. In my opinion that's what makes a story worth your time.
I hope this is just the start for this author. I like his style and creative mind—I'll be first in line for the next world he creates! And if he really can create a real version of this game by 2020 like he wants to, I'll be über impressed (that goal seems unrealistic...but hey...that doesn't mean it can't happen eventually in the future!).
I wasn't sure what to expect before reading this book and was scared it was going to be just a boring, uninspired rip-off of Ready Player One, which is one of my favourite books. Luckily it stands completely on its own and I LOVED this book. So if you liked Ready Player One, and were skeptical of this book, set those fears aside and know that you'll likely like this book as well!
I found Solarversia to be super creative (envisioning a near-future world where virtual reality is rampant and ingrained in society), darker than expected (which was awesome), and substantial (I expected a fluffy simple storyline).
The world the author has created in this book is very dynamic and unlike something I've seen before—unique, smart, complete and yet realistic. I could easily see some of the concepts in this book taking hold in the future and it makes me excited and uneasy at the same time. :)
The characters have personality, emotions and they really do come to life through the thoughts and dialogue the author presents. The non-VR world and human characters in the book are realistic and believable, which helps the reader see themselves in the same roles, who then get sucked into the fantastical VR world within the game the characters play without it seeming phoney.
I didn't expect there to be much conflict in this book other than in The Game that everyone was competing in in the book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the much deeper storyline and the more adult themes presented—this book really makes you wonder about the future implications technology will have on society! The conflict keeps an ebb and flow going between the different perspectives of the characters which makes it hard to put down.
I read this book in eight days! For me, that's QUICK. I'm a slow reader so reading usually takes me a while to get through a book (sometimes months), but with this book I just wanted to keep reading so I picked it up every chance I could get. Getting into the book removed me from reality for a time and pulled me into the world the author created. In my opinion that's what makes a story worth your time.
I hope this is just the start for this author. I like his style and creative mind—I'll be first in line for the next world he creates! And if he really can create a real version of this game by 2020 like he wants to, I'll be über impressed (that goal seems unrealistic...but hey...that doesn't mean it can't happen eventually in the future!).
September 19, 2015
I got an advanced copy from the author in exchange for a review:
This book initially peaked my interest when I was told that if I liked Ready Player One, then I would like this. I think that is a fair assessment.
Although I found the first 20% a little slow, and had a hard time connecting with the main character, it wasn't until the Solarversia game really got going that I was hooked.
I loved the many different tests that the character had to solve and was pleasantly surprised that things really never turned out how I thought they would - sort of kept me on my toes. This also made it so that I never expected victories as well...if this hadn't of been the case, then this would have been a bland book...but each time I found strange surprises that always left me guessing.
Later on, it became evident why the author made the main character the way she was. There was a point...which was good to see. And over time I grew to like her and want her to win.
Furthermore, I loved how random facts played major parts latter in the story.
All in all, I gave it 5 stars because in each of the quests/tests, I was literally on the edge of my seat expecting her to lose. This amount of tension is extremely rare - especially in a self published book. So, to able to create such excitement in someone who is used to J.R.R Martin type scenarios, he deserved a 5 star.
This book initially peaked my interest when I was told that if I liked Ready Player One, then I would like this. I think that is a fair assessment.
Although I found the first 20% a little slow, and had a hard time connecting with the main character, it wasn't until the Solarversia game really got going that I was hooked.
I loved the many different tests that the character had to solve and was pleasantly surprised that things really never turned out how I thought they would - sort of kept me on my toes. This also made it so that I never expected victories as well...if this hadn't of been the case, then this would have been a bland book...but each time I found strange surprises that always left me guessing.
Later on, it became evident why the author made the main character the way she was. There was a point...which was good to see. And over time I grew to like her and want her to win.
Furthermore, I loved how random facts played major parts latter in the story.
All in all, I gave it 5 stars because in each of the quests/tests, I was literally on the edge of my seat expecting her to lose. This amount of tension is extremely rare - especially in a self published book. So, to able to create such excitement in someone who is used to J.R.R Martin type scenarios, he deserved a 5 star.
July 2, 2015
i loved it and I will write a proper review later, when I am not on my phone.
February 19, 2016
I received this book from the author for a free and honest review, so that is what you are going to get.
video review: http://youtu.be/RDSgUefdx3s
This book was such an adventure. There is so much inside and going on that you can't help but become extremely invested with something crazy is going down.
The premise of the book is that a year long game set in virtual reality has been set up and commences at the beginning of the book. The whole world is watching and involved. For the most part, highly advanced artificial intelligence programe control the game. There can be only one winner.
The Game itself is this wonderful mash of mythology, classics, and pop culture. Most of the time you have to look for it and it can be so obscure, but I loved it so much. Specially the puzzle aspects of the game.
Throughout the book you get the story of Nova Negrahnu, a young player of the game, Casey Brown, a down and out american trying to figure out his life, and Artica Kronkite, the CEO of Sprialwerks who is the creator of the game.
My personal preference of story line fell mostly with Casey and Arty. One because I absolutely love seeing how the Game came about and how it works from the development side with Arty. Two because Casey's story is just so, hard and real. It is such a gritty phycological story that you get trapped.
Nova is an interesting character but I found some of her interactions and story lines a little flat or forced. She does a lot of growing in the year of the game but part of me just did not connect with her story as well. There were also times when things felt a bit jumpy and I wondered if I had missed something somewhere. I also wished she had a few more positive interactions with other female gamers other then her friend Sushi. Though I wouldn't change her friend Burner for the world.
I also had some squirm moments with the Soul Surfer story line, and the implications of that. There are times when I just couldn't relate and I disliked it so much. But I can understand why it is what it is.
Also, so of the violence of the Game I had to really wrestle with. I couldn't fully grasp the entertainment value of realistic violence and that doubled because of how real VR and make things. I still can't fully connect how a sometimes violent game is suppose to bring people together, it seems to Gladiatorial for me. In that same vain though, I am not a action gamer myself (I go squirmy and blood) so take all of that with a grain of salt.
Still absolutely loved the puzzles and story line aspects of the game.
The best part, Downton wants to make this a real thing, and I would absolutely love that.
video review: http://youtu.be/RDSgUefdx3s
This book was such an adventure. There is so much inside and going on that you can't help but become extremely invested with something crazy is going down.
The premise of the book is that a year long game set in virtual reality has been set up and commences at the beginning of the book. The whole world is watching and involved. For the most part, highly advanced artificial intelligence programe control the game. There can be only one winner.
The Game itself is this wonderful mash of mythology, classics, and pop culture. Most of the time you have to look for it and it can be so obscure, but I loved it so much. Specially the puzzle aspects of the game.
Throughout the book you get the story of Nova Negrahnu, a young player of the game, Casey Brown, a down and out american trying to figure out his life, and Artica Kronkite, the CEO of Sprialwerks who is the creator of the game.
My personal preference of story line fell mostly with Casey and Arty. One because I absolutely love seeing how the Game came about and how it works from the development side with Arty. Two because Casey's story is just so, hard and real. It is such a gritty phycological story that you get trapped.
Nova is an interesting character but I found some of her interactions and story lines a little flat or forced. She does a lot of growing in the year of the game but part of me just did not connect with her story as well. There were also times when things felt a bit jumpy and I wondered if I had missed something somewhere. I also wished she had a few more positive interactions with other female gamers other then her friend Sushi. Though I wouldn't change her friend Burner for the world.
I also had some squirm moments with the Soul Surfer story line, and the implications of that. There are times when I just couldn't relate and I disliked it so much. But I can understand why it is what it is.
Also, so of the violence of the Game I had to really wrestle with. I couldn't fully grasp the entertainment value of realistic violence and that doubled because of how real VR and make things. I still can't fully connect how a sometimes violent game is suppose to bring people together, it seems to Gladiatorial for me. In that same vain though, I am not a action gamer myself (I go squirmy and blood) so take all of that with a grain of salt.
Still absolutely loved the puzzles and story line aspects of the game.
The best part, Downton wants to make this a real thing, and I would absolutely love that.
July 14, 2015
I was contacted by the author, Toby Downton, to read and review an advanced copy of Solarversia. I have every bit of encouragement for him as an author and hope publishing this book, his first novel, will propel him to transform more of his ideas and imagination into written word. Having said all that, I'm going to turn my attention and my "critic's eye" toward Solarversia.
Solarversia is story that attempts to take readers on a thrilling ride through real world and digital crime and puzzle solving. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I didn't care about the outcome of either storyline. The first third of the book introduced far too much superfluous information about the dynamics of the virtual world; feeling less like the painting of a picture and more like the iteration of every chemical contained in paint. I found myself unable to identify with the characters, nor to care about their struggles. The story picked up pace about midway through the book, but quickly slowed back down again. The wizkid of the story was more kid than wiz and definitely didn't seem like a statistically exceptional individual when it came to puzzles. The antagonists of the story had confusing and unexplained motivations. Worse still, I was underwhelmed by the lack of real world consequences for their real world crimes; it became impossible for me to suspend disbelief and pick a side.
In the end, the story captured my attention only as much as a made-for-TV movie. Having had my opinion solicited for this book, I wrestled with being so candid in my review. However, I think it's only fair that I remain honest with my opinion, even when I can feel the burn of the authors eyes on my words. I think Toby has great potential as a writer, it's impossible to ignore the depth of story and creativity he would like to share with the world. This book tried to put a lot of content into a small space, perhaps this is the result of the author feeling the pressure of his own words: "There can be only one". That doesn't need to be the case here, many more stories can and should be made of this creatively imagined universe. And I promise I'll keep an open mind about reading more in the future.
Solarversia is story that attempts to take readers on a thrilling ride through real world and digital crime and puzzle solving. Unfortunately, by the end of the book, I didn't care about the outcome of either storyline. The first third of the book introduced far too much superfluous information about the dynamics of the virtual world; feeling less like the painting of a picture and more like the iteration of every chemical contained in paint. I found myself unable to identify with the characters, nor to care about their struggles. The story picked up pace about midway through the book, but quickly slowed back down again. The wizkid of the story was more kid than wiz and definitely didn't seem like a statistically exceptional individual when it came to puzzles. The antagonists of the story had confusing and unexplained motivations. Worse still, I was underwhelmed by the lack of real world consequences for their real world crimes; it became impossible for me to suspend disbelief and pick a side.
In the end, the story captured my attention only as much as a made-for-TV movie. Having had my opinion solicited for this book, I wrestled with being so candid in my review. However, I think it's only fair that I remain honest with my opinion, even when I can feel the burn of the authors eyes on my words. I think Toby has great potential as a writer, it's impossible to ignore the depth of story and creativity he would like to share with the world. This book tried to put a lot of content into a small space, perhaps this is the result of the author feeling the pressure of his own words: "There can be only one". That doesn't need to be the case here, many more stories can and should be made of this creatively imagined universe. And I promise I'll keep an open mind about reading more in the future.
September 17, 2015
(Para version en español --> http://calabozosyrobots.blogspot.com....)
First of all I would like to thank Toby Downton for sending me an advanced ebook copy of his book Solarversia so as to get some first opinions and get the word out.
Now onto the book itself. I think the synopsis says it all without spoiling anything so I'm not gonna add anything.
Since before I got the book I had it as a "Must Read", the main reason being I enjoy books that merge real life with video gaming or virtual reality such as "Daemon", "Ready Player One", or "Eye of Minds". But even though they are all diferent, Solarversia combines elements from all of them and the product is better than the sum of its parts.
First and foremost, it captures many aspects of the gamers life that other books fail to grasp. For example that gaming takes away precious time from your studies and that you have to organize your week previously so as to not fall behind. Another aspect I thought it captured pretty well was that in order to win you have to put hours on top of hours in order to achieve certain level of expertise.
Secondly, I found amusing the number of games and puzzles Toby had to make up. In my humble opinion, that requires more creativity than a lot of people can muster. But what I think was the most creative thing he envisioned was the "Golden Grid", a grid with square 1 in the center which spirals outward up to 100.000.000. Each square represents a player and shows their status and stats. Another aspect that I enjoyed was how he integrated virtual reality into real life and allowing each user to adapt it to suit his specific needs. This means that you could wear your headset (similar to an Oculus Rift) all day long and get an augmented version of everyday reality. He basically created a book around a game that involves 100 million people worldwide on a near-future Earth. On top of that, he does a remarkable job on telling the story well and using gamer lingo. Just amazing.
And finally I would like to end on the following note: best part is that Toby has gone beyond the book and hopes to make the game real in the year 2020 by funding the game through the earnings of the book and its merch,
It has been an amazing journey and I hope it captures every reader as much as it did me. Sincerely, I can't wait until the game is out.
First of all I would like to thank Toby Downton for sending me an advanced ebook copy of his book Solarversia so as to get some first opinions and get the word out.
Now onto the book itself. I think the synopsis says it all without spoiling anything so I'm not gonna add anything.
Since before I got the book I had it as a "Must Read", the main reason being I enjoy books that merge real life with video gaming or virtual reality such as "Daemon", "Ready Player One", or "Eye of Minds". But even though they are all diferent, Solarversia combines elements from all of them and the product is better than the sum of its parts.
First and foremost, it captures many aspects of the gamers life that other books fail to grasp. For example that gaming takes away precious time from your studies and that you have to organize your week previously so as to not fall behind. Another aspect I thought it captured pretty well was that in order to win you have to put hours on top of hours in order to achieve certain level of expertise.
Secondly, I found amusing the number of games and puzzles Toby had to make up. In my humble opinion, that requires more creativity than a lot of people can muster. But what I think was the most creative thing he envisioned was the "Golden Grid", a grid with square 1 in the center which spirals outward up to 100.000.000. Each square represents a player and shows their status and stats. Another aspect that I enjoyed was how he integrated virtual reality into real life and allowing each user to adapt it to suit his specific needs. This means that you could wear your headset (similar to an Oculus Rift) all day long and get an augmented version of everyday reality. He basically created a book around a game that involves 100 million people worldwide on a near-future Earth. On top of that, he does a remarkable job on telling the story well and using gamer lingo. Just amazing.
And finally I would like to end on the following note: best part is that Toby has gone beyond the book and hopes to make the game real in the year 2020 by funding the game through the earnings of the book and its merch,
It has been an amazing journey and I hope it captures every reader as much as it did me. Sincerely, I can't wait until the game is out.
July 14, 2015
Thanks for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a well paced book that sure does pack a punch! Easy to follow story line that flips between the VR and real world with believable characters that develop as the story goes along.
The Year Long Game is as imaginative as it is quirky! The elaboratness behind the names, places, challenges and random events within the game deserve 5 stars by themselves.
The inclusion of the Holy Order storyline serves as a timely reminder in this day and age of the peril that can befall any one of us when using so much technology in our daily lives.
I would certainly recommend this book to my friends and my teenagers.
This is a well paced book that sure does pack a punch! Easy to follow story line that flips between the VR and real world with believable characters that develop as the story goes along.
The Year Long Game is as imaginative as it is quirky! The elaboratness behind the names, places, challenges and random events within the game deserve 5 stars by themselves.
The inclusion of the Holy Order storyline serves as a timely reminder in this day and age of the peril that can befall any one of us when using so much technology in our daily lives.
I would certainly recommend this book to my friends and my teenagers.
July 22, 2015
Solarversia is a great read. I read it on the train and it livened up my commute no end. It is also a really compelling view of the future that I think does a fantastic job of tying together a number of themes including virtual reality (of course!), robotics, AI and the implications that has on the jobs market, gamification, and haptic technology to name a few that spring immediately to mind.
I often read very dry (non-fiction) books on these subjects and the ability to get their essence across in a novel suitable for the beach of commute is awesome!
Definitely, you should read this book as soon as you can.
I often read very dry (non-fiction) books on these subjects and the ability to get their essence across in a novel suitable for the beach of commute is awesome!
Definitely, you should read this book as soon as you can.
August 28, 2015
If you like video games, chances are you’re either a fan of or are at least familiar with massive multiplayer online role-playing games, better known as MMORPGs. There are a lot of MMORPGs out there right now: Lord of the Rings, World of Warcraft, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Star Trek, and Warhammer to name a few. Some are hugely successful, some not so much. But what is known is that a lot of people on this planet like playing them.
So it makes sense then that a book about an addictive MMORPG would also be popular; and there have been a few of them over the last couple years, such as Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Reamde by Neal Stephenson and For the Win by Cory Doctorow. Toby Downton is looking to go one step further with more than just a book. But first, lets talk about that book.
The year is 2020 and Solarversia is an MMORPG like no other. It lasts an entire year, as players complete puzzles and obstacles, leveling up and traveling to new places around the planet. By the time the game officially begins, there are 100 million players. As new levels are unlocked by special feats completed by players, they can then travel to other planets to complete further puzzles, culminating in a final showdown on Pluto at the end of the year where there will only be a few players left. The last player standing gets something really special: prize money in the amount of ten million pounds and the opportunity to help develop the next game due to be released in 2024.
Nova Negrahnu is a teenage girl who has been waiting a long time for Solarversia. She was one of the first people to register for the game with her friend, Sushi, and once the year begins, she can’t get enough of it, playing as often as she can and forgoing school work at times. Her parents aren’t big fans of her obsessive game time, but once Nova starts winning some prize money attitudes soon change. It is of course her dream to win it all and help create the next game, but at this point that is little more than wishful thinking.
But the creators of Solarversia also have another big thing to worry about. There is a cult known as the Holy Order whose leader believes an artificial intelligence known as the MAGI will be born from the game and it is MAGI who the followers of the Holy Order believe will come. They plan to sabotage the game and attack its players to help bring forth their new god.
Downton has clearly played a game or two or ten in his life, as a lot of the “game play” in Solarversia feels real, as if it came from an actual video game. His description of action scenes and completing game puzzles and obstacles is exciting and keeps the reader hooked and interested. He has also created a large and complex mythology for the MMORPG which the reader learns about through Nova playing the game and learning its history and back story for its characters and worlds.
Downton’s ultimate goal is to release the MMORPG of Solarversia in 2020, and in the meantime gamers and fans of these types of books can enjoy Solarversia the book for the fun, wild literary video-game ride that it is.
If you liked this review, you can read more on Bookbanter.
So it makes sense then that a book about an addictive MMORPG would also be popular; and there have been a few of them over the last couple years, such as Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Reamde by Neal Stephenson and For the Win by Cory Doctorow. Toby Downton is looking to go one step further with more than just a book. But first, lets talk about that book.
The year is 2020 and Solarversia is an MMORPG like no other. It lasts an entire year, as players complete puzzles and obstacles, leveling up and traveling to new places around the planet. By the time the game officially begins, there are 100 million players. As new levels are unlocked by special feats completed by players, they can then travel to other planets to complete further puzzles, culminating in a final showdown on Pluto at the end of the year where there will only be a few players left. The last player standing gets something really special: prize money in the amount of ten million pounds and the opportunity to help develop the next game due to be released in 2024.
Nova Negrahnu is a teenage girl who has been waiting a long time for Solarversia. She was one of the first people to register for the game with her friend, Sushi, and once the year begins, she can’t get enough of it, playing as often as she can and forgoing school work at times. Her parents aren’t big fans of her obsessive game time, but once Nova starts winning some prize money attitudes soon change. It is of course her dream to win it all and help create the next game, but at this point that is little more than wishful thinking.
But the creators of Solarversia also have another big thing to worry about. There is a cult known as the Holy Order whose leader believes an artificial intelligence known as the MAGI will be born from the game and it is MAGI who the followers of the Holy Order believe will come. They plan to sabotage the game and attack its players to help bring forth their new god.
Downton has clearly played a game or two or ten in his life, as a lot of the “game play” in Solarversia feels real, as if it came from an actual video game. His description of action scenes and completing game puzzles and obstacles is exciting and keeps the reader hooked and interested. He has also created a large and complex mythology for the MMORPG which the reader learns about through Nova playing the game and learning its history and back story for its characters and worlds.
Downton’s ultimate goal is to release the MMORPG of Solarversia in 2020, and in the meantime gamers and fans of these types of books can enjoy Solarversia the book for the fun, wild literary video-game ride that it is.
If you liked this review, you can read more on Bookbanter.
November 16, 2015
If you like reading near future science fiction books, you'll love this one. It's full of cool ideas about artificial intelligence, the future of video game technology, and a whole lot more. If you enjoyed one of my favorite books, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, there's a great chance you'll have a blast reading this book too.
The main character and her friends join Solarversia, a yearlong game that promises fame and riches to the person who wins at the end. I loved the places described in this virtual gaming world and how the characters interacted with it. A lot of time their real world problems got in the way of their in game quests - things like homework and studying. I loved the vehicles the characters got to use in the game world and the exotic locations they got to visit. Some of the locations had cool things like places where the gravity was altered so you could walk upside down. Stuff like that made this a fun read to experience the stuff happening with the characters.
I'm not going to spoil anything in this review but I have to mention another part of the stort that was very interesting. One of the characters dies but lives on as a virtual avatar who can be virtually visited be the living. So they live on in a way with ones and zeroes and act as they would in real life. The introduction of this into the grieving process of the real life lost was very interesting. It made me think about how weird and un-natural it would be. This is just one example that made you think about how weird it would be to live in this future world with technology we can only imagine right now. Another example is that one of the characters buys a breakfast cereal put out by the game company and if they're wearing their special glasses they can see little creatures come off the cereal box and interact with real objects on her table as she eats. Man my kids are distracted enough as it is while they eat, but it was fun to imagine what this experience would be like. Lots of things like this made this book fun for a nerd like me to read.
Besides all the crazy quests and adventures the characters have in the game world, there are some pretty sinister bad guys in the real world called The Holy Order who are trying to bring about the destruction of the game and create... okay sorry I don't want to put spoilers in here so you'll have to read the book to find out what they're up to. But part of that is forcing cybernetic limbs on people who already had perfectly good working ones. Yep... slice. The one thing in this book I didn't care for was the sometimes gruesome description of people dying or getting... altered. I don't have the stomach for much of that stuff and the book seems like a Young Adult novel because of the ages of the characters and then this gory stuff... it grossed me out but even though I love Stephen King novels I’m kind of a weenie Other than that this was a really fun story and I'm glad I read it.
The main character and her friends join Solarversia, a yearlong game that promises fame and riches to the person who wins at the end. I loved the places described in this virtual gaming world and how the characters interacted with it. A lot of time their real world problems got in the way of their in game quests - things like homework and studying. I loved the vehicles the characters got to use in the game world and the exotic locations they got to visit. Some of the locations had cool things like places where the gravity was altered so you could walk upside down. Stuff like that made this a fun read to experience the stuff happening with the characters.
I'm not going to spoil anything in this review but I have to mention another part of the stort that was very interesting. One of the characters dies but lives on as a virtual avatar who can be virtually visited be the living. So they live on in a way with ones and zeroes and act as they would in real life. The introduction of this into the grieving process of the real life lost was very interesting. It made me think about how weird and un-natural it would be. This is just one example that made you think about how weird it would be to live in this future world with technology we can only imagine right now. Another example is that one of the characters buys a breakfast cereal put out by the game company and if they're wearing their special glasses they can see little creatures come off the cereal box and interact with real objects on her table as she eats. Man my kids are distracted enough as it is while they eat, but it was fun to imagine what this experience would be like. Lots of things like this made this book fun for a nerd like me to read.
Besides all the crazy quests and adventures the characters have in the game world, there are some pretty sinister bad guys in the real world called The Holy Order who are trying to bring about the destruction of the game and create... okay sorry I don't want to put spoilers in here so you'll have to read the book to find out what they're up to. But part of that is forcing cybernetic limbs on people who already had perfectly good working ones. Yep... slice. The one thing in this book I didn't care for was the sometimes gruesome description of people dying or getting... altered. I don't have the stomach for much of that stuff and the book seems like a Young Adult novel because of the ages of the characters and then this gory stuff... it grossed me out but even though I love Stephen King novels I’m kind of a weenie Other than that this was a really fun story and I'm glad I read it.
November 15, 2017
Quite an experience ;) this story is so packed with exciting ideas and action as well as some weird stuff. Enjoyable as a whole, although didn't like the ending; it was cliffhangerish
"read" the unabridged audiobook edition. 3,5 stars.
Thoughts after finishing the book!
- It's 2016 in the beginning of the story; we meet Nova and Sushi. They're excited (should I say almost going bananas?) about creating their avatars for the up-coming game Solarversia.
- the use of VR glasses is quite common and augmented reality is nothing extraordinary to the diginative generation, even though the older generation might not be so into it (Nova's father to her: "you do realize you're sitting there talking to a box of cereal", while she sees little things like cereal flying and "alive" monkeys thru her VR glasses), and there are also electropets (not the clumsy kids robot toys but realistic kind of pets)! This kind of, hmm, "enrichment of reality" seems like a good discussion point (as well as the Soul safe app, which I'll mention again later).
- Solarversia is like a MMORPG but not as immersive as the game worlds of other fictional game worlds such as those that came to mind; Ready Player One and SAO (Sword Art Online) to name a few. VR sets can be taken off without breaking connection to the game world (it's realistic as they don't require "logging out from the real physical world" like in a scifi story but seem like realistic VR-sets we have for gaming nowadays. Although, these fictional VR-sets are more advanced as they read their user's brainwaves etc). Through a VR-set, players from all over the world are able to explore the huge world, solve puzzles and finally compete against each other for a prize of 10 million pounds. I feel like there are influences from Hunger Games and Ready Player One with the puzzle solving and survival aspects. Who wouldn't want to play? The game world was created quite well with it's backstories, characters and enviroments. I'd like this book to be turned into a movie version ;)
- Then there's the cult of the Holy Order, who worship their Magi, who has -ehem- sent them a command from the future to create him in the present...eee, past? or that's what the cult leader says. They also like putting swastika signs everywhere. Casey wants to join the cult because he's lost everything else and is desperate to belong somewhere (poor Casey). They dream of becoming a "better" version of human by fusing themselves with machines, cult leader Father already has a "cyborg" arm (the cult leader had his vision of the Magi when he was on a boat and on cocaine, and got his arm bitten off by an alligator). Father has so much technological know-how it's scary and goes beyond my understanding. To be honest, I didn't care about the order stuff, I wanted the game world content and adventure&puzzles!
- Soul safe app: borrowing ideas from Black Mirror? (it's a tv-series, currently owned by Netflix. Fantastic series, one episode was themed around this; "keeping in touch with your loved one after they're gone"). I find this idea slightly unhealthy - avoiding the reality of death at all costs instead of accepting it. augmentation of everyday life into a game thru VR glasses, because pure reality is too...real to handle? or just boring? ;)
- Characters:
Main character Nova is an only child, bff with Sushi. Smart, determined and competitive, likes augmented reality and VR gaming, has a cute monkey-type electropet Zhang. Other friends are tech-savvy Berner and his buddies. At university, there's the love interest Charlie, and Holly who's competition to Nova both on- and offline (and it's funny how Nova's personality comes out more around Holly). Nova was smart but she didn't manage the game so easily despite it. I didn't really like or dislike her.
In terms of Sushi, the serving was quite small. Guess what Sushi said in-game when she saw a bee? Wasabiii... *badadummtssssh*.
Casey and the freaky Father: think twice before applying to join a cult. (they don't even have cookies, I'm sure ;))
Artica? Arty? is the gaming company guy, who also enjoys augmented reality a bit more and secretly likes his assistant Hannah (who sounds like Maggie Smith to me ;))
- plot points in short
- Audiobook narration: pleasant voice, narrator's speed (quite fast) bothered me at first, but I got used to it and began to enjoy it (kinda miss his voice now that the book ended, lol). He made the story much livelier by giving characters distinctive voices. Most of the character voicing was very good but I disliked the voice he gave to Nova (kinda whiny, i.m.o. sorry ;)) and Hannah sounded like Maggie Smith (nothing wrong with that though, but it was hard not to picture her when I heard that voice xD). I'm not used to listening to British-English that fast so the first chapter was slightly challenging to listen to (Nova and Sushi talking), had to slow the speed down a bit there.
- All in all, this story has taken a lot of planning to writes and especially the game world has been created carefully. A lot of things have been packed in it, and I can't help thinking that maybe some editing would've been ok. Some scenes would have been better through 1st person present tense narration instead of the continuous 3rd person past tense narration (f.ex. the game's puzzle scenes), it would make those cool scenes more engaging.
Thank you for reading my long and rambling "review", feel free to leave a comment :)
"read" the unabridged audiobook edition. 3,5 stars.
Thoughts after finishing the book!
- It's 2016 in the beginning of the story; we meet Nova and Sushi. They're excited (should I say almost going bananas?) about creating their avatars for the up-coming game Solarversia.
- the use of VR glasses is quite common and augmented reality is nothing extraordinary to the diginative generation, even though the older generation might not be so into it (Nova's father to her: "you do realize you're sitting there talking to a box of cereal", while she sees little things like cereal flying and "alive" monkeys thru her VR glasses), and there are also electropets (not the clumsy kids robot toys but realistic kind of pets)! This kind of, hmm, "enrichment of reality" seems like a good discussion point (as well as the Soul safe app, which I'll mention again later).
- Solarversia is like a MMORPG but not as immersive as the game worlds of other fictional game worlds such as those that came to mind; Ready Player One and SAO (Sword Art Online) to name a few. VR sets can be taken off without breaking connection to the game world (it's realistic as they don't require "logging out from the real physical world" like in a scifi story but seem like realistic VR-sets we have for gaming nowadays. Although, these fictional VR-sets are more advanced as they read their user's brainwaves etc). Through a VR-set, players from all over the world are able to explore the huge world, solve puzzles and finally compete against each other for a prize of 10 million pounds. I feel like there are influences from Hunger Games and Ready Player One with the puzzle solving and survival aspects. Who wouldn't want to play? The game world was created quite well with it's backstories, characters and enviroments. I'd like this book to be turned into a movie version ;)
- Then there's the cult of the Holy Order, who worship their Magi, who has -ehem- sent them a command from the future to create him in the present...eee, past? or that's what the cult leader says. They also like putting swastika signs everywhere. Casey wants to join the cult because he's lost everything else and is desperate to belong somewhere (poor Casey). They dream of becoming a "better" version of human by fusing themselves with machines, cult leader Father already has a "cyborg" arm (the cult leader had his vision of the Magi when he was on a boat and on cocaine, and got his arm bitten off by an alligator). Father has so much technological know-how it's scary and goes beyond my understanding. To be honest, I didn't care about the order stuff, I wanted the game world content and adventure&puzzles!
- Soul safe app: borrowing ideas from Black Mirror? (it's a tv-series, currently owned by Netflix. Fantastic series, one episode was themed around this; "keeping in touch with your loved one after they're gone"). I find this idea slightly unhealthy - avoiding the reality of death at all costs instead of accepting it. augmentation of everyday life into a game thru VR glasses, because pure reality is too...real to handle? or just boring? ;)
- Characters:
Main character Nova is an only child, bff with Sushi. Smart, determined and competitive, likes augmented reality and VR gaming, has a cute monkey-type electropet Zhang. Other friends are tech-savvy Berner and his buddies. At university, there's the love interest Charlie, and Holly who's competition to Nova both on- and offline (and it's funny how Nova's personality comes out more around Holly). Nova was smart but she didn't manage the game so easily despite it. I didn't really like or dislike her.
In terms of Sushi, the serving was quite small. Guess what Sushi said in-game when she saw a bee? Wasabiii... *badadummtssssh*.
Casey and the freaky Father: think twice before applying to join a cult. (they don't even have cookies, I'm sure ;))
Artica? Arty? is the gaming company guy, who also enjoys augmented reality a bit more and secretly likes his assistant Hannah (who sounds like Maggie Smith to me ;))
- plot points in short
- Audiobook narration: pleasant voice, narrator's speed (quite fast) bothered me at first, but I got used to it and began to enjoy it (kinda miss his voice now that the book ended, lol). He made the story much livelier by giving characters distinctive voices. Most of the character voicing was very good but I disliked the voice he gave to Nova (kinda whiny, i.m.o. sorry ;)) and Hannah sounded like Maggie Smith (nothing wrong with that though, but it was hard not to picture her when I heard that voice xD). I'm not used to listening to British-English that fast so the first chapter was slightly challenging to listen to (Nova and Sushi talking), had to slow the speed down a bit there.
- All in all, this story has taken a lot of planning to writes and especially the game world has been created carefully. A lot of things have been packed in it, and I can't help thinking that maybe some editing would've been ok. Some scenes would have been better through 1st person present tense narration instead of the continuous 3rd person past tense narration (f.ex. the game's puzzle scenes), it would make those cool scenes more engaging.
Thank you for reading my long and rambling "review", feel free to leave a comment :)
September 29, 2015
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. All opinions in this post are my own.
Virtual reality mixes with real life when players enter Solarversia, a year-long video game mixing real life locations with virtual elements. 100 million people will compete for the 10 million pound prize. But when a religious sect sets their sites on the company that founded the game and some of its players, the game turns deadly.
First off, I'm sorry for the terrible blurb - I do try to describe books in my own words these days, rather than just copy from Amazon or somewhere, but this book was so uninspiring.
Once more, I was enticed by a premise only to be incredibly disappointed with the plot, characters and writing quality. I made the mistake of reading this book at the same time I read Lumiere, so I felt like I was being bombarded with ridiculous character names and paper thin plots. I can only stomach so much originality when it comes to character names. Nova, Artica Kronkite and Sushi (which just made me hungry), I was peeved from the start.
The world of Solarversia felt like a bizarre, childish version of World of Warcraft, populated by millions of tiny, talking monkeys called arkwinis (ark-weenies? ark-win-ies?). There was a lot of lore that I c couldn't bring myself to care about because every time Nova travelled to a new place or met a new character, I felt like I was reading a bunch of gobbledygook thanks to all the strange names Downtown created. The emperor of the alien world is named "Emperor Commissaire de Spielen Von Unglai D'Acheera Nakk-oo Mandlebrot" and with a plethora of similar, gibberish names, I couldn't connect with the world and it felt more like something aimed at small children than our 18-year-old protagonist, Nova. Downton occasionally mentioned virtual reality elements layered over real world locations, which is a great concept, but I think it was underdeveloped.
The characters were lifeless, rendering any character deaths or negative situations emotionless for me. I just couldn't seem to care about anything happening. The leader of the crazy religious cult was your typical whacko, monologuing villain who was more focused on how he exacted his revenge rather than actually carrying it out and destroying the people he wanted to destroy.
Overall, I think this novel was a sad echo of the work of Cory Doctorow and Ernest Cline. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Virtual reality mixes with real life when players enter Solarversia, a year-long video game mixing real life locations with virtual elements. 100 million people will compete for the 10 million pound prize. But when a religious sect sets their sites on the company that founded the game and some of its players, the game turns deadly.
First off, I'm sorry for the terrible blurb - I do try to describe books in my own words these days, rather than just copy from Amazon or somewhere, but this book was so uninspiring.
Once more, I was enticed by a premise only to be incredibly disappointed with the plot, characters and writing quality. I made the mistake of reading this book at the same time I read Lumiere, so I felt like I was being bombarded with ridiculous character names and paper thin plots. I can only stomach so much originality when it comes to character names. Nova, Artica Kronkite and Sushi (which just made me hungry), I was peeved from the start.
The world of Solarversia felt like a bizarre, childish version of World of Warcraft, populated by millions of tiny, talking monkeys called arkwinis (ark-weenies? ark-win-ies?). There was a lot of lore that I c couldn't bring myself to care about because every time Nova travelled to a new place or met a new character, I felt like I was reading a bunch of gobbledygook thanks to all the strange names Downtown created. The emperor of the alien world is named "Emperor Commissaire de Spielen Von Unglai D'Acheera Nakk-oo Mandlebrot" and with a plethora of similar, gibberish names, I couldn't connect with the world and it felt more like something aimed at small children than our 18-year-old protagonist, Nova. Downton occasionally mentioned virtual reality elements layered over real world locations, which is a great concept, but I think it was underdeveloped.
The characters were lifeless, rendering any character deaths or negative situations emotionless for me. I just couldn't seem to care about anything happening. The leader of the crazy religious cult was your typical whacko, monologuing villain who was more focused on how he exacted his revenge rather than actually carrying it out and destroying the people he wanted to destroy.
Overall, I think this novel was a sad echo of the work of Cory Doctorow and Ernest Cline. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book.
August 11, 2015
**I received and ARC for an honest review**
Review: When I first started reading this I had high hopes. I was told it would be similar to Ready Player One. That is actually how the author of the novel found me, through a post on twitter about Ready Player One. Of course, I was ready to read another book similar, but I quickly found out that the only things the two books had in common where that they were about a game.
The first half of the book was a little slow, to be honest. I drug myself through it, trying to find interest. It wasn’t completely boring, it just didn’t capture my attention. But I kept reading because I was slightly intrigued by the concept. At the half way point I was glad I had kept reading. It started to get a little intense and I was hooked. I needed to know what happened next and I needed to know right then.
I was right there with Nova as her world came crashing down around her. I was in her crowd of fans, cheering her on. The emotions this book put me through was something I hadn’t expected. The ups and downs, the happy and the sad. I wanted everything to be okay, but at one point you realize, nothing will ever be okay, at least not right now.
Conclusion: This book is a pretty massive book. But it was worth every hour I spent reading it. The suspense, action, tears and laughter. It was all worth the time it took to read this book. The ending seems to have left the book open for this to continue on in a sequel, yet it gave a perfect ending to answer questions and not leave you hanging. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves stories of games. I may not have been sold on the first half of the book, though it was important to include, but the second half had my head spinning and I loved it!
For more reviews and author interviews (including Toby Downton this month) check out my blog: Awkward Heather
Review: When I first started reading this I had high hopes. I was told it would be similar to Ready Player One. That is actually how the author of the novel found me, through a post on twitter about Ready Player One. Of course, I was ready to read another book similar, but I quickly found out that the only things the two books had in common where that they were about a game.
The first half of the book was a little slow, to be honest. I drug myself through it, trying to find interest. It wasn’t completely boring, it just didn’t capture my attention. But I kept reading because I was slightly intrigued by the concept. At the half way point I was glad I had kept reading. It started to get a little intense and I was hooked. I needed to know what happened next and I needed to know right then.
I was right there with Nova as her world came crashing down around her. I was in her crowd of fans, cheering her on. The emotions this book put me through was something I hadn’t expected. The ups and downs, the happy and the sad. I wanted everything to be okay, but at one point you realize, nothing will ever be okay, at least not right now.
Conclusion: This book is a pretty massive book. But it was worth every hour I spent reading it. The suspense, action, tears and laughter. It was all worth the time it took to read this book. The ending seems to have left the book open for this to continue on in a sequel, yet it gave a perfect ending to answer questions and not leave you hanging. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves stories of games. I may not have been sold on the first half of the book, though it was important to include, but the second half had my head spinning and I loved it!
For more reviews and author interviews (including Toby Downton this month) check out my blog: Awkward Heather
September 18, 2015
I loved the concept of this book. A virtual, year-long game with only one winner. Fabulous. And we get to participate by following a few of the key players: Nova, Arty, and even the bad guys. And, honestly, that's where the good ended.
None of the characters were believable or ones you could relate to. The main character of Nova was a Mary Sue, perfect, except with the cute boy, better than the FBI at finding evil cults' hideouts, and on and on. I couldn't stand her. Everyone was the same, two-dimensional and ultimately boring.
Also, I struggled with understanding when we were "in" the game, and when we were "out". Nova would have her electropet with her as she got into the VR rig, but then he'd be with her as she raced around a virtual racetrack. It felt like the game mechanics were supposed to read everything in the real world, but it wasn't made clear, and this proved a distraction.
My third pet peeve was the exposition. Books that tell you everything that happens, as opposed to showing (obviously, the author struggled with showing events well) are boring. No-one wants to be told how the bad guy killed his wife, we want to see it. (This particular piece was also revealed far too early on, so we never learned to hate the character and then see his redemption.) Exposition killed so much of this.
On top of that, there was extreme discontinuity. We were informed that there was no chance for Nova to Google the answer to a riddle, but, when she was trying to figure out the bird puzzled, she jumped on a forum and found the answer. Once again, this is one example of many plot holes.
Overall, a decent concept poorly executed.
None of the characters were believable or ones you could relate to. The main character of Nova was a Mary Sue, perfect, except with the cute boy, better than the FBI at finding evil cults' hideouts, and on and on. I couldn't stand her. Everyone was the same, two-dimensional and ultimately boring.
Also, I struggled with understanding when we were "in" the game, and when we were "out". Nova would have her electropet with her as she got into the VR rig, but then he'd be with her as she raced around a virtual racetrack. It felt like the game mechanics were supposed to read everything in the real world, but it wasn't made clear, and this proved a distraction.
My third pet peeve was the exposition. Books that tell you everything that happens, as opposed to showing (obviously, the author struggled with showing events well) are boring. No-one wants to be told how the bad guy killed his wife, we want to see it. (This particular piece was also revealed far too early on, so we never learned to hate the character and then see his redemption.) Exposition killed so much of this.
On top of that, there was extreme discontinuity. We were informed that there was no chance for Nova to Google the answer to a riddle, but, when she was trying to figure out the bird puzzled, she jumped on a forum and found the answer. Once again, this is one example of many plot holes.
Overall, a decent concept poorly executed.
October 24, 2015
One game, one winner, a year long game - welcome to the world of Solarversia.
I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read this book, but the cheap price and plot gave me enough to give it a try - I wasn't disappointing. It's complex puzzles, unpronounceable character names and it's interesting time length made Solarversia a really interesting read.
There's so much to talk about - the twists and turn that took place and all the complexity within the book just really made this one of my favorite book of this year.
Nova is a really genuine character, she gives us a very human perspective on the impact the game would have on us and on others. She learns more about the value of family and friends which eventually help and push her to achieve her goal. She has to find a equilibrium between the real world and the virtual world. Reading from her perspective and discovering the world with her was really fun.
On the other hand, we have the Holy Order. An organisation hell-bent on bringing a "artificial super-intelligence" to life. They commit terrorism attacks to cause fear and panic over the world. We learn more about them through Casey, who after a tragic accident feels hopeless and gives himself to the Order. The Holy Order is an interesting take on the consequences of VR and AI on people.
My excitement while reading this sky rocketed when I saw that this might even become a real game to be released in 2020. Let's just hope no Holy Order will be around when it comes out :D
Overall, this was one heck of a read and if you love programming and/or gaming- this book is for you!
I wasn't sure whether I wanted to read this book, but the cheap price and plot gave me enough to give it a try - I wasn't disappointing. It's complex puzzles, unpronounceable character names and it's interesting time length made Solarversia a really interesting read.
There's so much to talk about - the twists and turn that took place and all the complexity within the book just really made this one of my favorite book of this year.
Nova is a really genuine character, she gives us a very human perspective on the impact the game would have on us and on others. She learns more about the value of family and friends which eventually help and push her to achieve her goal. She has to find a equilibrium between the real world and the virtual world. Reading from her perspective and discovering the world with her was really fun.
On the other hand, we have the Holy Order. An organisation hell-bent on bringing a "artificial super-intelligence" to life. They commit terrorism attacks to cause fear and panic over the world. We learn more about them through Casey, who after a tragic accident feels hopeless and gives himself to the Order. The Holy Order is an interesting take on the consequences of VR and AI on people.
My excitement while reading this sky rocketed when I saw that this might even become a real game to be released in 2020. Let's just hope no Holy Order will be around when it comes out :D
Overall, this was one heck of a read and if you love programming and/or gaming- this book is for you!
September 17, 2015
As with the other reviewers, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Using multiple threads to compel the reader along, we follow the protoganist, Nova, and her friends Sushi and Burner as they seamlessy traverse both the real and virtual world during the Year Long Game. With part skill, part luck and part quick thinking, one million players enter the entrancing world of Solarversia from their unique square on the players grid and must weave their way through a web of intricately designed and captivatingly told riddles, challenges and games. The ingenious backstories surrounding some of the characters within Solarversia are creatively written and cleverly interlaced throughout the book. Just as Ludi Bioski's Orbitini can unleash a torrent of chaos and mayhem in the gaming world, Father Theodore and the Holy Order unleash a terrifying sequence of events in the real world with devastating consequences. As the two worlds collide, Nova's abilities are tested to the limit when she unwittingly finds herself embroiled in what could potentially be the deadliest game of her life.
Albeit the book is game centric and not of my normal reading genre, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself within the compelling tapestry that made up the world of Solarversia and was left feeling that no matter how herculean the challenge may seem, the human spirit triumphs over all.
Oh, and personally, I can't wait until the day a troop of Arkwini's join me at the breakfast table!!
Using multiple threads to compel the reader along, we follow the protoganist, Nova, and her friends Sushi and Burner as they seamlessy traverse both the real and virtual world during the Year Long Game. With part skill, part luck and part quick thinking, one million players enter the entrancing world of Solarversia from their unique square on the players grid and must weave their way through a web of intricately designed and captivatingly told riddles, challenges and games. The ingenious backstories surrounding some of the characters within Solarversia are creatively written and cleverly interlaced throughout the book. Just as Ludi Bioski's Orbitini can unleash a torrent of chaos and mayhem in the gaming world, Father Theodore and the Holy Order unleash a terrifying sequence of events in the real world with devastating consequences. As the two worlds collide, Nova's abilities are tested to the limit when she unwittingly finds herself embroiled in what could potentially be the deadliest game of her life.
Albeit the book is game centric and not of my normal reading genre, I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself within the compelling tapestry that made up the world of Solarversia and was left feeling that no matter how herculean the challenge may seem, the human spirit triumphs over all.
Oh, and personally, I can't wait until the day a troop of Arkwini's join me at the breakfast table!!
March 7, 2017
Title: Solarversia
Series Number: Not a part of a series
Author: Toby Downton
Theme(s): Influence of augmented reality on the future.
What I liked:
The world building. All of the ideas about gaming and the effects of augmented reality on the future. There are a ton of ideas and they work together to immerse the reader in the game Solerversia in new and exciting ways.
The thriller aspect was well done and well woven into the story. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say much more, but it you're into that genre then I highly recommend this book.
What I disliked:
The romance/lack thereof between the main character and her interest. It's just bad. I started to skip sections that involved these two characters because none of their interactions felt real.
There were some sections that could have been smoothed out, and character changes that could have been explained better. Another round with beta readers and editing, or a line editor, would have helped fix most of these issues.
Rating: This is honestly one of the hardest books I have ever had to choose a rating for. On one hand I skipped portions of the book which usually means a three or four out of ten. On the other hand I read this in 2015 and since then I've recommended it over twenty times. That usually means a book that's a nine or ten.
Parts were brilliant, and parts could use work. Therefore I think a 7/10 is appropriate. I look forward to another story from Downton, with some polish he'll definitely become a popular writer.
Series Number: Not a part of a series
Author: Toby Downton
Theme(s): Influence of augmented reality on the future.
What I liked:
The world building. All of the ideas about gaming and the effects of augmented reality on the future. There are a ton of ideas and they work together to immerse the reader in the game Solerversia in new and exciting ways.
The thriller aspect was well done and well woven into the story. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't say much more, but it you're into that genre then I highly recommend this book.
What I disliked:
The romance/lack thereof between the main character and her interest. It's just bad. I started to skip sections that involved these two characters because none of their interactions felt real.
There were some sections that could have been smoothed out, and character changes that could have been explained better. Another round with beta readers and editing, or a line editor, would have helped fix most of these issues.
Rating: This is honestly one of the hardest books I have ever had to choose a rating for. On one hand I skipped portions of the book which usually means a three or four out of ten. On the other hand I read this in 2015 and since then I've recommended it over twenty times. That usually means a book that's a nine or ten.
Parts were brilliant, and parts could use work. Therefore I think a 7/10 is appropriate. I look forward to another story from Downton, with some polish he'll definitely become a popular writer.
August 2, 2015
I was provided a free eBook for my honest review.
I was contacted by Toby Downton after I made a comment about Ready Player One, which I absolutely loved. Mr. Downton said if I loved that book then I should give Solarversia a shot. He was absolutely right; Solarversia did not disappoint.
There are so many nuances and creative aspects to this story that it really kept my interest. There are some confusing aspects as the vastness of the world demands tremendous descriptions, but the detail in Mr. Downton's words really paints an amazing picture of both the real and virtual worlds in this story. I can visualize exactly what was happening and allowed my imagination to run wild.
As any book I read, it was important that I form an emotional connection to the characters, regardless if they are the protagonist or antagonist. I found the characters emotionally compelling and memorable; I cheered for the "good guys" and jeered at the "bad guys".
As an American, there is a good amount of British slang which I had to look up or make inferences, but nothing that is difficult to navigate.
This is certainly an ambitious project with a very bright future and I am honored to have been one of the early readers of this project. Congrats to Mr. Downton and I wish you many years of success!
I was contacted by Toby Downton after I made a comment about Ready Player One, which I absolutely loved. Mr. Downton said if I loved that book then I should give Solarversia a shot. He was absolutely right; Solarversia did not disappoint.
There are so many nuances and creative aspects to this story that it really kept my interest. There are some confusing aspects as the vastness of the world demands tremendous descriptions, but the detail in Mr. Downton's words really paints an amazing picture of both the real and virtual worlds in this story. I can visualize exactly what was happening and allowed my imagination to run wild.
As any book I read, it was important that I form an emotional connection to the characters, regardless if they are the protagonist or antagonist. I found the characters emotionally compelling and memorable; I cheered for the "good guys" and jeered at the "bad guys".
As an American, there is a good amount of British slang which I had to look up or make inferences, but nothing that is difficult to navigate.
This is certainly an ambitious project with a very bright future and I am honored to have been one of the early readers of this project. Congrats to Mr. Downton and I wish you many years of success!
September 5, 2015
I was given a free copy of the Kindle version of the book by the author in exchange for writing a review. I do not know him and my review is not deliberately biased in any way.
The story is centred around a young British woman's involvement in a year long game played in virtual reality between one million competitors. The game is based on a simulation of the solar system, but features a number of strange characters, twists and alterations to reality. The players must solve problems and play sub-games to pass a number of tests throughout the year. The people that have passed the tests by the end of the year must then play a number of elimination rounds until only one person remains, with the prize money increasing at each stage (to life changing sums for the finalists). There is also a sub-plot involving a new initiate to a cult that wants to use the game for its own purposes, which spills over into a real life threat that I won't spoil here.
Although the book feels like it is primarily aimed at young adults, I very much enjoyed it as a middle aged man. The characters are interesting and well described and the plot moves along at a good pace, featuring some interesting ideas. I'll look out for future books by the same author.
The story is centred around a young British woman's involvement in a year long game played in virtual reality between one million competitors. The game is based on a simulation of the solar system, but features a number of strange characters, twists and alterations to reality. The players must solve problems and play sub-games to pass a number of tests throughout the year. The people that have passed the tests by the end of the year must then play a number of elimination rounds until only one person remains, with the prize money increasing at each stage (to life changing sums for the finalists). There is also a sub-plot involving a new initiate to a cult that wants to use the game for its own purposes, which spills over into a real life threat that I won't spoil here.
Although the book feels like it is primarily aimed at young adults, I very much enjoyed it as a middle aged man. The characters are interesting and well described and the plot moves along at a good pace, featuring some interesting ideas. I'll look out for future books by the same author.
November 28, 2015
** NOTICE: I received an advanced copy of this book from the author himself for promising to leave an honest review in return **
Now, I am not very good at writing reviews, so I will do my best to make this a decent review, but I give no promises!
Solarversia is an absolutely amazing story about a young girl by the name of Nova, who enters what is called "The Year Long Game", or "Solarversia", a year long game full of various puzzles, challenges, and quests, with the winner receiving a vast amount of money and the honor of helping to design the next game.
The writing in the book is very well done, and kept me captivated for long periods of time, the suspense keeping me hooked until I had read to the point that my eyes hurt, and I had to put it down! Each and every chapter was full of action and suspense, with the amount of "slow moving" sections kept to a minimum.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and would definitely read other novels this author puts out in the future, if any, and would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in this type of novel.
Now, I am not very good at writing reviews, so I will do my best to make this a decent review, but I give no promises!
Solarversia is an absolutely amazing story about a young girl by the name of Nova, who enters what is called "The Year Long Game", or "Solarversia", a year long game full of various puzzles, challenges, and quests, with the winner receiving a vast amount of money and the honor of helping to design the next game.
The writing in the book is very well done, and kept me captivated for long periods of time, the suspense keeping me hooked until I had read to the point that my eyes hurt, and I had to put it down! Each and every chapter was full of action and suspense, with the amount of "slow moving" sections kept to a minimum.
Overall I absolutely loved this book and would definitely read other novels this author puts out in the future, if any, and would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in this type of novel.
August 14, 2015
I was offered an ARC by the author after making a remark about Ready Player One on Twitter claiming that if I loved that book, I would certainly enjoy Solarversia as well. He was right; I enjoyed it very much.
The author is great at really pulling you into the action packed scenes that are in the book. My only minor gripe (which makes my rating 4 stars and not 5) is that it appears there are some pretty big gaps in the timeline. You get filled in on what happened in the meantime, but I feel there could've been some more depth to the story in those places, improving the development of the main characters.
The concept of a big VR game with a big prize isn't new of course, but I liked the way this was intertwined with an action packed side-plot. Something I would urge the author to actually patent is the concept of Soul Surfer. Very interesting, and I think it would actually be in high demand.
There's enough room there for a sequel, and I wonder whether that will see the light of day.
The author is great at really pulling you into the action packed scenes that are in the book. My only minor gripe (which makes my rating 4 stars and not 5) is that it appears there are some pretty big gaps in the timeline. You get filled in on what happened in the meantime, but I feel there could've been some more depth to the story in those places, improving the development of the main characters.
The concept of a big VR game with a big prize isn't new of course, but I liked the way this was intertwined with an action packed side-plot. Something I would urge the author to actually patent is the concept of Soul Surfer. Very interesting, and I think it would actually be in high demand.
There's enough room there for a sequel, and I wonder whether that will see the light of day.
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