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The Night Room
Is seeing your future a dream come true-- or a nightmare?
High school junior Ira is intrigued when he is chosen to participate in the Argus project-- a computer program that will simulate his tenth high school reunion. Six other classmates will participate, including Sandra, on whom Ira has a serious crush. But Tess, a reporter for the school paper, is worried about the dangers involved. And she's right. As the students enter the Night Room, one by one, they learn surprising things about themselves-- and discover that one of them isn't at the reunion. Argus predicts she'll be long dead...
High school junior Ira is intrigued when he is chosen to participate in the Argus project-- a computer program that will simulate his tenth high school reunion. Six other classmates will participate, including Sandra, on whom Ira has a serious crush. But Tess, a reporter for the school paper, is worried about the dangers involved. And she's right. As the students enter the Night Room, one by one, they learn surprising things about themselves-- and discover that one of them isn't at the reunion. Argus predicts she'll be long dead...
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
2 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
E.M. Goldman
5 books5 followersE.M. Goldman became a writer so she could sit in a small room all day and stare at a computer screen. She is very pale. A Canadian, she is the author of Money to Burn, Getting Lincoln's Goat, and numerous science fiction and fantasy short stories.
(bio from back pages of The Night Room)
(bio from back pages of The Night Room)
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 29, 2015
The whole "people get trapped in virtual reality and can't escape" premise has been done to death, but Goldman at least manages to make the world outside the VR setting interesting.
So, we have a bunch of high schoolers. Some of them have a definite direction in life, some don't. The local university offers them a chance to see themselves at their 10-year graduation reunion, in a virtual future based on their answers to a survey. Meanwhile, a villainous student seeks to undermine the fortunetelling experiment and the mad scientist behind the VR system pursues goals of her own.
The world inside the VR system is pretty bland. (Full disclosure: I skipped my 10-year reunion and I'm not sorry.) The real world offers some interesting character interactions between Ira and Tess, Ira and his family, and a few of the other characters. There was potential here, but the length of the book doesn't allow enough time to develop them very thoroughly. The writing is serviceable but not all that exciting, and the driving force behind the plot doesn't integrate with the main characters very well.
All in all, a good book to pass some time, but nothing to write home about.
So, we have a bunch of high schoolers. Some of them have a definite direction in life, some don't. The local university offers them a chance to see themselves at their 10-year graduation reunion, in a virtual future based on their answers to a survey. Meanwhile, a villainous student seeks to undermine the fortunetelling experiment and the mad scientist behind the VR system pursues goals of her own.
The world inside the VR system is pretty bland. (Full disclosure: I skipped my 10-year reunion and I'm not sorry.) The real world offers some interesting character interactions between Ira and Tess, Ira and his family, and a few of the other characters. There was potential here, but the length of the book doesn't allow enough time to develop them very thoroughly. The writing is serviceable but not all that exciting, and the driving force behind the plot doesn't integrate with the main characters very well.
All in all, a good book to pass some time, but nothing to write home about.
December 21, 2011
I read this book back in junior high, I think, and I liked it enough that it's still on my bookshelf. The idea of the book is that they've developed a holodeck-like virtual reality experience--and the book points out that, in Star Trek, the holodeck is used for recreational purposes once in a while (like people reading books or watching TV), but in real life, people would use this invention instead of living their actual lives. In the background of this message is a story about a bunch of high school students who are thinking about what they want to do with their lives. The characters are well-developed and despite their completely different personalities, become friends through the common experience of using the "Night Room." Plus, there's the life-threatening mystery going on around them.
Despite the fact that was written in the 90s, it doesn't have that anachronistic Baby-Sitters-Club-like feel to it. I liked it in the 90s, and I still like it--there aren't that many YA books I can say that about.
Despite the fact that was written in the 90s, it doesn't have that anachronistic Baby-Sitters-Club-like feel to it. I liked it in the 90s, and I still like it--there aren't that many YA books I can say that about.
June 27, 2017
I liked it though some things made no sense like the ending made me think there would be a part 2 to this book and some things got me confused too
June 20, 2021
I first read this book about 10 years ago, and it stuck with me all that time--I've thought about in on and off every couple of years. I finally decided to give it a reread, only realizing later the serendipitous relevance of rereading it a decade later.
The writing style is fairly simplistic and straightforward, but I think it worked for the story it was trying to tell. It explores various teenagers as they're trying to figure themselves out in the world--at times I felt like maybe there were just one or two too many characters, but it mostly stayed cohesive. What I appreciated most was the psychology--this book really thought through how such an experience would affect teenagers. Joy's realization that she wouldn't magically become confident even if her life were perfect, and Graham's reaction to the alcoholism prediction both felt real and poignant. But I also liked that not everyone had a deep realization or experience, which was realistic to me.
The characters are fairly disparate and there's not a ton of depth to them, but there's just enough for me to be interested in all of their stories. The mysterious death plot is also engaging and comes together well at the end. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending--I would have liked a little more resolution. But also, it fits.
It was interesting reading this as a teenager and again as an adult (as I said: serendipitous) and thinking about my different reactions. I remember finding the book quite creepy as a kid, and I can see why--the author was definitely pushing that. But a lot of the horror came from the mysterious death plot and the general creepiness of the machine and set-up. Now, more of it comes from thinking about what it's doing to these teenagers and how it's going to affect them going forward. Definitely a thought-provoking little book that I would recommend people give a read--it's quite short.
The writing style is fairly simplistic and straightforward, but I think it worked for the story it was trying to tell. It explores various teenagers as they're trying to figure themselves out in the world--at times I felt like maybe there were just one or two too many characters, but it mostly stayed cohesive. What I appreciated most was the psychology--this book really thought through how such an experience would affect teenagers. Joy's realization that she wouldn't magically become confident even if her life were perfect, and Graham's reaction to the alcoholism prediction both felt real and poignant. But I also liked that not everyone had a deep realization or experience, which was realistic to me.
The characters are fairly disparate and there's not a ton of depth to them, but there's just enough for me to be interested in all of their stories. The mysterious death plot is also engaging and comes together well at the end. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending--I would have liked a little more resolution. But also, it fits.
It was interesting reading this as a teenager and again as an adult (as I said: serendipitous) and thinking about my different reactions. I remember finding the book quite creepy as a kid, and I can see why--the author was definitely pushing that. But a lot of the horror came from the mysterious death plot and the general creepiness of the machine and set-up. Now, more of it comes from thinking about what it's doing to these teenagers and how it's going to affect them going forward. Definitely a thought-provoking little book that I would recommend people give a read--it's quite short.
May 1, 2022
I found this while cleaning out some old books in my house. Initially I was going to get rid of it, but the plot seemed interesting so I decided to read it quick before I gave it away. I read it all in one sitting since it's pretty short. The book follows a group of teenagers who are chosen to test out a new VR type program that lets them see their future. While they're testing it out, they discover that one of them will be dead very soon. It was pretty entertaining throughout most of the book, but I wasn't a fan of the ending at all. It left a lot of unanswered questions as to why everything happened the way it did, and it just seemed to end very abruptly.
January 24, 2023
Really cool concept but a bit of a letdown. We’re told time and time again that the Argus program could be dangerous, but we never actually see the danger.
What a non-ending.
Also, why is the only setting their high school reunion lol. The ~scenarios had the potential to be truly scary and jarring and uncomfortable, and instead were…pretty basic.
What a non-ending.
Also, why is the only setting their high school reunion lol. The ~scenarios had the potential to be truly scary and jarring and uncomfortable, and instead were…pretty basic.
June 21, 2022
A really good read concerning a science experiment gone wrong. The main characters are teenagers around the ages of 16 and 17.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2009
I decided to read this book because of the dedication "to the crews of the Starships Enterprise." Since I have accompanied my husband in viewing very MANY episodes of Star Trek (where not so many women have gone before :) I thought this just might be the book for us. It did have an interesting premise--a high school health class is offered the opportunity to participate in a computer program that allows them to experience their ten year high school reunion and see what their future will be like. However, I never felt that the characters ever really got fleshed out and the ending was predictable (even though I did have to explain it to my husband--something I also had to do after we saw the first Star Trek movie. Maybe this book did what it intended, afterall) :) Oh yeah, I also really like the "about the author" paragraph: "E.M. Goldman became a writer so she could sit in a small room all day and stare at a computer screen. She is very pale."
January 4, 2015
I reread this book and wonder why it, and another of the author's books, Getting Lincoln's Goat, are not more popular. Who wouldn't want to see ten years in the future? Seven high school students are invited to participate in an experimental program but the results are unexpected when they try and learn what happened to one of their classmates. Suspense, a bit of romance, and memorable, if stereotypical, characters create an enjoyable read.
March 10, 2012
Pretty decent read. Would have been done sooner had I not been reading 2 books at the same time. I liked the homage to Star Trek. I'm a fan of the show myself. I also enjoyed the twist ending. I wouldn't call this an absolute favorite, but I'd check other titles from this author. Short stories makes for great rainy day reads.
November 30, 2013
This book was really good and I read it a while back, but I remember how weird it was. The science probably wasn't exact, but what did I know? All I cared about was the plot development and story line that was easily one of the best books I read in elementary school.
February 16, 2010
This is one I 'listened to'. I have an audio version for my MP 3 player.
I might go through this one again. It's good to listen to while gardening.
I might go through this one again. It's good to listen to while gardening.
September 9, 2010
This was actually really good! It kept me on edge.
June 8, 2011
Book was really good. Didn't expect the ending. A definite read for people who enjoy sci-fi fiction.
March 10, 2012
Read my review at Let's Talk Books
April 7, 2015
Another comfort-food book. It's probably not really that good, objectively, but it's fun and I always enjoy it.
November 9, 2015
Not bad.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews