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The Gam3 #1
Opening Moves
The Earth is changing. The alien invasion brought social upheaval, advanced technology, and an armada of peacekeeping robots. But Alan, a college student pursuing a now-useless degree, cares little about all of this. He has only one thing on his mind: the Game.
A fully immersive virtual reality, the Game appears to be a major part of the invading civilization. Alan can't wait to play, recklessly diving into the digital universe. Soon though, Alan realizes the Game is anything but simple, and the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.
A fully immersive virtual reality, the Game appears to be a major part of the invading civilization. Alan can't wait to play, recklessly diving into the digital universe. Soon though, Alan realizes the Game is anything but simple, and the stakes are higher than he ever imagined.
443 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2016
522 people are currently reading
2287 people want to read
About the author
Cosimo Yap
3 books499 followersA California native, Cosimo Yap has spent much of his life playing games. Opening Moves is his debut novel. It hopefully isn't his last.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
December 13, 2021
“Based upon the games I’ve played, girls are likely to like you if you are strong, cute, handsome, charming, funny or a lovable buffoon. Based upon my observations, you would be best suited for the role of lovable buffoon.”
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read Cosimo Yap's Opening Moves. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was about much more than a game played out in an augmented or virtual reality. Alan enters the Game with little knowledge of the Game. Set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, he nonetheless understands its importance. ""Remember, it's just a game," Icewolf said. "But it's not," Alan replied. "You told me that the Game affects real life. That if you conquer a planet in the Game, you control it in reality."" As we follow Alan's progress in the Game, and see him level up and take missions, it seems straightforward, but there is another story playing out that adds interest and intrigue to the Game. Opening Moves was an unexpectedly captivating novel that quickly drew me in. I am looking forward to continuing this series.
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read Cosimo Yap's Opening Moves. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was about much more than a game played out in an augmented or virtual reality. Alan enters the Game with little knowledge of the Game. Set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, he nonetheless understands its importance. ""Remember, it's just a game," Icewolf said. "But it's not," Alan replied. "You told me that the Game affects real life. That if you conquer a planet in the Game, you control it in reality."" As we follow Alan's progress in the Game, and see him level up and take missions, it seems straightforward, but there is another story playing out that adds interest and intrigue to the Game. Opening Moves was an unexpectedly captivating novel that quickly drew me in. I am looking forward to continuing this series.
November 30, 2016
The MC is suppose to be a gamer good enough that someone is willing to lend him multi-millions of dollars for a capsule.
And the MC wrote an AI.
Yet this same MC is a total idiot. He seems to have forgotten all game experience as well as reverted to some guy just entering puberty.
It made the novel painful to listen to. I gave up eventually.
And the MC wrote an AI.
Yet this same MC is a total idiot. He seems to have forgotten all game experience as well as reverted to some guy just entering puberty.
It made the novel painful to listen to. I gave up eventually.
July 16, 2017
The stupidity in this book finally got to me and I had to stop reading.
The MC is "supposed to be" the uber smart nerdy type, smart enough to create an AI that has a personality that I can only describe as Scheming and passive aggressive!
He is "supposed to be" this amazing gamer, one that's so good that others are willing to invest 10 Million dollars worth of equipment on so he could play (gam3)
... yet he's entire dialogue seems to boil down to "huh?" or for the sake of variety "huh..."
like the scarecrow I think this guy has no brain, he's just a puppet to his own AI, also for a supposed "gamer" he knows nothing about actual gaming and didn't even bother to do some research before he went in... does this world not have google? forums? people with the ability of speech?
The Author keeps piling on the importance of this thing, oh the fate of the planet hangs in the balance, oh you're in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppp debt, oh your team is blah blah blah.
You know, why should I care? The MC doesn't and everything just falls into his lap so I know the odds are in his favor. yelling exposition at the reader isn't going to make me care, it'll just annoy me more.
I think there was an decent idea in this book, it just got lost in all the rubble.
The MC is "supposed to be" the uber smart nerdy type, smart enough to create an AI that has a personality that I can only describe as Scheming and passive aggressive!
He is "supposed to be" this amazing gamer, one that's so good that others are willing to invest 10 Million dollars worth of equipment on so he could play (gam3)
... yet he's entire dialogue seems to boil down to "huh?" or for the sake of variety "huh..."
like the scarecrow I think this guy has no brain, he's just a puppet to his own AI, also for a supposed "gamer" he knows nothing about actual gaming and didn't even bother to do some research before he went in... does this world not have google? forums? people with the ability of speech?
The Author keeps piling on the importance of this thing, oh the fate of the planet hangs in the balance, oh you're in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppp debt, oh your team is blah blah blah.
You know, why should I care? The MC doesn't and everything just falls into his lap so I know the odds are in his favor. yelling exposition at the reader isn't going to make me care, it'll just annoy me more.
I think there was an decent idea in this book, it just got lost in all the rubble.
October 13, 2019
1.5 stars. Good idea, good narration. Main character is a complete imbeciel and is completely reliant on an A.I he supposedly wrote.
December 29, 2023
3.5 Stars
Video Review: https://youtu.be/Kri0TLzmctk
This is an easy but entertaining piece of light science fiction exploring a futuristic virtual reality game. I had a good time reading it, but it was rather tropey and not particularly unique. This is the first book in the series and it definitely feels like only a beginning.
Video Review: https://youtu.be/Kri0TLzmctk
This is an easy but entertaining piece of light science fiction exploring a futuristic virtual reality game. I had a good time reading it, but it was rather tropey and not particularly unique. This is the first book in the series and it definitely feels like only a beginning.
March 22, 2018
My original Opening Moves audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Opening Moves by Cosimo Yap is the first book in a series called The Gam3. Alan enters the game knowing just a little about what he is getting himself into. Icewolf, his benefactor, buys him the equipment needed to play the game on loan and tells him that the game is just a game. But in reality, Alan discovers the game is much more than just a simple virtual reality game. It is actually a proxy for intergalactic politics and war. Earth only having just entered the game, it is soon to be available for the picking unless it can defend itself. As Alan soon discovers there are many political factions and rules that he needs to learn about if he is to be successful not only as a gamer as well as a human being to save Earth. Beyond that, it is actually a video game and so he needs to play well to increase his stats and abilities and thus increase his power in the game. Alan enters the game with a powerful ally, an artificial intelligence, Eve, that he developed to help him. Alan and Eve must work together to navigate the confusing world that is the game and help Earth if it’s possible.
Overall, this novel has a lot of potential. As is clear from the description, this story is pretty complex and the idea of the idea of the game being a proxy for the real world is well described while leaving enough holes to be explained as the main character learns more about what is going on. However, Alan’s character is difficult to like. Despite having the skills to develop an AI and somehow convince someone to front the cost of the equipment needed to play the game, Alan is a generally useless video gamer that relies so heavily on his AI for his success that it’s as if Eve is playing the game and Alan is a handicap. Not only is he generally incapable of independent game play, it seems that he has a difficult time navigating relationships in the game as well. It was just hard to get behind him. There are a lot of characters so it can become a little difficult to keep track of them and they are generally superficially drawn, with the story focusing on the various threads of the plot.
The narration by Nick Podehl was well done and the production quality was good as well. I would recommend this novel to someone who likes mixing video games and political maneuvering.
Opening Moves by Cosimo Yap is the first book in a series called The Gam3. Alan enters the game knowing just a little about what he is getting himself into. Icewolf, his benefactor, buys him the equipment needed to play the game on loan and tells him that the game is just a game. But in reality, Alan discovers the game is much more than just a simple virtual reality game. It is actually a proxy for intergalactic politics and war. Earth only having just entered the game, it is soon to be available for the picking unless it can defend itself. As Alan soon discovers there are many political factions and rules that he needs to learn about if he is to be successful not only as a gamer as well as a human being to save Earth. Beyond that, it is actually a video game and so he needs to play well to increase his stats and abilities and thus increase his power in the game. Alan enters the game with a powerful ally, an artificial intelligence, Eve, that he developed to help him. Alan and Eve must work together to navigate the confusing world that is the game and help Earth if it’s possible.
Overall, this novel has a lot of potential. As is clear from the description, this story is pretty complex and the idea of the idea of the game being a proxy for the real world is well described while leaving enough holes to be explained as the main character learns more about what is going on. However, Alan’s character is difficult to like. Despite having the skills to develop an AI and somehow convince someone to front the cost of the equipment needed to play the game, Alan is a generally useless video gamer that relies so heavily on his AI for his success that it’s as if Eve is playing the game and Alan is a handicap. Not only is he generally incapable of independent game play, it seems that he has a difficult time navigating relationships in the game as well. It was just hard to get behind him. There are a lot of characters so it can become a little difficult to keep track of them and they are generally superficially drawn, with the story focusing on the various threads of the plot.
The narration by Nick Podehl was well done and the production quality was good as well. I would recommend this novel to someone who likes mixing video games and political maneuvering.
May 8, 2017
OMG - loved this! This is RPG geekdom to the max, but so much fun. The story moves along and you kind of feel like the main character throughout. I feel like I am playing the game myself...it most of it is very satisfying on how it flows. I worry that the next one will become too "political" (I don't care about governments...I like monsters and powering up...). We'll see! Very excited about the next book.
December 5, 2016
Like this is okay as a power fantasy, but holy shit the MC literally got handed everything and got told what to do all the time, and it was just cringe to me in that respect.
September 27, 2017
Ok.
Since diving into the LitRPG genre, I am trying to pick up the right books and set the expectations bar. The absolute king here is certainly Ready Player One but that one is specific. To read it, it is more something like unlocking a class specific quest. If you have experienced the same things as the author had, then you can completely immerse yourself in it. So, it is incomparable to other LitRPG books, and it may not even be a pure LitRPG, but definetely has more common things with the genre than not.
Another great book is Dominion of Blades. That is the first book read by me after RPO that is a pure LitRPG. I was amazed by it. I might have been more amazed at the fact that I have finally found something that is close to the "king" than at the book itself, but never the less I think it still deserved a high rating. This was me setting the bar without much experience in the genre.
Exploring further, I have come to the The Gam3 series. Opposite to the epic fantasy setting, this is a fully cyberpunk, futuristic, sci-fi environment in which almost everything is possible. Think Deus Ex, then mix it with Hyperion, and then check what happens when it is on steroids.
The imagination of the author is unbelievable. So much depth to the whole story. You only scratch the hidden big picture but not to the level that you would feel unfulfilled. You more feel like exploring the universe together with the character.
Developing the character is again amazing. The things he does impact himself and the environment and you cannot wait to see what the next game message would be. The ideas are so good, the perspective given is that even if you are insignificant, you can become something with the right choices. But who is the best to guide you? Choices are always there but which ones are optimal? Who can help you steer the wheel? Who can you trust leading you without having a personal agenda? There are too many pieces in the game, and too much moving parts. Amazing.
I also like the writing style. Very easy to read, very much to the point. No wasted time or wasted sentences.
I feel lucky as this was a book one and the series has just started. The sequel is already out, so I am going to pick up the next one and hope that it lives to the expectations. My bar is finally set and now I have a pure LitRPG that I can compare other books to.
As the final verdict, I think it was amazing, so full 5 stars from me. Recommended to everyone, but deemed a must for cyberpunk sci-fi LitRPG lovers.
Since diving into the LitRPG genre, I am trying to pick up the right books and set the expectations bar. The absolute king here is certainly Ready Player One but that one is specific. To read it, it is more something like unlocking a class specific quest. If you have experienced the same things as the author had, then you can completely immerse yourself in it. So, it is incomparable to other LitRPG books, and it may not even be a pure LitRPG, but definetely has more common things with the genre than not.
Another great book is Dominion of Blades. That is the first book read by me after RPO that is a pure LitRPG. I was amazed by it. I might have been more amazed at the fact that I have finally found something that is close to the "king" than at the book itself, but never the less I think it still deserved a high rating. This was me setting the bar without much experience in the genre.
Exploring further, I have come to the The Gam3 series. Opposite to the epic fantasy setting, this is a fully cyberpunk, futuristic, sci-fi environment in which almost everything is possible. Think Deus Ex, then mix it with Hyperion, and then check what happens when it is on steroids.
The imagination of the author is unbelievable. So much depth to the whole story. You only scratch the hidden big picture but not to the level that you would feel unfulfilled. You more feel like exploring the universe together with the character.
Developing the character is again amazing. The things he does impact himself and the environment and you cannot wait to see what the next game message would be. The ideas are so good, the perspective given is that even if you are insignificant, you can become something with the right choices. But who is the best to guide you? Choices are always there but which ones are optimal? Who can help you steer the wheel? Who can you trust leading you without having a personal agenda? There are too many pieces in the game, and too much moving parts. Amazing.
I also like the writing style. Very easy to read, very much to the point. No wasted time or wasted sentences.
I feel lucky as this was a book one and the series has just started. The sequel is already out, so I am going to pick up the next one and hope that it lives to the expectations. My bar is finally set and now I have a pure LitRPG that I can compare other books to.
As the final verdict, I think it was amazing, so full 5 stars from me. Recommended to everyone, but deemed a must for cyberpunk sci-fi LitRPG lovers.
August 25, 2016
There are maybe three really good LitRPG books set in a SciFi world/universe and this is, maybe, the best of them. I'm usually pretty loth to read science fiction book even though as a youth I devoured them, but LitRPG adds a new taste to the genre that makes it interesting. I would recommend this book to any science fiction reader or LitRPG fan. You can't possibly go wrong buying this one.
September 9, 2016
This story has more holes then Swizz cheese. Besides the illogical plot and foreshadowing that hits the reader like a brick, its simply lacking in everything besides world building.
What where the characters name again? I forgot even though I dropped the book only 5 minutes ago. That should sum it.
What where the characters name again? I forgot even though I dropped the book only 5 minutes ago. That should sum it.
March 28, 2016
Such a good premise. Huge scope. If anyone read or watched "No Game, No Life", it's mechanically like a universe scale version of it. I read this for free when it was being released online chapter by chapter, but bought the book as a kudos to the author.
March 23, 2017
Nope. Just nope. This is a bad, bad book...
I suppose I should say something about it... So, the idea behind the story isn't bad... pretty good even. In fact, no aspect of this book does the concept justice. What makes this book so unbearable is the protagonist. He has no personality. No even a bad one. I could not tell you one character trait he possesses. What pissed me off even more, is that everything just comes so easily to the main character... there is no adversity or challenge... everything just seems to be handed to him with no reason, effort, difficulty or explanation. His A.I (Eve) literally does (and is apparently capable of doing) everything and anything. It made no sense; "Oh, you're poor? Here are a billion credits. Hey, I notice you don't have a gun. Take mine. It's the most powerful in the universe." - Okay, so not a direct quote, but you get it.
This book is Ready Player One's poor cousin that nobody really likes. I wouldn't bother. Full disclosure, I only read maybe 80% of this novel. Perhaps, the last 20% were outstanding and brilliant and explained of the weak-ass story that preceded it. Perhaps.
Also. on here it's rated like 4.5/5 right now.... make me question some of these ratings...
I suppose I should say something about it... So, the idea behind the story isn't bad... pretty good even. In fact, no aspect of this book does the concept justice. What makes this book so unbearable is the protagonist. He has no personality. No even a bad one. I could not tell you one character trait he possesses. What pissed me off even more, is that everything just comes so easily to the main character... there is no adversity or challenge... everything just seems to be handed to him with no reason, effort, difficulty or explanation. His A.I (Eve) literally does (and is apparently capable of doing) everything and anything. It made no sense; "Oh, you're poor? Here are a billion credits. Hey, I notice you don't have a gun. Take mine. It's the most powerful in the universe." - Okay, so not a direct quote, but you get it.
This book is Ready Player One's poor cousin that nobody really likes. I wouldn't bother. Full disclosure, I only read maybe 80% of this novel. Perhaps, the last 20% were outstanding and brilliant and explained of the weak-ass story that preceded it. Perhaps.
Also. on here it's rated like 4.5/5 right now.... make me question some of these ratings...
April 23, 2016
I enjoyed this book a lot. It's easily the best book in the LitRPG genre I've read, but that's not really saying much. The writing isn't bad and the book flows well. The world-building was great, and it really felt like I was with the main character in the different locations throughout this book.
That being said there are still a handful of typos and awkward sentences. Not a big deal to me but can be a turn-off to some people. It also had the same kind of overpowered main character that manages to get achievements that no game designer would put in a game. And the attribute/skill system didn't really seem to make sense. But this is pretty standard fair from the LitRPG books I've read.
That being said there are still a handful of typos and awkward sentences. Not a big deal to me but can be a turn-off to some people. It also had the same kind of overpowered main character that manages to get achievements that no game designer would put in a game. And the attribute/skill system didn't really seem to make sense. But this is pretty standard fair from the LitRPG books I've read.
September 15, 2017
4.5 stars ~ really really REALLY liked this book. Liked the character, who was not perfect, liked the virtual world, liked the game, liked the story. Really enjoyable all around and what I like in my gaming books. Definitely ready to jump right into the next one!
April 12, 2017
I signed in just to comment on this book. As of this comment, I've only read 35% of the book, and maybe it gets better, but likely not. This was easily the fastest I've ever gotten a solid opinion of a book.
It sucks.
It's trying to be No Game No Life, and it ends up being SAO. There is no tension, no uphill battle. The characters are dull, even when they aren't busy spouting exposition at each other. The main character in particular is quite possibly the most impulse driven main character I've ever seen, and constantly needs his AI to cover his tracks. Now for those of you who haven't read the book yet, you may ask why there is now an AI. Well the main character made one!
Kinda makes you think if they were so damn easy to get and make that everyone would have one. Since the game decides everything in the universe and all.
I genuinly want to know what the people who rated 4-5 stars were smoking too, because the setting is garbage. You could break "The Gam3" with a sneeze, as the AI and the capsule prove repeatedly. Our main character wouldn't have lasted through the fucking tutorial without these benefits, and he is notably the only one who gets them. It's like calling someone who buys a level 99 character from the get-go in a MMORPG a "good player." No, he got more advantages than everyone else, and without his pet AI he wouldn't be able to find his own face.
Oh, shit, I got pulled back into the black hole that is the main character. I was talking about setting, right? After all, I skipped over the plot, because in 35% of the book, specifically the beginning, the plot is "Hey! Look at this setting! You don't know the ramifications for what we show and you don't know how impressive anything is because this is all you see, but doesn't it sound like a bunch of gamer buzzwords!" That is the plot.
Oh shit, right, the bland setting. Yeah, multiverse game made to stop wars through deciding everything with an immersive sci-fi shooter. Think Mass Effect, but reduced to WoW levels of plot engagement. "What?" you cry, "But Mass Effect was all about the plot engagement!" Yeah, so the game is bland. That's all there is to it.
So to sum it up: no plot, boring characters, boring main character, Marty Sue main character (except not, his AI is), broken game, and something else I'm probably forgetting to mention. Yeah, it deserves a star somewhere between 0 and 2.
It sucks.
It's trying to be No Game No Life, and it ends up being SAO. There is no tension, no uphill battle. The characters are dull, even when they aren't busy spouting exposition at each other. The main character in particular is quite possibly the most impulse driven main character I've ever seen, and constantly needs his AI to cover his tracks. Now for those of you who haven't read the book yet, you may ask why there is now an AI. Well the main character made one!
Kinda makes you think if they were so damn easy to get and make that everyone would have one. Since the game decides everything in the universe and all.
I genuinly want to know what the people who rated 4-5 stars were smoking too, because the setting is garbage. You could break "The Gam3" with a sneeze, as the AI and the capsule prove repeatedly. Our main character wouldn't have lasted through the fucking tutorial without these benefits, and he is notably the only one who gets them. It's like calling someone who buys a level 99 character from the get-go in a MMORPG a "good player." No, he got more advantages than everyone else, and without his pet AI he wouldn't be able to find his own face.
Oh, shit, I got pulled back into the black hole that is the main character. I was talking about setting, right? After all, I skipped over the plot, because in 35% of the book, specifically the beginning, the plot is "Hey! Look at this setting! You don't know the ramifications for what we show and you don't know how impressive anything is because this is all you see, but doesn't it sound like a bunch of gamer buzzwords!" That is the plot.
Oh shit, right, the bland setting. Yeah, multiverse game made to stop wars through deciding everything with an immersive sci-fi shooter. Think Mass Effect, but reduced to WoW levels of plot engagement. "What?" you cry, "But Mass Effect was all about the plot engagement!" Yeah, so the game is bland. That's all there is to it.
So to sum it up: no plot, boring characters, boring main character, Marty Sue main character (except not, his AI is), broken game, and something else I'm probably forgetting to mention. Yeah, it deserves a star somewhere between 0 and 2.
October 26, 2018
This was a refreshing change of pace within the litrpg/gamelit genre since it has a sci-fi setting rather than a fantasy one. I still enjoy and prefer fantasy overall, but it's always nice to cleanse the palette every now and then. This reminded me a bit of Mass Effect, which I enjoyed, so that was a positive.
I didn't hate the main character, but it also kind of bothered me how he was basically just a beta male being bossed around by this person, then that person, then this person, and also the A.I. that he supposedly was able to create himself with an online tutorial. He also was constantly being given ludicrous rewards and skills while just being bossed around.
To me the socially inept and incompetent but secretly OP snowflake who the girls should all be miraculously interested in is a very annoying trope in gamelit. Fortunately this guy is a decent human being rather than a straight troll despite the previously mentioned character flaws. The other redeeming quality here is that, compared to other books that just continue to heap praise on the unworthy character, the author has a couple other voices in the story tell this guy that he should stop relying on his A.I. so much and learn to make his own decisions.
So rather than having a problem with a particular type of character, I would say the problem is that most stories don't call the character out for what he is. This book seems to be playing straight on this so I look forward to seeing this guy develop some initiative of his own.
Overall, a very good book and one that I would say all fans of litrpg/gamelit should read since it expands the horizons of the genre.
I didn't hate the main character, but it also kind of bothered me how he was basically just a beta male being bossed around by this person, then that person, then this person, and also the A.I. that he supposedly was able to create himself with an online tutorial. He also was constantly being given ludicrous rewards and skills while just being bossed around.
To me the socially inept and incompetent but secretly OP snowflake who the girls should all be miraculously interested in is a very annoying trope in gamelit. Fortunately this guy is a decent human being rather than a straight troll despite the previously mentioned character flaws. The other redeeming quality here is that, compared to other books that just continue to heap praise on the unworthy character, the author has a couple other voices in the story tell this guy that he should stop relying on his A.I. so much and learn to make his own decisions.
So rather than having a problem with a particular type of character, I would say the problem is that most stories don't call the character out for what he is. This book seems to be playing straight on this so I look forward to seeing this guy develop some initiative of his own.
Overall, a very good book and one that I would say all fans of litrpg/gamelit should read since it expands the horizons of the genre.
December 11, 2016
A swing and a whiff heard around the world. So give this one a pass, trust me, the market is pretty much saturated with LitRPGs these days (and I am happy about that).
There are some good ideas here, and there are some entertaining bits. That's it though, it is not even at the same level as the sum of its parts. It's held together by info dumps, stupid, and idea shifts. The author seemed to change his mind about what he was doing or where he was going from chapter to chapter. The real protagonist is the AI Eve, for sure, because the person, Alan, that is the point of view of the story is...well, I think there is evidence that he is actually mentally handicapped. Forrest Gump level slow here.
And don't get me started on the plot holes. No, seriously.
The trappings are there, but they are all the same trappings as every other mediocre LitRPG, just with an AI in the "hero's" head as the overpowered ability, and some pew pew guns. Ugh, now I remember the so-called overarching plot/story. I'm going to go drink until I forget it.
I do not recommend this book.
There are some good ideas here, and there are some entertaining bits. That's it though, it is not even at the same level as the sum of its parts. It's held together by info dumps, stupid, and idea shifts. The author seemed to change his mind about what he was doing or where he was going from chapter to chapter. The real protagonist is the AI Eve, for sure, because the person, Alan, that is the point of view of the story is...well, I think there is evidence that he is actually mentally handicapped. Forrest Gump level slow here.
And don't get me started on the plot holes. No, seriously.
The trappings are there, but they are all the same trappings as every other mediocre LitRPG, just with an AI in the "hero's" head as the overpowered ability, and some pew pew guns. Ugh, now I remember the so-called overarching plot/story. I'm going to go drink until I forget it.
I do not recommend this book.
September 21, 2017
I am not sure if it was really worthy of 5 stars or if Nick Podehl narration tricked me into it, but I really did enjoy the "litrpgish" book. I added the "ish" because the Gam3 is basically a reflection of reality, albeit a slightly easier reality to improve and advance oneself. Now the reality reflected is a sci fi universe and there is real world impacts based on actions in the Gam3, so it is almost like inside the game is really the true reality. Yes I am probably over complicating things, but now that the second book on the series has come out, it is worth a read for sure. If you are into sci-fi and/or litrpg type books.
May 25, 2016
It was interesting but the main character was annoying and plain stupid on more than one occasion. Anyway the overall plot was intriguing and the world and its backstory were pretty detailed. I'm definitely reading the sequel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2020
I am a relatively new fan of litRPG so I have only read books by 2-3 authors so far. That being said, I love this book. I love the adventure and the characters. This book totally hooked me so I can't wait to read more of the series.
November 20, 2020
Rating 3.5 stars
This is an online MMORPG type book with a bit of a twist. Aliens have come to the earth and told them about the Game. Species have gone to war and caused destruction to the point where someone stepped in to stop it. Not stop the conflict and the wars but stop the destruction. They introduced the game. This is where people/aliens in the real world get loaded into a virtual reality world that is similar to the real world and fight their fights there. The winners of the fight in the game win the rewards in the real world. The rule is that only something that can exist in the real world is allowed in the game. That doesn't mean there aren't cool abilities. There isn't magic per se but there is psionics which sort of act like magic. This is more a sci fi type story instead of a fantasy story.
The story is told from the point of view of a new player on earth named Alan. I have read other reviews that called Alan a moron and the setup didn't make any sense. He was supposed to be a great gamer and tech genius who built his own AI. He was so good in fact that he was loaned 10 million dollars to get a state of the art capsule to play the game. When he got in the game it became almost immediately apparent that he didn't really know anything. I can see how that contradiction would put people off. It normally would have done the same for me as well but there were a couple of mitigating circumstances that made this not as big of a problem.
The story itself was simple and complicated at the same time. Earth is now part of the game and in a few years, they will be open to be attacked. Alan's goal is to get stronger to protect the world and pay back his debt. Then complicated part is the political atmosphere. Different groups trying to control the earth now and groups trying to place themselves in a position where they can control the earth in the future. It is hard to figure out who is in the right, who is in the wrong and whom to trust. There are ideas that the game itself is the problem. This wasn't my favorite part but there was enough character development and special abilities that I remained interested. I did wish the author would have made Alan just a little smarter though. I kept tired of hearing ( I listened to the audiobook) him respond with "Uh, sure, or Um okay" whenever he was told anything. If this was a drinking game I would have died 10 times over if I had to drink every time he said something like that. The book was narrated by Nick Podehl, so that was one saving grace.
This is an online MMORPG type book with a bit of a twist. Aliens have come to the earth and told them about the Game. Species have gone to war and caused destruction to the point where someone stepped in to stop it. Not stop the conflict and the wars but stop the destruction. They introduced the game. This is where people/aliens in the real world get loaded into a virtual reality world that is similar to the real world and fight their fights there. The winners of the fight in the game win the rewards in the real world. The rule is that only something that can exist in the real world is allowed in the game. That doesn't mean there aren't cool abilities. There isn't magic per se but there is psionics which sort of act like magic. This is more a sci fi type story instead of a fantasy story.
The story is told from the point of view of a new player on earth named Alan. I have read other reviews that called Alan a moron and the setup didn't make any sense. He was supposed to be a great gamer and tech genius who built his own AI. He was so good in fact that he was loaned 10 million dollars to get a state of the art capsule to play the game. When he got in the game it became almost immediately apparent that he didn't really know anything. I can see how that contradiction would put people off. It normally would have done the same for me as well but there were a couple of mitigating circumstances that made this not as big of a problem.
The story itself was simple and complicated at the same time. Earth is now part of the game and in a few years, they will be open to be attacked. Alan's goal is to get stronger to protect the world and pay back his debt. Then complicated part is the political atmosphere. Different groups trying to control the earth now and groups trying to place themselves in a position where they can control the earth in the future. It is hard to figure out who is in the right, who is in the wrong and whom to trust. There are ideas that the game itself is the problem. This wasn't my favorite part but there was enough character development and special abilities that I remained interested. I did wish the author would have made Alan just a little smarter though. I kept tired of hearing ( I listened to the audiobook) him respond with "Uh, sure, or Um okay" whenever he was told anything. If this was a drinking game I would have died 10 times over if I had to drink every time he said something like that. The book was narrated by Nick Podehl, so that was one saving grace.
July 14, 2019
So close (to 5 stars) yet so far...
This would’ve been a 5 star litrpg except for some reason the author decided that the brilliant mc who created his own AI had to act dumb throughout the whole book. It just didn’t compute (excuse the pun). Beyond that, the world/game and underlying politics were pretty interesting. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
This would’ve been a 5 star litrpg except for some reason the author decided that the brilliant mc who created his own AI had to act dumb throughout the whole book. It just didn’t compute (excuse the pun). Beyond that, the world/game and underlying politics were pretty interesting. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
October 27, 2021
Virtual reality with a twist of truth.
Got this when it was a two books series now there is a three which I’m missing.
This book is kind of like “ Ready Player ‘ but i have a feeling that the difference between them is that what happens in the game is real and that earth is the prize so its a true war game in the galaxy which already many world have been lost to who or what i have no idea yet but i like it.
Great way of fighting a war without distraction.
Thinking and the creation of a story like that only a talented author can do.
As of now it got my recommendation.
Got this when it was a two books series now there is a three which I’m missing.
This book is kind of like “ Ready Player ‘ but i have a feeling that the difference between them is that what happens in the game is real and that earth is the prize so its a true war game in the galaxy which already many world have been lost to who or what i have no idea yet but i like it.
Great way of fighting a war without distraction.
Thinking and the creation of a story like that only a talented author can do.
As of now it got my recommendation.
March 7, 2019
I really like LitRPG books that use the earth as a backdrop, and this book does that (to some extent). While most of the book takes place off earth (or in the game), I still like the way things are handled. There's a lot fo good stuff here, and it's always interesting to see just your average joe dropped into an environment he doesn't know nearly enough about, and see how he comes out. I realize that this is the template for most LitRPG books, and for the most part, this isn't a whole lot different from the masses of LitRPG books out there, but I liked the story anyway, and I'd have no trouble recommending it to those who find they enjoy the gamelit or LitRPG genres, it's a nice addition to anyone's book collection
September 25, 2020
So books 1-3 are getting the same review, which will be light on details to avoid spoilers. The overall story is pretty good, which is why this book gets 3 stars at all. The author goes out of his way to make his MC STUPID. For example, in book 1 the MC's highly intelligent AI tells the MC not to speak but the MC childishly shoots his mouth off anyway and ends up getting himself and his party hunted by the world government. Later, the MC attempts to hack the game in manners that will get him killed in real life but goes ahead with both attempts without even really thinking about them- he just does it because he wants to. In the first case the MC is caught AND WARNED even though the author has, up to this point, claimed the MC would be killed if caught. In the second case the MC succeeds and gets a reward way beyond his level. And that is the MC in a nutshell- acts stupidly but avoids any serious repercussions and often is rewarded due to dumb luck rather than competency.
Bottom line: Worth the read if you can stomach the idiot MC.
Bottom line: Worth the read if you can stomach the idiot MC.
December 8, 2020
Only a half hour in and I'm already so frustrated that I had to swing by here and peek at some reviews. Seeing how many other people agree with my observations so far, and I don't feel like I need to finish this book.
Alan is woefully inept. As many others have pointed out, this kid is so good, someone is willing to invest $10 million in his ability to play "The Gam3," and he is able to write an exceedingly competent AI specifically for this game, he admits to preparing for the game by...playing video games, and yet he seems to have such a basic knowledge of MMORPG games, I have to wonder if the author just discovered them himself or if he thinks his target demo is people who have just discovered them.
Really, really basic things like his HUD "buttons" (I've played my fair share of games but have never heard in-game menus referred to as buttons, but that's a super minor nitpick, I know), Alan views with doe-eyed wonder. He seems to have no idea how to interact with Eve, his AI, which again—he wrote. Did you never debug her, dude? And then when Eve tells him to do something right away, he responds "huh...wha?" Bro, you're in a game, you know you're in a game, and you ostensibly know how games work. If you see a quick time event, you press X and process it afterward. If you hear the music ramp up, you gauge your surroundings and prepare for battle. If your character winces and your screen flashes red, you dodge and find your attacker. If your superior AI tells you to run—you run. You can ask her about it after the immediate threat is no longer immediate. You idiot.
The idea is great. Execution is not. At all.
Alan is woefully inept. As many others have pointed out, this kid is so good, someone is willing to invest $10 million in his ability to play "The Gam3," and he is able to write an exceedingly competent AI specifically for this game, he admits to preparing for the game by...playing video games, and yet he seems to have such a basic knowledge of MMORPG games, I have to wonder if the author just discovered them himself or if he thinks his target demo is people who have just discovered them.
Really, really basic things like his HUD "buttons" (I've played my fair share of games but have never heard in-game menus referred to as buttons, but that's a super minor nitpick, I know), Alan views with doe-eyed wonder. He seems to have no idea how to interact with Eve, his AI, which again—he wrote. Did you never debug her, dude? And then when Eve tells him to do something right away, he responds "huh...wha?" Bro, you're in a game, you know you're in a game, and you ostensibly know how games work. If you see a quick time event, you press X and process it afterward. If you hear the music ramp up, you gauge your surroundings and prepare for battle. If your character winces and your screen flashes red, you dodge and find your attacker. If your superior AI tells you to run—you run. You can ask her about it after the immediate threat is no longer immediate. You idiot.
The idea is great. Execution is not. At all.
July 16, 2019
*throws book on ground* Another!!
Extremely nerdy book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Extremely nerdy book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
February 2, 2017
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed and parts that drove me nuts. Here is this guy that was selected for a super AI, that has an investment made on his behalf, that can accomplish anything, yet he is so obtuse that he can't make basic decisions. He has no friends. He has no relationship with his family. He agrees to everything people ask him to do. This book is more about an AI and it's human servant than a human with an intelligent virtual assistant. It did improve by the end (thank the Bunny Overlords for that!)
My biggest grip about this book is that it's just a prequel. I invested money and time in a book that sets up a world and a game but never gets past the beginning. It's like buying a video game and realizing all you got was a tutorial.
My biggest grip about this book is that it's just a prequel. I invested money and time in a book that sets up a world and a game but never gets past the beginning. It's like buying a video game and realizing all you got was a tutorial.
September 9, 2018
Despite what it tells you on the info; this is not the story of Alan. Alan is not the nerdy genius super smart guy, he is not imaginative, I sincerely doubt he even has brain cells.
What Alan has, is an AI he somehow created.
This is the story of that down on its(her) luck, forced to puppet a bumbling idiot of a guy to survival.
Luckily Alan is also given an all powerful plot armor by the writer so the AI needs to only prevent Alan from being an idiot, which is no easy task.
What Alan has, is an AI he somehow created.
This is the story of that down on its(her) luck, forced to puppet a bumbling idiot of a guy to survival.
Luckily Alan is also given an all powerful plot armor by the writer so the AI needs to only prevent Alan from being an idiot, which is no easy task.
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