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The Tetris Trilogy #1
The Tetris Effect: A Fantasy Thriller Novel
Immortal gods, online gaming, and a reincarnating goldfish … this gamer’s life is about to level up.
Las Vegas, 1983; a landfill site becomes a graveyard for unwanted Atari cartridges. An on-stage regression seance tears open a passage to another dimension.
Present-day; a sequence of cryptic messages and the haunting cry of a spirit animal force the up-all-night streamer, Lars Nilsson, to be kicked from his latest high-stakes gaming obsession.
As the puzzle pieces of Lars’ life fall into place, he is propelled on a journey more challenging than any game, to a land where magical creatures command the purple skies and shadow animals patrol the streets like deadly sentinels.
But what do the challenges of this otherworld have to do with a reclusive gamer, and can Lars come to terms with the true origins of his identity before the land of the dead is lost to a powerful primordial force?
The Tetris Effect is a phenomenon where obsessive gaming can result in the player responding to challenges in the real-world just as they would in a game.
This is a fast-paced contemporary fantasy adventure about change, loss, how we avoid responsibility and where we seek distraction, the life choices that we make and how these decisions impact others.
Las Vegas, 1983; a landfill site becomes a graveyard for unwanted Atari cartridges. An on-stage regression seance tears open a passage to another dimension.
Present-day; a sequence of cryptic messages and the haunting cry of a spirit animal force the up-all-night streamer, Lars Nilsson, to be kicked from his latest high-stakes gaming obsession.
As the puzzle pieces of Lars’ life fall into place, he is propelled on a journey more challenging than any game, to a land where magical creatures command the purple skies and shadow animals patrol the streets like deadly sentinels.
But what do the challenges of this otherworld have to do with a reclusive gamer, and can Lars come to terms with the true origins of his identity before the land of the dead is lost to a powerful primordial force?
The Tetris Effect is a phenomenon where obsessive gaming can result in the player responding to challenges in the real-world just as they would in a game.
This is a fast-paced contemporary fantasy adventure about change, loss, how we avoid responsibility and where we seek distraction, the life choices that we make and how these decisions impact others.
447 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2018
6 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Colin Carvalho Burgess
1 book1 followerColin Carvalho Burgess’ debut fantasy thriller, The Tetris Effect, is available on Amazon Kindle, in paperback, hardback, and now the story continues online as a web serial. www.otherworldbooks.com
Colin has recently written and directed season one of the full cast sci-fi audio drama, Coexistence, rating as a #1 science fiction series on Apple Podcasts UK. @CoexistencePod
Colin has recently written and directed season one of the full cast sci-fi audio drama, Coexistence, rating as a #1 science fiction series on Apple Podcasts UK. @CoexistencePod
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 25, 2018
Every now and then there is a book that completely takes you by surprise. I realized that this was one of those books when, on my way to work, I lifted my eyes from the book and realized I had missed my stop.. Three stops ago. And that was on page 20. After that I had to put an alarm on my phone to make sure I would be pulled back to reality and on time to get off the tube. It makes you look at things differently and is one of those books that seem to linger around, and you find yourself reliving a scene over and over again. It is not a light read, and not for the faint of heart but boy it is worth every precious second reading it.
June 1, 2018
This is such an incredible and multi-layered book! While it’s a beautiful story about two people trying to get closer to who they truly are and learning how to deal with different kinds of losses, the author was able to describe their trajectory in such a light and fun way that this book is still very light and easily enjoyable to YA and mature readers. My guess is that different readers will have their own distinct experiences reading this depending on how they’re feeling and how some of the topics here relate to their lives, but also that they will all get something from it.
I especially enjoyed how the author applied different styles and voices to the main characters, which made them three-dimensional. Although some elements of the story are shared with other fantasy style books, the use of these references as a greater symbolism (I won’t spoil it for you!) and mixture of genres make this a very interesting and refreshing work.
All in all, this is a truly fun and yet emotional book that will stay with you for a long time after you finish it.
I especially enjoyed how the author applied different styles and voices to the main characters, which made them three-dimensional. Although some elements of the story are shared with other fantasy style books, the use of these references as a greater symbolism (I won’t spoil it for you!) and mixture of genres make this a very interesting and refreshing work.
All in all, this is a truly fun and yet emotional book that will stay with you for a long time after you finish it.
May 18, 2018
This book was a complete rollercoaster ride and I was totally hooked from the beginning. The book was filled with twist and turns. There were so many moments where thought I had everything figured out but next there would a twist that would throw all my theories out of the window.
I loved the concept of the book. The whole mix up of game, gamers, supernatural beings and spiritual science was something I absolutely loved. Another thing I loved about the book was the way it ended, the book ended with a something that I had definitely not expected. I totally need to get the next book of the series now, because the end just left with so many questions.
I agree the book had a few moments where I lost interest a bit, but still these phases only lasted for a page or two before the book recaptured my interest again.
Final word
I think all Urban Fantasy lovers should go for this book, because I think you would completely love it.
I loved the concept of the book. The whole mix up of game, gamers, supernatural beings and spiritual science was something I absolutely loved. Another thing I loved about the book was the way it ended, the book ended with a something that I had definitely not expected. I totally need to get the next book of the series now, because the end just left with so many questions.
I agree the book had a few moments where I lost interest a bit, but still these phases only lasted for a page or two before the book recaptured my interest again.
Final word
I think all Urban Fantasy lovers should go for this book, because I think you would completely love it.
March 22, 2018
Gaming is a very big part of a lot of people’s lives. Part of this story is about a game called Atari Shock. People from around the world log in and play the game to acquire items. The more they play, the higher the level and more goodies. But it is a constant battle getting to the top and staying there.
Lars is one of those people. It is an obsession and you can see how it affects his marriage and work. Lars is very high up in this ranking until a lot of other players banded together and essential knocked him back to square one. But something is trying to get his attention. It’s convenient that work is sending him to Japan. It seems fate has more in store for him.
Malcolm Van Peterson has discovered a way to project the spirit to the afterlife. But to do so has opened a door and let the gatekeepers into our world. Without the ancient gods to guard the afterlife it is open to other intervention.
This story has two completely different stories that comes together in the most interesting way. I admit that I’m not much of a gamer. I learned early one that I don’t have the patience or skill for games. But I do see how some people get addicted to them. Lars is one of those people. He gets knocked off his throne in Atari Shock and is having a hard time dealing with this.
Then there is Van Peterson. Although he is trying to find that space between Heaven and Hell, he is opening up the world to complete destruction. It seems the ancient gods have grown tired of their roles. Then when two step out of their roles to spend time as mortals, it’s a low blow to those left behind. They are clearly ready to spend time away from their created roles.
This is a wonderful story. I love of you have two stories that seem to be completely opposite that circle around each other, combine, and then become something else completely. It was so easy to get into this story. And when you think you might know what is going on, you are off in another direction.
I recommend checking this one out. For a first book and the beginning of a trilogy I think it was very well executed. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
Lars is one of those people. It is an obsession and you can see how it affects his marriage and work. Lars is very high up in this ranking until a lot of other players banded together and essential knocked him back to square one. But something is trying to get his attention. It’s convenient that work is sending him to Japan. It seems fate has more in store for him.
Malcolm Van Peterson has discovered a way to project the spirit to the afterlife. But to do so has opened a door and let the gatekeepers into our world. Without the ancient gods to guard the afterlife it is open to other intervention.
This story has two completely different stories that comes together in the most interesting way. I admit that I’m not much of a gamer. I learned early one that I don’t have the patience or skill for games. But I do see how some people get addicted to them. Lars is one of those people. He gets knocked off his throne in Atari Shock and is having a hard time dealing with this.
Then there is Van Peterson. Although he is trying to find that space between Heaven and Hell, he is opening up the world to complete destruction. It seems the ancient gods have grown tired of their roles. Then when two step out of their roles to spend time as mortals, it’s a low blow to those left behind. They are clearly ready to spend time away from their created roles.
This is a wonderful story. I love of you have two stories that seem to be completely opposite that circle around each other, combine, and then become something else completely. It was so easy to get into this story. And when you think you might know what is going on, you are off in another direction.
I recommend checking this one out. For a first book and the beginning of a trilogy I think it was very well executed. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
October 30, 2018
Needs work, blurb/advertisement misleading
Needs much better editing. Grammar is fine, its the story structure, the time jumps are unannounced and not even realized without reading the blurb again. No dates, no hints, just one solid wall of info without a lot of context. The writing style is good, but the story itself just needs a bit of work to make it better.
I was tempted several times to quit reading due to the story not making any sense. IT wasn’t unti around the 60% mark that things started to make more sense when I realized there were unannounced time jumps happening. Still. The book bills itself as a Game lit, and it is barely one. It feels like the advertisement is false.
Overall, it could be a good book, but it’s not a GameLit, and barely an urban fantasy. Its one that’s hard to categorize, and honestly, I just don’t want to try.
Needs much better editing. Grammar is fine, its the story structure, the time jumps are unannounced and not even realized without reading the blurb again. No dates, no hints, just one solid wall of info without a lot of context. The writing style is good, but the story itself just needs a bit of work to make it better.
I was tempted several times to quit reading due to the story not making any sense. IT wasn’t unti around the 60% mark that things started to make more sense when I realized there were unannounced time jumps happening. Still. The book bills itself as a Game lit, and it is barely one. It feels like the advertisement is false.
Overall, it could be a good book, but it’s not a GameLit, and barely an urban fantasy. Its one that’s hard to categorize, and honestly, I just don’t want to try.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews