Prison Quest

by Saffron Bryant, Mikey Campling

Cody's world is about to be stripped away.
Working security for Vortax Corp has its perks, but when you 're paid to protect a high-ranking scientist, the stakes are high. And there's something shady going on at Vortax - Cody can smell it. But before she can uncover the truth, she's framed for a crime she didn't commit. Thrown into a virtual prison world, Cody has to fight to survive. She must escape, and maybe she can make it, but only if she completes the Prison Quest. Join Cody as she battles mutants and monsters in a fast-paced adventure that blends science fiction and fantasy in a world of virtual reality. You'll enjoy following Cody on her quest, because everyone loves to root for the underdog in a fight for justice.
Get it today.

438 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2018

About the author

Saffron Bryant is a biomedical scientist who is about to embark on her PhD. She hopes one day to use her education to cure people of diseases such as cancer.

Saffron is author of the Lost Child Saga. This saga began with The Fallen Star which was released in 2012, and will continue with The Herald of Darkness, to be released later this year.

Saffron loves all things fantasy with a passion for good books, dragons and science. She is also an artist and some of her work can be found at www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/saffr...

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suppose you're just doing your job one day at the goliath Vortax Corp, personnel security but nothing special, but you see something wrong and you try to do the right thing about it. You're former military. Some habits are hard to shake.

And you get demoted to the most crap job for your troubles.

And suppose you see your lone friend, Joseph, in this entire massive compound coming in late for the day and you see that he's not only upset, but that he's actively avoiding you. A genuis programmer who's helped you bypass some of the usual security badge protocols for getting into rooms with a little experiment he'd been working on. And suppose you try to reach him later on when you notice that he hasn't come back out of the building for dinner, but when you find him . . .

Cody Milbourne: Vortax Corporation sentences you to 40 years in Fortress Forty-seven. When you signed your contract to work here, you signed away your legal rights.

With the barest of hints from an iconic Marshall Freddie Johnson in the dusty jail of a broken-down town called Firebrand, Cody is sent out with a wristband displaying her stats, wearing bright orange prison overalls advertising her as fresh meat, and not the first idea what in the hell just happened.

In Firebrand, you can - and will - die. Over and over again. And you'll feel it as if it were really happening. Until you learn. Until you level up. Until you figure out the game. And for Cody, a loner in the real world and not a gamer, the hardest part of all will be that she'll have to learn to trust other people and join a party.

Because rumor has it that there's only one way out of this game, and it's when you take on Prison Quest. The thing is, to get to Prison Quest, you first have to get to a level where you can join party, and then to where the quest starts, and that's after completing many other quests first by yourself and then with your party ventures out past the borders of Firebrand.

When you die outside the borders of Firebrand, you really die. Game over forever, sentence extinguished. You see, this isn't just a prison complex; this is an MMORPG. The question is: do the players know that when they kill a prisoner, someone really dies?

This story was just fun. Levels and bosses that I didn't realize were bosses until they were cleared. Great characters. Two surprises at the end that had me gripping my Kindle so hard I thought I was going to crack the case. I hope there's going to be a sequel!

I'm writing this unbiased review in exchange for an ARC.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prison Quest - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Cody Milbourne is an ex-army sniper reluctantly now working as security guard at Vortex, a company that deals in virtual reality alternate lives. At the hub of the business are the scientists whose job it is to make the VR more appealing and self-renewing, to keep the punters satisfied and the bucks coming in. Worried about her bosses scruples (or lack thereof), Cody confides in her scientist pal Joseph Salter - only to be stunned when not only is he found murdered, but Cody herself has been framed for the deed!

Where is Cody sentenced to go and what happens to her there? Where does she look for a place to stay? Who or what is Firebrand? What happens in this place? Where do inhabitants go to 're-spawn' and why? Why must the Zephyr be avoided at all costs? Who is the leader of the rebels and what happens when Cody encounters them? What Game skills does Cody gain and what level does she reach? What is Fortress 47 and what do Cody and the others find there?

In a place where nothing is as it seems and reality is fast becoming a distant memory, Cody must decide who to trust, (if anyone) and use her skills to literally save her life and possibly that of others. With a risk of being cryogenically frozen against her will and with megalomaniac company management can Cody ever get back to her old life?

I can heartily recommend this novel to fans of Ready Player One and Westworld or anyone who likes something a little different to the usual sci-fi fantasy, as it's an exciting, quick read that you won't want to put down til the very end, with engaging characters and a fast-moving plot.
You'll have to read this fantastic hyper-modern novel by the wonderful Mikey Campling to find out how Cody and the others' stories end...grab your copy today and tell all your friends!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prison Quest is a LitRPG novel. LitRPG is the literary equivalent to role-playing games in which characters must complete quests in order to ‘level up’ or advance throughout the game or story, by acquiring experience points.

In this case, the main character, Cody must forge alliances, learn skills and complete various quests within the virtual game world called Fortress Forty-seven, a dangerous and unforgiving place. All while seeking the allusive Prison Quest, which may hold the key to her escape from both the game and her prison sentence.

While prior knowledge of RPGs would be beneficial, it is unnecessary as Campling and Bryant have put together a very well-written story, complete with easy to comprehend explanations that do not distract the reader from the graceful flow of the narrative.

Beginning in the Wild West themed town of Firebrand, there is an air of relative safety as characters who are unlucky enough to die, simply regenerate in the town jailhouse. However, for those who dare to really push the game to its limits and leave town, venturing into the wild desert wastelands, they must be willing to pay the ultimate price. For beyond the walls of Firebrand, when you die, you die for real, and not just within the confines of the game, but in real life too.

The book contains a wide-array of interesting characters and creatures including: bit roaches, grit worms, venomous cavelings and androids. With its combination of science fiction, fantasy and Westerns, this book is perfect for gamers, sci-fi fans, fantasy fanatics and also fans of Firefly. At 5 out of 5 stars this is a fast-paced, action packed novel that you won’t want to miss. I’ll definitely be checking out more books in the LitRPG genre after this one.

I received a free advanced readers copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read in the gengre! Cody is an overachiever in a just get along world, working for a huge corporation as a security guard, dreaming of advancement to their elite security unit. Imagine her horror when her first encounter with this unit is to be apprehended, tried and convicted, on the spot, when she discovers her friend murdered in his lab. This elite unit of the corporation sentences her to forty years in a virtual prison, Fortress 47. Inmates fight the online gamers. You die within the town limits; you wake up in the town jail, after the ensuing suffering death entails. Day after day until your sentence is fulfilled. You die outside the town limits, you never wake up again! Room for a new prisoner. However there are few quests to help a player level up within the town limits and Cody is a novice. There is one hidden code written in to Fortress 47 to help prisoners escape, the Prison Quest, but first you have to find it! Come along for the ride as Cody races toward her chance at justice! Lose yourself in the game or lose yourself in the story; the action is compelling. The characters have such dimension that you will feel you know them personally, the descriptive writing so enthralling, you will see, feel and taste the things they experience. Pick up your copy right now! I was gifted a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this review. I can't wait until the ebook comes out so I can get a copy!

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

kindle unlimited, had to check this one, as it's gamer type as well as have read everything else from this writer {that is available}

A fast-paced Sci-Fi GameLit / LitRPG adventure.
Cody works the personal security detail at the mighty Vortax Corporation, but when the man she’s paid to protect is found dead, her life is ripped apart. Framed for murder, she’s incarcerated in a virtual world where she must fight to survive. But perhaps she might stand a chance of escape, if only she can complete the Prison Quest.

This book uses the conventions of role playing games, including stats, but non-gamers will be able to follow it with no trouble.

many books, check amazon/goodreads writer's list, but this one in particular there is also CHEATC0DE (The Downlode Heroes #1) in addition to Prison Quest

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't feel I could quite give it a four, mainly due to difficulty. The quest is seriously hyped as difficult but they complete it with relative ease. I kept expecting a final twist to upset everything.
Also, several things were left, such as level differences (people who have been in the game forever aren't even level 20?), the prisoner bounty origin, the fate of other party members, etc.

I look forward to the next book.

[Jennet Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disjointed

As I read the novel thrte were many instead as nces where the author used a phrase tg as t sounded great in isolation but that totally contradicted the previous few paragraphs or were contradictory to any previous character development. I found I was willing myself to like the story there were too many ridiculousimes when the premise underlying the story went one or two steps too far to be believable for even my normally active Imagination.

[Saundra Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read in the genre! Whether you are a gamer or just looking for a great adventure, this book hits the spot. Terrific plotline and very original characters throughout.

Cody is an overachiever in a just get along world, working for a huge corporation as a security guard, dreaming of advancement to their elite security unit. Imagine her horror when her first encounter with this unit is to be apprehended, tried and convicted, on the spot, when she discovers her friend murdered in his lab.

This elite unit of the corporation sentences Cody to forty years in a virtual prison, Fortress 47. Inmates fight the online gamers. You die within the town limits; you wake up in the town jail, after ensuing the suffering your death entails. This is a prisoner’s life day after day until your sentence is fulfilled.

You die outside the town limits, you never wake up again! Room for a new prisoner. However there are few quests to help a player level up within the town limits and Cody is a novice. If she wants to gain points and get to higher levels Cody must venture out of the safe zone, risking actual death repeatedly.

There is a hidden code written in to Fortress 47 to help prisoners escape, the Prison Quest, but first you have to find it! Come along for the ride as Cody races toward her chance at justice! Lose yourself in the game or lose yourself in the story; the action is compelling. The characters have such dimension that you will feel you know them personally, the descriptive writing so enthralling, you will see, feel and taste the things they experience. Pick up your copy right now!

I was gifted a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this review.