Side Quest

by Christopher Kerns

One man's to bring his team home.

Falling from grace leaves a mark, even in virtual reality.

No one knows that better than Mitch Mantock, an ex-gaming phenom now scraping by in the back alleys of Skirmish, the most popular virtual reality game in 2055.

When his mentor reveals that Mitch's old team—a ragtag band of gamers with more baggage than bullets—has vanished, Mitch knows he's their only chance to get home alive.

Now, all he has to do is track down his old teammates in a series of unknown virtual worlds, defeat an undefeatable artificial intelligence program, and find his way back in one piece. No big deal.

SIDE QUEST is a page-turning sci-fi adventure that brings you along for the ride as our hero fights, sneaks, and bargains his way back home through a collection of VR game worlds—blasting digital zombie cowboys with one hand while trying to keep his old team together with the other … no matter what it takes.

Buy SIDE QUEST and log in to adventure today.

342 pages, Paperback

Published August 5, 2017

About the author

**Get the latest news on fiction and tech by signing up for my Insider's List at www.ChristopherKerns.com**

Christopher Kerns is a lifelong nerd. He is the author of SIDE QUEST and the Haylie Black series (CRASH ALIVE and CRASH INTO PIECES.) He writes fiction about the intersection of interesting characters and technology, and what happens when the two collide.

He has over two decades of experience as a technology consultant, data researcher, and software executive. His thoughts and opinions on technology have been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and more.

He lives in Austin, Texas with his lovely wife and two troublemaking kids, filling his spare time absorbing every geeky book, movie, and video game he can get his hands on.

Website: www.ChristopherKerns.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ChristopherKerns.author
Twitter: @chriskerns
Email: chris@chris-kerns.com
PSN gamertag: bbqscientist

Reviews

[Dee Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is classified LitRPG which is a new genre for me. I enjoyed this though I am not a gamer. I remember playing Zork for the first time and being completely obsessed with it for a time and then when the kids came along I played some of their games. This book evoked some of the tension and adrenalin rush though I think I probably would have felt more connected if I was into some of the games my son plays. I am not sure my heart could take it! It was interesting to see how the main character evolved though he was not very likable at first. I would have liked to see a little more of the “real-world” character of the other players and while I appreciate that there were two female players, what little interaction there was, made them seem very male. The author is male so maybe some female gamers will read and review and give some perspective on how that might improve.

The concept of code that evolves to where it is writing itself is kind of cool and since my only knowledge of code is Basic which isn’t really code at all (and is old like Zork - I am sure the author is laughing at me for this!) we are way beyond my scope of understanding but it was still fascinating.

I thought the game worlds were well done and from what I could tell, might be somewhat familiar if I played more recent games. One level was Minecraft-like. I was able to visualize the worlds as the players leveled up.

This genre probably holds more appeal for an audience somewhat younger than I am. A fun read.

[Nick Burtner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. The writing was fun, the locations were varied, and the characters believable. Waiting to see what more the author has come up with.

[Leibowitz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the idea, really not a fan of the way it was written out.

[matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

As a big fan of the genre I look forward to New installments, an interesting look at the future of humans.