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Gamerunner #1
Game Runner
Rick is a Gamerunner. His job is to test there are no glitches or bugs in The Maze - the computer game that is much more than just a computer game. In The Maze you physically become your avatar. You fight, run and loot, all the time avoiding the deadly slicing traps - whirling blades that appear from nowhere. Rick has known nothing outside The Maze and his life at the headquarters of Crater, the company that created The Maze. When Rick's father falls out of favour and Rick is faced with being thrown out of Crater HQ into the outside world - a world of flesh-dissolving acid rain and ferocious, feral roving gangs - Rick has some life-changing decisions to make ...
Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
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127 people want to read
About the author
B.R. Collins
9 books80 followersB.R. Collins is a graduate of both university and drama school. Her first novel The Traitor Game was published to much acclaim and was both winner of the Branford Boase Award 2009 and longlisted for the 2009 Carnegie Medal. Bridget lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
A Trick of the Dark, published by Bloomsbury in September 2009 and in paperback in September 2010, is her extraordinary, electric and tautly thrilling second novel.
Tyme's End, published by Bloomsbury in January 2011, is a psychological thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.
Gamerunner, published by Bloomsbury in July 2011, is a stunning departure into a future world of computer gaming.
The Broken Road, published by Bloomsbury in February 2012, is a powerful new novel based around the Children’s Crusades.
Read B R Collins's blog here
Watch the book trailer for Gamerunner
A Trick of the Dark, published by Bloomsbury in September 2009 and in paperback in September 2010, is her extraordinary, electric and tautly thrilling second novel.
Tyme's End, published by Bloomsbury in January 2011, is a psychological thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seats.
Gamerunner, published by Bloomsbury in July 2011, is a stunning departure into a future world of computer gaming.
The Broken Road, published by Bloomsbury in February 2012, is a powerful new novel based around the Children’s Crusades.
Read B R Collins's blog here
Watch the book trailer for Gamerunner
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 17, 2011
As soon as you open the pages of Gamerunner you are immediately plunged into a very strange but horrifyingly realistic future where computer games are more of an alternate reality than a hobby. Gamers can live out most of their days in a game tank where their bodies and minds are hooked up to The Maze and through their avatars they can explore an unending world. When you think about it, this isn't actually that far from a couple of games that are around today - The Sims, World of Warcraft and perhaps most alarmingly Second Life where you can create yourself virtually and live a virtual life. I say alarmingly because with developments in gaming like these, coupled with increasingly immersive experiences - like the Xbox Kinect - it's not actually that hard to imagine the future that B. R. Collins has created. It doesn't need too much mental exercise to envision a company like Google or Apple or Nintendo could create something that would make them the most powerful entity on the planet and in order to escape the horrors of a ruined world, people become enslaved to them, addicted to the virtual world because the real one is so unbearable. This future gives Gamerunner actually quite a frightening premise and you can feel the threat of this reality looming as you read, like a drum-laden soundtrack thrumming in your ears.
The hero, Rick, is one of those heros whom you don't know whether to cry over or slap around the face. The reader is plunged into this world with him and not told anything so you have to suck up every scrap of information the author feeds you in order to understand what's happening and understand Rick's situation. This is actually a really clever piece of writing as it makes the reader feel the kind of dark chaos and confusion that Rick feels as his world suddenly changes and no one will tell him why it has changed. He then makes some really stupid decisions (which is when I wanted to slap him!) but he's making those decisions based on his life and the reactions he would have in The Maze - and that's the point at which I want to cry over him because actually, his life is The Maze and he has so little experience of real life that he doesn't know what to do or how to behave in reality. You go through his first real world experiences with him that he should have had as a child but is only just getting round to them as a teenager, like crying, pain and death. It's like his realities have switched but unlike The Maze where he can just start again when he dies, he can't escape the horrors of real life and he doesn't know how to cope with them. And no one will help him.
I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness as I read this book and funnily enough it was actually the kind of heart-hollowing loneliness I often felt when I used to play computer games for too long. B. R. Collins really knows how to tap into that part of your psyche that is attached to playing games and if you don't play computer games, you'll know exactly how it feels.
Gamerunner is not a happy read but it is a very important read, a brilliantly written insight into a dangerously possible future where care for the real world has been replaced by care for a virtual world. As the real world becomes less habitable for humans, the virtual world becomes the only place where a person can really live but it is just as cut throat and unforgiving and gradually enslaves the entire population who are addicted to escaping the world they've ruined. Despite being in a privileged position, Rick is no exception to this, he is the greatest slave of all: a slave to his father, a slave to The Maze, a slave to Crater, a slave to the outside world, Undone, and because he's never learnt how to live in the real world he is first and foremost a slave to himself.
Lyrical Reviews
The hero, Rick, is one of those heros whom you don't know whether to cry over or slap around the face. The reader is plunged into this world with him and not told anything so you have to suck up every scrap of information the author feeds you in order to understand what's happening and understand Rick's situation. This is actually a really clever piece of writing as it makes the reader feel the kind of dark chaos and confusion that Rick feels as his world suddenly changes and no one will tell him why it has changed. He then makes some really stupid decisions (which is when I wanted to slap him!) but he's making those decisions based on his life and the reactions he would have in The Maze - and that's the point at which I want to cry over him because actually, his life is The Maze and he has so little experience of real life that he doesn't know what to do or how to behave in reality. You go through his first real world experiences with him that he should have had as a child but is only just getting round to them as a teenager, like crying, pain and death. It's like his realities have switched but unlike The Maze where he can just start again when he dies, he can't escape the horrors of real life and he doesn't know how to cope with them. And no one will help him.
I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness as I read this book and funnily enough it was actually the kind of heart-hollowing loneliness I often felt when I used to play computer games for too long. B. R. Collins really knows how to tap into that part of your psyche that is attached to playing games and if you don't play computer games, you'll know exactly how it feels.
Gamerunner is not a happy read but it is a very important read, a brilliantly written insight into a dangerously possible future where care for the real world has been replaced by care for a virtual world. As the real world becomes less habitable for humans, the virtual world becomes the only place where a person can really live but it is just as cut throat and unforgiving and gradually enslaves the entire population who are addicted to escaping the world they've ruined. Despite being in a privileged position, Rick is no exception to this, he is the greatest slave of all: a slave to his father, a slave to The Maze, a slave to Crater, a slave to the outside world, Undone, and because he's never learnt how to live in the real world he is first and foremost a slave to himself.
Lyrical Reviews
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August 11, 2013Not impressed... I hadn't gotten far into this when I was like...
Then around halfway I was...
Then three quarters through...
Final thoughts...
Cause apparently this was intended to be a children's book! What a great encouragement for getting kids to read, present them with a shit piece of shit with a deceiving cover and a pack of lies in the description that misuses the term "action packed". Not to mention that stupid scene where they insult each other by saying "muck you" instead of fuck you. Was the author trying to censor her very limited vocabulary?? And what's the point, every kid these days know nearly every swear word.
It took me a week, yes a whole fucking week to force myself through approximately 200 pages!!
This book sucked to a whole new level. The reason? Because it had so much promise with it being set in the future and in a dystopian setting. This whole idea had so much potential that was shamefully wasted in this piece of shit that's worse than Reached!
This is one of those books that hardly has anything happen and hardly anything is explained. Like this ASTERION that everyone seemed to want, but it was never really explained why and WHAT exactly did it do that made everyone crave it so much. Not to mention it never told us what ASTERION was.
So in my opinion this was a load shit that had a good setting with loads of promise that was wasted pitifully. Not fucking worth it (again)!
Then around halfway I was...
Then three quarters through...
Final thoughts...
Cause apparently this was intended to be a children's book! What a great encouragement for getting kids to read, present them with a shit piece of shit with a deceiving cover and a pack of lies in the description that misuses the term "action packed". Not to mention that stupid scene where they insult each other by saying "muck you" instead of fuck you. Was the author trying to censor her very limited vocabulary?? And what's the point, every kid these days know nearly every swear word.
It took me a week, yes a whole fucking week to force myself through approximately 200 pages!!
This book sucked to a whole new level. The reason? Because it had so much promise with it being set in the future and in a dystopian setting. This whole idea had so much potential that was shamefully wasted in this piece of shit that's worse than Reached!
This is one of those books that hardly has anything happen and hardly anything is explained. Like this ASTERION that everyone seemed to want, but it was never really explained why and WHAT exactly did it do that made everyone crave it so much. Not to mention it never told us what ASTERION was.
So in my opinion this was a load shit that had a good setting with loads of promise that was wasted pitifully. Not fucking worth it (again)!
June 19, 2017
This is an intense read. Many people seem to have opened this book expecting lots of action - and have been disappointed by the lack of more dungeon crawling - but B.R. Collins excels with the psychological and emotional tension.
I can't convey how much I love her characters. Everyone is hard to figure out and not entirely what they look like. Rick is nothing but a kid and can't seem to understand the world of the adults around him, feeling estranged from the only father figure he knows, and isn't sure if he should fear or love. I like how flawed he is; it's hard for children to behave like like children in kids books, they're all out there saving the world and accomplishing enormous deeds, but Rick is cowardly and curious, he does the wrong things at the worst possible times, fucking up royally. Good people can do bad things too, even with the best intentions, good people can be forgetful of others, be selfish - and it's good to have a book that shows that.
Meanwhile, Daed is a puzzle himself, comforting Rick and doing everything in his power to keep him safe and protected - but who is to protect Rick of Daed? Their relationship is problematic but a pleasure to read about!
There are so many layers to the characters and to the story. And it hits home, it really does, when you've spent some time of your life inside a game and has trouble accomodating to the real world outside - when something fake is better than reality itself. It's a recurring theme for Collins, and something I loved from The Traitor Game as well.
I can't convey how much I love her characters. Everyone is hard to figure out and not entirely what they look like. Rick is nothing but a kid and can't seem to understand the world of the adults around him, feeling estranged from the only father figure he knows, and isn't sure if he should fear or love. I like how flawed he is; it's hard for children to behave like like children in kids books, they're all out there saving the world and accomplishing enormous deeds, but Rick is cowardly and curious, he does the wrong things at the worst possible times, fucking up royally. Good people can do bad things too, even with the best intentions, good people can be forgetful of others, be selfish - and it's good to have a book that shows that.
Meanwhile, Daed is a puzzle himself, comforting Rick and doing everything in his power to keep him safe and protected - but who is to protect Rick of Daed? Their relationship is problematic but a pleasure to read about!
There are so many layers to the characters and to the story. And it hits home, it really does, when you've spent some time of your life inside a game and has trouble accomodating to the real world outside - when something fake is better than reality itself. It's a recurring theme for Collins, and something I loved from The Traitor Game as well.
April 24, 2021
This was actually okay but the world building is non-existent and the plot seems directionless.
August 26, 2018
First things first this is the most awful empty boring misleading book i have ever read! And that's really something for me... The characters are so badly written that you don't know any of them nor care about them. Rick ,the main antagonist, is a boy which seems the have lost his memory since he doesn't even know if his dad is his dad.... He is literally dumb, self centered and ignorant. All he does is nouse around, play the game (barely...), orders food which he tends to not eat and has thoughts about the unfairness of his life. The entire book takes place inside a huge building which houses the most popular online game, outside there is an acid rain so living there is impossible for long. Furthermore, we get lots of walking and sulking around.
*I'd like to say spoilers below but there is nothing to spoil thrust me.*
This books sums up to this:
-playing the online game that barely gets explained
-getting scolded for eavesdropping/going to forbidden area's in the game, basically existing
-Rick moping around his room/ the building
-broading on life
-more wandering around
-weird escape attempt to leave the building even though the acid rain would kill you although there are living people outside....
-Planning escape, trying to get on his dad's good side, beating the game, getting banned from the game
-walking around
-Blowing up building because well i have no clue why.... and not dying even though he fell 16(!) stories... the end.
*spoiler mode off*
The only reason I persevered to read this through is because I was really curious where this was going. It didn't get any better, no interesting characters, delirious ending and me wondering why there is a sequal. The problem is not only the story but that the writing is horrible! 5 freaking pages about Rick tearing up his room, why????? Also it is really sad that his dad kinda hates him quoting: 'Rick, you are a stupid, pig-headed little oathbreaker and i'm thorougly disgusted with you. Ok?' Sounds really loving.... Another gem in here is a thought Rick has about the game demo: 'It's as though someone took death and made it beautiful , made it a place you could live in.' Sounds great when can I move in, not....
I made it through this awful book, will never reread and it was so badly written I will avoid every other book from this author in the future.
*I'd like to say spoilers below but there is nothing to spoil thrust me.*
This books sums up to this:
-playing the online game that barely gets explained
-getting scolded for eavesdropping/going to forbidden area's in the game, basically existing
-Rick moping around his room/ the building
-broading on life
-more wandering around
-weird escape attempt to leave the building even though the acid rain would kill you although there are living people outside....
-Planning escape, trying to get on his dad's good side, beating the game, getting banned from the game
-walking around
-Blowing up building because well i have no clue why.... and not dying even though he fell 16(!) stories... the end.
*spoiler mode off*
The only reason I persevered to read this through is because I was really curious where this was going. It didn't get any better, no interesting characters, delirious ending and me wondering why there is a sequal. The problem is not only the story but that the writing is horrible! 5 freaking pages about Rick tearing up his room, why????? Also it is really sad that his dad kinda hates him quoting: 'Rick, you are a stupid, pig-headed little oathbreaker and i'm thorougly disgusted with you. Ok?' Sounds really loving.... Another gem in here is a thought Rick has about the game demo: 'It's as though someone took death and made it beautiful , made it a place you could live in.' Sounds great when can I move in, not....
I made it through this awful book, will never reread and it was so badly written I will avoid every other book from this author in the future.
September 25, 2016
It was alright, I guess. More of a corporate struggle than a computer game dystopia. The ending is a bit terrible. Rick and Daed try to commit Suicide for not much reason.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2020
Rick is a gamerunner in a massive virtual reality RPG in a dystopian future world. His job is to look for bugs in the code, and he gets to play all day and live well in a protected bubble in the headquarters of the company who make the game. His father, Daed, is the game creator.
Things go sour one day when someone finds a hack into the roots of the maze and looks like he will successfully complete the RPG quest for the very first time. Rick is sent in to stop him, because under no circumstances must the game be finished.
This book was a fast moving adventure that built heavily on the dystopian genre and on computer gaming trends. The world has suffered climate catastrophes so that the air poisons you and the rain will kill you. The rich cocoon themselves away from a world that is disintegrating right outside of their little bubbles of safety.
The book had promise, but it was really a pretty miserable lead, and the story did not so much as finish as come to a crashing halt with pretty much everything unexplained and unresolved. As a story, this book fails. It felt like Murukami for young adults, and I am no fan of Murukami's habit of just abandoning his plot when he seems to get bored of writing!
So I tried to think if there was something deeper going on with the story. Why had I invested my time in reading a book that failed to resolve itself? What was it trying to tell me? I decided that the author was probably trying to make the story like a video game that also leaves you feeling like it is unresolved and demands you play it again. That may be why he chose to end the way he did - it was all a video game analogy.
That may be what he intended but it was not a video game, it was a story, so I did not much like the ending.
Is it a story that makes you think, though? Perhaps on that score it succeeds a little. You get a strong sense of "there must be more to life than this" from this book, although the book doesn't find anything more. In fact it all felt very nihilistic and depressing. A couple of faint touches of humour lift it slightly, but really this book must be aimed at angsty teenagers with a penchant for wearing black and playing violent video games.
I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone.
Things go sour one day when someone finds a hack into the roots of the maze and looks like he will successfully complete the RPG quest for the very first time. Rick is sent in to stop him, because under no circumstances must the game be finished.
This book was a fast moving adventure that built heavily on the dystopian genre and on computer gaming trends. The world has suffered climate catastrophes so that the air poisons you and the rain will kill you. The rich cocoon themselves away from a world that is disintegrating right outside of their little bubbles of safety.
The book had promise, but it was really a pretty miserable lead, and the story did not so much as finish as come to a crashing halt with pretty much everything unexplained and unresolved. As a story, this book fails. It felt like Murukami for young adults, and I am no fan of Murukami's habit of just abandoning his plot when he seems to get bored of writing!
So I tried to think if there was something deeper going on with the story. Why had I invested my time in reading a book that failed to resolve itself? What was it trying to tell me? I decided that the author was probably trying to make the story like a video game that also leaves you feeling like it is unresolved and demands you play it again. That may be why he chose to end the way he did - it was all a video game analogy.
That may be what he intended but it was not a video game, it was a story, so I did not much like the ending.
Is it a story that makes you think, though? Perhaps on that score it succeeds a little. You get a strong sense of "there must be more to life than this" from this book, although the book doesn't find anything more. In fact it all felt very nihilistic and depressing. A couple of faint touches of humour lift it slightly, but really this book must be aimed at angsty teenagers with a penchant for wearing black and playing violent video games.
I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone.
November 30, 2017
Set in the future on an Earth made toxic by our own actions, Game Runner was about a boy (Rick) and the man who might be his father. While the vast majority of humanity had to live out in the open cities, in the toxic rain that could kill you, the lucky ones (the ones that worked for a big company), had more protection.
Rick's maybe-human maybe-father was one of the best game designers left alive, and so was able to gain a secure place for Rick and himself. Rick, having nothing else in life to do, becomes an outstanding player of that game.
Unlike so many other YA books, all the adult characters were nicely fleshed out, completely reasonable people, with thoughts, motives, and drives of their own. I also really liked that the book didn't answer a lot of questions.
Game Runner did another thing I loved: It showed how much time had passed by slight changes in the language. Like London was known as Undone and English was Inglish.
The one and only thing I didn't like was the ending. And I really, really did not like it, enough so that I'm not going to read the next book in the series. After being a reasonable kid most of the book (he made a lot of mistakes, yes, but duh, kid), Rick did a whole bunch of things that made just no sense to me, including having a big drive to escape the company's complex and go live out in the deadly rain. Yes kids want freedom, but he knew that going outside was a death sentence, and yet he destroyed so much to try to get to leave... (Book 2 is all about him being out in the city, so the story had to get him outside by hook or by crook.)
All in all I enjoyed the book a lot, I just wish the ending had been different.
Rick's maybe-human maybe-father was one of the best game designers left alive, and so was able to gain a secure place for Rick and himself. Rick, having nothing else in life to do, becomes an outstanding player of that game.
Unlike so many other YA books, all the adult characters were nicely fleshed out, completely reasonable people, with thoughts, motives, and drives of their own. I also really liked that the book didn't answer a lot of questions.
Game Runner did another thing I loved: It showed how much time had passed by slight changes in the language. Like London was known as Undone and English was Inglish.
The one and only thing I didn't like was the ending. And I really, really did not like it, enough so that I'm not going to read the next book in the series. After being a reasonable kid most of the book (he made a lot of mistakes, yes, but duh, kid), Rick did a whole bunch of things that made just no sense to me, including having a big drive to escape the company's complex and go live out in the deadly rain. Yes kids want freedom, but he knew that going outside was a death sentence, and yet he destroyed so much to try to get to leave... (Book 2 is all about him being out in the city, so the story had to get him outside by hook or by crook.)
All in all I enjoyed the book a lot, I just wish the ending had been different.
October 13, 2017
I didn't really understand the relationship between Rick and Ded.
Ded was suspicious from the very beginning, and no actions between the two helped prove why their relationship is so strong, apart from Ded could be Rick's Dad, which he doubted from early on.
From there, every action Rick took seemed crazy, and to be doing it just for Ded made very little sense to me. If Rick doubted that Ded was his father, then why continue to run after him, shout for him and ignore all the condescending remarks?
Ded was suspicious from the very beginning, and no actions between the two helped prove why their relationship is so strong, apart from Ded could be Rick's Dad, which he doubted from early on.
From there, every action Rick took seemed crazy, and to be doing it just for Ded made very little sense to me. If Rick doubted that Ded was his father, then why continue to run after him, shout for him and ignore all the condescending remarks?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2018
This ending was rather unsatisfying and to be honest, im glad I finished it. The story got quite a lot potential and some good moments, but the ending was like the book just had to finish and it felt really rushed.
October 27, 2021
kind of meh but being more than half way through the 2nd book, it is much better to me for some reason
February 16, 2022
Not very good, it is just a copy of maze runner but worse and cringy. It is a bit disappointing and a total madness. I would not recommend unless you are a fatneek.
April 22, 2023
Interesante recreación del mito de Ícaro en clave futurística.
October 16, 2025
DNF @ 60%
January 23, 2013
It seems like I haven't been picking up the right books. The premise hints at what looks like an action-packed and thrilling novel. I was deceived.
Don't get me wrong, I love books that focus on the mental or psychological aspect of a character. I don't get bored with slow-paced works that are done right. Unfortunately, Gamerunner had almost everything wrong.
The book begins with Rick in the maze, and even the supposed action felt flat. The descriptions and writing did not bring the maze to life for me, considering that the most impressive part of the maze was supposed to be how realistic it would feel to the players. After that, the story just revolved around Rick and his inner turmoils.
Speaking of Rick, he was such an unlikeable character. He fucks up monumentally all the time without one reedemable quality that I can see. Every character agrees that most of the things is does are stupid, and even I have to agree. Also, Rick didn't feel believable, because he couldn't even identify and recognize crying as an expression of emotions. Plus,
The writing didn't appeal to me. At the beginning, the author was writing in third person and yet throughout the story, the writing almost becomes like we are seeing inside Rick's head. It was confusing, to be honest. She also kept describing one character as ugly. Okay, I get it. You don't have to mention multiple times how Rick things Perdita is soooo ugly.
Some lines that turned me off:
"She was ugly. She must have chosen to be ugly. She was a Creative, after all, she must have got a decent wage."
"Rick wondered why anyone would choose to be ugly."
"...and she was nice, the kind of person who'd be ugly just because that was how she was born."
"She looked like a screenshot, ugly face..."
"Her eyes overflowed again. It was disgusting, like she was incontinent."
Ugh, seriously? I'm sorry, but just...no.
Nothing was explained here either, except for one or two sentences about what happened to the world. Nothing is known about the world outside, aside from having acid rain. Nothing is said about why the maze was created and how Crater was formed.
This book was frustrating in all ways. I won't be picking up another work by this author again.
Don't get me wrong, I love books that focus on the mental or psychological aspect of a character. I don't get bored with slow-paced works that are done right. Unfortunately, Gamerunner had almost everything wrong.
The book begins with Rick in the maze, and even the supposed action felt flat. The descriptions and writing did not bring the maze to life for me, considering that the most impressive part of the maze was supposed to be how realistic it would feel to the players. After that, the story just revolved around Rick and his inner turmoils.
Speaking of Rick, he was such an unlikeable character. He fucks up monumentally all the time without one reedemable quality that I can see. Every character agrees that most of the things is does are stupid, and even I have to agree. Also, Rick didn't feel believable, because he couldn't even identify and recognize crying as an expression of emotions. Plus,
The writing didn't appeal to me. At the beginning, the author was writing in third person and yet throughout the story, the writing almost becomes like we are seeing inside Rick's head. It was confusing, to be honest. She also kept describing one character as ugly. Okay, I get it. You don't have to mention multiple times how Rick things Perdita is soooo ugly.
Some lines that turned me off:
"She was ugly. She must have chosen to be ugly. She was a Creative, after all, she must have got a decent wage."
"Rick wondered why anyone would choose to be ugly."
"...and she was nice, the kind of person who'd be ugly just because that was how she was born."
"She looked like a screenshot, ugly face..."
"Her eyes overflowed again. It was disgusting, like she was incontinent."
Ugh, seriously? I'm sorry, but just...no.
Nothing was explained here either, except for one or two sentences about what happened to the world. Nothing is known about the world outside, aside from having acid rain. Nothing is said about why the maze was created and how Crater was formed.
This book was frustrating in all ways. I won't be picking up another work by this author again.
November 16, 2012
Taken from my book review blog: http://thebookreviewlibrary.blogspot.com
Contains a spoiler.
This book had an exciting start which quickly got me interested in the book. One of the first things I noticed was how the author wrote in third person, but instead of using the character's name sometimes, always used 'he'. Later, when the character's name (Rick) is found out, it's used a bit more, but it made me feel like the book was from the point of view of someone who is watching Rick, rather than Rick himself. This writing style also stopped me from getting to know him more, and I think I would have liked him more as a character and liked the book more if it had felt more as if it was from Rick's point of view, rather than from someone watching's point of view.
I really liked the concept of this book though! The whole idea of video games where the player is actually IN them was definitely a good idea, and a *great* change from the usual very similar sci fi/dystopian YA books that have been popular recently. However I found that everything wasn't explained nearly enough - why was 'the maze' made? What is 'Crater' and the building Rick and the others live in? What is it like, and what does it look like? What happened for it to be dangerous to go outside? I had so many questions about this book. Rick often wonders whether Daed is his father or related to him, and I expected this to be explained as it came up quite often. But it wasn't.
There were quite a few loose ends left at the end of the book, not just the mystery of Daed being related to Rick. I didn't like the ending. WHY did Rick want to go outside so badly, and why did he burn everything in his room? It seemed like a pretty random thing for him to do. The only major part of the plot that was cleared up is what Asterion was, which was a good conclusion I didn't expect, but apart from that I disliked the ending.
I'm not sure if there's a sequel that might tie up the loose ends. If there is, I might look out for it. I liked the concept for Gamerunner, and I didn't really get bored by it, but no much else.
Contains a spoiler.
This book had an exciting start which quickly got me interested in the book. One of the first things I noticed was how the author wrote in third person, but instead of using the character's name sometimes, always used 'he'. Later, when the character's name (Rick) is found out, it's used a bit more, but it made me feel like the book was from the point of view of someone who is watching Rick, rather than Rick himself. This writing style also stopped me from getting to know him more, and I think I would have liked him more as a character and liked the book more if it had felt more as if it was from Rick's point of view, rather than from someone watching's point of view.
I really liked the concept of this book though! The whole idea of video games where the player is actually IN them was definitely a good idea, and a *great* change from the usual very similar sci fi/dystopian YA books that have been popular recently. However I found that everything wasn't explained nearly enough - why was 'the maze' made? What is 'Crater' and the building Rick and the others live in? What is it like, and what does it look like? What happened for it to be dangerous to go outside? I had so many questions about this book. Rick often wonders whether Daed is his father or related to him, and I expected this to be explained as it came up quite often. But it wasn't.
There were quite a few loose ends left at the end of the book, not just the mystery of Daed being related to Rick. I didn't like the ending. WHY did Rick want to go outside so badly, and why did he burn everything in his room? It seemed like a pretty random thing for him to do. The only major part of the plot that was cleared up is what Asterion was, which was a good conclusion I didn't expect, but apart from that I disliked the ending.
I'm not sure if there's a sequel that might tie up the loose ends. If there is, I might look out for it. I liked the concept for Gamerunner, and I didn't really get bored by it, but no much else.
February 27, 2015
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
Rick is a Gamerunner - he tests The Maze to check if there are any glitches or bugs. Sent on a midnight errand by the man he things of as his father, Rick is going to suffer as he never has before.
I picked this novel up because I hoped it would be like The Maze Runner or Gillian Rubinstein's Space Demons. Much to my horror, it wasn't in any sense of the word. Yes, they are similar - outside the Game/Maze is a disaster zone, and there is an overarching mind coordinating it all. But the anticipation of The Maze Runner is completely missing from Gamerunner.
This is an apocalyptic novel of what happens when the world falls apart and there are only video games left to immerse yourself in, and hope to find something to make your miserable life better. If anything, I can see it as a highly suitable primary school novel that would be kicked off as soon as possible from the list, because it might place gaming in a too positive light.
Two stars. I'd give it 1 star, but I didn't finish it. Maybe it would have improved later in the novel? I tend to be a lot less tolerant of talking books that fail me in the first couple of chapters, because the reader doesn't grab me and I can't bear to listen any longer. Has someone else read this and enjoyed it? The Goodreads stars don't look all that positive to me.
Rick is a Gamerunner - he tests The Maze to check if there are any glitches or bugs. Sent on a midnight errand by the man he things of as his father, Rick is going to suffer as he never has before.
I picked this novel up because I hoped it would be like The Maze Runner or Gillian Rubinstein's Space Demons. Much to my horror, it wasn't in any sense of the word. Yes, they are similar - outside the Game/Maze is a disaster zone, and there is an overarching mind coordinating it all. But the anticipation of The Maze Runner is completely missing from Gamerunner.
This is an apocalyptic novel of what happens when the world falls apart and there are only video games left to immerse yourself in, and hope to find something to make your miserable life better. If anything, I can see it as a highly suitable primary school novel that would be kicked off as soon as possible from the list, because it might place gaming in a too positive light.
Two stars. I'd give it 1 star, but I didn't finish it. Maybe it would have improved later in the novel? I tend to be a lot less tolerant of talking books that fail me in the first couple of chapters, because the reader doesn't grab me and I can't bear to listen any longer. Has someone else read this and enjoyed it? The Goodreads stars don't look all that positive to me.
October 23, 2012
A light read that I read over the course of a few days at a busy time. After reading The Traitor Game I really wanted to look into more works by this author and eventually forced myself to pick up this book.
This book is another post-apocalyptic type of book if that fits your interests and a large part of it includes being involved in this virtual game, if this is sounding like a turn off for you turn away now if not continue ahead. The book was never boring as such but lacks in a form of intricate plot or suspense if those are the kind of books you wish to read.
Collins' always has a way of connecting with his characters though which helps make the book a pleasant read. A pleasant read is how I would finally describe this book, interesting but not heavy, action without full force. Yet , this is just my opinion. I would highly recommend this book to young teens.
This book is another post-apocalyptic type of book if that fits your interests and a large part of it includes being involved in this virtual game, if this is sounding like a turn off for you turn away now if not continue ahead. The book was never boring as such but lacks in a form of intricate plot or suspense if those are the kind of books you wish to read.
Collins' always has a way of connecting with his characters though which helps make the book a pleasant read. A pleasant read is how I would finally describe this book, interesting but not heavy, action without full force. Yet , this is just my opinion. I would highly recommend this book to young teens.
May 17, 2023
Might be good for adults that like to be sent directly into an universe without any background, characters you don't get much information on and interactions that are quite disturbing.
I thought however that this was a young adults/childrens book and started reading it as such and was completely horrified, especially by the interactions between characters. I kept on thinking "OMG, what if a kid reads that?" which explains my rating.
If it had been a bit more developed, digged a bit deeper into some of the side characters AND put it clearly as an adult book, I think it could have been extremely interesting because the plot in itself is quite good, just feels underexploited.
I thought however that this was a young adults/childrens book and started reading it as such and was completely horrified, especially by the interactions between characters. I kept on thinking "OMG, what if a kid reads that?" which explains my rating.
If it had been a bit more developed, digged a bit deeper into some of the side characters AND put it clearly as an adult book, I think it could have been extremely interesting because the plot in itself is quite good, just feels underexploited.
October 26, 2011
Weaker than the other Collins books I've read, possibly because it's only the first half of a story. Interested to see if strands of Greek mythology will continue. (Who is Paz? Oh, Pasiphae, right. Who is Minos?) Rick is too self-absorbed to like much, even if it's understandable in context.
Really annoyed by the "my gods" swearing. Do polytheists really say this? They seem to actually swear by the names of particular gods. Also am wondering how England became polytheistic. Or maybe this is alt history?
Really annoyed by the "my gods" swearing. Do polytheists really say this? They seem to actually swear by the names of particular gods. Also am wondering how England became polytheistic. Or maybe this is alt history?
August 29, 2012
I'd expected more from this one given the great things I heard about the author. It was a great concept, with people immersing themselves more and more in computer games as the world outside became to hazardous - at least in games there's a chance you might win.
My problem really was the hurried way that some things were wrapped up, and the almost blinkered vision that made the story shorter, but ultimately less rewarding.
Basically it was OK for what it was, but it had the potential to be fleshed out more and to become a really great novel.
My problem really was the hurried way that some things were wrapped up, and the almost blinkered vision that made the story shorter, but ultimately less rewarding.
Basically it was OK for what it was, but it had the potential to be fleshed out more and to become a really great novel.
December 19, 2011
I can't decide whether this is a three star or a four star book. It's an interesting premise and deftly explored; a futuristic environment where Rick, the gamerunner of the title, lives in a closed tower building whee the Crater corporation develops virtual reality games to stay ahead of competitors. It's a very cutthroat world but Rick is protected by Daed, the father figure with whom he has a complex relationship.
Currently reading
December 23, 2012So far, the book is slow, made even seemingly slower by the fact that the first 50 pages were full of action and excitement. I am on page 221, and it's progressing very slowly and uninterestingly. However, despite that, I still wish to continue reading so as to find out what happens in the end, so kudos to B.R.Collins for creating an interesting storyline. If I was to describe the game runner, I would say its a mix between The Maze Runner series and the Matrix.
August 20, 2012
Not sure whether this is really two or three stars. The problem is that it has at least one sequel and I don't think I've ever read less of a stand-alone book. It answers absolutely no questions and is pure set-up. I do want to know the answers to those questions, so I'll read on, but the premise itself isn't very interesting and there was only just enough that wasn't premise.
July 28, 2014
I was all ready to give this book a 3 stars for effort until I got to the end and realised it had answered none of the questions that made it intriguing in the first place. Cheap stunt to set up a sequel and I wasn't impressed. It was an easy read and had potential but fell short in too many ways to justify any more than 2 stars.
Read
September 20, 2016I just couldn't get into this book.
I tried. I really did.
Having said that I also tried this in the audiobook format so perhaps it could have been the narrator as well.
Intriguing - but not enough to keep me going.
I tried. I really did.
Having said that I also tried this in the audiobook format so perhaps it could have been the narrator as well.
Intriguing - but not enough to keep me going.
May 20, 2014
This book was great at the beginning, but as it went along it deteriorated. I loved the action but toward the end I just got so BORED
March 26, 2017
Leuk bedacht concept, maar de uitwerking liet wat te wensen na. De spanning wordt vooral opgeroepen door de onduidelijkheid van de situatie, de vele vragen die de hoofdpersoon heeft. Maar had de hoofdpersoon ook echt de drang om de antwoorden op die vragen te ontrafelen? Niet echt. Hij leek juist niet eens een duidelijke doel te hebben en kabbelde mee met het verhaallijn. Híj werd geleefd, in plaats van dat het verhaal vooruitgestuwd werd door hem. Tot slot kreeg je als lezer ook nog niet eens eenduidige antwoorden op de opgeroepen vragen en bleef je achter met een onbevredigd gevoel.
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April 22, 2018a thrill seeker must read
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