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Beta Tester #1
The Great MacGuffin
A fully immersive virtual reality system. A beta testing opportunity that’s the stuff of dreams – or a nightmare that may never end.
Jack Owens has logged tens of thousands of hours on Marshfield Studio games. So he’s not surprised when the company hires him to be one of their first beta testers for the newly developed Dagger of Doom series.
Jack doesn’t think twice when the techs strap him into a VR apparatus and transfer his consciousness to the new world. He’s got a return switch. He can come back any time.
Except, he can’t. A bug in the software has trapped him. And the only way out is to finish the game.
Step one? Find the great MacGuffin. Step two? Get the h*ll out of here.
Jack Owens has logged tens of thousands of hours on Marshfield Studio games. So he’s not surprised when the company hires him to be one of their first beta testers for the newly developed Dagger of Doom series.
Jack doesn’t think twice when the techs strap him into a VR apparatus and transfer his consciousness to the new world. He’s got a return switch. He can come back any time.
Except, he can’t. A bug in the software has trapped him. And the only way out is to finish the game.
Step one? Find the great MacGuffin. Step two? Get the h*ll out of here.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2020
106 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Ford
74 books126 followersRachel Ford lives in beautiful Central Wisconsin. She is a programmer, who works in everything from SQL to .NET to Cisco CVP and IVR. Her latest foray into new and exciting things has been developing custom Java plugins for CVP applications.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.
Rachel also enjoys recreating historically authentic jewelry, and mixing historical recreations with fantasy elements to create exciting new pieces.
When not designing jewelry or tinkering with computers, Rachel spends her time writing and reading science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 23, 2021
The protagonist, an experienced gamer, beat out millions to become the first beta tester for the newly developed game. And what a cool game it is! The player's consciousness is transferred to virtual reality so that adventure gets visceral. There's, of course, a return switch to save the player if the need arises. Only: it doesn't work.
Trapped in a dangerous world, Jack needs to finish the game to survive and return to reality. Ford throws the reader (and Jack) right into the adventure and keeps things tight. I liked the pacing and the clear structure. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with Jack. I mean, he's beaten countless geeks and got picked as an experienced player. And yet his actions are clueless and he's mostly inept at everything except making tiresome snide remarks.
The author writes in a straightforward, sometimes quite basic, style delivering an imagined world full of surprises. I expect fans of LitRPG laced with a nerdy sense of humor will enjoy The Great MacGuffin. I liked the premise, but found the execution and writing style uneven.
Trapped in a dangerous world, Jack needs to finish the game to survive and return to reality. Ford throws the reader (and Jack) right into the adventure and keeps things tight. I liked the pacing and the clear structure. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with Jack. I mean, he's beaten countless geeks and got picked as an experienced player. And yet his actions are clueless and he's mostly inept at everything except making tiresome snide remarks.
The author writes in a straightforward, sometimes quite basic, style delivering an imagined world full of surprises. I expect fans of LitRPG laced with a nerdy sense of humor will enjoy The Great MacGuffin. I liked the premise, but found the execution and writing style uneven.
October 23, 2020
I have read quite a few books by this author. This is my favorite one, so far. It was just a whole lot of fun.
One of the things that I appreciate is that she goes out of her way to make it a clean read. I would have NO qualms about having my 10 year old nephew read this book. I think he would actually really like it. And I really liked it, too. I think that is a sign of a really cool book. (The fact that she was able to create an in-story explanation for the requirement for PG language was both clever and amusing).
This author is a good story teller. She writes enjoyable books.
My one reservation is that, as with any book in a series, endings are a very tricky thing. This one has a very "soft" ending. In other words, you will not know what happened without reading on. I WILL do that, because I enjoyed this book a lot. But people looking for some resolution will not get it, here.
I think this kind of book really cries out for a box set, at some point. That way, the whole story is there.
One of the things that I appreciate is that she goes out of her way to make it a clean read. I would have NO qualms about having my 10 year old nephew read this book. I think he would actually really like it. And I really liked it, too. I think that is a sign of a really cool book. (The fact that she was able to create an in-story explanation for the requirement for PG language was both clever and amusing).
This author is a good story teller. She writes enjoyable books.
My one reservation is that, as with any book in a series, endings are a very tricky thing. This one has a very "soft" ending. In other words, you will not know what happened without reading on. I WILL do that, because I enjoyed this book a lot. But people looking for some resolution will not get it, here.
I think this kind of book really cries out for a box set, at some point. That way, the whole story is there.
February 19, 2022
Good
This was a good read. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was good. I liked how there were real world consequences for the main character, even though he was in a game. I wish it felt more serious though. The humor was fine. There were a few inconsistent things in the book (like the food always tasting like cardboard until suddenly it doesn’t with no explanation). The main character’s griping about not being able to swear got old pretty quickly. I liked seeing the emotional turmoil of the main character throughout the book.
This was a good read. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was good. I liked how there were real world consequences for the main character, even though he was in a game. I wish it felt more serious though. The humor was fine. There were a few inconsistent things in the book (like the food always tasting like cardboard until suddenly it doesn’t with no explanation). The main character’s griping about not being able to swear got old pretty quickly. I liked seeing the emotional turmoil of the main character throughout the book.
November 29, 2022
Fun story, not how you want to have to play the game
I agree with the main character, games are fun as long as you can quit and take a break when you want to. This is a fun story, with interesting people, annoying sidekick, and an interesting premise. I know that the main character handled it better than I would have to be stuck in a buggy game. This was a fun read and I recommend it.
I agree with the main character, games are fun as long as you can quit and take a break when you want to. This is a fun story, with interesting people, annoying sidekick, and an interesting premise. I know that the main character handled it better than I would have to be stuck in a buggy game. This was a fun read and I recommend it.
September 21, 2023
Humor all the way
Fun reading! In line with other LitRPG stories, the Hero is in the video game as a Beta Tester and really excited about that. His body is in a lab with IV nutrition/hydration being maintained for the approximate 6 hours of Jack playing. There are bugs (no swearing) and his companion is pretty useless. Then Jack finds out he is stuck in the game. Will he manage to get out soon or be stuck until he finishes it? Or stuck forever?
Fun reading! In line with other LitRPG stories, the Hero is in the video game as a Beta Tester and really excited about that. His body is in a lab with IV nutrition/hydration being maintained for the approximate 6 hours of Jack playing. There are bugs (no swearing) and his companion is pretty useless. Then Jack finds out he is stuck in the game. Will he manage to get out soon or be stuck until he finishes it? Or stuck forever?
November 9, 2021
Boring
I only got halfway through the book, the MC and his companion were infuriating, the basic idea was quite good but the world building and character back grounds were none existant and nothing had happened.
I only got halfway through the book, the MC and his companion were infuriating, the basic idea was quite good but the world building and character back grounds were none existant and nothing had happened.
May 3, 2023
Very silly and delightful and I'll be reading the rest of this LitRPG series very soon.
October 8, 2020
This is book one of the Beta Tester series, a LitRPG Adventure and the main character is a man called Jack Owens. He has played just about every game there is and while he has a boring day job as a programmer, it is nothing as fun as his favourite game developer, Marshfield Studios. He has logged thousands of hours playing their games in his spare time and managed to get the job of a lifetime, as Beta Tester for their new VR game, Dagger of Doom. His new role involves him getting strapped into a pod with loads of VR apparatus. Think of the pods used in Avatar and you get the idea! The equipment will put his actual consciousness into the game and when he wants to come out, he just has to say a simple phrase. But a few of the safety messages don’t exactly get passed on, as everyone is so eager to get him into the game!
The game starts and je finds himself in some sort of medieval timeframe, and goes for the easiest option for his avatar, which looks pretty much like him. He comes into a frame of the game, to find he is on a gallows with a noose around his neck! Luckily for him, a rescue mission is on and an old man tells him to come with him, once his rope is severed. He checks what is in his inventory and realises he will need to stock up fairly soon on basic supplies. He ends up with a group of four and a few of them stay behind to deter anyone who might be following them and he, a dwarf and the old man, make off. But the old man is mortally injured and passes his piece of a quest onto Jack, an old metal key, which is supposed to get them into a guarded castle, where a dagger is being kept. The dagger is an ancient artifact which is key to the return of an evil force, which he needs to get a hold of before anyone else!
The dwarf is his companion in the game, who will lead them to where they have to go, but isn’t really supposed to help out in any way, which is made blatantly obvious as they come across creatures they must overcome to continue on the quest. His quest is to find the great MacGuffin, which if you don’t know what it means, is explained near the end of the story. He has lots of questions along the way and when the game suddenly pauses on him, one of the people at the game developers, one an intern, and the other an experienced programmer, are able to give him some advice on how to ask for help as needed or to get out of the game. They ask if he has any feedback on the game, up to the point he has reached by then, and his main complaint is the olde English being used by the other characters, especially his constant companion, the dwarf.
Only problem is that when it comes time for him to stop playing, so he can go home and get ready for his main job, they find out they can’t get him out of the game. It seems the patch that was put in to fix one of the problems he raised, has caused a bug in the software and has left him stuck in the game permanently. The only way they believe he will be able to get out of the game, is if he finishes the game completely. So, he needs to get the dagger and then finish the game. Only problem is that someone else is after it, and the journey to get to the dagger is not quite as easy as he first thinks it will be. The creatures he comes across on his travels are deadly, he faces pirates and the most interesting and fun parts of the story are the limitations the developers have put on certain parts of the game, which limit people taking or buying everything they can. The salt issue was a super piece of fun!
A fun read of maybe not wishing so hard for something you want! A full immersion VR game for Jack, but nothing can ever work properly straight away, which is why there is always lots of beta testing and bugs to be overcome. Unfortunately, this game has a few more serious setbacks for the beta tester Jack, as his body is left behind in an office, while his consciousness is fully involved in the game, and stuck! A fun read, with a great world setting, very descriptive and lots of action and adventure. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens to Jack next. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
The game starts and je finds himself in some sort of medieval timeframe, and goes for the easiest option for his avatar, which looks pretty much like him. He comes into a frame of the game, to find he is on a gallows with a noose around his neck! Luckily for him, a rescue mission is on and an old man tells him to come with him, once his rope is severed. He checks what is in his inventory and realises he will need to stock up fairly soon on basic supplies. He ends up with a group of four and a few of them stay behind to deter anyone who might be following them and he, a dwarf and the old man, make off. But the old man is mortally injured and passes his piece of a quest onto Jack, an old metal key, which is supposed to get them into a guarded castle, where a dagger is being kept. The dagger is an ancient artifact which is key to the return of an evil force, which he needs to get a hold of before anyone else!
The dwarf is his companion in the game, who will lead them to where they have to go, but isn’t really supposed to help out in any way, which is made blatantly obvious as they come across creatures they must overcome to continue on the quest. His quest is to find the great MacGuffin, which if you don’t know what it means, is explained near the end of the story. He has lots of questions along the way and when the game suddenly pauses on him, one of the people at the game developers, one an intern, and the other an experienced programmer, are able to give him some advice on how to ask for help as needed or to get out of the game. They ask if he has any feedback on the game, up to the point he has reached by then, and his main complaint is the olde English being used by the other characters, especially his constant companion, the dwarf.
Only problem is that when it comes time for him to stop playing, so he can go home and get ready for his main job, they find out they can’t get him out of the game. It seems the patch that was put in to fix one of the problems he raised, has caused a bug in the software and has left him stuck in the game permanently. The only way they believe he will be able to get out of the game, is if he finishes the game completely. So, he needs to get the dagger and then finish the game. Only problem is that someone else is after it, and the journey to get to the dagger is not quite as easy as he first thinks it will be. The creatures he comes across on his travels are deadly, he faces pirates and the most interesting and fun parts of the story are the limitations the developers have put on certain parts of the game, which limit people taking or buying everything they can. The salt issue was a super piece of fun!
A fun read of maybe not wishing so hard for something you want! A full immersion VR game for Jack, but nothing can ever work properly straight away, which is why there is always lots of beta testing and bugs to be overcome. Unfortunately, this game has a few more serious setbacks for the beta tester Jack, as his body is left behind in an office, while his consciousness is fully involved in the game, and stuck! A fun read, with a great world setting, very descriptive and lots of action and adventure. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens to Jack next. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
October 9, 2020
Our hero is stuck in a new VR simulation due to a bug in the system. If he ever gets out, the programmers are going to hear from him, but getting out may not be an easy task.
This is book one of the series.
This is a SF action story with a definite fantasy gaming theme. Our author does it again creating a new detailed world with excellent characters, a dynamic plot and a bit of humor as well. I love her characters as they are always well developed and very real, making it a pleasure to watch them navigate the various challenges thrown their way. Like usual with these books, the story sucked me in at the start and kept my attention all the way to the end. Overall, a fantastic read and I look forward to more books in this series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
This is book one of the series.
This is a SF action story with a definite fantasy gaming theme. Our author does it again creating a new detailed world with excellent characters, a dynamic plot and a bit of humor as well. I love her characters as they are always well developed and very real, making it a pleasure to watch them navigate the various challenges thrown their way. Like usual with these books, the story sucked me in at the start and kept my attention all the way to the end. Overall, a fantastic read and I look forward to more books in this series.
Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout for review purposes
September 26, 2020
I have mentioned before that I am not a fan of role playing games and virtual reality would appear to be role playing on steroids. That said, this PG15 Book 1 of BETA TESTER about Dagger of Doom can be read in a long day.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 6, 2020
The Great MacGuffin by Rachel Ford is a wonderful story to read. This is book number one in this wonderful start to a brand new series that I have read. I am so hooked on this series that I can not wait to read the rest of this series. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about fantasy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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October 19, 2020The Great MacGuffin, my twenty-first read from author Rachel Ford. No matter the genre a Rachel Ford book can be counted on to be entertaining & enjoyable. This one delves into the realm of FRP and is the first book in her new series. "I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
October 15, 2020
Laughed the whole way through
Loved the book and the pace of the story. Can’t wait to read the next installment. Unique characters and fun action without weighing down with game mechanics.
Loved the book and the pace of the story. Can’t wait to read the next installment. Unique characters and fun action without weighing down with game mechanics.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews