Blast Off

Interstellar Online #1

by D.B. Goodin

Endless adventure awaits in INTERSTELLAR ONLINE! Try out new sensory bodysuits to feel what your character feels!
CAUTION: Malware included.

Cassidy Delgado needs the newest MMO launch from Lush Games to be fantastic. It isn’t just the future of the company and a lot of money on the line, it’s her career as a product manager. The hype is enormous. Someone has hacked the project code already, but the R&D heads have assured Cassidy they’ve fixed the error.



There’s no possible way that a malicious hacker could, for instance, trap her in the game space when she’s testing out a prototype suit or blackmail her into installing a trojan horse.



…People are definitely going to get fired for this.



With few options left but to contact someone offline for help, Cassidy runs a game scenario where she controls a starship, activates some artificial intelligence programs, and plots a course to the nearest connection to the outside world. Unfortunately, an alpha tester going by the username of Zart Tender has plans for her ship and the AIs, and they don’t include her.



Cassidy will have to take her skills to the next level to defeat Zart and call for help before the hacker can wield the game as a weapon against its users—and the rest of the world.

Genres: Amazon, Space Opera

193 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 17, 2021

About the author

D. B. Goodin has had a passion for writing since grade school. After publishing several non-fiction books, Mr. Goodin ventured into the craft of fiction to teach Cybersecurity concepts in a less intimidating fashion. Mr. Goodin works as a Principal Cybersecurity Analyst for a major software company based in Silicon Valley and holds a Masters in Digital Forensic Science from Champlain College.

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

LIT-RPG is like John Oliver's description of Insane Clown Posse: "It's not for everyone but for its fans, its something they love to a life-destroying degree." In this case, I happen to occasionally enjoy a good LIT-RPG book and am also a huge fan of space opera. Specifically, I love Star Trek, play Star Trek Online, and also the occassional Star Trek Adventures.

So this is definitely in my wheelhouse. BLAST OFF is a sex comedy set in a virtual reality Star Trek MMORPG where a game developer decides to test out their new "sensual suit" and ends up having to deal with hackers, evil aliens, and the fact she was clearly unsatisfied by her boyfriend. I mean, I never knew I wanted to read AMERICAN PIE meets STAR TREK meets THE GUILD but here we are.

Cassidy Delgado is a likable enough protagonist and while you will know whether the book is for you by first time an alien quest will end with an offering of peace negotiation by coitus (something Babylon Five did with Ivanova in an episode, I savit you not), those who enjoy this kind of comedy will get plenty of it. Its actually fairly light on the graphicness and is more comedic tease than erotica.

Still, I had a lot of fun.

[Erik Rounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light LitRPG that doesn't take itself too seriously

Blast Off was a fun read for me. The story centers around Cassidy, a game developer who gets trapped in a full body VR suit and has to find her way out while dealing with hackers and antagonistic NPCs.

I like how the author goes into detail about how the technology works. The in-game story is a bit silly and full of inuendo, but given that it is a videogame, that doesn't seem unnatural. The story also has a good amount of humor.

There is some explicit content, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I would say Blast Off is a worthwhile read.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my usual genre to read ... in fact, I had to look up what LitPRG is before I started this book. Honestly, I have to say that I never really understood all of what was happening and it was a long read for me to get to the end. I suspect that if this is your thing you will enjoy this story much more than I did. I did find the non-conclusive ending somewhat disappointing but perhaps that goes along with this type of read too.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the low rating, this isn't a bad book, but rather it just wasn't what I was expecting. I expected a fun and light space story along the lines of the Union Station Series, but didn't anticipate the gaming aspect of it. And to be honest, I think the Awaken Online Series does that better. It was good a quick and easy read, but I think there are better examples of the genre that I'd choose over this.

[Read Ng · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle ebook.

I am not the target audience. I did give it a try but I have to place it in my DNF pile. This book would appeal to mostly adolescent males heavy into gaming. Or at least to the extent that I could read. It just seems to have limited mass appeal. My mistake. I should have never entered the giveaway contest.

Have a GoodReads.

[Johnie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read

I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to everyone that like litRPG type of books and odd humor.

[Caius Fabius · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I didn't know what LitRPG was. It is the story of a person in a Role Playing Game, online, full immersion. I liked it

[Carlos mutua · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many sexual scenes

First book I have read on Litrpg.It was not what I expected so many many sexual scene.. limits the readers age.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Not my cup of tea... I tried to finish this book and I just could not get through it.. very basic writing with a lot of filler....

[Erroll-Genre Hopper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway and I had honestly forgot what it was about. I must say that I've never read a book quite like this. This was a fun adventure involving complete immersion into a futuristic video game. Something right up my alley. And I'm super excited to read the sequel.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book took a bit for me to get going, but towards the end I was starting to get really into it. The world is building into something that could be incredible. The technology and crisis in the book doesn't seem far off which makes a Lit-RPG like this feel more believable.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gaming software design department head, Cassidy Delgado, enters a video game dressed in a virtual reality suite to test it out before its release. Unknowingly, the game has been hacked by career hackers bent on using it to launder stolen cryptocurrency. Keeping Cassidy captured within the game, the hackers kidnap her mother and father on the outside to force Cassidy to click an email link that uploads malicious subroutines into the game software. Cassidy thwarts the hackers within the game while getting information to her boyfriend on the outside who is working with the FBI to arrest the hackers.

This is the first LitRPG book that I’ve read. Initially, I found the story disjointed but as I continued to read, gaining a gamer’s mindset in the process, I began to enjoy the book more. If the second book in the series was available today, I would pick it up as I’m anxious to get back into the game with Cassidy.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version because the narrator (Sarah Sampino) is one of my absolute favorites. She narrates live on TikTok (when she had proper permission) and has begun recording book #2, I wanted to make sure I was caught up before she started.

The book is partly meant to be tongue-in-check, essentially poking at the horny gamer boy stereotype and exploring another version of the litRPG genre (one I didn’t know about before hearing about it on TikTok). Sarah really brought the action to life with her narration and I can’t wait to hear book #2. So thank you to the author for writing this book, thank you to anyone who provided permission, and big thanks to Sarah for bringing it to life. Three stars for the book (enjoyed it, nothing too shocking and it was a quick listen), FIVE STARS FOR NARRATION!

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Fair enough story, but what was meant to be funny served more to make the story a drag. It could have been funny if it had been handled differently, (as side jokes instead of being a main plotline). The sex plotline got out of hand early, and stayed there. Separate out all that nonsense, and the scifi elements were pretty good, I'd have a 4 star rating for the story, but only 2 stars for the sex nonsense, (thus the 3 star rating). If you're into meaningless sexual content, and basically ruined storylines because the author tries too hard to make it all work (pun intended or not, take your pick), then you'll enjoy this story. If you like scifi, and want to read the story based on that premace, then this isn't the story you want to read.

[Edward Elford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Juvenile

I've never read a "litrpg" before and didn't know what to expect. I got this copy free and gave it a shot.
Amateurish and juvenile, full of typos. I will not buy the second book at .99 and would not read it even were it free.

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

MC enters a virtual world and has adventures in space.
A bit over the top and the sex theme went a bit out of control and somehow disturbed the story a lot.

[Joshua (ithildins) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another VR/AI LitRPG

YMMV

I've hit my threshold for these stories. I don't care about VR scenarios and full immersion or whatever. I got about 30% of the way through and no more. Why is this trope so prevalent in this genre - they all turn into rogue AIs or corporate espionage or both. If that's your thing, I hope you enjoy this story more than I did.

[Tim Stickel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing adventure

A thrill-packed journey into the world of gaming along with a lot of adventure inside the imaginary game. This book provides a lot of action and drama on both levels.