The Unity Game

by Leonora Meriel

A New York banker fights to keep his sanity and his life from falling into ruin. An advanced alien endures love and sacrifice to save an extraordinary planet. A dead man must unravel the secrets of the universe to save his loved ones.

With a job and a salary many would kill for, a beautiful woman who loves him, and success on the horizon, David Cornell appears to have it all. But the universe has other ideas. When five hours of David’s life vanish without explanation during a bizarre night-time drive, it will change the path of his fate and bring everything around him crashing down.

After Noe-bouk sacrifices its own future to save its home planet, it is put on a course of discovery that will span the universe. A course of discovery that will introduce it to a concept utterly alien to its world and way of love. A love that will transcend time, death and the universe itself.

When successful Scottish lawyer Alisdair dies of a heart attack, death is not what he expected. Finding himself in an infinite library filled with the memories of all who have ever lived, Alisdair decides to use the vast knowledge to help his granddaughter Elspeth find her place in a world that she has never wanted.

The Unity Game is literary sci-fi at its most thought-provoking and a mind-bending sci-fi saga mixing deep world-building, interwoven plots, and a story that stretches across time and space. Perfect for fans of Ursula Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

“A complex, ambitious, and thought-provoking novel” – Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Metaphysics, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

286 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2017

About the author

Leonora Meriel grew up in London, UK, but draws much of her inspiration from her years living in Ukraine, where she was co-founder of Ukraine’s largest bookshop.

Her debut novel, The Woman Behind the Waterfall, is set in western Ukraine and is a celebration of Ukrainian culture, language and custom. Her novel, And Breathe, centers on a Ukrainian oligarch and her latest novel, Mbaquana Nights, explores Ukrainian immigration at the end of the nineteenth century.

Her work has been hailed as “strange and beautiful” by writer Esther Freud, “ambitious and thought-provoking” by Kirkus Reviews, and “a classic work of art” by Richmond Magazine.

Read more about Leonora and her work at www.leonorameriel.com

Reviews

[Brenna Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It was an engrossing, unique, and totally bizarre tale! I could not stop reading it once I started. Such a beautiful take on the afterlife, and its connection to those still living. A unity game, indeed!

[Karl Drinkwater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a chance on this after reading the preview sample and liking the style, whilst not knowing much of what the story was about, or even its genre. I'm glad I did.

It's a complex tale that hops between characters, places, times, and states of being. In parts it requires thought to unravel the strands of how each character and their story connects to the others. That's not a bad thing.

The book is well-written, lyrical, thoughtful, and willing to move where the story takes it, with some compelling elements such as a main character heading towards disaster. I thought about the novel a lot as I read.

Not all the character arcs were equally satisfying, and there were some where I was left wanting to know more, whilst others were perhaps necessary for understanding some of the metaphysical ideas but didn't have the urgency of human dynamics.

This is an ambitious book, held up to high standards. A little bit more cutting would perhaps have made a cleverly-interconnected plot even tighter, but you certainly get your money's worth in a book that encompasses everything.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had me hooked from the first page to the last! Three stories develop, intertwine and reflect each other through perceptive and intelligent narratives that leaves the reader wondering… imagination intuition, or a bit of both? You simply won’t be able to put this down, and it’s the kind of book that reaches out to its reader on so many levels, seeding ideas that stay with you and continue to develop after you take your eyes off the last page.

[mari reiza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of ten books, this was my top read this summer. In fact it has made it into my list of favourite books of all times and I will certainly feel the urge to re-read parts every so often.

A driven bank in search of success but descending into madness, a dead lawyer looking back at his life, and a strange being from another planet looking to save, well everything.

This book offers at different times a philosophical, poetic and crude look at our existence. It has you digging into your heart for days after you have read it. What are we exactly here for? What's the meaning of our lives and how can we win the game?

Impeccably written, as always from this writer, this is prize worthy and a total must-read.

[J. Saman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most complex and interesting books I've read in a long time. It carries us through several different characters/storylines - in different planes of existence/different worlds - that don't seem connected and yet are. I really enjoyed getting a taste of each of these characters and loved how everything came together at the end. This was a fast-paced sci-fi book that I had a lot of trouble putting down once I started.

[Ed Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unity Game was a departure from my usual type of book. I tend to read plot-driven genre titles, whereas this novel is much more of a character study and a mix of themes and ideas. There is a central story there, but it’s very much part of the background. The ideas are condensed into the lives of three very different main characters: a human called David, an alien creature named Noce-bouk , and a ghost called Alisdair. As the book progresses, the links and connections (a central theme of the novel) between the three begin to become apparent.
At its heart, I found The Unity Game to be a primarily an exploration of the various aspects of love; be it sexual, spiritual, or family. Talking of the first, the sex in the book is very explicit at times. Personally, I’m fine with that, but if you are offended by such things (or reading it at an airport with someone glancing over your shoulder, like I was), consider that a warning.
With David, this love is focused on the pursuit of money and sexual self-gratification. A top-grade student with a career in science beckoning, he gives it all up in a desire to for profit and to prove he is the best. David is a character who I should really hate. He’s arrogant, and cares about nothing apart from promoting his own career and getting up the New York banking ladder as soon as possible. He treats his girlfriend like a prostitute (we never do find out what she does for a living; I guess he probably doesn’t care) and regards his colleagues with contempt. And yet he was the most intriguing character in the book for me, which is a real credit to the quality of the writing. His life begins to unravel after a strange event whilst driving and pressure from work, and how he deals with it and the people around him is excellently realised. The choices he makes, and the repercussions of them are felt all through the book.
The alien character Noce-bouk took me a while to get into, but the world it inhabits is vivid and the methods of communication and life highly detailed. Its civilisation, one where free choice is a novel concept and takes the inhabitants by surprise. Noce-bouk is a energy channeler for its home world, and when its task is completed it is suddenly faced with the notion of what do to next. This story thread is the most 'sci-fi' aspect of the novel and some of the descriptive language for various concepts I found bit confusing at first, until I got used to it.
Alisdair, being dead (not really a spoiler, this happens pretty soon after his introduction) gets most of the metaphysical and philosophical heavy lifting alongside Duncan, his guide. When not directly experiencing the afterlife and discussing the point of existence, he decides to act as a spirit guide to his Granddaughter Elspeth, who we also learn more about as a POV character. The sections and discussions in the afterlife are beautifully written and as scenes dissolve into others I got a real visual sense of being there.

One of the problems with multiple character studies, however, is that there’s always one that’s less compelling than the others. I found that here too – I’m afraid I just didn’t find Elspeth that interesting. She’s a free spirit who begins to find that her choices start to take her exactly where she wanted to avoid. Because none of her actions really affect anything or anyone else, I do wonder if the novel would have been better if she’d been cut out completely. Her presence mainly seems to be to give Alisdair something to focus on during the exposition of the rules of the ‘game’. The only other issue I had with the novel is that it jumps around a lot within the timelines of the characters, especially towards the end. I can see why this was done, and it does fit in with the theme of the book, but it was still a bit disorientating at times.
The Unity Game is a novel which takes its time. Descriptions are very detailed: I’ve never been to New York but it gave me a great sense of being there. Similarly, the aspects of the alien world and life are fully fleshed out, as is the after-life. The downside is that it takes a long while to get going, and I fear some readers might give up and miss out.
In all, I'd highly recommend The Unity Game to anyone wanting some sci-fi with a bit more of a deeper meaning.

[Fanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Unity Game is a complex story with three plot lines connecting to one single major plot point and intriguing philosophical views trickled toward the end.

This was good. At about 65% of the story, I was going to give up and shove it to my DNF shelf but somewhere down there, I'm glad I didn't. All for the ending that actually made sense, unlike the rest of the book.

First of all, the blurb doesn't even clearly state what the story is about. It's like an illusion to simply draw the reader in without giving them a hint of what truly lies between the pages. If that wasn't enough, the fact that the blurb regards the book as a metaphysical thriller, is again a bit misleading. Sure, there is a parallel plot line going on in another part of the universe but there wasn't anything metaphysical, apart from the forced scientific references like 'closed circulatory organ' [I'm a biology student and cringed at the mention of this and many other such descriptions], mere mention of constellations and the fact that David, the main character, has always wanted to be an astronaut, that is if these can even be considered metaphysical. 

Leaving that behind, the story starts off quite slow. There's too much information, names and scientific analogies within the first few chapters. In one scenario, David, an ambitious VP of a bank in New York is working his ass off for the bonus that awaits him, while hooking up with Vanessa, a perfect girl with perfect features. While his thoughts seemed too focused on money and blowjobs, I was happy to read how real the character was. Amidst all the clients, nightmares and weird wet dreams, his frustration and tiredness was evident. He was losing it all, much like what happens in real life. His narrative was the only thing that kept me sticking around for so long.

In the next scene, Alisdair, an aged old librarian, is dead but his soul has entered this higher level of energy that is void of time or place. While this story keeps dragging halfway through the book, this higher energy level starts being more coherent for the readers and soon becomes a mind-boggling thing, and that's when I decided not to DNF this. In order to keep this review spoiler-free, I wouldn't quote anything but to give a little insight, it's all about the decisions we have made already, are making and will be making . Yes, too philosophical but interesting anyway. 

The third plot line and the one that didn't work for me at any point of the story was two 'beings' addressed as Noe-buk and Aldimar respectively and their interactions through the universe. I won't elaborate on this point because I simply didn't understand it myself. This is probably the part that made a few regard the story as metaphysical but I don't think this aspect affected the story in any way. At the end, it was all bound to be philosophical and this little mention of non-living beings-with-emotions-flying-around-in-space didn't do anything for me, except to increase the word count. 

You must probably be thinking by now, why did I even rate this book if I didn't like it at all? This might come to you as a surprise but I actually liked it. No matter how confusing and complicated the entire story is, the ending worked for me so well. I think it lived up to everything I felt was lacking. It ended with a bang; scenes became more reasonable, characters made more sense, everything became connected in one way or another and the entire idea of 'living' was reflected in a different perspective--a perspective that I agree on many levels. 

Overall, this is definitely worth reading for the essence that the story is ultimately trying to convey. I would recommend it to those who can sift through unnecessary content and stick to a book long enough for the ending to surprise them.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Read this an more review on my blog

[Herb Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engrossing, spiritual, philosophical, “The Unity Game” is a meditation on the many incarnations of love. This genre-bending and thought-provoking novel, Leonora Meriel’s second, invites discussion and rewards multiple readings.

The novel begins by introducing three seemingly separate storylines. There is David, a Canadian who unexpectedly shuns a promising scientific career to make his fortune on Wall Street. The second is a tale of an energy-channeling being who choses to extend his life by embarking on an interstellar voyage. The final narrative concerns the just-deceased Alisdair, a Scottish barrister, as he navigates the mysteries of the afterlife so he can help guide his wayward granddaughter in her life.

Meriel expertly weaves these strands into a cohesive single story as the book progresses. If, like me, science fiction isn’t something you normally read, don’t be put off by the fantastical elements of the stories. The author adopts a distinctive prose style for the chapters concerning Noœ-bouk that accentuates its alienness while still allowing the reader to identify with and understand this being. Remarkably, the reader may initially find the characters of Noœ-bouk and Alisdair more sympathetic than David who is part of our familiar world.

A page-turner from the very beginning, the pace quickens dramatically in the later half as the storylines begin merging in unexpected ways, and identities shift and blend. Symbols are an important part of the story, and cleverly, every section of the book is marked with a unique symbol for each storyline. The reader will appreciate these familiar signposts as the storylines become more complex.

For all its imagination, beautiful prose, engaging characters, clever plot, multiple layers of meaning, and deep philosophy, this ultimately is a love story. But this is love in its complex and bewildering variety, from base instincts to the highest plane of unselfish, unifying love. In “The Unity Game,” set in distant planets, the afterlife, or in our own isolated Earth, the classical philosophers of Plato and Socrates still speak to us with the same universality and relevancy about the true nature of love.

And what exactly is the Game of the title? For that, you must read and discover for yourself. It may surprise and unsettle you. “The Unity Game” will challenge your notions of what literature can be. Read it with an open heart and mind, and it may give you an opportunity to re-examine your own beliefs.

Highly recommended! And buy a copy to share - you’ll want to talk this one over with someone you love - whatever kind of love that may be.

[Regina Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a magical, compelling book. Inspired writing. I’d give it more than five stars if I could. Three narratives move like threads in a tapestry, each one following a path of deep love, and loss, and love again. Each protagonist discovers what it means to allow the unknown world into their awareness, to experience “the pure expression” of self.

The stories of the three are parallel and intertwined. They move from an immersion in the realism of a corporate burnout, to an exploration of a civilization in space intent on saving earth, and to a place where all life is, and always has been, sacred.

Yet the book is gritty in places, raw in its evocation of one character’s ambition and single-minded intention. Another character finds a record of his life in an after-life library that also holds memory of the origins of the earth. The most provocative character is a being familiar with the pathways through the universe, yet anxious to enter earth life to experience its most profound offering.

The Unity Game has a power that lingers in the mind and heart. It is a book not to be missed if you are drawn to the mystery of what we’re doing here—together.

[SA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clear best seller for me, it is a piece of art. It is a great philosophical timeless journey from the ego centered David who is lost in life in an endless pursuit of money to Noe-bouk, the higher being in Space, who channels energy for the betterment of his planet, from Alisdair, the judge, who passes away and enlightens us in the afterlife on what it means to live, be dead and born again, to Elspeth, an elevated being in previous life, guided by Alisdair to find her purpose on Earth and guide others. The amazing connections continue towards the end as we see Admiral in the Earth Council and Noe-bouk in Socrates's body..... Every character is beautifully and masterfully connected in this book in such meaningful ways that in the end, I find myself wanting to read it over and over again. And, I know I will. It is like the author said, I knew and merely imagined the tail of the lion and its true form was inconceivable to me. This book was inconceivable to me. If you miss this book, you've missed a lot. There are mind bending movies, this is a mind bending book! The author is an elevated being to be able to write such a book. What a great imagination! Kudos to you author

[Larry Jeram-Croft · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful story. I hesitate to categorise this book as Science Fiction because although there is the odd spaceship and faster than light travel that is definitely not what its all about. It starts with several apparently disconnected strands and to be honest you do have to persevere in the early stages because the threads are so different. However, that’s part of the mystery that takes you forward. Re-incarnation, incredibly well drawn aliens and humans weave together into a story that comes to an inevitable but highly satisfying conclusion. The author’s prose and descriptive expertise coupled with a really vivid imagination make this a book I found hard to put down. Fiction it may be but it got me thinking and questioning some basic beliefs. Of course it’s fiction but I would love to think that some of it could also be actually true!

[Patrick Dent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply Philosophical Science Fiction

This is one the most creative books I’ve ever read!

David is a New York banker whose life is spinning out of control. Alisdair is an attorney who just entered a beautifully conceptualized afterlife. Noœ-bouk is a genderless, telepathic alien trying to extend its life through space exploration.

The author gradually and expertly interlaces these three stories until they converge in a deeply meaningful and thought provoking climax.

I highly recommend The Unity Game to fans of both science fiction and philosophy.

[DIKENELLI · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could give much more than 5 stars if I could. This is a must read. Where do I start, I don't even know? What a genius way of bringing everything together in unity, all the characters are connected in ways that you don't see coming. The layers of meaning, philosophy behind every word makes me believe I will go back to read this over and over again. Ego centered characters on Earth, higher elevated beings in space in energy form, the meaning of afterlife, God, energy, the meaning of finding's oneself, one's place in life. What a beautiful piece of art

[Lachi · Rating 5 out of 5]

With an immersive, fast-paced start, Meriel weaves together complex ideas while submerging the reader into wholly believable landscapes. We follow the life of a misguided New York investment banker, a deceased grandfather exploring the infinite library of the afterlife and a well-meaning alien life form intent on completing an all-encompassing mission. The seamless juxtaposition of these three tales, and how they interplay, brings a freshness to science fiction so desperately needed in the genre!

[Krystle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book that kept your mind engaged the whole time, you were reading. This book is thrilling and mind tingling ;) It is flawlessly written and won't be my last book by this author.

[Dee · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story had moments of lucidity. Then it went from bad to worse. Portions of it were boring. Some things seemed unnecessarily complicated. The main character, in his trying to get back to the being he loved, starts to go insane and does some sickening things. The story is based on a premise that I found interesting but framed so badly - the sickening violent things do not really need to happen for us to have understood and related to the characters and plot. I guess I don't like it when stories seem to have gratuitous violence.

[Lola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love! This book is sooo exciting I've actually re-read it like 3 times. It's just the story is so intriguing and you forget that you're not living inside it. I really think that this is going to become a bestseller at some point because this book is actually incredible. Guys please read it you won't regret it

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book free for an honest review. The story was well written and characters nicely developed if somewhat stereotypical. The several plots were ok. Probably 2.5 stars rounded up. Overall not my usual read although I might try another of the author’s books.

[Taylor Kole · Rating 2 out of 5]

To support self-published authors, I vowed to read a self-published author and give a fair review. I posted in a FB group, received suggestions, dismissed four due to poor prose in the opening and will embark on this novel. Full disclosure, it's my first self-publish read in over ten years. Wish me luck.

45 pages was too much for me. I love high-concept. Aliens will keep me in, afterlife...that's my love. All the ingredients were there, I just couldn't get past the writing. It's not fair to critique a novel I read 12% of. It is fair to mention what stopped me from finishing a novel I was SUPER excited to read.

The first chapter was the same as a portion of the third and confusing (to me). I'm used to crisp writing. Here, passive sentences ruled. The word "it" was used 10x's in three small sentences; "had been" 3 times in a sentence. Was, just, seemed, it, had, were, could. Cut those and we lose a third of the book, maybe more. I'm not a barometer for an author's success. I'm so glad to see all the five star reviews for this book. Nora Roberts is massively successful and I find her writing and lack of logic embarrassing. I think James Patterson writes to spite readers. So I'm missing ingredient to a what makes a good story. I'm sorry for that.

Content-wise, as I said, the first chapter showed a driven man. I think 90% of it was redundant. When I reached his second scene and it was almost identical to the first chapter, I worried I couldn't finish. I wanted to finish and to love and praise this novel. Prior to finding Unity Game, I marked Leonora's website as one to emulate. I spent minutes staring at her photo thinking, I would love to be that professional and put together, someday. The cover is spectacular. The blurb enticing. Inside lost me.

The afterlife story went nice and worked for me and gave me hope. I love daring writers, which is why I couldn't give this a one star and won't leave a review on Amazon. The alien scene could have made me a lifelong fan, but here, to me, the writing dropped. I know it's intimidating to write other-worldly, particular emoting emotions and displaying more than our five senses. There are ways to write this without using the same 9 words. Clive Barker does it to perfection in many novels. There are other authors as well. It simply takes much more effort and guidance from professionals who care about prose. That was not present here. I implore you to join the Facebook group, Writer's Fight Club. Brutal, Honest feedback. Something near impossible to find.

[Devika Ramadoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Cover Review:
The cover page undoubtedly suits the story, an Owl with the three world presentation in it. The cover will make sense once we finish the book.
Book Review:
After i went through few pages of the book, I had a thought that this is the story about a normal human, a supernatural being and an extraterrestrial being. But as the story went the normal human became imbalanced, the supernatural human become a guide and the extraterrestrial being became a more like a normal being. I mean the story was totally unpredictable till i reached half of the book.

David, the banker and an ambitious person wants to reach a higher level in both money and fame. Alisdair who dies and reaches the other world and there he explores the possibilities of his life. Nooe-bouk a grey being unknown of its origin , tries to find it’s way to Tayr( Earth) to stop the destruction which would affect the other worlds existence.

Nooe-bouk’s part of the story was very complex to grasp and hard to imagine. It had many concepts and details which was tough but it was essential to understand the Nooe-bouk side of story. At times the story was dragging because of the complexity yet the author pulled again with the narration of Alisdair portions. It was motivating and thought provoking. The book was full of confusing plots which kindled me to wait eagerly for the link which connects this three world.

Yes, I don’t know how the author came up with the three different world and joined it with a knot. Special appreciation for that to the author.

Overall the book will make you wonder whether you are reading a psychological thriller or horror or a Science fiction or a drama plot. But still the author will make you to get involved with the story and reach us to the last page.

What I Liked:
The touch of three unique world and the way it was narrated and plotted.

What Could have been better:
The owl part could have been explained clearly at the end. And the time link of David being at Greece and the meet up with his parents with vanessa was confusing.

Recommendation:
Yes, For the book readers who love to read complex storyline.

[Clair · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I finished the book, I put it down and thought – what did I just read and how do I begin to review it? I can’t even explain why its called the Unity Game without giving away the surprise and wonder inside.

The Unity Game is a really thought provoking interstellar mystery. Its both strange and beautiful. Three main stories, intertwine with each other: David a New York Banker who is obsessed with making his fortune and thoughtless egoism, Alisdair a Scottish barrister who is exploring the afterlife and Noœ-bouk an energy-channelling alien who is looking down on earth from his alien perspective. Each one explores the meanings and perception of life as their story unfolds. But each story is meaningfully connected to the other. There are dark, gritty areas in the book but overall its a book of love and mind-bending ideas.

More speculative fiction than sci-fi, its a unique and complicated book with many themes running through it. It doesn’t follow a totally sequential plot, more an intertwine of stories that jump space, time, characters and states of conscious. It contains a wonderful vision of the afterlife and the universe. I love weird fiction and this book contains a magical obscure beauty. I took my time reading and pondering the ideas which will stay with me. What if life is just one perception of a moment? What is love? What is the meaning of life? I don’t have any answers but this book gave me new perspectives.

Overall I’d highly recommend reading The Unity Game. Read and enjoy it with an open mind and be prepared to be surprised and delighted by the ideas that it contains within.

I’d recommend to anyone who likes: speculative fiction, aliens, meaning of life, sci-fi, original ideas, interstellar mystery

* I received a free advanced reader copy via Netgallery in return for an honest review.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unity Game starts with dramatically disconnected stories then unites them in fascinating, mystical ways. But what if all of life is a game? A game where worlds are made to be experienced, energy is channeled, and past lives and choices can be checked before new lives begin?

In the Unity Game, time itself is malleable, and events along one time-line only later show their value in another. The whole moves slowly together until it makes its own sort of sense. And Socrates meets the woman from Mantinea.

Soul-mates might mean something more than we’ve imagined, and physical bodies might mean less. But choice is important in this novel, and readers are gradually led, not just to question the choices of the novel’s characters but also their own.

With its curiously intriguing view of life after death, life energy and alien life (very evocatively rendered alien life!), The Unity Game is a novel to savor and enjoy, just like life before death I guess.

Disclosure: I was given an ecopy and I offer my honest review.

[Kayla Krantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I rate this book any higher? Please! It’s the best story I’ve read in a long time. In a mixture of captivating fiction and speculation, The Unity Game will grip you right from the beginning. Following four different storylines which eventually intertwine at the end of the book, this novel ponders the idea of why humans feel as bleak as they do and what exactly happens after we die. Moving from a New York banker, to intelligent alien creatures, and a library that contains books of everyone’s lives, The Unity Game is a fast-paced novel that will leave you wanting more. No matter what genre you’re a fan of, I promise this book won’t let you down if you’re looking for an amazing read that will really stick with you long after you read the last page.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book after reading the first book by the author Leonora Meriel, "The woman behind the waterfall" which I absolutely loved. I have to say this was quite a switch between literary fiction to sci-fi thriller, but this book is no less amazing than the first. Unlike the other book which had me really delved into thoughts and deep emotions, this book constantly had me excited and on my toes - I couldn't put it down. It really was thrilling and reading it was like an adventure of its own. This author doesn't cease to amaze with one incredible book after the other.

[Valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible read! It explores so many ideas - from philosophy to sci-fi to social critique. A thrilling chronicle of an adventure way beyond our world. This book left my head spinning - in the best way! Another wonderful piece of writing from the author of The woman behind the waterfall.

[Laurence St John · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unity Game by Leonora Meriel was a great story. I enjoyed it from page one. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery; all in one book; awesome! The story will leave you scratching your head – but in a good way.

[J.B. Trepagnier · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can sometimes be difficult to pull off interweaving plots that come together at the end that also have a message without losing your characters or becoming preachy in your message. The author handles all of this well in this story. All of the characters are a different as night and day and some not what you might expect if you were just explained the general concept behind the message and didn't have the blurb in front of you.

All in all, a very ambitious and well executed book

[Crookedtalks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited at first to read this book after reading the blurb. I mean, “ A New York banker is descending into madness. A being from an advanced civilization is racing to stay alive. A dead man must unlock the secrets of an unknown dimension to save his loved ones. “ —- sounds pretty fantastic and exciting to me. The blurb is pretty misleading though, and is nothing like the book. After about 1/3 through, I had to force myself to continue reading the book, which is not a good sign.

To me, this book was a snooze-fest inundated with so much unnecessary detail that just made reading every word a chore. I know some books can take some time to pick up the pace, and I kept waiting for that to happen but it never did. Some books are also stylistically written to have a slow plot, but they usually have something else to keep the reader interested, such as the characterization and relationships portrayed within the book, but this did not apply to this book. I either disliked or had no interest at all or in any of the characters, partly because I feel that they are superficial and bland with no depth at all to them. In some instances, I feel as though they are merely stand-ins to act as a thinly veiled spokesperson channeling and preaching the author’s opinions and beliefs and worse, philosophy to the reader, which was not a pleasant feeling, and further exacerbated the feeling that the characters had no thoughts and motives of their own. There’s also the boring and tiresome repetition of sex?? (to make the book feel more mature maybe?) which adds nothing to the story. I do not need to know repeatedly how good a blow job feels like, or when a character’s penis is “stirred” and the description of “(putting) the penis in her mouth” every time a blowjob happens - I’m pretty sure I know what a blowjob is. Also, I didn’t know “She shouldn’t have negative thoughts when his sperm is swimming up inside her.” would be an actual sentence I would read in a book one day, and it exemplifies the childishness and superficiality of the characters and tedious sexual elements in this book nicely.

Then there’s the language. In an effort to make it sci-fi, the author had replaced every biological term with a longer and more convoluted phrase, such as “central circulatory organ” for the heart, “lids of the eyes” for eyelids, “inhalation” for “breath”, “vision field” for view, “conscious thought system” etc. I get that it is supposed to describe something alien and different from the biological systems of Earth, but if so I feel like this is such a half-hearted attempt because the “being” described ended up having very humanoid features anyway. (Do your research!) (As a biological student) it gets kind of cringey the more I read. Also it says somewhere in the book that you can see Pluto from the Earth (I’m pretty sure you can’t).The science elements in this story: not great.

There’s more that I can talk about, such as some very weird and stiff phrasings but I think the general idea is pretty clear: I really didn’t get along with this book.

[Claire Matturro · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Unity Game” has a well-crafted structure, vivid language, and compelling story lines, and shines with imagination. In short, it is a very engrossing story, well worth the time spent reading it. There’s a philosophical, even scholarly, quality about this book with its references to Socrates—even scenes featuring Socrates—and an optimistic aspect that makes the whole reading experience uplifting. Thought provoking, yet fun, meditative, yet adventurous, "The Unity Game" should have wide appeal to readers. The author is to be congratulated on bringing so much to one book.

Three apparently disparate story lines dominate: A New York banker’s quest for money and success, an ET named Noœ-bouk nearing the end of his cellular existence, and a recently deceased British lawyer discovering the richness of his afterlife, while his aimless, but very much alive, granddaughter seeks meaning in her existence.

One of the many charms of “The Unity Game” is how each of these story lines offers the readers such different plots and styles. For example, the bankers’ tale read like a Wall Street thriller, Noœ-bouk’s journey is classic sci-fi, and the late lawyers’ story is a moralistic tale of great hope. The characters are as diverse as the story lines, creating a complexity that adds mystery and tension.

These three major story lines do not appear to intersect for a long time—yet the readers must surely suspect that they will. And, of course, finally they do. The manner in which the disparage stories and the characters come together and blend is surprising, and quite intriguing.

The story and the characters are compelling, and riveting. And the writing itself is lyrical, intelligent, and smooth, free of errors and typos. Leonora Meriel is clearly a talented and imaginative author. As an example of just how lovely her language can be in the book, consider this short quote. Alisdair, in his afterlife library, thinks this:

“But the aroma he was breathing in right now was, beyond a doubt, his favourite – that musty, woody perfume of paper and the quiet velvet of ink, and the one he was convinced existed not only in his imagination, but in reality, too – the scent of hidden knowledge…”

Bottom line: “The Unity Game” is a fine novel, well-written, and worthy of your attention. It is a enthralling tale that once started is hard to put down, and will lingers in your mind even after the last page.

[Lyss Gaertner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying, I don't usually read this type of book. 

AND DO YOU KNOW HOW MAD I AM ABOUT THAT NOW?

When I was a child, I'd visit my dad, and every night at dinner he liked to give us a topic of discussion. He's the philosophical type. One I remember in particular was, "Think about how large and important you feel right now. Now think about how tiny we are compared to this planet. And then how tiny our planet is compared to the galaxy. And furthermore, how there are millions of galaxies just like ours. Think about how small we really are in this vast expanse of cosmos. How do you feel about that?"

Imagine.. if you weren't from Earth, what would you think of human beings? What would you see? This book wasn't just science fiction, it makes you think, it makes you step outside of your little box and see things in a light you wouldn't have thought to even glance at before. 

The Unity Game was such a unique novel, I can't believe I hadn't picked it up before, and I'll definitely be looking into more books of this type. I gave my copy to my husband to read, and he's extremely hard to please, but he loved it. He couldn't even put it down, which I've never seen him do. 

I want The Unity Game to be a bestseller. I want it to be read by everyone I know, and cherished the way I now do. There are so many concepts to delve into in this book, like soul-mates, reincarnation, alien life, and how the past can affect the future. And that's not even all of it!

This was probably one of the most complex reads I've ever experienced but I loved it so much. With multiple points of view (a banker who's life is spiraling out of control, a lawyer now introduced to the afterlife, and a genderless, telepathic alien looking to extend it's life) and different story lines connecting to each other in ways you wouldn't expect, The Unity Game gives you a lot more than you ask for.