In order to survive, some choose to join high-tech communities. Those who didn't were left to fend for themselves on a hideous and decimated planet.
Two separate the Real and the Unreal.
Channel lives in the Unreal. Retinal implants create an augmented reality to hide what humanity did to Earth. What if those implants are hiding something even more sinister than a ruined climate?
What if everything she knows has been a lie?
What if Channel’s coding skills are used to keep that deception and illusion alive?
For the first time, the world will have a chance to know the truth – if Channel can survive long enough to figure out what is real…And how to save it.
Grab this YA sci-fi adventure, because you’ll see a planet you’ve never imagined and heroes rising from the unlikeliest of places.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Unreal is the first book in the series, a cyberpunk novel set in a broken world with two distinct communities: the "Unreal" (those who live life with augmented reality) and the "Reals" (those who stayed behind to face the broken world).
I'll be honest that at first, I had a hard time getting into the book as I felt the first few parts were very technical. Since I'm not a really techy person, it was hard to understand and visualize exactly how the world of the Unreal was like. However, as I moved through the book, I started to really get a solid idea of how this world was built.
It started out slow, but eventually I was hooked. What I especially enjoyed about this book was the various discussion points it brought up. It lightly covers heavier topics like existential crisis and morality and ethics. It also discussed the human's usage of resources and mentioned "fast fashion" as well. It allows the reader to ponder where their values lie, and which world they would prefer to live in. The book is very heavy on conversations, with a lot of characters involved. I enjoyed the world-building as well. However, I do wish the characters motives were expounded on more, and on a personal preference, I wish more history on this world is discussed in the second book, plus the historical conflict between the two communities.
All in all, this was a good scifi-cyberpunk novel which I really enjoyed. It made me appreciate just how entertaining scifi novels that focuses on technology could be. I am very much looking forward to the second book!
It's a bit difficult at times to keep track of the various characters, especially towards the end of the story, after they're all in one place, but otherwise, I thought this was a fairly decent showing of what augmented reality could be like. Anytime there's technology, there's going to be those who want to adapt it for control over others, and this story is one where that not only happened, but happened in spades. It's a glimpse into what things might become if people aren't careful about how the tech is used. A rather interesting peek I might add. Not sure if I'll read more in the series, as I see there's more books in it, but I'm thinking the first book is enough for me. I honestly prefer books where there's payback against those who abuse their authority. It's likely there'll be some of that in future books, but this one doesn't have any of that beyond a rescue operation in the last few chapters. I see enough tragedy in everyday life, I want something more upbeat when I'm reading for pleasure. Anyway, It's a decent story, and I suppose if you're a fan of distopia stories, this one should appeal, if you're a fan of the bad guys getting their butts whooped, this isn't that story. Still though, it's probably worth the read, if as a cautionary tale if nothing else.
Unreal (The Unreal Series, Book #1) By: Cindy Gunderson My Review: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 12 and up
Sigh. Why am I such a nerd?
I'm such a nerd when it comes to AR. (That's Augmented Reality for everyone less nerdy than me.) It's when you use a computer to change what your eyes see. It's pretty common in the apps on our phones these days. Point your phone camera at something, and when you see the picture on your phone you see the thing you expect to see--but it's augmented somehow. Now there's a chair in the corner, or there's a Pokémon in the grass, or you have purple lipstick on your lips, or you're eating spicy food and throwing up rainbows when you open your mouth. That's AR, and it's really cool. Not only because of what it is, but because of what it can potentially do.
Imagine you put on glasses that augments EVERYTHING you see? Imagine the technology gets so good you can't distinguish what's real and what isn't? Maybe there are contact lenses that do the same thing? Or a surgical implant you can connect to your optical nerve...
I guess I nerd-out so much about AR because I see it as a plausible, near-future reality. I think it's super cool, so when I find books that imagine an AR-infused world, I jump. There aren't many. Ready Player One might come to your mind, but it's NOT--it's Virtual Reality. Warcross by Marie Lu IS about Augmented Reality, and so is Unreal by Cindy Gunderson.
Unreal puts a really clever (and uncomfortable) spin on future applications of AR. This is a dystopian future, where the world has been ravaged by calamity and only pockets of humanity survive. The landscape is desolate, and resources are scarce. Instead of investing precious resources into things--variety in clothing, for example--these folks in our future use AR instead. It conserves resources and maximizes societal efficiency by allowing resources to be allocated to critical needs, while letting us customize the way we visually engage with our environment. How we look, how we learn, and how we interact with everything around us is fully customizable according to our every whim!
Sounds dreamy, right?
Right...
I loved how Unreal cleverly took this-could-really-happen science and incorporated it into a super engaging dystopian adventure. All the stuff we love about the genre is there: coming of age, love interests, revolutionaries, learning new perspectives...it's all there, and more. Book 1 kept me engaged, and I'm looking forward to book 2!
I especially appreciated the steam-free content. No language, sex, or violence sensitive readers need to be concerned with. If you're looking for a fun dystopian future with a cool scyfy twist, I bet you'll enjoy Unreal!
Thank you Cindy Gunderson for giving me a copy of Unreal to read and review.
Unreal is kind of a post-apocalyptic book that has society living in numerous communities in 2161. These are the Unreals. Those that live outside of the communities are the Reals.
The Unreals see the world through rose-colored glasses. The colorless landscape and unappealing buildings turn into beauty with the help of technology. The Unreals make all choices through technology, so no one sees them as they are, except on Reveal days.
The Reals deal with the hardships of the world on their own. They won’t accept having technology rule their lives. As the Unreals continue to take from them, they end up in a pickle.
Then the Reals and Unreals meet up through weird circumstances. They learn that everything is not as it seems in the lives of the Unreals. Can they work together to stop the unthinkable from happening?
I totally enjoyed reading Unreal. I find techy, futuristic books. This certainly fits the bill. I can’t even imagine living life as the Unreals did. It is both cool and scary to think about.
This is the first book of this series, so there is more to come. Cool technology, interesting characters, suspense, and developing relationships make for a fantastic read! Read more book reviews at latishaslowkeylife.com.
Channel is unreal, living in a community that uses retinal implants to see what they want to see. Changing their personal enviroment, their appearance, training for their future positions in the community.
Mila is real, living outside the community, working hard with her family to survive without any help.
Their worlds are going to collide and learn what is worth fighting for. What will happen is up to them mostly, with some help from an unknown group.
Cindy is an amazing storyteller and her grasp on 'alternate technologies' is awesome to read about. This story is the beginning of a series that I know will become one of my favorites. YA and up, this book has sacrifice, feelings, learning to do what's right, even when it might hurt.
Imagine the future—living in a world where there’s a fine line between what’s real and what isn’t—where what you see isn’t really what’s there, and can be manipulated to look however you want it to be.
The problem is, how far will they go to enhance all the other senses? What will happen to those who are unwilling to let go of reality? What is real?
Channel lives in an augmented community and is chosen for Cerebrolink a new augmentation that manipulates all the senses. But is it really what it promises to be, or is there something else at play? Who can she trust?
This mind-bending first in a series is just the beginning. Great book.
Fantastic YA dystopian/Sci fi. I wasn’t sure there was enough room in this genre for another series, but this book proved there was! Really unique premise…ocular implants making appearances all virtual so no more resources wasted on clothing, makeup, etc. But of course not all is as idyllic as at first glance would appear…I’m excited to see where the story goes from here!
Shifting timelines, characters with weird names, A confusing storyline and poor action all team up to make this a poor read. I even started the book twice to try to understand better. However the book is aptly named "unreal". I got half way thru before I gave up. Lets be real, unreal really was an unreal experience. Really!!
Unreal: from Cindy Gunderson is a wonderfully well-written series set in the future. There are groups of people who are artificially created in an unreal world. There are also people who live in the ordinary world, but the earth is very polluted and there is little oxygen and vegetation and they can hardly keep their heads above water. One day only people from these groups meet. A fascinating story that makes you wonder what is happening these days. Awsome story, couldn't put it down, looking forward to the next part.
I really enjoyed this book. The author does a great job of creating interesting characters with depth. The science/technology parts are interesting and not overwhelming - they are relatable. I enjoyed the story line and look forward to the next book in the series!
Randomly came across this book and so glad I did! So good. The story starts out following, Channel, a 17-year-old Unreal who lives in a futuristic dystopian world. The book actually takes place in 2161. Far enough in the future to feel like a new, cool idea, but not so far off that it feels completely unrealistic. This is easily something we could be working our way towards, so it was really interesting to see a glimpse of what could be. There are two distinct societies in the future: the Reals, who live in a barren and difficult landscape, and the Unreals, whose lives are lived through augmented reality. Channel grows up in a community called Paradise 3, or P3 for short. Every member of the community has a retinal implant that controls just about every aspect of what they see and how they choose to appear. While they see a world full of color and codes, what is really there are streets of grey and little natural and unnatural light. The implants connect community members to The Edge, which is basically the internet hyped up and advanced well beyond what we will be able to obtain in the next fifty years. Things begin to shift for Channel when Cerebrolink is introduced to her community. This is the next generation implant that would infuse into the person’s brain stem and eventually become part of them. We also meet Mila, her brother, Alek, and two other Real teenagers. They all happen to be the last in their area. Together they set out in search of other Reals to try seeing if they can combine resources and stay outside of the dreaded communities.
I thought the story was really cool and interesting with great twists in play. I do not think it had an intense catalyst moment but it still held my interest well and had me using every free minute to keep reading the book.
The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the formatting. In the Kindle version, there was no real separation between time shifts so it was confusing when one thing was happening and then all of a sudden something completely different is going on. It was not enough of a deterrent to make me take off a star!
I am so glad the second book is already released and the third is coming out in April so I won't have to wait long for continuation.
If you like futuristic dystopian stories with romance, this is definitely the book for you!
Unreal plunged me into a futuristic world split between those who live in the real world and those who live in an artificial intelligence community.
Those in the real world are struggling to survive. There aren't many of them left and resources are scarce. Mila, her brother, and two friends leave their homes and set off in search of others and more resources.
Those in the artificial worlds seem to have it all, but everything they see each day is fake, the result of an implant showing them what they want to see. And they're under the leadership's control. Channel is a coder who longs to help her community build an even better world.
But, when these two worlds collide, Mila has to decide what's right--sinking further and further away from reality in luxury, or living in the dirty, unpleasant reality.
If you enjoy sci-fi dystopians with cool tech and moral dilemnas that will keep you turning the pages, you must read Unreal.
Channel lives in a fake world where everything is beautiful, while others are still living in a harsh world trying to survive. Something happens and Channel finds herself in the harsh world and is learning not everything is what it seems. I like all the characters is this series and enjoy the world building. I am looking forward to the next books in the series to see what happens.
What a fun and unique book! This is a great blend of futuristic tech that meets the post-apocalyptic world. I feel like I am going to become a fast fan of Gunderson's work.
I will admit I had a hard time getting into the story at first. It took me several chapters to get orientated in the world, and once I was hooked and ready to see the character, the POV shifted for quite a few chapters. I get why it was done, but it was jarring.
But even with that in mind, Unreal is a fantastic, quick read that had me on the "Edge" of my seat. I can't wait for the next book!