Afterwar

Virtual War Chronologs #3-4

by Gloria Skurzynski

There’s only one thing more deadly than disease, more destructive than the forces of jealousy. It’s been years since the world was nearly destroyed by natural disasters, but even the biggest earthquake couldn’t shake the evils of mankind. Of course, Corgan and Brigand are not normal human beings. Brigand is the product of a cloning experiment gone wrong and Corgan was conceived and raised in a sterile environment, conditioned to be a hero for the Federation’s virtual wars. They aren’t typical humans, but they are still flesh and blood. And their virtual competition spills over into the real world when the beautiful, rebellious Sharla comes between them. Corgan’s adventure, which began with Devastation , continues as Brigand launches an attack to eliminate his rival. Corgan is about to see that even battles fought with mind controlled avatars can have very high personal stakes.

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction

528 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2011

About the author

"May you live in interesting times."

That ambiguous wish was not meant to be kind, because interesting times can be difficult. You and I certainly live in interesting times - dangerous, challenging, and fascinating.

My parents were born just before the start of the twentieth century; my youngest grandchild arrived in this century's final decade. The years in between have been the most dynamic in the history of the human race. Technical knowledge has exploded; so has the Earth's human population. We can create almost anything, yet each day we lose parts of our planet that can never be replaced.

I'm greedy: I want to write about all of it - the history, the grief, joy, and excitement of being human in times past; the cutting-edge inventions of times almost here.

--from the author's website

Gloria Skurzynski has also co-written books with her daughter Alane Ferguson.

Reviews

[Hudsonpubliclibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been years since the world was nearly destroyed by natural disasters. Brigand is the product of a cloning experiment gone wrong and Corgan was conceived and raised in a sterile environment, conditioned to be a hero for the Federation’s virtual wars. They aren’t typical humans, but they are still flesh and blood. And their virtual competition spills over into the real world when the beautiful, rebellious Sharla comes between them.

Destruction of humanity, rebuilding, high-science of cloning and technology, love and jealousies.

Overall this was fine and an enjoyable read; especially when I realized it was actually a reprint of a much older set of stories packaged together. A bit predictable and overdone in parts but I was able to follow along as Corgan laboriously worked his way through his own emotions and choices.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I really like Corgan's character and the struggles he had to overcome. I loved how he always tried to make the best decision out of a bad situation and how he always gets so much flack for it. I really understand how that feels and it really spoke to me.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was fine and an enjoyable read; especially when I realized it was actually a reprint of a much older set of stories packaged together. A bit predictable and overdone in parts but I was able to follow along as Corgan laboriously worked his way through his own emotions and choices.

[Anthony Bible]

It was awesome though this left a lot of questions at the end

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good series!! My favorite one ever. I wish that there were more books, I don't want it to end!!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Similar to the first two books, books 3 and 4 have many ups and downs in regards to the quality of the story. Some is just plain hokey, and some is well thought out, believable and enjoyable.