Mindwar (1)
by Andrew Klavan
Genre(s): Science Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Published: July 2014
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Official Synopsis: "Rick Dial has the potential to be a hero. He just doesn't know it yet.
Rick's high school football team couldn't be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled.
Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he's approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick's gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn't just a game . . . but Rick doesn't have many other options at the moment.
Entering "The Realm" gives Rick the one thing he thought he'd never have again: a body that's as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already . . . and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?"
Rick's high school football team couldn't be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled.
Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he's approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick's gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn't just a game . . . but Rick doesn't have many other options at the moment.
Entering "The Realm" gives Rick the one thing he thought he'd never have again: a body that's as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already . . . and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?"
Review: From star quarterback to injured recluse, Rick Dial has been through a
lot as a young teenager. His father left home, he found himself in a
near-crippling accident and next thing he knows he is kidnapped and told
he needs to save the his country through a virtual reality type of
system called Mindwar.
It is a fairly faced paced read and some interesting concepts. Definitely more a read for a tech or gaming fan. For that is how Mindwar is laid out, A gaming world with monsters and villains to be stopped but can infiltrate and hack into real systems. And when the lead villain wants nothing more than to destroy the United States....well it is a lot to believe. Yet Rick does, almost without question! This bugged me. Certain parts of this book seemed to have some broken or oddly placed links that just didn't fit. Yet the concept intrigued me and the story pace worked well. Plus there are two virtual characters we meet that really intrigued me.
Overall a decent read. Yet it didn't thrill me like I had hoped. Parts were lacking. I loved how the alternate world is described. Great detail but not over the top.
It is a fairly faced paced read and some interesting concepts. Definitely more a read for a tech or gaming fan. For that is how Mindwar is laid out, A gaming world with monsters and villains to be stopped but can infiltrate and hack into real systems. And when the lead villain wants nothing more than to destroy the United States....well it is a lot to believe. Yet Rick does, almost without question! This bugged me. Certain parts of this book seemed to have some broken or oddly placed links that just didn't fit. Yet the concept intrigued me and the story pace worked well. Plus there are two virtual characters we meet that really intrigued me.
Overall a decent read. Yet it didn't thrill me like I had hoped. Parts were lacking. I loved how the alternate world is described. Great detail but not over the top.
Sounds more like a movie than a book in some ways. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the wonderful review!! I have to check this out now.
ReplyDeleteI want to read this book
ReplyDelete