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english_lady03's review against another edition
4.0
Not the type of book I usually go in for or listen to at all: but we have been listening to everything we can get at by Andrew Klavan recently. Or should I say, Grand Emperor Klavan?
'Mindwar' had an original story and concept that would appeal to younger readers: and Klavan's writing style was almost perfect. His books tend to lack the whimsical quaintness and sweetness which many people associate with Christian Fiction. There is just the right mix of realism with an underlying inspirational theme, that doesn't become cliched or feel forced.
We're listening to the next one now.
'Mindwar' had an original story and concept that would appeal to younger readers: and Klavan's writing style was almost perfect. His books tend to lack the whimsical quaintness and sweetness which many people associate with Christian Fiction. There is just the right mix of realism with an underlying inspirational theme, that doesn't become cliched or feel forced.
We're listening to the next one now.
skybalon's review against another edition
4.0
Good beginning to a series that I'll continue reading. Some of the writing is skewed a little young, but it is not too distracting from an interesting story.
bekaaaah's review against another edition
5.0
Rick Dial feels like a shell of the person he used to be. Once upon a time he was the big shot quarterback with the gorgeous and athletic girlfriend, but everything changed when Rick’s car was hit by a truck and broke both his legs. He’s learned to live hiding away in his room playing video games all day-- something he’s quite good at. Things go awry in Rick’s life once again when the government notices his unparalleled gaming skills. They ask Rick for his help to stop a Russian madman who has created a virtual reality capable of destroying America, a place called the Realm. Rick agrees to enter the Realm, a dangerous place with unbelievable creatures and strange beings, but also the place where Rick can once again be at the top at his game with fully working legs. The only problem is that unlike video games the Realm gives only one life...and plenty ways to lose it.
The first book I ever read from Andrew Klavan was “The Last Thing I Remember” and ever since then I have been a fan. An author that mixes young adult fiction with complex action and suspense and manages to write it in a way that’s completely enthralling? A winner all the way. MindWar certainly didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before-- perplexing, exciting, unique, and heart-pounding! The world that Klavan created with the Realm absolutely astounded me with it’s downright ingenuity. He paints a picture of the Realm so vividly his readers can’t help but see his vision.
Not only was the world Klavan created wholly fascinating, but the characters and plotline were incredibly portrayed as well. Rick, his parents, Miss Feriss, Mariel, Favian...they are all such well-rounded characters that you can’t help but want to learn more and more about. And I don’t know if it was his realness, heroism, or simply his kick-butt spunk, but Rick was just out-and-out likable. This book had me on the edge of my seat. Forget the edge, it had me falling straight off it! I was literally scared at some points (*sigh*... it had something to do with a spider snake). Another thing I really appreciated about MindWar was that it wasn’t all about mindless action-- it was about strategy and courage and passion. This book was a complex thriller that had pretty much everything I love in a good story, except perhaps the scarce romance which I’m hoping pops up more in book two. *wink*
If you enjoy young adult, thrillers, action, suspense, fantasy, or simply just an exciting story you must try MindWar by Andrew Klavan. A book that will leave you breathless, MindWar is one of my favorite young adult reads I’ve picked up this year so far. I finished it so quick it was such a disappointment to find out that book two doesn’t come out until March 2015! I can’t wait to see what Klavan has in store for Rick and the Realm next.
**I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are completely my own.
http://willbakeforbooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/revew-mindwar-by-andrew-klavan.html
The first book I ever read from Andrew Klavan was “The Last Thing I Remember” and ever since then I have been a fan. An author that mixes young adult fiction with complex action and suspense and manages to write it in a way that’s completely enthralling? A winner all the way. MindWar certainly didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was unlike anything I’ve ever read before-- perplexing, exciting, unique, and heart-pounding! The world that Klavan created with the Realm absolutely astounded me with it’s downright ingenuity. He paints a picture of the Realm so vividly his readers can’t help but see his vision.
Not only was the world Klavan created wholly fascinating, but the characters and plotline were incredibly portrayed as well. Rick, his parents, Miss Feriss, Mariel, Favian...they are all such well-rounded characters that you can’t help but want to learn more and more about. And I don’t know if it was his realness, heroism, or simply his kick-butt spunk, but Rick was just out-and-out likable. This book had me on the edge of my seat. Forget the edge, it had me falling straight off it! I was literally scared at some points (*sigh*... it had something to do with a spider snake). Another thing I really appreciated about MindWar was that it wasn’t all about mindless action-- it was about strategy and courage and passion. This book was a complex thriller that had pretty much everything I love in a good story, except perhaps the scarce romance which I’m hoping pops up more in book two. *wink*
If you enjoy young adult, thrillers, action, suspense, fantasy, or simply just an exciting story you must try MindWar by Andrew Klavan. A book that will leave you breathless, MindWar is one of my favorite young adult reads I’ve picked up this year so far. I finished it so quick it was such a disappointment to find out that book two doesn’t come out until March 2015! I can’t wait to see what Klavan has in store for Rick and the Realm next.
**I received this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are completely my own.
http://willbakeforbooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/revew-mindwar-by-andrew-klavan.html
dandelionking's review against another edition
5.0
Andrew Klavan has proven once again his ability to create and craft diverse worlds, stories, and people. I have to admit that the synopsis on the back of the book didn't seem as appealing as Klavan's other books. But once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Here is the 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?"
Granted, the beginning tended to be slow. But to me it seemed just the right pace considering this is not a stand alone novel. The character development was not as strong as Klavan's other works lately but then again this is the first book in a trilogy. There is plenty of growing room.
Rick's emotional state seemed plausible and understandable. The Realm felt unreal and real at the same time. I couldn't help but see the world the author was describing (red grass and blue leaved trees and all), and feel the booming footsteps of gigantic monsters. It may sound far fetched and weird but hey, its a computer game. Its weird surrealness is the very thing that makes the book credible. Let's face it, video games can be on-the-other-side-of-the-galaxy weird
Oh, and I hope that a certain character named Victor One returns for the remaining two books. He is a small character but I couldn't help but love him. His coolness probably came from his strength of character and 3D personality.
Over all, I really loved this book. If you enjoy action, strong characters, and intriguing plots (Think a Matrix/Inception hybrid with some other unique story plot ideas mingled within). This book is for you.
"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?"
Granted, the beginning tended to be slow. But to me it seemed just the right pace considering this is not a stand alone novel. The character development was not as strong as Klavan's other works lately but then again this is the first book in a trilogy. There is plenty of growing room.
Rick's emotional state seemed plausible and understandable. The Realm felt unreal and real at the same time. I couldn't help but see the world the author was describing (red grass and blue leaved trees and all), and feel the booming footsteps of gigantic monsters. It may sound far fetched and weird but hey, its a computer game. Its weird surrealness is the very thing that makes the book credible. Let's face it, video games can be on-the-other-side-of-the-galaxy weird
Oh, and I hope that a certain character named Victor One returns for the remaining two books. He is a small character but I couldn't help but love him. His coolness probably came from his strength of character and 3D personality.
Over all, I really loved this book. If you enjoy action, strong characters, and intriguing plots (Think a Matrix/Inception hybrid with some other unique story plot ideas mingled within). This book is for you.
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
1.5 stars
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mindwar doesn't make much sense. If you really think about what's going on in the story, the logic behind why it's happening...just is nonexistent. That isn't the book's only problem, but it is its main one.
The first thing that I noticed about this book and didn't like was the main character, Rick. He's very mopey and depressing at the beginning of the book, and I just couldn't feel sorry for him. When he starts going into the Realm, he pays no attention to the life-saving advice he was given by the people who sent him there and almost dies. Great. A lot of his decisions weren't well thought out, and honestly, I'm kind of surprised he wasn't dead by the end of this book.
And I'm sorry, but I don't see how getting depressed and deciding to play video games 24/7 makes you the best video game player in the world, or whatever. I mean, there are people who actually play video games professionally. How did Rick get so much better than them in such a relatively short amount of time? Even if he does have great reflexes or whatever because he's an athlete, it seems a bit implausible.
When it got to explaining the Realm, I became skeptical. I didn't get a lot of the design choices behind it. Like, why are the guards all alligator people. Why. Who thought that was a good idea. If you are trying to take over the world with this thing, make less laughable decisions when you design it.
The narrative was also really hard to get into. Rick was such a boring main character that there wasn't a lot of emotion in it. It was very dry and I just couldn't get into the story because of it.
The secondary characters were not fleshed out. The agents, Rick's family, the people he meets in the Realm...they were all very one dimensional. We didn't to learn much about them and what we did seemed very cliche.
I definitely am stopping here with this series, because this book was actually a bit painful to get through. There is no one who I'd recommend this to. I've read some of Andrew Klavan's other books and I enjoyed them, but Mindwar was not good.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mindwar doesn't make much sense. If you really think about what's going on in the story, the logic behind why it's happening...just is nonexistent. That isn't the book's only problem, but it is its main one.
The first thing that I noticed about this book and didn't like was the main character, Rick. He's very mopey and depressing at the beginning of the book, and I just couldn't feel sorry for him. When he starts going into the Realm, he pays no attention to the life-saving advice he was given by the people who sent him there and almost dies. Great. A lot of his decisions weren't well thought out, and honestly, I'm kind of surprised he wasn't dead by the end of this book.
And I'm sorry, but I don't see how getting depressed and deciding to play video games 24/7 makes you the best video game player in the world, or whatever. I mean, there are people who actually play video games professionally. How did Rick get so much better than them in such a relatively short amount of time? Even if he does have great reflexes or whatever because he's an athlete, it seems a bit implausible.
When it got to explaining the Realm, I became skeptical. I didn't get a lot of the design choices behind it. Like, why are the guards all alligator people. Why. Who thought that was a good idea. If you are trying to take over the world with this thing, make less laughable decisions when you design it.
The narrative was also really hard to get into. Rick was such a boring main character that there wasn't a lot of emotion in it. It was very dry and I just couldn't get into the story because of it.
The secondary characters were not fleshed out. The agents, Rick's family, the people he meets in the Realm...they were all very one dimensional. We didn't to learn much about them and what we did seemed very cliche.
I definitely am stopping here with this series, because this book was actually a bit painful to get through. There is no one who I'd recommend this to. I've read some of Andrew Klavan's other books and I enjoyed them, but Mindwar was not good.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. I experienced this as audio ... and this narrator wasn't the best. I may have liked this one better had I read it on my own. While his enunciation was good, there just wasn't a ton of expression. An attempt at some different "voices" but so much of it felt the same. There were shifts in scenes, probably indicated by additional spacing in the print version, that just seemed to flow into each other and I'd be thinking "wait, what just happened?" until I realized there had been a shirt (3rd person, past tense, but different POV as the main character isn't in all the scenes). At one point after our bad guy says something, the text stated "he said in his heavy Russian accent" ... yet there was no accent, not even an attempt. Some audiobook narrators really bring something extra, this one didn't.
As for the story itself ... interesting premise. One that might appeal more to boys (which I'm always on the lookout for, having five boys myself). A star quarterback, excelling at all things video games, entering a game for real to save the world. Completely clean - no language, no sex, some violence, but it seemed quite mild compared to anything else out there. This all did leave it feeling a bit simplistic to me. One "twist" I saw coming a mile away. But hey, I'm giving it a thumbs up and I think I'll check out the sequels.
As for the story itself ... interesting premise. One that might appeal more to boys (which I'm always on the lookout for, having five boys myself). A star quarterback, excelling at all things video games, entering a game for real to save the world. Completely clean - no language, no sex, some violence, but it seemed quite mild compared to anything else out there. This all did leave it feeling a bit simplistic to me. One "twist" I saw coming a mile away. But hey, I'm giving it a thumbs up and I think I'll check out the sequels.
jljaina's review against another edition
4.0
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.
3 1/2 stars
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.
3 1/2 stars
burninator's review against another edition
1.0
In high school he was the star football player. Now, the only thing Rick Dial is good at is moping and playing video games. His mom and younger brother attempt to engage with him, but he shuts them out. His father is no longer around, having left with an old girlfriend. After a traffic accident leaves him crippled, he turned to video games to dull the pain.
Little does Rick know that this obsession with video games makes him a prime candidate for a secret government program. A Russian terrorist has created a whole digital reality, named the Realm. Through the Realm, he can launch attacks on American systems, wreaking havoc wherever technology could be found. Rick is tasked with entering the Realm to help stop this man before he can sow seeds of destruction and chaos across the country. In this digital world, Rick is freed from the constraints of his injury, but anything that happens to him there will affect his real body. If you die in the Realm, there are no extra lives.
The concept for Mindwar is wonderful. With the prominence of video games in our culture, recent developments in real world technology such as the Oculus Rift, and the threats of digital security can certainly make you think about ways that technology can be exploited for evil, but also used for good.
The back cover offers comparisons to Ender’s Game and The Matrix. Unfortunately, these comparisons promise something that is not delivered. While the novel certainly has a digital world, the Realm is nowhere near as rich or detailed in the virtual Realm in those other stories. Rules governed those world, even if the audience wasn’t always aware of everything single detail. In the Realm there are bad guys with alligator heads because…..well, I can’t really tell you why, because I’m not sure myself.
Far too many times in Mindwar, things happen for no good reason and or are not very well described. Nothing illustrates this better than Rick being invited into the Realm. The reason he is singled out is because he plays video games and is really good at them. And this qualifies him for high-security government work in an environment where he could literally die? At one point Rick thinks about how video games have helped hone his reflexes, but playing video games doesn’t teach you how to actually handle weapons. Even if the rules of the Realm helped compensate for that, surely he would at least be seriously injured in his first encounter with a trained bad guy.
Why didn’t the government try to find a trained soldier who also happened to be really, really good at video games? A couple of other ‘reasons’ are offered latter in the book for why Rick might’ve been picked, but they still do not address the issue that he is a civilian who hasn’t been trained in any sort of combat but is being put into a situation where he may have to fight for his life!
If you can get past the wild leaps in logic that the story takes, there are still more issues with Mindwar, including extremely dull characters. When you first meet Rick, he’s a brat, but at least he has a character arc. I can’t think of a single other character that had any sort of depth. The government agents were your typical stone faced, get-r-done type, and the main bad guys played heavily off of the Muslims are terrorists stereotype (even though the evil mastermind is Russian!).
Not helping matters is the dull presentation of the Realm. The rules of the realm are unclear (intentionally at first), but even as information is revealed, it felt awkward. The idea of a digital realm sounded fascinating at first, but I found myself wanted to rush through those sections so I could get back to the real world, which was marginally more interesting.
There are a couple of ghosts/spirit type creatures in the Realm which were sort of interesting, but they were overshadowed by the laughably cheesy monsters and henchmen When it comes to virtual reality realms, I thought Epic created a much more thought out world which was believable within the constraints of the novel’s setting.
Upon receiving this book, I was looking forward to a thrilling ride. When I finally reached the last page, I found myself quite disappointing. The concept of the story is still exciting, but with a combination of dull characters, a story that didn’t make logical sense to me, and a confusing and cheesy virtual realm, I don’t see myself reading any sequels. At the final page I wonder if I would’ve enjoyed this at age 15, and I really don’t think I would.
1/5 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Little does Rick know that this obsession with video games makes him a prime candidate for a secret government program. A Russian terrorist has created a whole digital reality, named the Realm. Through the Realm, he can launch attacks on American systems, wreaking havoc wherever technology could be found. Rick is tasked with entering the Realm to help stop this man before he can sow seeds of destruction and chaos across the country. In this digital world, Rick is freed from the constraints of his injury, but anything that happens to him there will affect his real body. If you die in the Realm, there are no extra lives.
The concept for Mindwar is wonderful. With the prominence of video games in our culture, recent developments in real world technology such as the Oculus Rift, and the threats of digital security can certainly make you think about ways that technology can be exploited for evil, but also used for good.
The back cover offers comparisons to Ender’s Game and The Matrix. Unfortunately, these comparisons promise something that is not delivered. While the novel certainly has a digital world, the Realm is nowhere near as rich or detailed in the virtual Realm in those other stories. Rules governed those world, even if the audience wasn’t always aware of everything single detail. In the Realm there are bad guys with alligator heads because…..well, I can’t really tell you why, because I’m not sure myself.
Far too many times in Mindwar, things happen for no good reason and or are not very well described. Nothing illustrates this better than Rick being invited into the Realm. The reason he is singled out is because he plays video games and is really good at them. And this qualifies him for high-security government work in an environment where he could literally die? At one point Rick thinks about how video games have helped hone his reflexes, but playing video games doesn’t teach you how to actually handle weapons. Even if the rules of the Realm helped compensate for that, surely he would at least be seriously injured in his first encounter with a trained bad guy.
Why didn’t the government try to find a trained soldier who also happened to be really, really good at video games? A couple of other ‘reasons’ are offered latter in the book for why Rick might’ve been picked, but they still do not address the issue that he is a civilian who hasn’t been trained in any sort of combat but is being put into a situation where he may have to fight for his life!
If you can get past the wild leaps in logic that the story takes, there are still more issues with Mindwar, including extremely dull characters. When you first meet Rick, he’s a brat, but at least he has a character arc. I can’t think of a single other character that had any sort of depth. The government agents were your typical stone faced, get-r-done type, and the main bad guys played heavily off of the Muslims are terrorists stereotype (even though the evil mastermind is Russian!).
Not helping matters is the dull presentation of the Realm. The rules of the realm are unclear (intentionally at first), but even as information is revealed, it felt awkward. The idea of a digital realm sounded fascinating at first, but I found myself wanted to rush through those sections so I could get back to the real world, which was marginally more interesting.
There are a couple of ghosts/spirit type creatures in the Realm which were sort of interesting, but they were overshadowed by the laughably cheesy monsters and henchmen When it comes to virtual reality realms, I thought Epic created a much more thought out world which was believable within the constraints of the novel’s setting.
Upon receiving this book, I was looking forward to a thrilling ride. When I finally reached the last page, I found myself quite disappointing. The concept of the story is still exciting, but with a combination of dull characters, a story that didn’t make logical sense to me, and a confusing and cheesy virtual realm, I don’t see myself reading any sequels. At the final page I wonder if I would’ve enjoyed this at age 15, and I really don’t think I would.
1/5 Stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
hgalbraith09's review against another edition
2.0
I loved the Another Kingdom series, so I wanted to try another one by Klavan. I did not care for this one. Will not continue with the series.