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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This is the third book in the Dream Park series. I accidently read it first, but it doesn't really matter too much, just makes it a little confusing if you read the other books later going "wait, didn't he? Wasn't she? Weren't they?" at least that's the way it was with me.
Like all Dream Park novels this is about a big nationally telecast Live Action Role Play. Yes, it's about a bunch of people walking around doing LARP, but you know what? It sounds like the most fun ever. Mostly because it has something real LARP doesn't: A budget of millions of dollars. I have nothing against LARP, some of my best friends are LARPers and while I don't LARP myself, if there actually was a theme park where I could go and interact with holograms and swing hologram swords and things, I'd be there in a minute.
The story involves teams of Players going to a huge empty building in the desert that has been converted for The Game. It's kind of like The World Series of Dream Park competitions. It's called The California VooDoo Game because that's the major story of the game. There's VooDoo, there's action and in general just a good time. Also there is the other story which is going on at the same time which is split between the gamers and the people running the game and has to do with a security leak in the Game. One of the players is trying to do Something illegal, what is it, who is doing it and what happens next are what really help drive the story along.
So, in short, this book is good, I really liked it and really want a theme park that has holograms in it. Really, can't stress enough how many times I've actually dreamed of Dream Park.
Like all Dream Park novels this is about a big nationally telecast Live Action Role Play. Yes, it's about a bunch of people walking around doing LARP, but you know what? It sounds like the most fun ever. Mostly because it has something real LARP doesn't: A budget of millions of dollars. I have nothing against LARP, some of my best friends are LARPers and while I don't LARP myself, if there actually was a theme park where I could go and interact with holograms and swing hologram swords and things, I'd be there in a minute.
The story involves teams of Players going to a huge empty building in the desert that has been converted for The Game. It's kind of like The World Series of Dream Park competitions. It's called The California VooDoo Game because that's the major story of the game. There's VooDoo, there's action and in general just a good time. Also there is the other story which is going on at the same time which is split between the gamers and the people running the game and has to do with a security leak in the Game. One of the players is trying to do Something illegal, what is it, who is doing it and what happens next are what really help drive the story along.
So, in short, this book is good, I really liked it and really want a theme park that has holograms in it. Really, can't stress enough how many times I've actually dreamed of Dream Park.
So I ended up reading this one second and not third. I don't think it made a lot of difference. This is a fun one with a great villain and some really interesting ideas about character, motivation and the power of games and escape to heal us.
it is interesting to see how this book would be different if written today. Lots of sexism and casual racism assumed, lots of white privilege on display. Also, the assumptions about where technology was going are interesting.
it is interesting to see how this book would be different if written today. Lots of sexism and casual racism assumed, lots of white privilege on display. Also, the assumptions about where technology was going are interesting.
I re-read this to check whether there wa a story about a uterine transplant, and there was. It's not very germane to the plot, since plots are Niven's forte, but it does provide insight into the characters which is Barnes'.
Good Dream park material, well verdue for a movie as they all are.
Good Dream park material, well verdue for a movie as they all are.
A little too much, muck like Barsoom Project. But a satisfying end saved it.
Although the original Dream Park is a long-time favorite, I’m concerned that it might not hold up to my current tastes if I were to reread it today. Maybe it would, but this one, I’m afraid, never really engaged me. There are some interesting concepts surrounding the unique varieties of voodoo that formed the basis of the game, but beyond that, things were less interesting. The “real” plot involving espionage, theft, and murder just didn’t hold my attention for long. The gaming jokes were less funny than I’d hoped, perhaps due to my reading this so long after it was published. So probably Niven and Barnes don’t deserve all the blame, but for me this book was just okay.
Great book, I liked it better than [b:Dream Park|357922|Dream Park (Dream Park, #1)|Larry Niven|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200983s/357922.jpg|1775372] and much better than [b:The Barsoom Project|218470|The Barsoom Project (Dream Park, #2)|Larry Niven|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309203335s/218470.jpg|1765301]. The interactions between Alex and his allies on the one side, and Bishop on the other were captivating. And I also enjoyed the actual game going on.
Of the Dream Park books I've read (this one and the previous two), California Voodoo Game has the most interesting Game being played. Unlike the first two books (where the immersive live role playing events involved Europeans saving indigenous peoples), here the Game setting is a futuristic megacomplex where "Valley" and mall culture humorously reign supreme. The cast is huge (we have five teams of players competing for the win), and the action - especially near the end - is very exciting.
But the cringe factor was too much for me. We start off the book with sex scenes full of deceit and dysfunction sandwiching a murder. That's not exactly what I want in a science fiction thriller based on LARPing, but what makes it worse is that (spoilers below)
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our murderer and murder victim (each of which has one of the awful sex scenes mentioned above) were apparently both victims of childhood rape by a family member and may have even met each other at a support group for childhood rape survivors. That's too much ick for me from a book I'm reading just for the gamer kicks.
But the cringe factor was too much for me. We start off the book with sex scenes full of deceit and dysfunction sandwiching a murder. That's not exactly what I want in a science fiction thriller based on LARPing, but what makes it worse is that (spoilers below)
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our murderer and murder victim (each of which has one of the awful sex scenes mentioned above) were apparently both victims of childhood rape by a family member and may have even met each other at a support group for childhood rape survivors. That's too much ick for me from a book I'm reading just for the gamer kicks.
Pure guilty pleasure, pulp reading. I loved this series when I was young but only read books 1 & 2 so I took a break from heavy reading and was surprised this mostly held up - heck 3 stars is not terrible.
Many elements of this series were ahead of their time, particularly the description and use of virtual reality but even the Reality TV style of the content was prescient. I'm surprised this series has never been made into a series or a film. If you are looking for some shallow escape reading you could do far worse though I suggest book one, Dream Park, as this one has a port that drags a bit and is a bit convoluted vs the pure joy of the first book.
Many elements of this series were ahead of their time, particularly the description and use of virtual reality but even the Reality TV style of the content was prescient. I'm surprised this series has never been made into a series or a film. If you are looking for some shallow escape reading you could do far worse though I suggest book one, Dream Park, as this one has a port that drags a bit and is a bit convoluted vs the pure joy of the first book.
Third book in a series (and for nearly 20 years, the last book of the series), this large cast story can be hard to follow and has more caricature than character. Technology was also starting to leave this description of a future world behind. That said, it brought the series to a nice conclusion.
In the world described, Dream Park has been a going venture for a number of years. This game represents a cast-only break from normal activities, and also five teams of five in competition. The plot describes both a mystery outside the game and a race within the game. When you add in the staff and major NPCs, the character total becomes quite unwieldy - though more than a few are killed off in the virtual world competition.
That's also part of the problem - the virtual world described in the first book (1981) consisted of holograms, props and makeup. This book (1992) adds visors - heads up displays with added character information and many of the injuries and death. VR headsets, already available at the time of writing, were not even considered. Another focus of this book is the media presentation of the game, with characters playing to the camera. How similar this would be to reality television...
It will be interesting to see how the 4th book (2011) connects our world with Dream Park. I plan to tackle it later this year, finishing off yet another series.
In the world described, Dream Park has been a going venture for a number of years. This game represents a cast-only break from normal activities, and also five teams of five in competition. The plot describes both a mystery outside the game and a race within the game. When you add in the staff and major NPCs, the character total becomes quite unwieldy - though more than a few are killed off in the virtual world competition.
That's also part of the problem - the virtual world described in the first book (1981) consisted of holograms, props and makeup. This book (1992) adds visors - heads up displays with added character information and many of the injuries and death. VR headsets, already available at the time of writing, were not even considered. Another focus of this book is the media presentation of the game, with characters playing to the camera. How similar this would be to reality television...
It will be interesting to see how the 4th book (2011) connects our world with Dream Park. I plan to tackle it later this year, finishing off yet another series.
Tough to get into, perhaps read the others first. The language feels too odd and unnatural, but the ideas are great as always with a Niven book.