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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
It was good, and the premise was really interesting, but something felt off. I think having the characters be high schoolers was an odd choice...
It was dark from the beginning and only got darker which was delicious in the way it didnt shy away from taboo topics. This one gave you all the hard sides and challenging decisions humans make with deadly consequences. Its YA novel with very adult themes. Great debut novel, thanks to the publisher for a gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!
While it’s not the first time I’ve read a book with this concept, I’m still so fascinated by good and bad deeds directed by an unseen person in charge.
Who wouldn’t like high school to be easier? Wouldn’t having all your dreams come true as a teenager be a great enticement just to play a game? Oh, but if you die in the game, you die in real life. This book was definitely a page-turner, as I wanted to know what was going to happen next!
The kids’ choices were believable, based on their options, and knowing about their backgrounds and motivations. One kid will do anything to avoid his father’s wrath. One will do anything for her family’s approval. And one of them will do anything, just to see what will happen next.
I really liked the references to actual philosophical theories as justifications for some of the AI’s scenarios. For instance, they discussed Pascal’s Wager when deciding whether to play the Game or not. Pascal’s Wager is a seventeenth-century philosophy argument that states believing in God is safe whether you’re right or wrong, but doubting the existence of God could be eternally damning (literally) if you’re wrong. This attitude influences whether or not the kids think they should play the God Game.
Overall, the theory of the Game and how it could change the kids’ lives was very interesting. Some of the coding and technology talk was way over my head, but I don’t feel that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Also worth noting that while the book is about teenagers, it’s definitely for adult readers.
Who wouldn’t like high school to be easier? Wouldn’t having all your dreams come true as a teenager be a great enticement just to play a game? Oh, but if you die in the game, you die in real life. This book was definitely a page-turner, as I wanted to know what was going to happen next!
The kids’ choices were believable, based on their options, and knowing about their backgrounds and motivations. One kid will do anything to avoid his father’s wrath. One will do anything for her family’s approval. And one of them will do anything, just to see what will happen next.
I really liked the references to actual philosophical theories as justifications for some of the AI’s scenarios. For instance, they discussed Pascal’s Wager when deciding whether to play the Game or not. Pascal’s Wager is a seventeenth-century philosophy argument that states believing in God is safe whether you’re right or wrong, but doubting the existence of God could be eternally damning (literally) if you’re wrong. This attitude influences whether or not the kids think they should play the God Game.
Overall, the theory of the Game and how it could change the kids’ lives was very interesting. Some of the coding and technology talk was way over my head, but I don’t feel that detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. Also worth noting that while the book is about teenagers, it’s definitely for adult readers.
Win and All Your Dreams Come True™! ;)
This cyber sci-fi thriller revolves around a group of five high school geeks – the Vindicators. The tech-savvy teens are experts at code and pulling trivial stunts. That is until Charlie and Peter receive an invitation they can’t refuse. They receive an invitation to play the G.O.D. Game. If they play and win, all their dreams come true. But if they die in the game, they die in real life... What begins as some harmless fun soon warps into something more sinister. As the virtual reality interposes itself onto real life, will they be able to escape?
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of The God Game, and, from the outset, it was incredibly immersive. It felt like a Stranger Things and Black Mirror collaboration with the scare-factor amped up a notch.
As the story progresses, we gain an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts and fears, their dreams of getting into Harvard, and the secrets regarding the problems they’re enduring at home. They see the game as a chance for all of their dreams to come true. However, the missions, lies and promised rewards crescendo until the game becomes a prime source of their paranoia. Did my Dad really text me that or was it the game? The group dynamic crumbles as the players become mere pawns to the manipulative, omniscient AI. Just like Big Brother, it knows all and sees all. There is no off button. There is no way out. Despite its hefty length, I raced through this like it was a novella to see how, or if, they escaped.
The tech and religious jargon were difficult for me to follow along at times and I thought the quick POV switches were sometimes jarring. Nonetheless, this is an entertaining, original and engrossing story that any fans of Black Mirror will enjoy.
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020: A book with a robot, cyborg or AI character
Thank you, Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
This cyber sci-fi thriller revolves around a group of five high school geeks – the Vindicators. The tech-savvy teens are experts at code and pulling trivial stunts. That is until Charlie and Peter receive an invitation they can’t refuse. They receive an invitation to play the G.O.D. Game. If they play and win, all their dreams come true. But if they die in the game, they die in real life... What begins as some harmless fun soon warps into something more sinister. As the virtual reality interposes itself onto real life, will they be able to escape?
I was immediately intrigued by the premise of The God Game, and, from the outset, it was incredibly immersive. It felt like a Stranger Things and Black Mirror collaboration with the scare-factor amped up a notch.
As the story progresses, we gain an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts and fears, their dreams of getting into Harvard, and the secrets regarding the problems they’re enduring at home. They see the game as a chance for all of their dreams to come true. However, the missions, lies and promised rewards crescendo until the game becomes a prime source of their paranoia. Did my Dad really text me that or was it the game? The group dynamic crumbles as the players become mere pawns to the manipulative, omniscient AI. Just like Big Brother, it knows all and sees all. There is no off button. There is no way out. Despite its hefty length, I raced through this like it was a novella to see how, or if, they escaped.
The tech and religious jargon were difficult for me to follow along at times and I thought the quick POV switches were sometimes jarring. Nonetheless, this is an entertaining, original and engrossing story that any fans of Black Mirror will enjoy.
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020: A book with a robot, cyborg or AI character
Thank you, Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
I received this book as an ARC from the publisher.
This book could have been better.
I felt a lack of character development, and I wanted more of their backstories. I wanted to connect more to them and be engaged in the story, but the vagueness of their stories and the teasers of unfulfilled subplots were a huge disappointment.
While the idea of the book was outside my usual genre, it reminded me of the movies War Games and The Lawnmower Man.
Not too bad for a YA Fantasy, but found it lacking.
This book could have been better.
I felt a lack of character development, and I wanted more of their backstories. I wanted to connect more to them and be engaged in the story, but the vagueness of their stories and the teasers of unfulfilled subplots were a huge disappointment.
While the idea of the book was outside my usual genre, it reminded me of the movies War Games and The Lawnmower Man.
Not too bad for a YA Fantasy, but found it lacking.
Lots of cool special AR and video game interface. Maybe a younger person would find this more interesting than me. Made it to 25% and skipped to the end. Not for me.
Thank you to Gollancz for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book contains strong themes that could be triggering for readers, this is a dark read so please be aware. Themes included: attempted suicide, relationship and parental abuse, violence, blackmail, depression.
When I received an email offering me a copy of The God Game, it was billed to me as a book for fans of Stranger Things and Ready Player One, the front cover reviews it as 'like an episode of Black Mirror'. These three comparisons were enough for me to be intrigued.
You are invited!
COme inside and play with G.O.D.
Bring your friends!
It;’s fun!
But remember the rules. Win and ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.™ Lose, you die!
With those words, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God.
In the G.O.D. Game when you win, you win big and when you lose, you die. With these threats, it makes the plot of this game very fast and exciting. We follow Charlie and his friends in this book as they battle against an AI game that started off as harmless fun but has soon turned into torment and real danger.
Charlie, Peter, Vanhi, Kenny and Alex are the five friends we follow in this book. Charlie was a perfect student, but when his mum died his grades dropped and so did his efforts. Peter is the mysterious kid that moved over from a different school after a run-in with the FBI. Vanhi is desperately trying to get into Harvard and impress her mum whilst also struggling with being her own person aside from their expectations of her. Kenny is a studious guy, he is into philosophy and logic and is the only one of the group, not a hardcore coder and tech-head. Alex is on the outside of the group, he has depression and struggles to fit in and is picked on by the bullies. These friends form a group called The Vindicators and spend a lot of their time playing video games, so of course, the G.O.D Game is perfect for them and completely pulls them in.
There is a huge mystery that surrounds this game, where has it come from, who has created it? The reader doesn't know anything more than the main characters of the book, we are experiencing everything first hand with them. Each of the five leading characters has their own complex issues with morality, which is mainly what this game plays on. The idea behind it being the game is representing a virtual god, toying with people's values and morals and what lengths they would go to to get what they want.
The religious element of this game controlling the player's lives, but still giving them free will is very interesting. They are each given choices throughout the book, offering them an easy path to their goals. They are always given a choice in how the game plays out and whilst it is a manipulative system, they do lead to their own downfalls. It also makes the reader think about what we would do to get what we want. There's a real theme of Icarus in this book when they succeed they really do succeed and the wins are big, but sometimes they will push it too far and fly too close to the sun.
This book is set in a pre-Trump world where the election is upon America. It's interesting reading this knowing the outcome because lots of side comments are made about Trump and his stupidity. So this book involves both politics and religion, it's quite the mix of subjects for a good debate! It makes the world seem very bleak and already has the undertone of lost hope within America. The game itself though transforms this world, overlaying the environment around the players with a virtual world filled with AI. The idea that you could flick on some glasses and see a different setting around you is so interesting. I know AI is a real thing, but it's not a household experience yet.
The characters in this book can put on glasses and suddenly the world seems very different. In a phone-obsessed time, it's interesting that this book plays on the difference between reality and fiction. Sculpting spaces to elicit emotions and motives in the characters was so intriguing to read about. One of the earlier scenes details a character being created by the game and being seen by the characters through their phones, they can interact with him and he furthers the plot of the game's scheme. This takes Pokemon Go to a whole new level!
I think I could talk endlessly about how immersive and clever this book is. From the first 50 pages, I know it would be a five-star read for me, if not a new favourite. Danny Tobey's writing did not disappoint. This book had perfect chapter lengths that made it very easy to have the mindset of 'just one more chapter' and therefore I just kept reading. What a brilliant read to start off 2020 with.
This book contains strong themes that could be triggering for readers, this is a dark read so please be aware. Themes included: attempted suicide, relationship and parental abuse, violence, blackmail, depression.
When I received an email offering me a copy of The God Game, it was billed to me as a book for fans of Stranger Things and Ready Player One, the front cover reviews it as 'like an episode of Black Mirror'. These three comparisons were enough for me to be intrigued.
You are invited!
COme inside and play with G.O.D.
Bring your friends!
It;’s fun!
But remember the rules. Win and ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.™ Lose, you die!
With those words, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God.
In the G.O.D. Game when you win, you win big and when you lose, you die. With these threats, it makes the plot of this game very fast and exciting. We follow Charlie and his friends in this book as they battle against an AI game that started off as harmless fun but has soon turned into torment and real danger.
Charlie, Peter, Vanhi, Kenny and Alex are the five friends we follow in this book. Charlie was a perfect student, but when his mum died his grades dropped and so did his efforts. Peter is the mysterious kid that moved over from a different school after a run-in with the FBI. Vanhi is desperately trying to get into Harvard and impress her mum whilst also struggling with being her own person aside from their expectations of her. Kenny is a studious guy, he is into philosophy and logic and is the only one of the group, not a hardcore coder and tech-head. Alex is on the outside of the group, he has depression and struggles to fit in and is picked on by the bullies. These friends form a group called The Vindicators and spend a lot of their time playing video games, so of course, the G.O.D Game is perfect for them and completely pulls them in.
There is a huge mystery that surrounds this game, where has it come from, who has created it? The reader doesn't know anything more than the main characters of the book, we are experiencing everything first hand with them. Each of the five leading characters has their own complex issues with morality, which is mainly what this game plays on. The idea behind it being the game is representing a virtual god, toying with people's values and morals and what lengths they would go to to get what they want.
The religious element of this game controlling the player's lives, but still giving them free will is very interesting. They are each given choices throughout the book, offering them an easy path to their goals. They are always given a choice in how the game plays out and whilst it is a manipulative system, they do lead to their own downfalls. It also makes the reader think about what we would do to get what we want. There's a real theme of Icarus in this book when they succeed they really do succeed and the wins are big, but sometimes they will push it too far and fly too close to the sun.
This book is set in a pre-Trump world where the election is upon America. It's interesting reading this knowing the outcome because lots of side comments are made about Trump and his stupidity. So this book involves both politics and religion, it's quite the mix of subjects for a good debate! It makes the world seem very bleak and already has the undertone of lost hope within America. The game itself though transforms this world, overlaying the environment around the players with a virtual world filled with AI. The idea that you could flick on some glasses and see a different setting around you is so interesting. I know AI is a real thing, but it's not a household experience yet.
The characters in this book can put on glasses and suddenly the world seems very different. In a phone-obsessed time, it's interesting that this book plays on the difference between reality and fiction. Sculpting spaces to elicit emotions and motives in the characters was so intriguing to read about. One of the earlier scenes details a character being created by the game and being seen by the characters through their phones, they can interact with him and he furthers the plot of the game's scheme. This takes Pokemon Go to a whole new level!
I think I could talk endlessly about how immersive and clever this book is. From the first 50 pages, I know it would be a five-star read for me, if not a new favourite. Danny Tobey's writing did not disappoint. This book had perfect chapter lengths that made it very easy to have the mindset of 'just one more chapter' and therefore I just kept reading. What a brilliant read to start off 2020 with.
Following a group of high school teens as they get entwined in an all know AI game, this book had some great tech aspects that I really enjoyed as well as a wonderful message running throughout about good vs evil and doing the right thing.
However, I have come to the conclusion that personally I do not like reading books about high school students - although this was one of the books that I felt did it really well, with realistic dialogue and actions at times of big decisions.
Brilliant for fans of Mark Lawrence Impossible Kill series and Brandon Sanderson's Skyward.
However, I have come to the conclusion that personally I do not like reading books about high school students - although this was one of the books that I felt did it really well, with realistic dialogue and actions at times of big decisions.
Brilliant for fans of Mark Lawrence Impossible Kill series and Brandon Sanderson's Skyward.