Scan barcode
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
2.0
The problem with this book is that the stuff going on in the real world, which is hinted at but only occasionally touched on, is much more interesting than the narrative of the story, which is essentially set in a load of first person shooter games. Some great ideas but realised in a very uninteresting way.
nerdyfoxreads's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who has always loved video games, this was such a fun read! I mean, who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to be dropped into your favorite video game (or book, for that matter.)? Bedlam is a story about that very thing! I thoroughly enjoyed all the subtle nods to some of my favorite franchises and gaming culture as a whole. Bedlam manages to feel like the best parts of Ready Player One and Sword Art Online while also feeling totally unique to itself. Brookmyre’s sense of humor probably has a lot to do with that
davidjme's review against another edition
4.0
Ready Player One meets Life on Mars meets Scotland. Kind of frothy, a little rushed, but really good fun.
cakegeek's review against another edition
4.0
Brilliant book!
Quite a leap from what Chris Brookmyre normally does, but none the worse for it. I will admit that I have only a basic knowledge of computer gaming, but didn't feel hindered at all during the read.
Quite a leap from what Chris Brookmyre normally does, but none the worse for it. I will admit that I have only a basic knowledge of computer gaming, but didn't feel hindered at all during the read.
marcherlady's review against another edition
5.0
Brookmyre does Sci-Fi, one for the gamers. Can I give this 6/5? Sneaky plotline + Brookmyre's usual snarky sense of humour.
"He wasn't sure whether [the creature] flew on avian aerodynamic principles or merely broke the laws of gravity because gravity was too scared to object"
"He wasn't sure whether [the creature] flew on avian aerodynamic principles or merely broke the laws of gravity because gravity was too scared to object"
lian_tanner's review against another edition
2.0
What is it about virtual worlds that makes them so boring to read about? I've loved most of Brookmyre's books, but this one left me cold - it's hard to stay interested in characters who respawn instead of dying. I suspect that people who are heavily into gaming will enjoy it a lot more than I did.
However I DID stick with it right to the end (though I skipped rather a lot), which is why I'm giving it two and a half stars rather than one. If this is the first of Brookmyre's books you've read, don't judge him by it. Go back to his crime novels, which are clever, sarcastic and laugh-out-loud funny.
However I DID stick with it right to the end (though I skipped rather a lot), which is why I'm giving it two and a half stars rather than one. If this is the first of Brookmyre's books you've read, don't judge him by it. Go back to his crime novels, which are clever, sarcastic and laugh-out-loud funny.
annabella82's review against another edition
3.0
I found it really hard to get into this book. The pace was slow and I wasn't all that into the plot.
This isn't a typically Brookmyre novel, so I'm not surprised that I didn't really enjoy it (it was all a little too sci-fi for me).
I think the only thing that saved this novel for me was its ending.
This isn't a typically Brookmyre novel, so I'm not surprised that I didn't really enjoy it (it was all a little too sci-fi for me).
I think the only thing that saved this novel for me was its ending.
rachelini's review against another edition
3.0
Christopher Brookmyre steps into sci-fi. It has his signature awesome characters, but the story didn't totally click for me. I still enjoyed it, though - 3 1/2 stars.
reading_on_the_road's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a huge Brookmyre fan, but this book just didn't hit the spot.
The central character is great, the real-life situation engaging and the ending satisfying. Unfortunately the central section dragged a bit for me as I've never been that absorbed by gaming.
The central character is great, the real-life situation engaging and the ending satisfying. Unfortunately the central section dragged a bit for me as I've never been that absorbed by gaming.
tartancrusader's review
4.0
Almost all I will say about this, save that I loved it, was that one passage triggered (from Stygian depths of memory) the release of a cheat code - a 7-digit number - for a computer game which I had not even *thought* about (much less played) for 25 years.
The cover blurb just doesn't do it justice - for me, this book was as much about nostalgia as it was about plot. The nostalgia wasn't as thickly-layered, nor as all-pervasive as Ernest Cline's almost-equally worthy "Ready Player One" but, for me anyway, this was all the better for that. Also, and here's what got me - this was smarter, the puzzle better, the resolution neater. Don't get me wrong, I liked Cline's book. But I liked this more.
The cover blurb just doesn't do it justice - for me, this book was as much about nostalgia as it was about plot. The nostalgia wasn't as thickly-layered, nor as all-pervasive as Ernest Cline's almost-equally worthy "Ready Player One" but, for me anyway, this was all the better for that. Also, and here's what got me - this was smarter, the puzzle better, the resolution neater. Don't get me wrong, I liked Cline's book. But I liked this more.