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A review by teachinsci
Otaku by Chris Kluwe
4.0
This is the first book I have read by Chris Kluwe, but after reading it I hope it is not the last. If, like me, you first heard about this book on MPR, you may know that this is a story of a dystopian future. There have been wars over water and beliefs that have wrecked the world. The major groups remaining are the 'gummies' (religious fundamentalists), the 'silkies' (megacorporations), and a smattering of smaller groups and those on the periphery of society. The only way those not born into power can achieve major money and fame is through an immersive online experience called "The Game." Our protagonist and point of view character is Ash who, along with her online clan, is recognized as one of the best players of the game. The fact that she is such a good player though is a problem for many because she is female and dark skinned. We learn that Ash's combat skills are not just in virtual reality, but in the real world as well and that she needs them because her prowess has her receiving regular threats both within the game and in real life. She becomes embroiled in a battle to keep the world from another nuclear holocaust or worse.
The characters in this book are interesting. We only get to know a few of them well (especially Ash), the rest we see as somewhat one dimensional. This is a product of the perspective of the main character. We ate encountering each character through her eyes and only as she considers their perspectives do we learn about them. These worst characters are unfortunately the ones that are some of the most believable... these are the "boardshits", groups of males who regularly threaten Ash and other female players both in-game and in the real world. These reprehensible beings are believable because they already exist and behave exactly as described in the book. In fact, they are part of the reason the book was written... to draw attention to the problems of doxing and violent misogyny that can so frequently be found online. In the world of this book, it is aided by the laws and traditions of the "gummies", whose version of male superiority is straight from the ugliest of Christian fundamentalism. Sadly, in the real world, as in the book, they are also tacitly aided by those who just won't believe it is happening or will make excuses... even claiming that the victims are overreacting or deserving of the treatment.
The book is a page-turner and a quick read. This is both because it is a YA Sci-fi book and because it is very actin oriented... moving the story quickly along. That being said, I could not help but compare it to "Ready Player One" based on the tech. I feel like this book had a slightly more realistic premise and better social commentary however. I was worried about it being a book with a black (bi-sexual?) female protagonist written by a white man, but in doing some research I found that Mr. Kluwe made sure that some of his pre-readers were females of color and he used their advice to make the book more honest from their perspective. I respect that decision a lot.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian sci-fi. I think it would appeal most to those in their mid teens to early twenties and women especially. I wish I could say that men would enjoy it as much (they should, it is a good book), but I fear that many would write it off as overly dramatic in some scenes and would have trouble seeing the truth in the writing.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of this book.
The characters in this book are interesting. We only get to know a few of them well (especially Ash), the rest we see as somewhat one dimensional. This is a product of the perspective of the main character. We ate encountering each character through her eyes and only as she considers their perspectives do we learn about them. These worst characters are unfortunately the ones that are some of the most believable... these are the "boardshits", groups of males who regularly threaten Ash and other female players both in-game and in the real world. These reprehensible beings are believable because they already exist and behave exactly as described in the book. In fact, they are part of the reason the book was written... to draw attention to the problems of doxing and violent misogyny that can so frequently be found online. In the world of this book, it is aided by the laws and traditions of the "gummies", whose version of male superiority is straight from the ugliest of Christian fundamentalism. Sadly, in the real world, as in the book, they are also tacitly aided by those who just won't believe it is happening or will make excuses... even claiming that the victims are overreacting or deserving of the treatment.
The book is a page-turner and a quick read. This is both because it is a YA Sci-fi book and because it is very actin oriented... moving the story quickly along. That being said, I could not help but compare it to "Ready Player One" based on the tech. I feel like this book had a slightly more realistic premise and better social commentary however. I was worried about it being a book with a black (bi-sexual?) female protagonist written by a white man, but in doing some research I found that Mr. Kluwe made sure that some of his pre-readers were females of color and he used their advice to make the book more honest from their perspective. I respect that decision a lot.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian sci-fi. I think it would appeal most to those in their mid teens to early twenties and women especially. I wish I could say that men would enjoy it as much (they should, it is a good book), but I fear that many would write it off as overly dramatic in some scenes and would have trouble seeing the truth in the writing.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of this book.