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A review by theaceofpages
The God Game by Danny Tobey
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
"What does it mean to be saved? Is it a version of yourself from years ago, perfectly preserved, so that you can return to it one day, unblemished, no matter what insults have happened since? No matter the mistakes and errors and blows and sins?
Or is it the opposite: overwriting all past versions of yourself, so that everything before has been wiped away, leaving only the newest, latest version to go forward and sin no more?
Or is the simplest explanation true: that there is no such thing as salvation? Only a series of files, disjointed, slices of time that - when strung together - give the approximation of life. The way a flip-book gives the illusion of motion."
After experimenting with an AI that was programmed to believe it was God, a group of friends who call themselves The Vindicators find themselves drawn into a game. While it starts off simple enough, they are asked to to darker and darker things until they are in too deep and can't escape. Not that they always want to. Some of the rewards for their loyalty are rather enticing. Especially since leaving the game means death.
This book felt familiar. But I don't know to which book. I've looked over my reading tracker from the past few years (even searching for words in the remark I remember making. But I couldn't find it.). I'll edit this to add it if I ever remember.
I enjoyed the characters in this book and seeing their corruption. It's definitely believable as it all builds up slowly. This does mean that the book drags a bit at times, especially given its length. The game is incredibly creepy and disturbing. The lines between the virtual reality of the game and the reality of life quickly get blurred, and we find our characters questioning who is playing and who can they trust. They even start doubting each other as no one really knows what the game wants or what it is trying to achieve.
Or is it the opposite: overwriting all past versions of yourself, so that everything before has been wiped away, leaving only the newest, latest version to go forward and sin no more?
Or is the simplest explanation true: that there is no such thing as salvation? Only a series of files, disjointed, slices of time that - when strung together - give the approximation of life. The way a flip-book gives the illusion of motion."
After experimenting with an AI that was programmed to believe it was God, a group of friends who call themselves The Vindicators find themselves drawn into a game. While it starts off simple enough, they are asked to to darker and darker things until they are in too deep and can't escape. Not that they always want to. Some of the rewards for their loyalty are rather enticing. Especially since leaving the game means death.
This book felt familiar. But I don't know to which book. I've looked over my reading tracker from the past few years (even searching for words in the remark I remember making. But I couldn't find it.). I'll edit this to add it if I ever remember.
I enjoyed the characters in this book and seeing their corruption. It's definitely believable as it all builds up slowly. This does mean that the book drags a bit at times, especially given its length. The game is incredibly creepy and disturbing. The lines between the virtual reality of the game and the reality of life quickly get blurred, and we find our characters questioning who is playing and who can they trust. They even start doubting each other as no one really knows what the game wants or what it is trying to achieve.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Stalking, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Outing