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A review by theamandalorianreads
The God Game by Danny Tobey
5.0
*I received this book as an ARC* An absolute must read. Seriously. I flew through this book. As someone who doesn't like to stop in the middle of a chapter, this book was nearly IMPOSSIBLE to put down for the sheer fact that A) its an engrossing story that hooks you immediately and B) the chapters are, more often than not, very short snippets. Good for continuing the story, bad for bedtime. This book contains a diverse cast of characters that doesn't feel forced or like its pandering to a need for diversity in fiction. They all feel real and nuanced and they each have their place in the story. There are no caricatures, only flawed individuals.
I just finished this book and I immediately had to sit down to write my review. The God Game is a horrifying testament to our time, in the sense that its not as outlandish a premise as one might want it to be. The book is so in tune and in touch with the current psyche of the world that its not really too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that something like this could occur, not to the extent or brilliance of this game itself, but in smaller ways. In some ways, I think instances of this premise already do happen in today's society, and that is what makes this book so incredibly timely.
The book and its plot work because there is a gradual build up of cause and effect, but not so slowly that it feels stilted or untrue. Consequences happen, and they become more dire at an exponential rate, something that could actually occur. At first, I was tripped up by the choices the characters were making, annoyed at their selfishness or how they would act without truly considering the consequences or talking to the people they considered friends. But then it hit me: I was annoyed because of the TRUTH of those actions. And then I was just in awe at how the book could, in a sense, hack even the readers sense of morality. Because I, as the reader, could take an action of a character and find it deplorable and then in the next moment reason why it was perfectly fine to make that choice. That is the innate danger of the game.
The situations the Game put the players in were not all that outlandish, which help this book feel less like fantasy and more based in reality. The means to the ends were, the hyper realism that the Game created in the game space, but the choices it laid out before the players were extremely relatable, which made the story all the more compelling. What abused child does not want to exact revenge on their abuser? What high-achieving student does not want to wipe away a bad grade in order to achieve their dream college? Who among us does not want the respect and adoration of their peers; who among us is not, from time to time at least, afraid of what those around us would say about us, behind our backs or to our faces? None of these things are so far out of the realm of possibility of actually happening in every day life so as to pull the reader from the narrative. The characters were presented with very real choices to help them achieve things they truly wanted. And in the end the question the Game is really asking is: How far would you go to...?
And that is the heart of the story, and that is what makes the book so compelling and, in a sense, terrifying. How far WOULD you go? We see how far that Game is able to push this group of high school students, how it is able to manipulate based on how each person perceives themselves and the world around them, how desperate they are to achieve their dreams or to feel just a little less alone. The story ends with a sense of hope, with the characters each having to atone for their so-called sins in various ways, and even though they lose what the Game gave them, they see the world does not stop turning. But that sense of closure is mercilessly ripped away by the final chapter, realizing that while they have stopped playing the Game, the Game doesn't stop. Just because you are not playing, doesn't mean someone else is not playing, causing you to question just about everything that might ever happen to you.
The Game is cruel, and it is, in a sense, a metaphor for the times we're living in. Every day we actually have to choose whether to be innately GOOD or to allow the BAD that is in the world to stack up, to cause harm to others simply because we can, or because they would do it to us, if the tables were turned. The Game highlights the ripple effect, how one person's actions can cause far-reaching and unseen consequences.
I just finished this book and I immediately had to sit down to write my review. The God Game is a horrifying testament to our time, in the sense that its not as outlandish a premise as one might want it to be. The book is so in tune and in touch with the current psyche of the world that its not really too much of a stretch of the imagination to think that something like this could occur, not to the extent or brilliance of this game itself, but in smaller ways. In some ways, I think instances of this premise already do happen in today's society, and that is what makes this book so incredibly timely.
The book and its plot work because there is a gradual build up of cause and effect, but not so slowly that it feels stilted or untrue. Consequences happen, and they become more dire at an exponential rate, something that could actually occur. At first, I was tripped up by the choices the characters were making, annoyed at their selfishness or how they would act without truly considering the consequences or talking to the people they considered friends. But then it hit me: I was annoyed because of the TRUTH of those actions. And then I was just in awe at how the book could, in a sense, hack even the readers sense of morality. Because I, as the reader, could take an action of a character and find it deplorable and then in the next moment reason why it was perfectly fine to make that choice. That is the innate danger of the game.
The situations the Game put the players in were not all that outlandish, which help this book feel less like fantasy and more based in reality. The means to the ends were, the hyper realism that the Game created in the game space, but the choices it laid out before the players were extremely relatable, which made the story all the more compelling. What abused child does not want to exact revenge on their abuser? What high-achieving student does not want to wipe away a bad grade in order to achieve their dream college? Who among us does not want the respect and adoration of their peers; who among us is not, from time to time at least, afraid of what those around us would say about us, behind our backs or to our faces? None of these things are so far out of the realm of possibility of actually happening in every day life so as to pull the reader from the narrative. The characters were presented with very real choices to help them achieve things they truly wanted. And in the end the question the Game is really asking is: How far would you go to...?
And that is the heart of the story, and that is what makes the book so compelling and, in a sense, terrifying. How far WOULD you go? We see how far that Game is able to push this group of high school students, how it is able to manipulate based on how each person perceives themselves and the world around them, how desperate they are to achieve their dreams or to feel just a little less alone. The story ends with a sense of hope, with the characters each having to atone for their so-called sins in various ways, and even though they lose what the Game gave them, they see the world does not stop turning. But that sense of closure is mercilessly ripped away by the final chapter, realizing that while they have stopped playing the Game, the Game doesn't stop. Just because you are not playing, doesn't mean someone else is not playing, causing you to question just about everything that might ever happen to you.
The Game is cruel, and it is, in a sense, a metaphor for the times we're living in. Every day we actually have to choose whether to be innately GOOD or to allow the BAD that is in the world to stack up, to cause harm to others simply because we can, or because they would do it to us, if the tables were turned. The Game highlights the ripple effect, how one person's actions can cause far-reaching and unseen consequences.