**This book was received as a Free Advanced Reader's Copy**
Gamers
is a book about, well, Gamers. Running with the dystopian theme that
is so popular right now, Gamers provides a look at a future where people
have shifted over to a very technological reality. I actually enjoyed
this book quite a bit, and thought that it offered an interesting
approach to the genre. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars because of some
things I'd like to see improved, but even so, it had a way of drawing
you into the story.
Gabby is a somewhat hacker and gifted student
that is preparing for her Final Raid. In Gabby's world, people are
ranked by points that will tell whether they get into a job by
university or be regulated into the lower class jobs offered to those
who don't score high enough. These points are built up by performing
regular tasks, playing games at school, and in general succeeding at
life. When Gabby's reality is disrupted by a group dubbing themselves
the Frags, she learns that her world is not quite what it seems.
LifeGame is more real than one could imagine, and the consequences for
not scoring high are dire. Especially in the Final Raid, which will
determine her and her classmates fates.
Gabby is an ok
character. She seems to genuinely care for her friend. Her parents are
a different story but we don't see much of them so it doesn't seem to
matter if Gabby likes them or not. The Frags as a group were
interesting, but we only had a limited time with them so I couldn't
really feel connected to them or their plight. I would have liked to
know more about this and why Gabby trusted them so much, but I suspect
that is reserved for the next book in the series. Gabby's friend also
had a limited time in the book but Zaela is a character I connected
with. She's an artist, and while that's not highly valued in Gabby's
worl, I value it. By contrast, Gabby spends more time with her
arch-nemesis, the leader of a group called the Evil Dolls during the
final raid. Which don't get me wrong, she was a complex character, I
just don't think she should have had more time than Zaela since she's so
integral to Gabby's life.
The plot was interesting. Being a
past gamer myself I was able to appreciate the Dungeons and Dragons type
setting of the last raid. In fact, it may have even brought back some
memories for me. That being said, people who aren't gamers might not
understand some of the lingo that was used, but I don't think it was
greatly devastate their enjoyment of the book. I also didn't really
understand the role of the government in the book and why precisely they
were fighting a war. There were hints at it all over, but nothing was
ever really explained about why such an entity came into the power it
had. I also realize this could come in the later books, but it would
have been nice to have a little more background to understand Gabby's
world together. As it is, it's almost alien. The actual running of the
games and the points system was well done. I could see the concept
being used efficiently to rank people, and while I may not understand
why the games are so important compared to reality type life skills, it
made the book interesting to read about the different types of games. I
also liked the descriptions of how they could change their rooms and
appearances. It just added to the total effect of Gabby's world. The
book is descriptive which helps because there is a lot of detail in it.
It may end somewhat abruptly, but that just gives a good reason to read
the next book in the series.
An interesting take on a dystopian book. I can definitely see myself reading the rest of the books in the series at some point.
Gamers
Copyright 2011
313 pages
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