Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Willamina Public Library | YA TREVAYNE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | TEEN Trevayne, E. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | TEEN Trevayne, E. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A dying boy on a dying planet plays a dangerous, sophisticated, and addictive game that could save his life--if it doesn't kill him first. A complex, gorgeous, literary thriller for fans for Ernest Cline, Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, and M.T. Anderson.
In a futuristic version of Earth, society is mostly controlled by a company that produces an addictive virtual reality game called Chimera. Everyone plays Chimera. Defeating the levels is how you earn enough points for clothes, food, even medical enhancements. Miguel Anderson is good at it. In fact, he's better than anyone he knows. He spends all of his free time playing, hoping to reach Level 25. At Level 25 you can pick any prize you want--and Miguel needs a new biometric heart. When the game runners announce a global competition to launch a new version with untold prizes, Miguel enters and becomes a team leader. That's new for him--playing on a team. And complicated, as the game becomes a delicate power play between wholly unexpected players. This is the first of two books and features gorgeous writing, compelling action, and a flawed and memorable hero.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
Miguel, a teen living on a futuristic Earth ravaged by human consumption, is dying from a weakening heart. Chimera--a virtual reality game that offers basic necessities (clothes, food, etc.) as well as biomechanical body parts as prizes--is Miguel's only hope for obtaining a new one. A bit choppy, this virtual-reality thriller doesn't quite live up to its inventive dystopic premise. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A teen gamer plays for his life.Miguel Anderson is dying. And so is Earth. In this dystopian future the planet is coming undone, and society distracts itself with virtual-reality games. Winning these games earns players rewards, and Miguel is saving up for a new heart to replace his own malfunctioning one. His favorite game is Chimera. When its maker announces a new game and seeks out beta testers, Miguel is chosen to work with a team to conquer the games 12 levels. Trevayne milks the VR scenes for all theyre worth, crafting elaborate action sequences and a dread-filled mood. Some of it works, but the trouble with setting most of a book in a computer is the constant reminder that none of the threats are real; the attempt to posit the idea that death in a game leads to real-life death doesnt really get traction. The second half of the novel pivots into a conspiracy thriller when Miguel becomes aware he and his teammates are being manipulated by the godlike game makers, which ratchets up the tension nicely. The novel is overlong, losing its way in the middle, which is essentially just about a person playing a video game, but the final chapters and explosive finale even things out. Race is not mentioned, but naming conventions that mix ethnicities suggest a fairly blended society. An overlong but reasonably effective dystopian thriller. (Science fiction. 14-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The world is addicted to Chimera, a virtual reality game that offers real-world benefits, everything from clothes to bio-tech enhancements (skin, organs, limbs). When the game runners announce a competition to end all competitions, by invitation only, Miguel enters in hopes of getting rid of his defective heart. Little does he know that dying from heart failure is the least of his future problems. Level-to-level gaming descriptions will attract reluctant-reader gamers to this series opener. But for those who look below the surface, this is a morality story about good, evil, and the outcomes of heavenly data collection. Trevayne masterfully parses out clues and hints at a larger purpose throughout the book, while meanwhile maintaining the gaming story line and developing a few romantic entanglements along the way. A rather abrupt ending seems to indicate a follow-up title. Religious and mythological motifs are present, from Hercules' 12 labors to the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Try this with gaming-based books like Vivian Vande Velde's Heir Apparent (2002) or perhaps Michael Thomas Ford's Z (2010).--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2016 Booklist