Sunday, December 2, 2012

Review: Gamers

Title - Gamers
Author - Thomas K. Carpenter
Series or Standalone - Series Gamers #1
Genre - Young Adult Sci Fi
Publication June 13th 2011 
(Goodreads) & (Amazon)

Synopsis

Two points for brushing your teeth. Ten points for keeping your room tidy. Seventy-two points for the Bioeconomic Game Design pop quiz on the ride to school in your personal FunCar. Another thirty for making every hurdle in gym class. 

Life is a game, unless you're not the one winning.

Gabby DeCorte, top student and reality-hacker extraordinaire, has been doing whatever it takes to keep her best friend, Zaela, from falling behind in LifeGame. Zaela has gifts of artistry that amaze Gabby, but none of those skills translate in LifeGame and with final exams coming up, they can't afford to waste a single minute. But when a mysterious group called the Frags contacts Gabby claiming to know what really happens to the losers of LifeGame, she must choose between winning and what she believes in.


Opening Teaser

The green sky loomed over the high school track like a bowl of pea soup upended. Even the few clouds resembled lumps of pea-sized material suspended in the thoroughly disgusting verdant broth.

Gabby ran around the track, glancing upward, cursing under her breath. Her best friend Zaela, elbowed her in the ribs.

“Come on, our score is dropping,” said Zaela. 

Gabby checked her LifeScore, annoyingly waiting at the corner of her vision with only a quick leftward eye movement, ready to piss her off. The number had faded to red, indicating a downward trend.

Review


I received Gamers in return for an honest review as part of a giveaway from Librarything. Gabby lives in a world where her whole future hinges on her LifeScore. Society has advanced to the point that everyone can manipulate what the world looks like, example what they wear, what happens like falling pigs. Students who score high in the LifeGame move on to the University where they get the best jobs. While those who don't are sent to lesser jobs, but are really never heard from again. Gabby is a wiz when it comes to hacking into the system she helps boost her friend's score so she can hopefully move on to University.

When Gabby learns that the Frags a rogue group who don't support the ways of the LifeGame. Gabby also learns that her TPS (thoughts per second) are ranked among the highest in the LifeGame. When she is confronted by the Frags who tell her they know what's really happening to those who don't pass the LifeGame and it's not lesser jobs. When Gabby is sent off on a final Raid teaming up with her former friend and now archenemy as well as three other students. The five of them head off into the cyber world to compete with the other teams and defeat the final raid boss. The challenges that her team faces will test every member as well as cause Gabby to question her loyalties. Will she defeat the raid boss and move on to the University or will be doomed to the life the Frags have hinted about.

Gamers is a fast paced, cyber adventure in a world unlike any other I've read about. I found the concept for LifeGame exciting and reminded me of my World of Warcraft raiding days. I really liked the idea of being able to change the way objects like by using a different skin, it's very futuristic which I really enjoyed. Gabby is a great character she's easy to connect with and her friendship with Zaela brings out the humanity in here that many of her fellow students don't seem to have which makes it easy to like her. I found Gamers well written the story-line flows smooth making it an easy read for anyone teen to adult to enjoy. I overall really love the concept of the story, it's something I could see happening as more and more people are getting into computers, games who knows maybe one day I'll be able to change the skin on my fun car anytime soon. I had a hard time putting the book down it's such an interesting story and I'm still new to the whole Sci Fi genre so I stayed up super late reading just to know how it would end. I can't wait to read the next one because I really want to know what happens next to Gabby.

4 out of 5 Stars

1 comment:

  1. Gamers had a few loose ends which gave the first book a cliffhanger feel to it. You all know how much I hate cliffhangers. Yet at the same time, I was satisfied with the ending, especially knowing the next two books are already available.

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