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Fortuna
Longing for escape from his mundane existence as a Stanford computer science major, Jason Lind signs up to play Fortuna, an online role-playing game set in Renaissance Florence.From the first, fateful mouse click, Jason tumbles into the vibrant, lush, anonymous world of Fortuna. Swept up in this highly complex, highly addictive game of fame, fortune, and power, Jason quick...more
Hardcover, 312 pages
Published
May 3rd 2010
by Oceanview Publishing
(first published May 1st 2010)
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"Fortuna" by Michael R. Stevens, starts out as a cautionary tale about the effects getting overly involved in a virtual world can have on real life. By the end of part 2, the book shifts genres and goes from an after-school special to James Bond meets the Sopranos. Basically, what starts out as a timely and realistic story, becomes something fantastical and improbable. The story is still interesting and exciting; it just becomes disjointed and a bit contrived.
In an effort to add some excitement...more
In an effort to add some excitement...more
When you don't have any actual money (and even if you do), books are an excellent way to take a cheap vacation. But if you've read all the books on your shelf, and something astronomical has happened to keep you away from the bookstore, perhaps virtual lives are the most convenient solution to this fatal monotony. But imagine a virtual life so sophisticated—so complex—that it's run entirely by machines. Imagine a world where the lines between the game and real life begin to blur, until they're a...more
Jason Lund, a computer science graduate student at Stanford, is bored and starts playing a role-playing online computer game, Fortuna. He is impressed with the graphics of the game that takes place in Florence during the Renaissance. He has played these types of games before but this one is even more addicting and he is soon obsessed with the secretive nature of it, and its focus on power. His studies and his relationships start to suffer because he is spending so much time on this game. He als...more
One of the things I really liked about this book is the double role of the main character, Jason. In RL (real life) he’s a graduate student and teaching assistant at Stanford. In cyber life, deeply embedded in the online game Fortuna, he’s a priest in Renaissance Italy. He plays both roles well and in fact the lines between his RL and Ingame world become blurred as he becomes more and more addicted to the game. His life at Stanford is nicely plotted, realistic, and interesting. As can be expecte...more
A perfectly adequate sci-fi thriller about an immersive MMORPG based on Renaissance Florence, and a Stanford comp-sci grad student who gets enmeshed in the game and its politics, only to discover real-world consequences to his online actions, and vice versa.
The concept behind the game and the ever-so-slightly fantastical sci-fi aspects of the setting (ubiquitous GPS tracking in phones, really mind-blowing graphical and avatar capabilities in the game) were quite engrossing, and the idea of havin...more
The concept behind the game and the ever-so-slightly fantastical sci-fi aspects of the setting (ubiquitous GPS tracking in phones, really mind-blowing graphical and avatar capabilities in the game) were quite engrossing, and the idea of havin...more
18th book read in 2011.
number 148 out of 222 on my all time book list
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Bt6e...
number 148 out of 222 on my all time book list
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1Bt6e...
1 like · like · see review
view 1 comment
*I received a free copy of this book from First Reads*
Wow! What an incredible book! I enjoyed this read very much and I am so thankful for receiving a free copy. My husband stole it away from me right after I finished because I kept raving about how good it is!
I don't have anything negative to say about Fortuna, except maybe some of the computer language used. I'm not a huge computer geek so I had to ask my computer geek husband what some of the terms meant. It isn't a huge deal though and you s...more
Wow! What an incredible book! I enjoyed this read very much and I am so thankful for receiving a free copy. My husband stole it away from me right after I finished because I kept raving about how good it is!
I don't have anything negative to say about Fortuna, except maybe some of the computer language used. I'm not a huge computer geek so I had to ask my computer geek husband what some of the terms meant. It isn't a huge deal though and you s...more
This was a fast-paced story, albeit with a bit of an improbability factor. It was a little over my head in certain places when discussing technical matters and tied up a little too neatly of my taste.
If you like adventure video games with historical elements, and you know something about programming, you will likely enjoy this one. I got it for free through Amazon's daily deals, but it's still a very reasonable $1.99.
NOTE: Punctuation errors included missing periods at the end of a few sentence...more
If you like adventure video games with historical elements, and you know something about programming, you will likely enjoy this one. I got it for free through Amazon's daily deals, but it's still a very reasonable $1.99.
NOTE: Punctuation errors included missing periods at the end of a few sentence...more
Good, exciting thriller in which a young man, a grad student at Stanford, becomes obsessed with a massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in Renaissance Italy that spills over into present-day reality. An enjoyable read for those who like suspense fiction about virtual reality impinging on the real world.
Interesting. Consulted. Ending telegraphed chapters in advance. Good for a holiday read. Light on the technical or rather magical details. Cool concept but technobabble was a bit off
I highly recommend this book for anyone
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book and was not reimbursed in any other way.
Jul 10, 2011
shinfu
marked it as to-read
I have just won this book from First Reads. I look forward to reading it. Thanks.
Kindle free download 7/7/12.
A good book if you like technical thrillers. It was a little more in depth than I like to go on computers and programs but still was ok.
Aug 13, 2011
Brenda
added it
I found the descriptions within the game Fortuna very long and detailed. Sometimes within the game I was confused where he was. I am not a video game person but think that people who play video games, etc. would find it interesting. I became bored with the back and forth.
I was lucky enough to get my copy of Fortuna from first reads.
Fortuna is a great book that really pulls you in. It has such a rich backdrop that you feel right in the picture. And there are some great twists and turns without. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Fortuna is a great book that really pulls you in. It has such a rich backdrop that you feel right in the picture. And there are some great twists and turns without. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Apr 16, 2013
Tammy
added it
Jan 15, 2013
Jessica
marked it as to-read
Dec 24, 2012
Cindy
added it
Dec 06, 2012
Danielle Arnold
marked it as to-read
Nov 17, 2012
Ethan Vaughn
marked it as to-read
Nov 07, 2012
anonymous
marked it as to-read
Oct 22, 2012
Beth
marked it as to-read
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