The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine #1) by James Dashner
The Eye of Minds (The Mortality Doctrine #1) by James Dashner
Synopsis:
Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?
But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.
The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.
But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.
Review:
The Eye of Minds is the first in New York Times Bestselling Author James Dashner’s The Mortality Doctrine series, telling the story of Michael and his friends as they hunt down the notorious Cyber Terrorist Kaine.
In the near future, a new way of gaming has established itself: the VirtNet. A Virtual Reality MMORPG where you can meet with friends, fight monsters on other planets, or enjoy a tasty virtual burger. Michael, Bryson, and Sarah are three friends who regularly hang out in the VirtNet, and are considered highly competent hackers – people who know how to alter the surrounding code of the VirtNet to bend virtual reality to their will. On the outskirts of their awareness, a Cyber Terrorist named Kaine is killing gamers, both in the VirtNet and in the real world. Michael and his friends are recruited by a secret organization to help stop Kaine, thus begins a journey through the VirtNet that leads to bonding between the friends, visions of horrors beyond imagining, and revelations that shake the very foundation of Michael’s entire life.
Having been a huge fan of Author James Dashner’s The Maze Runner series, I didn’t hesitate to pick up this book once I discovered it. As an avid gamer myself, I couldn’t help but fall in love with the story almost immediately. A virtual world where anything is possible? Count me in!
Author James Dashner once again brings his unique talent of crafting vivid imagery to the first in his new series, portraying a world where anything from conjuring fireballs to animals shedding their skin is possible. I was enraptured by the story right away, and was tangled in its plot until the very last sentence. I can’t wait to pick up the next book, because I’m certain it will be just as fantastic!
Five out of Five stars!
