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The TALE OF THE VIRTUAL NIGHTMARE: ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK #9
Playing his favorite video game to the point that he loses interest in every other activity, Sam risks becoming seriously ill, until Cady intervenes and discovers that Sam has disappeared. Original.
- GenresHorrorYoung Adult
134 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 19, 2026
This one let me down because it had a lot of potential and some good writing.
The biggest issue for me is that the story doesn't utilize the technology element. This is a doppelganger/dimensional horror story that could have been framed in other ways. We've seen the likes of them before in mirrors, fourth dimensions, etc. (The idea of being sucked into some otherworld where an evil twin takes your place in the real world)
The author seems to only have a minimal understanding of how computers work. To be fair - this book was written in the 90s when technology obviously wasn't as advanced and universally understood as it is now.
Overall this wasn't a bad book but just very flawed and didn't quite work for me. It was also a bit sappy and happy go lucky for my tastes, although that seems to be a trend with these AYAOTD books. They seem to focus more on cozy vibes and "the power of friendship" themes to defeat the evil, etc.
2.5⭐ rounded down
The biggest issue for me is that the story doesn't utilize the technology element. This is a doppelganger/dimensional horror story that could have been framed in other ways. We've seen the likes of them before in mirrors, fourth dimensions, etc. (The idea of being sucked into some otherworld where an evil twin takes your place in the real world)
The author seems to only have a minimal understanding of how computers work. To be fair - this book was written in the 90s when technology obviously wasn't as advanced and universally understood as it is now.
Overall this wasn't a bad book but just very flawed and didn't quite work for me. It was also a bit sappy and happy go lucky for my tastes, although that seems to be a trend with these AYAOTD books. They seem to focus more on cozy vibes and "the power of friendship" themes to defeat the evil, etc.
2.5⭐ rounded down
June 1, 2019
I wasn’t too into this story. You could tell the author was big on computers. It’s funny how far the internet has come since 1996. I was laughing at the thought of kids being hooked on computer games! Now, kids are all about video games. We are definitely more advanced electronic and computer skills wise.
While I was reading, I got “A Wrinkle in Time”
vibes mixed with “Labyrinth.” The kid being trapped and evil twin cloned charade is definitely characteristic of AYAOTD? In fact, there has been another story that this book reminded me of in the book series (“The Tale of the Secret Mirror”). Instead of being trapped in a mirror world, these 2 besties get trapped in cyberspace from a computer game. They must face the labyrinth in order to defeat the virus that plans on making many more copies in the real world!
Gary told this story and I felt like this was more of a Frank or Tucker story since Gary’s bag was magic.
While I was reading, I got “A Wrinkle in Time”
vibes mixed with “Labyrinth.” The kid being trapped and evil twin cloned charade is definitely characteristic of AYAOTD? In fact, there has been another story that this book reminded me of in the book series (“The Tale of the Secret Mirror”). Instead of being trapped in a mirror world, these 2 besties get trapped in cyberspace from a computer game. They must face the labyrinth in order to defeat the virus that plans on making many more copies in the real world!
Gary told this story and I felt like this was more of a Frank or Tucker story since Gary’s bag was magic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews