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Escape from a Video Game #2
Escape from a Video Game: Mystery on the Starship Crusader
Young gamers control the action in this interactive mystery from the bestselling author of Trapped in a Video Game. With more than 30 endings and an unlockable bonus adventure, this second book in the series promises hours of screen-free fun.This is one book that will super-power the interest of any "I'd rather be gaming" kid. In this pick-your-path adventure, you join eight strangers inside a video game for a chance to win a million dollars. The challenge is survive to the end, and you're rich. There's just one A traitor is hiding among your group. One-by-one, crew members of the spaceship start disappearing. Can you find the traitor before it's too late? This whodunnit space adventure is perfect for fans of Among Us.
- GenresScience Fiction
194 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 20, 2021
32 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 8, 2021
Hmmm... This was my second look at this series, and I found a book that was completely self-contained, but one that hampered itself by starting in a way nowhere near as engaging as the first. They are linked by the fact you get swallowed up into a computer game each time, but here you're stuck on a space ship, as a lizard, amongst the wholly unlikeable characters that are in real life victims the same as you. Once you've got through pages of them yacking at each other, shooting the robot, shouting, yacking, shooting, shouting and shooting again, you have to survive a space pirate attempt on the ship, and only then do things start to get interesting.
From here on out we find we're not only involved in a struggle for survival against no end of enemies, both logical and definitely not, but trying to work out a mystery surrounding the gang. Gone is the more linear, old-fashioned genre story of the first book in this series, and here is something more hyper, packing in distinctive scene after distinctive scene and not really letting any play out to let us have the most satisfaction.
There's the usual friendly way of killing characters off, the usual large chunks of text (larger than normal, anyway) meaning the map of the book features fewer junctions than routine CYOA novels, and again an Easter egg to unlock by going through the pages thoroughly. And it's that going through things with either (a) so many branches, side-steps and skippable scenes, or (b) the endurance test that is making sure of every potentiality, that makes solving the ultimate puzzle rather on the difficult side. I certainly spent a lot more effort mapping this book out for review purposes than allowed me to also garner all I should have done from the clues.
So I think this has a lot of potential, and a lot of potential in going whoosh straight over many a kid's head. There's little of the insider yucks about gameplay that we got last time, either, so all told – the shouty beginning and the rest – I don't think this is a great entry to this author's output. Three and a half stars at most.
From here on out we find we're not only involved in a struggle for survival against no end of enemies, both logical and definitely not, but trying to work out a mystery surrounding the gang. Gone is the more linear, old-fashioned genre story of the first book in this series, and here is something more hyper, packing in distinctive scene after distinctive scene and not really letting any play out to let us have the most satisfaction.
There's the usual friendly way of killing characters off, the usual large chunks of text (larger than normal, anyway) meaning the map of the book features fewer junctions than routine CYOA novels, and again an Easter egg to unlock by going through the pages thoroughly. And it's that going through things with either (a) so many branches, side-steps and skippable scenes, or (b) the endurance test that is making sure of every potentiality, that makes solving the ultimate puzzle rather on the difficult side. I certainly spent a lot more effort mapping this book out for review purposes than allowed me to also garner all I should have done from the clues.
So I think this has a lot of potential, and a lot of potential in going whoosh straight over many a kid's head. There's little of the insider yucks about gameplay that we got last time, either, so all told – the shouty beginning and the rest – I don't think this is a great entry to this author's output. Three and a half stars at most.
April 20, 2021
This book was so much fun. We read it aloud with the whole family and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was a non-stop adventure and the kids absolutely loved feeling a part of the story and being able to choose. My son, who is a game lover, really loved the concept of feeling like he was gaming while reading. Excellent read.
April 21, 2021
This one is going onto my favorite middle grade reads for 2021 list, which might be surprising (was for me, too). But this is the type of book I would have devoured as a kid and would have wished for this one even as a birthday present.
This is the second book in the series but, by no means, does the other book need to be read first. Although it does hint at book one very, very briefly in the first pages, no knowledge of any kind is needed before diving into this one and joining in on the adventure.
As is typical with the choose your own adventure style, you (the reader) are the main character. You are dragged into a video game world on a starship named Crusader, meet a few other players, and need to find a treasure to escape. Along the way, you not only need to decide how you're going to react in order to continue to whatever page your adventure continues on (based on your decision), but there are puzzles to solve along the way, which go beyond the usual page-turning choices.
I was already smiling on the first page and immediately found myself grabbed in by the tale. It's not the adventure as much as it is the writing style. This one sets very firmly in the middle grade audience direction and incorporates mounds of fun, quirkiness, and ridiculous surprises. It's simply a high-tension, wonderfully humorous, and unexpected packed book. The choices aren't obvious and the outcome isn't easy to guess...and that makes it even more fun.
But what also scores bonus points are the illustrations and puzzles worked into the tale. While the page-flipping is obviously a key attribute, it's these added riddles and searches, which really spruce things up, and add a whole new dimension.
In other words, this is exactly the type of book even reluctant readers will enjoy picking up and exploring. It's not serious, adds the unexpected and is perfect for a summer read. Because it's simply plain fun.
I received an ARC and loved this one!
This is the second book in the series but, by no means, does the other book need to be read first. Although it does hint at book one very, very briefly in the first pages, no knowledge of any kind is needed before diving into this one and joining in on the adventure.
As is typical with the choose your own adventure style, you (the reader) are the main character. You are dragged into a video game world on a starship named Crusader, meet a few other players, and need to find a treasure to escape. Along the way, you not only need to decide how you're going to react in order to continue to whatever page your adventure continues on (based on your decision), but there are puzzles to solve along the way, which go beyond the usual page-turning choices.
I was already smiling on the first page and immediately found myself grabbed in by the tale. It's not the adventure as much as it is the writing style. This one sets very firmly in the middle grade audience direction and incorporates mounds of fun, quirkiness, and ridiculous surprises. It's simply a high-tension, wonderfully humorous, and unexpected packed book. The choices aren't obvious and the outcome isn't easy to guess...and that makes it even more fun.
But what also scores bonus points are the illustrations and puzzles worked into the tale. While the page-flipping is obviously a key attribute, it's these added riddles and searches, which really spruce things up, and add a whole new dimension.
In other words, this is exactly the type of book even reluctant readers will enjoy picking up and exploring. It's not serious, adds the unexpected and is perfect for a summer read. Because it's simply plain fun.
I received an ARC and loved this one!
April 22, 2021
In this book you will have to choose paths and solve puzzles and crimes. The book is so much fun and it's not too easy for adults. The dialog and action are entertaining and fast. The logic and games have had a lot of thought put into them. I recommend having 2 bookmarks when reading it because you will need to go back where you came from sometimes. Honestly, I think it would be great practice for standardized testing reading comprehension. You really need to pay attention to what you are reading and skimming can cause death.
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October 21, 2023Logan read this story and it's like a choose your own adventure. There are puzzles scattered through out the story that you have to solve in order to make a choice on where you are going to go next.
Logan said the story was fun to read and thinks most elementary age kids could read this book. He would advise that the reader ask for help from their family or adult to help them solve the puzzles. He thought the secret code was really cool to crack and liked doing it a lot.
Logan said the story was fun to read and thinks most elementary age kids could read this book. He would advise that the reader ask for help from their family or adult to help them solve the puzzles. He thought the secret code was really cool to crack and liked doing it a lot.
November 16, 2021
This book is SUS
March 23, 2022
That was fun and alot more sophisticated with deeper story telling/world building and puzzles to boot.
April 19, 2022
I actually gave it 10,095 stars.
July 2, 2022
Not only did I read this, but I read this out loud.
Alex and Ryan loved this book (6 and 9 years old) and we went through it surprisingly fast. They want to find all the rest of them now.
Alex and Ryan loved this book (6 and 9 years old) and we went through it surprisingly fast. They want to find all the rest of them now.
April 10, 2023
Buen libro, pero en las soluciones hay un error con lo de los píxeles. Todo lo demás genial, gran libro
August 6, 2025
Most of it is just searching through the pages.
September 26, 2025
This was a lot of fun to puzzle through with my daughter in the evenings.
August 23, 2023
A lot of fun in a lot of ways. I read this with my son and let him pick out all the answers. We read for 2 hours straight one night because it was so fun.
It's more than just a "pick your adventure" book. You have to solve puzzles and such, which keeps it WAY more entertaining than I could've ever imagined. It was a ton of fun, I'm excited to read it again with some new adventures.
It's more than just a "pick your adventure" book. You have to solve puzzles and such, which keeps it WAY more entertaining than I could've ever imagined. It was a ton of fun, I'm excited to read it again with some new adventures.
October 27, 2022
Son (8) review- “I was really into to this book but the first one took us so long.I think I’m gonna like the final book like the rest of them!”
February 4, 2022
It was a great book!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews