The Eye of Minds

August 26, 2013
This first book in the Mortality Doctrine series from Maze Runner author Dashner offers an irresistible premise: three teens must track down a dangerous rogue player in a popular virtual game. Michael, Bryson, and Sarah live for their hours in the VirtNet, where they seek out the wildest adventures possible without any risk to their physical selves. Then Michael encounters a player so haunted by a gamer named Kaine that she disables her safety device in order to kill herself. Michael is drafted by VirtNet Security to root out Kaine, and a violent quest ensues. Though the plot makes this an easy sell, some clunky writing and weak characterizations diminish the story (Michael notices the VNS agent’s “long pretty legs” and remarks, “It was clear that she was manipulative, that she used her beauty to melt men’s hearts”). The protagonists are fairly interchangeable, though when Michael explains what the VNS wants, it’s Sarah who wonders, “Why would they ask three teenagers to solve their problems?” A smart question that presumably will be answered in the next installment. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

Digital nightmares lurk in this Sleep. Now that the Internet is a completely immersive experience, gamers like Michael find themselves drawn to the real-life simulators that make daily living seem so much more real than outside the Sleep. But when a young woman disables the safety measures and kills herself in front of him, Michael is forced to help VirtNet Security hunt down Kaine, a dangerous gamer who is wreaking havoc in the digital world and is targeting the physical one as well. Michael heads off into the Sleep with two virtual friends and quickly finds that the safety he had previously found there no longer exists. Dashner's matryoshka vision of digital worlds is oddly limited by realism--despite the impressive tech setups and the nod to the infinite creative possibilities of virtual reality, both Michael's home life and real-world simulator lack presence. That absence carries over to Michael and his friends as well. They have few defining features or preferences, seemingly nothing but an immersion in a virtual world and some skills at coding. Secondary characters are much more defined through names, vivid descriptions, actual personality traits and more. While the pacing is mostly solid, Dashner goes overboard in the setup for the plot twist, revealing it too soon and making the last 50 pages a bit of a slog. High on concept, this is an intriguing read for the digital generation. (Science fiction. 12 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Michael doesn't mind spending time in his NerveBox, aka "Coffin,"-it protects his physical body while he's in the VirtNet, a virtual world where he can meet friends, rack up Experience Points in games, and occasionally is killed. When that happens, he is Lifted to the Wake, where he emerges sore but otherwise physically unharmed. When Michael witnesses a true suicide on VirtNet, he is troubled by the fellow gamer's last words and her warnings about a man named Kaine. Days later, Michael is kidnapped by VirtNet Security agents, who make him an offer he can't refuse: track down the cyber-terrorist Kaine so the virtual world will again be safe. Michael enlists gamer/hacker friends Bryson and Sarah, and they set off through the dark underbelly of virtual spaces. The center portion of the book focuses largely on imaginative adventures in VirtNet. Readers familiar with online gaming will identify with the heroes as they query characters for information, look for Portals, and rewrite code to bring weapons over from other games. The final chapters find Michael alone in the level "the Deep," with the safety measures disabled. Like Dashner's action-packed "Maze Runner" series (Delacorte), this title is fast paced. Cory Doctorow's For the Win (Tor, 2010) is more realistic, and Ernest Cline's Ready Player One (Crown, 2011) is slightly more sophisticated, but this book delivers an adrenaline rush.-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2013
Grades 7-10 In Dashner's futuristic series starter, virtual life offers Michael opportunities to escape the real world. He spends most of his time on the Virtnet, playing Lifeblood Deep with his virtual friends Bryson and Sarah. Now, haunted by his daytime experiences, he needs them more than ever. What Michael fears most comes true: Virtual Network Security tracks him down, but not to chastise him for wrongdoing; rather, they want his hacking skills to get to Kaine, a gamer who is causing terrible tragedies. Michael and his friends begin the trek into the hand-to-hand combat warfare game Devils of Destruction, but with the virtual death of his friends, Michael finds himself alone in his quest. Harrowing evil and dastardly demons place themselves in his path, and he almost capitulates to the pain and exhaustion. What awaits him in the bowels of the game hangs over readers' heads with each page turn, raising a constant question: Who is human and who is not? In typical Dashner style, this is quick and involving, with the main frustration being the wait time until the next book. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Dashner's Maze Runner trilogy was huuuuge. With a video game, author tour, and major outdoor advertising, this could be even huger.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 27, 2014
Kicking off his new Mortality Doctrine series, this novel from Dashner follows the adventures of Michael, a teenage expert gamer in the virtual world known as the VirtNet. But an evil hacker called Kaine is taking over the VirtNet, forcing players to do his bidding, and even causing real deaths. The government enlists Michael and his friends to search the hidden realms of the VirtNet to find the rogue player—but doing so puts their lives in danger. Narrator Davies hands in a gritty, suspenseful performance that makes the book’s action scenes truly exciting. He also skillfully differentiates character voices, including those of Michael and his friends, officious government agents, and the evil Kaine. This imaginative audiobook should appeal to fans of dystopian sci-fi and virtual gaming. Ages 12–up. A Delacorte hardcover.

January 1, 2014
Michael and friends Bryson and Sarah are caught up in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game when a secret agent tasks them with helping to stop a cyberterrorist. Reminiscent of sci-fi classics Bladerunner and The Matrix, this novel's mind-bending twists and turns, action, intrigue, and a bit of philosophy will keep readers turning the pages.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2013
Digital nightmares lurk in this Sleep. Now that the Internet is a completely immersive experience, gamers like Michael find themselves drawn to the real-life simulators that make daily living seem so much more real than outside the Sleep. But when a young woman disables the safety measures and kills herself in front of him, Michael is forced to help VirtNet Security hunt down Kaine, a dangerous gamer who is wreaking havoc in the digital world and is targeting the physical one as well. Michael heads off into the Sleep with two virtual friends and quickly finds that the safety he had previously found there no longer exists. Dashner's matryoshka vision of digital worlds is oddly limited by realism--despite the impressive tech setups and the nod to the infinite creative possibilities of virtual reality, both Michael's home life and real-world simulator lack presence. That absence carries over to Michael and his friends as well. They have few defining features or preferences, seemingly nothing but an immersion in a virtual world and some skills at coding. Secondary characters are much more defined through names, vivid descriptions, actual personality traits and more. While the pacing is mostly solid, Dashner goes overboard in the setup for the plot twist, revealing it too soon and making the last 50 pages a bit of a slog. High on concept, this is an intriguing read for the digital generation. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.