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.
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.