MetaGame - BookWyrm

eBook

Published March 18, 2009

(1 review)

Speculative science fiction at its finest, MetaGame by Sam Landstrom is a ‘future gamers’ field guide and a philosophical cyberpunk adventure. In this original and disturbingly irreverent prospective world, gaming is more than a diversion—and gamers are, literally, in it for life. The OverSoul, an enigmatic, unifying force, offers winners points that add up to currency. Reigning champs are given the gift of immortality—while losers are condemned to aging and death. D_Light is one of the best players in his Family and will do anything to win, even if it means committing murder. When he’s invited to a MetaGame—an exclusive, high-stakes competition—he jumps at the chance. But after the first quest, D_Light’s overly ambitious ways brand him a renegade. With a warped sense of freewill that is needed to prevail, D_Light must either kill someone he’s grown to love—or lose everything.

1 edition

Goronmon reviewed MetaGame by Sam Landstrom

Review of 'MetaGame' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

As a gamer myself I have to say that it was hard not for me to enjoy this book quite a bit. It explores gaming taken to the extreme where just about everything we do is integrated into some form of gameplay and Landstrom does a great job building a rather complex and fascinating world for the book to take place in.

Unfortunately, in many cases, this "world-building" seems to replace a more developed storyline along with more fleshed out characters, especially when it comes to their relationships. That's not to say that character development or plot is ignored, just that there are many uneven points where the author seems to gloss over key character developments. At times you almost feel as though you've missed something when characters react in a way that almost seems out of place or poorly supported by their past actions.

Overall though it was thoroughly …

As a gamer myself I have to say that it was hard not for me to enjoy this book quite a bit. It explores gaming taken to the extreme where just about everything we do is integrated into some form of gameplay and Landstrom does a great job building a rather complex and fascinating world for the book to take place in.

Unfortunately, in many cases, this "world-building" seems to replace a more developed storyline along with more fleshed out characters, especially when it comes to their relationships. That's not to say that character development or plot is ignored, just that there are many uneven points where the author seems to gloss over key character developments. At times you almost feel as though you've missed something when characters react in a way that almost seems out of place or poorly supported by their past actions.

Overall though it was thoroughly enjoyable book and not hard to justify considering I got it for free on my Kindle through Amazon. I would definitely recommend any gamers out there to give this a read. Others may enjoy it, though likely not as much. In addition, non-gamers may be confused by some of some aspects of the culture being described, especially in the beginning.