It's Book Review Wednesday, my favorite day of the week! Today's book review is a unique combination of video games, mythology, and sci-fi!
The nation has eradicated most human rights and life is not as fun as it used to be...to some. To other's...they are free to have all the fun, take all the risks, and live life on the edge-as long as they have the money to back it up. After plunging headfirst into a world he didn't quite understand, Osiris finds himself in the middle of a war between The Government and a vigilante group called The Realm Walkers. He discovers that things are not always what they seem to be, even himself.
NathanKBattles
The Transcendent
Osiris had quite the reputation in the gaming community but was somewhat of a social square. But when he discovers a portal to a virtual reality that is more real than meets the eye his entire world is turned upside down and he learns he can do anything...even disappear.
The nation has eradicated most human rights and life is not as fun as it used to be...to some. To other's...they are free to have all the fun, take all the risks, and live life on the edge-as long as they have the money to back it up. After plunging headfirst into a world he didn't quite understand, Osiris finds himself in the middle of a war between The Government and a vigilante group called The Realm Walkers. He discovers that things are not always what they seem to be, even himself.
My Review: 3 Stars
I started this book with an open mind, and I found that the story itself was actually quite intriguing. This gamer gets pulled into a sort of real-life game, and he is given "missions" by a "narrator" just like in a real video game. I could tell that the author had spent plenty of time on video games. But beyond the intriguing premise, there wasn't much else going for the book. It's written in a very amateur style, and the number of grammatical and punctuation errors is too high for my taste. I found the story to be a bit incoherent. It kind of jumps from plot thread to plot thread without any real cohesion or connection, making it hard for me to understand what's going on. It was definitely a first-time book, but without the guiding hand of an editor or proofreader to catch mistakes and plot holes.Here's a Taste:
The phone began screeching as the man yelled into the phone and he pulled it away from his ear to keep his eardrum from being blown out. “Didn’t I say shut up! Just be quiet and wait!” After passing a few stops, Osiris felt the drunken man stand up behind him and the bell rang, letting the bus driver know that someone was trying get off. As the bus rolled to a stop, the man stumbled to the front and got off. The man on the other end of the phone continued talking as the bus began to pull off. “Walk to the very back of the bus, there’s a brown, paper bag there. Inside the bag is a Satysphere Portable. It’s a bit beat up but it still works. I want you to get it and load up your copy of Gaia. I know you have it with you.” Osiris looked around at everyone on the bus and stood to his feet, walking to the back of the bus. He sat down and sure enough, there was the brown, paper bag under the seat just like the man on the phone told him.
He reached into it and pulled out the portable, opening the back cover as he raised one eyebrow. “I don’t think my game will fit into this.”
The man sighed calling Osiris an idiot again. “Just pull the cord and get off the bus, walk down the closest alley. They’re coming for you.” After that, the man hung up and Osiris quickly stood to his feet, pulling the cord. The bus rolled to a stop and he hopped off, walking as fast as he could. He bumped into random people on the sidewalk as he kept looking back over his shoulder, trying to spot anyone that might be following him. When he didn’t see anything suspicious, he stopped for a few seconds to look around and saw an alley to the right. He sped up, made a sharp right into the alley, and began slowing down as he entered the shadows, walking through the unlit path.
It was dark, too dark.
After getting halfway down the alley, he stopped when he heard a noise behind him. His heart began to race as he took another step and heard shuffling behind him, someone was following him. He leaned forward to run but a hand reached out and tightly gripped his shoulder, so tight that it sent a sharp pain down his arm to the tips of his fingers. The hand spun him around and he fell on his back, looking up as he raised his torso off the ground to try to scoot away from the figure standing above him that was reaching into its coat. It pulled out what looked like a gun, pointing it down at him as he covered his face with his arms in a useless attempt to try to shield himself from the gunshot. While his field of vision was obstructed, he heard a struggle and the gun clattered to the concrete. He took his arms down from his face, and opened his eyes to try to see what was going on, when a bright flash filled the alley and everything went black.
About the Author:
Nathan K. Battles is a blooming author, born February 14, 1989. After discovering his natural talent at a young age, he began working on his first novel. After finishing his first novel, he began developing "The Transcendent" as he waited to see the final print of his first novel. After feeling dissatisfied with the final print of the first novel, he halted production of the book, and continued to work on "The Transcendent" because he wanted to see how it would end. He also likes to draw, fish, play pool, and play poker. He is currently learning Spanish and japanese, and hopes to one day, travel around the world site seeing with his family. He has two children, one girl and one boy. He is currently working on the second novel in The Transcendent Series, "The Transcendent: Project Titan".
Find the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Transcendent-Nathan-K-Battles/dp/1312007869/
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