Exceptional story and character development. I was spellbound the entire time. The only flaw was Ricky's naivete in getting in over his head, given his street smarts, and the walk was a little weak in that he had no real challenge until the very end. ( )

There are very few books that I would classify as 5 star. For me, in the sci-fi genre, “Hyperion” and “Ready Player One” are 5 star. I rate this at 4 stars only because the rating won’t let me give it 4 1/2 stars. This started slow for me. The first few chapters were not grabbing my attention like I was expecting. My Kindle showed me about a 10 hour read, so I was thinking this was going to be a slog to read. Then it became an adventure story and it started to get interesting. But still, a lot of hours to go. Then it became adetective story about a murder. Right there I was into it. A detective story in a dystopian future! But still more, becoming a story of a virtual reality construct achieving sentience. It continues on, but I don’t want to turn spoiler. This is a long story, but well worth the time spent, especially when you get to the last page. I received an advance copy from BHCPress for an honest review. ( )

This is an excellent read. Robert Davies does it again with another novel that takes you on a journey you were not expecting. I actually thought it had ended about half way through since I was reading it electronically, I did not have the hard copy to tell me otherwise. Then everything changed, the story took a turn and expanded greatly. It blends post apocalypse story line with advanced technology into something that is unique in this category. You do need a basic understanding of computer technology to fully appreciate the subtlety and nuance, but not in the extreme. It does start slowly, and for a while you wonder how this is all coming together. That gets resolved quickly and it's an exciting ride from that point forward. ( )

I gave this five stars because it's a terrific read! I literally couldn't put it down after page 7. It a was disturbing but hopeful look at a possible future. Unique characters who were believable and compelling. This is my first Davies book, but it won't be the last. Looking forward to his next novel. ( )

At first I didn't enjoy this book but it did improve. Part of my frustration is that the book is a mix of different adventures - virtual reality, future (dystopia), Hunger games, technology - and also the main character seemed to disappear from the story for an extended period of time. There were some logical gaps and I think the world could have been developed further so that the reader becomes more enveloped and invested in the characters (I did not find myself investing in the story that much). ( )