I loved this book. I had to keep picking it up and reading it, even during times when I didn't feel like reading anything (like go straight to sleep versus read). I like the thought put into how the virlo computer systems would work, and even the possible problems with older systems. It was overall a fun read. It had gamer references and experiences, and some minor crime drama. - IMO the crimes part was there just to provide a reason to keep playing, err reading :D ( )

Fun. I'm not quite sure I believe the underlying premise which I'll leave for you to discover on your won, but it's well written and an enjoyable take on the meta-gaming possibilities that immersive 3D gaming could bring. The title sadly shares it's names with vast numbers of other books, and indicates that the author hasn't done as much research as they could have. However much of the rest of the book is better.

We intersperse two main characters - Wallace 'Wolf' who's senior developer at the Games firm, recently taken over by a multinational. And Andrew 'Dru' who's a casual student gamer playing a 6th level thief, but basically a good guy doing the best he can.

Wallace is presiding over the rollout of the latest version containing enhanced textures and smells hoping to increase the number of players, which despite them having the best game hasn't been the most profitable. However he's noticed a few little odd glitches here and there, and on the day that his software team notice that there are a number of game areas present that they didn't code, he also gets a visit from the FBI. As for Andrew he's just enjoynigt he latest features making his way through small quests, and trying to avoid the ire of some more senior players who don't appreciate his 'goody-to-shoes' approach. He has no inclination at all as to why he's suddenly been included in a Epic level quest with some high ranking strangers, but Wallace knows there are some old fingers poking about the games code.

I was slightly irritated by the frequent jumping between the characters, sometimes little more than a sentence or two between switches. But the characterisation of gamers was well done with good recognition of the variety of people who enjoy gaming. The atmosphere of a quest based MMORPG was spot on, but the company areas slightly less so. It was supposed to replicate the feeling of taking a small band of developers doing something for passion through to the reality of a corporate megalith, but it didn't quite seem right. There was too much informality between the old and new staff, and not enough old guard clubbing together. The role of the boss' PA was perhaps exaggerated slightly, but the point was well made - but again just simply not possible in LaregCorp structures.

Enjoyable to read though, the deeper connections being skilfully brought to he surface later on. There was little in the way of hooks for a sequel and I'm curious to know what the author intends to do next. ( )

I enjoyed Massively Multiplayer but would have liked more. There were two aspects to the plot - the story within the game and the mystery outside the game. In the first part of the book, the game story seemed to be key but as it progressed the story within the game just became a means to an end of the mystery outside the game. The ending was a surprise but seemed to just happen and fade to nothing. Still an enjoyable light read. ( )

I liked the book after I became unconfused, I thought about it. It was truely enjoyable 5 out of 5
joycedlee ( )

I thought "Massively Multiplayer" was very reminiscent of "Neuromancer" by William Gibson. I found plenty of similarities between the stories, such as the fact that the reader is just thrown into the story, and said reader is just supposed to know certain things about the world. But I found "Massively Multiplayer" a little easier to understand, since it does explain things, eventually. This book takes place some time in the future, where people conduct every-day business in a virtual reality, through a computer set up called a Virlo. While Andrew Hunter's parents use this set up for work, Andrew uses his for his online games. For anyone that has ever played a Roleplaying game.. as much as you get into your character, it's still just a figure on a screen- but not in Andrew's world. Andrew can hook himself up to his computer, and actually become his character - Druin. We actually see most of Andrew's part of the story from Druin's perspective in the game.

I'll admit to being confused for the first almost half of the book. I wasn't sure how these two extremely different people - a young man playing a character in a game, and the programmer dealing with some strange computer issues, were related. So even though the book was good right from the beginning, my confusion kept me from being unable to put it down. But once I reached about the half-way point, I was hooked. It was literally like a switch was flipped. This book went from good-but not great, to something I couldn't put down.

Andrew/Druin set upon a strange quest in his game, a quest that has real-life consequences. All of Druin's quest-mates have something to hide, and Druin was brought in to keep the group together. All the while, Wolfgang is trying to deal with whomever is hacking into his system, and why. But in order to get the results Wolfgang needs, he has to make sure Andrew, and his character, keeps going. I don't think I could pick which character was my favorite - I loved Andrew/Druin, who was so good-hearted, and he so wanted to do good but seemed to keep falling short of his parents expectations, and then there's Wolfgang, who you just can't help but love. You even get to witness a seemingly rare moment, when Wolfgang appears in the game itself.. and I loved seeing that side of this character, even if it was just a virtual representation of himself. And Malcolm... who could forget him? A side character, Malcolm is a "noobie"... more commonly called a "llama." But one can't help but be amused by his ever formal medieval-esque speech. Forsooth.

This story is incredibly complex. The reader finally thinks every secret has been revealed, and we're getting close to the climax.. and then BAM, another element is added to the system. A lot of thought went into this book, and I was pleased with the result. Yes, the book did take it's time leading up to the story, but once you really hit that spot, you can't stop. If you enjoy science fiction/virtual reality stories, this is definitely something you'd want to pick up.

I'm going to give "Massively Multiplayer" by P. Aaron Potter a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). I really, really enjoyed this book, but the initial confusion I felt made me knock it down a point. However, that doesn't mean it isn't one for the keeper shelf! Well.. the virtual keeper shelf, that is.. since "Massively Multiplayer" is currently only available in ebook format. Which, considering the content... it probably fitting!

Find this review and more at my blog - www.glowsnoveladdiction.blogspot.com ( )