Review: Fun read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 29, 2012
I was able to pick up Book 1 of the 80 AD series for free.  It's 3,542 locations long.80 AD refers to a computer game, being played by the two main characters.  The game sounds a lot like Dark Age of Camelot, which I played years ago, except with live Romans, not dead ones.  Or at least, the dead ones don't walk around yet.The idea of players being in the game goes back a long time, but the author has put together a very readable and enjoyable story.I was a bit irritated by the two main characters being stereotypical.  The girl has never played a game before, and the boy is great at them.  Probably because my wife has played MMO's as long as I have, but I just don't buy that stereotype any longer.Jade and Phoenix.  I really wish those weren't their real names.  They just sound like character names.  I'm willing to accept that Jade couldn't think of a character name, but I can guarantee that if Phoenix played computer RPG's, he had a stable of names that he would have picked from, and it probably wouldn't have been his own name.  OR if did, that says a lot.  Hmm, actually, that might fit the personality.  OK - I withdraw that complaint.It's interesting - Phoenix really annoys me.  Jade is OK as a character, yet I find the whole works quite well.  I'm not completely sure why - perhaps it's due to the two next main characters being so believable.  There is also a very good use of the Command spell.There are a couple of missing words, or words in the wrong order.  One more edit run would help with that.Loved the twist about the Jewel of Asgard.  Loved the author forcing his characters to face how they were going to survive.  The lack of toilet paper is one of the reasons I have no interest in time travel.  I like indoor plumbing, thank you.Definitely would recommend if you like fantasy.Edit - having now read the full series, I would easily recommend it for boys to read.  Parts might be too intense for younger ones, but parents should be able to figure that out.  Not having kids, it's hard for me to make judgment.