Review: 2 Thumbs up, and more if I had any
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 29, 2014
Miguel is a tech-journalist trying to make ends meet and pay the bills. His last published article generated a lot of media attention, which means a lot is expected of him and the pressure is on. After reading news report after news report of the flop that was the latest high-tech fully immersive video game release, ARCADIA, Miguel realizes there is a deeper story waiting to be told. Another mystersy to be solved and another paycheck to light his stove.But Miguel's investigative journalism takes an unexpected turn. In between interviewing DOD consultants and ARCADIA's lead programmer, he finds himself interacting with the last remnants of ARCADIA's fanbase to get the REAL story -- in game. What happens next is a gripping tale that highlights the intersection between future technological advancements, and the nature of life itself.Every so often, a science fiction book comes along that really grips you. For me, this was The Forever War, Ender's game, and more recently, ATLAS. This type of book is best characterized by thinking about it at work in between reading, and the anticipation of getting back to the story. As an avid science fiction reader, this, sadly, is a rather uncommon experience.So imagine my surprise when I picked of Ghosts of Arcadia, and another book was added to the list. The prose is wonderful, and at times, even poetic. Descriptions are fully fleshed out and detailed without being too wordy or slow. The protagonist is both indecisive and "ballsy", suave, and a risk taker with a strong work ethic -- in short, he's likable and unpredictable. The story is set in the vague near-future, which we are reminded of subtly by the protagonist's reflections on modern events. This futuristic world was not in your face, but it wasn't subsidiary either -- it was done very convincingly. The story was clearly well-researched, which added volumes to the realism.Stop reading this review, and read this book -- I highly recommend it.*I received this story for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased review, and boy am I glad I did*