I decided to order MetaGame (Kindle Edition) by Sam Landstrom because at the time I was looking for free Kindle books (it is now $1.69) and it sounded interesting. I am normally not a sci-fi or fantasy fan, so that's my caveat.
To date 41 readers at Amazon rate this book 4 1/2 stars out of 5, so I figured what did I have to lose? Landstrom says he reads all the comments at Amazon.
If you could imagine 1984 ramped up to 3012 or whatever year this is supposed to take place, you might get a feel for the book. It is very imaginative and clever in the way it skewers so many things we see today. But much of the story, for me, is distasteful, even though the story is well presented.
Several people said they couldn't put it down. I had a hard time finishing it, but wanted to stay with it for the cleverness.
Life is a game, literally. Winners earn immortality, while losers are condemned to aging and death. D_Light, a gifted player, knows this all too well and he's willing to do anything to win-even kill. It is no wonder then that when given the chance to enter a MetaGame-an exclusive, high-stakes, anything goes contest-he-s quick to jump at the opportunity. The MetaGame starts out well enough for D_Light, the first quest being to hunt down a dangerous fugitive, but through his own ambition, the tables turn and D_Light finds himself the renegade. Now, D_Light pits himself against his world to find the truth behind -The Game- and must decide between winning it and saving what-s left of his humanity.
This 122,000 word (~400 page) novel blends emerging political and cultural trends, such as gaming culture, globalization, and the ever-increasing hegemony of corporations, with technological trends, such as genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Emerging from this stew is an original world for you to explore through the point of view of its many "players". Amazon
Life is literally a game with players of different levels who are adulated by their fans as their fan base gets bigger.
Clever word play is a way of getting us into the world. Grinders ... perving (sex) of which one can perv anyone since procreation isn't tied into perving (D Light finds he no longer appreciates that aspect of perving anyone) -- and of course, terms 'mother' and 'father' are used loosely as one is not raised in a family situation... Words that are used in similar but different ways: angels that go after demons, neither of which quite fit today's definitions of the words. An Oversoul ... and people who exclaim, Oh, Soul (for our Oh, God) or Soul!
Within a very few pages, we have jumped into an alternate world, but one we can easily imagine when we think of the 1984 culture which we see prevalent in many forms today. Landstrom has managed to critique today's society in the way that 1984 did.
Some players have familiars (again used in a different way) that take animal forms, but are essentially a product similar to a walking computer with the ability to travel faster, see farther and report back to the player. Additionally the familiar is able to monitor the player's state of mind and offer immediately various mind altering substances that are controlled by the familiar.
Add in the mix the ability to do brain links as well as communicate telepathically due to all the enhancement engineering, and systems within systems, and you get the idea...
D_Light's familiar manages to warn him of poison seconds ahead of an attack, and we are off and running. So is D_Light, who finds himself recruited by his 'Mother' who was the one who sent the attacker, who happened to be her favorite, in the first place. He is recruited because he is expected to be expendable, but he is more clever than they expected. Or is he?
Meantime there are twists and turns in a game that has 4 quests. Along the way we ponder: what is human? can a product become human? is a human the highest form of humanity? and how does one become immortal?
Along the way: what is loyalty? is there any loyalty? do loyalties change and for what reason?
And how does one find out that one's entire view of the world is a mental construct, perhaps not in one's best interests? then, what does one do with that information?
My take
It was very hard for me to get through. If I were reading this in a paper book, I would have done my usual of skipping ahead to see where it was going, instead of slogging through the pages. But because it was so clever, I kept on.
I can't say I liked it. But I didn't like 1984 either, and this is a better story. I would have preferred a different ending, but the actual ending is a twist in itself. The pre-ending was less than satisfying for me, but it set up the ending, which is clever.
4* for cleverness
2* because I didn't like it...which is sort of unfair as this isn't my genre.
I suspect it will become a classic.
Do you like sci-fi?
Then likely you would like this book.
Have you read it?
Karin
www.savvythinker.com
Originally posted 2009-11-14 10:29:01.
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