Dear Readers, I have just finished reading this excellent, epic novel today. “Extropia: Mind Game” is science fiction bordering on fantasy, set in a virtual world. It has excellent pacing and it keeps the reader engaged throughout. It is the first in a series.
Edward, the main protagonist discovers his father and brother are not dead as he had believed, but are trapped in the virtual world of Extropia. Despite much danger, he sets out to free them with the help of an FBI officer called Elizabeth from the evil game character Doefol whose exploits now threaten the real world. A sub plot is Edward’s unresolved issues about his mother’s death that had damaged his relationships with his brother and father while they were still with him.
At first, he faces the Virtual World as if it was just any other game, but the characters in Extropia use artificial intelligence, and they have their own thoughts and feelings. At times things are far too real. Virtual death is reality death too.
The writing is slick and there are beautiful descriptions of the different settings and great battles. At times, it has a real “Lord of the Rings” feel to it.
It also raises some fundamental questions about interacting with AI. Is it okay that the virtual characters were created to feel pain and anguish?
Is it acceptable to keep reality from them?
What the novel does lack is a bit of romance. A relationship could easily have developed between Edward and Elizabeth. It would have add added a further layer to the story and spiced things up a bit.
Overall, I give this novel four stars out of five.
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Mark's Writing Corner 