Twin Quasars of Battlecraft

The gamer book for those who don't play games - and for those that do! As in the original Roller Ball, the reader doesn't need to be able to roller-skate to understand what is happening even when a Battlecraft game is in progress: and that takes up only a small proportion of the book, anyway.Sent

The game itself is a survival one, where teams of five fit, healthy, and (usually) young men competed against other like teams to be last man or men standing in a simulated VR world. One new team on the screen had surprised the growing audience to this sport by reaching, and winning, the semi finals so gaining a chance to play against the major winning teams for a prize of over four million dollars. But what is different about this team is that two of the players are female, and half sisters, and, by their own admission, the best in the world. A lot of people didn't like this.n

Bartlett VR is a fast action mystery thriller: when one of the sisters goes missing, the others in the team set out to find her, only to discover they are not the only ones chasing her. If she can't be found and brought back quickly, their team Untouchables will have to forfeit their place in the finals, alongside all of their dreams. Their billionaire sponsor is too immersed in corporate business to want to put up any money or help, involving the police would put at risk the residency rights of one of them and, anyway, they soon don't know who in the police they can trust. time was short and she could be anywhere.
Who is behind all of the extreme unpleasantness in which they find themselves embroiled? Will Miranda be found, and, if so, alive? And in time? As the various team members and a couple of friends desperately search to save their gaming chance, the reader moves with them around the country, between situations and the internal thoughts and fears of each person. Such a well observed portrayal of different personalities thrown together in a common but seemingly hopeless task. Each protagonist is subtly different, each also observing the others, forming opinions: anger, fear, fristration, hopes, jealousies, humour as well as kindness and optimism, of a kind. The dialogue is natural. The writing flows naturally. The reader gets to know the various members of the group pretty well. It is a surprising book, almost a road trip.
The narration is surprising, too. Not surprising that Steve Carlson performs with a gentle ease and brings the whole story until focus, but that he does so with a tired, downbeat reading, so that the exhaustion of the protagonists is fed through too the reader along with all of their emotions. It is a remarkable performance, a great interpretation of an already exceptional story.

There is excitement here, and all that can be expected from a mystery thriller as well as the gaming aspect, too. But above all it is a study of a group of people, singularly and together, in crisis. And it is highly recommended. My thanks to the rights holder of Battlecraft VR who, following my request for a copy, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. It was a book I very much enjoyed and I was sad to close the pages on these people.
Definitely recommended.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!