88 Names: A Novel

by Matt Ruff

Overview

The critically acclaimed author of Lovecraft Country returns with a thrilling and immersive virtual reality epic—part cyberthriller, part twisted romantic comedy—that transports you to a world where identity is fluid and nothing can be taken at face value.

John Chu is a “sherpa”—a paid guide to online role-playing games like the popular Call to Wizardry. For a fee, he and his crew will provide you with a top-flight character equipped with the best weapons and armor, and take you dragon-slaying in the Realms of Asgarth, hunting rogue starships in the Alpha Sector, or battling hordes of undead in the zombie apocalypse.

Chu’s new client, the pseudonymous Mr. Jones, claims to be a “wealthy, famous person” with powerful enemies, and he’s offering a ridiculous amount of money for a comprehensive tour of the world of virtual-reality gaming. For Chu, this is a dream assignment, but as the tour gets underway, he begins to suspect that Mr. Jones is really North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, whose interest in VR gaming has more to do with power than entertainment. As if that weren’t enough to deal with, Chu also has to worry about “Ms. Pang,” who may or may not be an agent of the People’s Republic of China, and his angry ex-girlfriend, Darla Jean Covington, who isn’t the type to let an international intrigue get in the way of her own plans for revenge.

What begins as a whirlwind online adventure soon spills over into the real world. Now Chu must use every trick and resource at his disposal to stay one step ahead—because in real life, there is no reset button.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062854674
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/17/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	273,841
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Matt Ruff is the author of The Mirage, Bad Monkeys, Set This House in Order, Fool on the Hill, and Sewer, Gas & Electric. He lives in Seattle.

Editorial Reviews

12/16/2019

Set largely in the world of virtual reality gaming, this fun, fast-paced novel from Ruff (Lovecraft Country) is equal parts amateur sleuth mystery and science fiction thriller. Californian John Chu makes his living as a sherpa, “a paid guide in a massive multiplayer online role-playing game.” But after a particularly bad break-up with his online crush, Darla Jean Covington (an “apolitical atheist omnivore who doesn’t like being put into boxes”), he gets involved with a wealthy anonymous client who calls himself Mr. Jones. The lucrative job quickly turns dangerous as Chu is threatened by another avatar, who may be a Chinese operative. As Chu’s life spirals out of control, he attempts to uncover the identity of Mr. Jones, who may be North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the irate Darla exacting vengeance, or a complete stranger. A prevailing—and powerful—theme is the nebulosity and mutability of online identity. The many pop culture SF references make this adventure pure geek gold. Ruff remains on a winning streak with this seamless genre hybrid. Agent: Melanie Jackson, Melanie Jackson Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-12-23
An extreme gamer who has concocted a scheme to monetize his expertise gets into trouble navigating a virtual world that starts to intrude on his real life.

Following in the footsteps of Ernie Cline, who hit the geek gold mine with Ready Player One (2011), Ruff (Lovecraft Country, 2016, etc.) takes his shot at a near-future gaming world that's more grounded than most virtual-reality universes but also more complex. Our main protagonist is John Chu, the founder of Sherpa, Inc., a consulting firm that guides new gamers through a variety of mostly VR-based video games. He has good partners in Jolene, a more mature African American gamer who won't take any of his shit, and Anja, a brilliant young player whose permanent injury has left her on life support, albeit with thought-controlled access to the VR world. Unfortunately, he also has a nemesis in Darla Jean Covington, his virtual ex-girlfriend, who is clearly holding a grudge. The kicker comes when Chu is approached by a man named Smith on behalf of a pseudonymous client named Mr. Jones, who wishes to pay him an astonishing $100,000 per week for his exclusive services. Lurking in the background is Ms. Pang, an enigmatic Chinese woman who might be a spy. Soon Chu begins to suspect that his mysterious client is actually North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. Fortunately, Chu has some backup from his mother, who's a member of a secretive anti-terrorist task force called Zero Day, and an absent father who pulls his weight when he needs to. It's a pretty good thriller, but it's also very much a book for gamers by gamers. If acronyms like MMORPG, PvP, or PPML throw you for a loop, this might not be the ride for you. Gamers for life who can pry themselves off the controller will certainly dig this digital-era whodunit.

Good characters, keen social commentary, and propulsive action sequences with a bit too much tech jargon.

Kirkus Reviews

"Ruff’s fast-flowing, fascinating narrative is full of amusing topical and pop culture referents without being overburdened by allusiveness. His witty, often snarky dialogue crackles, and every aspect of the gaming experience is sharply rendered and explicated. . . . Any novel that can . . . appeal to gamers and literary fans alike is a treasure greater than the loot in a cyber-dragon’s cave." 

Washington Post

"Matt Ruff is one of science fiction and fantasy's most consistently brilliant and innovative authors . . . . [88 Names] moves seamlessly through a series of beautifully rendered, imaginative virtual worlds, and a physical world that is recognizably our own future, while still being madcap in that unmistakably mattruffian way

boingboing.com

"Employing a diverse cast of characters and weaving historical facts with an abundance of pop culture references, Ruff’s richly imagined world of next-generation internet is plausible and a bit frightening. The action inside the virtual gaming world is sleek and exciting, but the extrapolation of identity, friendship, and human relationships makes the narrative shine."

Booklist (starred review)

"Ruff’s fast-flowing, fascinating narrative is full of amusing topical and pop culture referents without being overburdened by allusiveness. His witty, often snarky dialogue crackles, and every aspect of the gaming experience is sharply rendered and explicated. . . . Any novel that can . . . appeal to gamers and literary fans alike is a treasure greater than the loot in a cyber-dragon’s cave." 

Washington Post

12/01/2019

John Chu runs a sherpa business, guiding clients through various massive multiplayer online role-playing games. His team of crackerjack gamers supplies high-level, fully equipped, ready-made characters, and provides backup and assistance on quests and missions for those who can pay. After a brief boom in business when they were profiled by People magazine, they made some bad deals, but a wealthy, secretive client—Mr. Jones—offers Chu a solution to their financial troubles. While considering his proposal, Chu is threatened by a mysterious woman who offers him twice as much money if he takes the Jones job—or else. Chu is skeptical until the first payment is wired to him; then, it's time to figure out how to protect himself and his associates, discover the identities of his enigmatic employers, and keep the money coming in. VERDICT Ruff's (Lovecraft Country) newest technothriller is an exciting page-turner that delves into the online gaming world and should appeal to both veterans and newbies. For fans of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One and Marie Lu's "Warcross" series. [See Prepub Alert, 8/25/19.]—Karin Thogersen, Huntley Area P.L., IL

Library Journal

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