Discordia: The Eleventh Dimension

by Dena K. Salmon Narrated by Nick Podehl

Overview

For Lance (level 19 zombie sorcerer) and his friend MrsKeller (level 23 hobgoblin brigand), life's a battle and then you die.

And then you rez. And then you battle again.

At least, that's how it is in Discordia, the addictive online game that makes real life seem dreary by comparison.

At his new school, Lance feels weird and out of place, but in beautiful and complex Discordia, his zombie sorcerer is doing great: leveling fast, learning new skills, and making friends. He's even met a level 60 toon, TheGreatOne, who has recruited him and MrsKeller into his guild: Awoken Myths.

Lance wishes he could spend all his time in the game-until TheGreatOne transports him and MrsKeller to the real Discordia, the perilous world in the eleventh dimension that inspired the game. Before they're allowed to leave, they must complete a high-level quest that may determine Discordia's survival-and Lance's, too. If they don't get out soon, Lance could disintegrate into the character he plays in the game: a zombie.

The friends accept TheGreatOne's quest and meet Rayva, a runaway who may have been lured into Discordia against her will. The three make their way through a country on the brink of war, fighting monsters, traitors, and spies-yet their greatest danger may be Lance himself.

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Lance is your everyday New York City teen, juggling school and parents as best he can, but really living for the mystical online world of Discordia, where he comes alive as his alter ego, a level 17 zombie sorcerer. But the line between reality and online gaming blurs and then fades altogether when he and his friend MrsKeller are recruited to join the Awaken Myths Guild by TheGreatOne, a level 60 player. Suddenly, a snow day in the Big Apple becomes a journey though an unknown but oddly familiar landscape, where little-if anything-makes sense anymore. Using what they know from having played the game, they do their best to adapt to their circumstances and start a journey looking for answers. Separating friend from foe is only part of the challenge, especially after Lance finds himself slowly but surely turning into his zombie avatar. This is Alice in Wonderland turned upside down and made into a whiz-bang, nonstop read for the modern gamer. The only thing wrong with this book is its cliffhanger ending; readers will hope Salmon writes fast. (Science fiction. 10 & up)

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—Nick Podehl does a masterful job of breathing life into Dena K. Salmon's novel (Hyperion, 2009) which is short on character development and long on descriptions. Lance (level 19 zombie sorcerer) is unhappy in his new school and spends the bulk of his time playing the computer game Discordia, where his ally is Mrs. Keller (a level 23 hobgoblin brigand). Suddenly they find themselves going through a portal which takes them into the real Discordia, the world in the 11th dimension that inspired the game, where they are faced with lots of surprises, not the least of which is that Mrs. Keller is really a young boy. Their survival depends on completing an important quest created by TheGreatOne, their all powerful (and perhaps evil) leader. In the midst of their adventure arrives Rayva, a slave who knows nothing of their present world or the world they came from. Their friendship is threatened by Lance's intermittent change into a flesh eating zombie. Much of the story revolves around conversations between characters in both the real and the game worlds, making for slow development. Gamers will be rewarded with some interesting situations if they stay with the story, which is not resolved at the end. A Discordia manual, included at the conclusion of the narration, should please gamers and give them ideas for their own games or stories.—Edith Ching, Washington Latin Public Charter School, DC

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169845914
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	05/01/2009
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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