Starred Review.
The lines between reality and fantasy blur in this stunning thriller, originally published in Germany. In London, a new computer game is making the rounds. Called Erebos, it's deceptively immersive, insidiously addictive, and so complex that it might even be alive. It insists on absolute secrecy and discretion from its players, rewards and punishes in strange ways, and recruits through word-of-mouth. When Nick Dunmore begins playing, he's quickly sucked in, learning the bizarre rules and advancing rapidly. However, he's forced to question his dedication after the game starts to exert its influence on the real world, asking him to perform "missions" with potentially hazardous consequences. When he and several other players investigate who or what is behind Erebos, they unravel a surprisingly personal vendetta at the heart of the game, driving players toward its ultimate, violent purpose. As the narrative moves fluidly between the real world and the game, Poznanski plays with expectations and perception, incorporating SF, mystery, and ghost story elements, along with solid characterizations. The result is a prescient page-turner and a provocative, believable portrayal of the seductive world of virtual gaming. Ages 12-up. Agent: AVA International.
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Erebos is a tightly plotted, suspenseful novel that draws the reader into its world.
I was super impressed by this book. I thought I had found a treasure when I was reading the Feyland trilogy, but this was even better... The author did a terrific job of crafting surprises. She held my attention without underestimating my intelligence, and I didn't feel like I'd been taken through a convoluted labyrinth, simply for the sake of distraction and in hopes of preserving the punch line. The story was astonishingly straightforward and yet still fascinating. This one grabbed me from page one, and it's a rare treat that I recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, mythology, gaming, urban fantasy, or an engaging story.
The book is so intense that this reviewer lost sleep trying to get to the end.
As a middle-aged non-gamer, observing this process was fascinating: I became as addicted to the book as the characters are to the game!
A literary marvel.
Nick's search to discover the mystery of Erebos leads not only to new discoveries, but also to an exciting thriller that will leave you just as enthralled.
Nevertheless, the depiction of gaming raises a host of provocative questions about its prevalence in popular culture, and the book will likely appeal to fans of Cory Doctorow.
Erebos is a page-turner of a book.
From its opening notes of eerie virtual landscapes, to its mesmerizing conclusions, Erebos is a nuanced thriller that weaves effortlessly between reality and virtual space, bringing its protagonists closer to the brink of destruction--or salvation--with every turn of the page.
Poznanski's thriller effectively plays off the difficulty of balancing online and real-life personae, and the all-too-possible idea that gamers are being secretly shaped into an unwitting army is indeed a scary one.
From its opening notes of eerie virtual landscapes, to its mesmerizing conclusions, EREBOS is a nuanced thriller that weaves effortlessly between reality and virtual space, bringing its protagonists closer to the brink of destruction-or salvation-with every turn of the page.
A computer game with a hidden agenda entraps teen users into doing its bidding in this prizewinning import. Booting up a program that has fellow students stumbling exhaustedly into school or cutting classes altogether, Londoner Nick finds himself in Erebos. This violent realm of swords and sorcery is controlled by a yellow-eyed "messenger" who knows a startling amount about Nick from the outset and offers compelling incentives to keep him riveted to his computer. But along with being totally forbidden to talk about the game, Nick discovers that advancement within it requires him to perform missions in the outside world... increasingly disturbing, even harmful ones. Poznanski tightens the suspense nicely as Nick, refusing at last a command to poison a certain teacher, is permanently ejected from Erebos and then nearly murdered before he discovers the true, ugly purpose of the game. The mystery is unraveled thanks to a too-obvious clue, but the scary climax, a romantic subplot and plenty of thoroughly credible gaming add proper spark to a pageturner with amps aplenty. (Science fiction/thriller. 12-15)
