Multiplayer
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4.7 • 6 Ratings
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
Hector West is a typical kid. He plays soccer, rides dirt bikes, and hangs out with his friends. But all that changes when his father is killed in Iraq and the family moves back to his mom’s dull hometown. Bored and angry, Hector escapes into the online game Omega Wars, where he can reconnect with old friends through his character Izaak Ersatz. In the virtual world, there are few rules, no algebra, and death isn’t permanent.
When Izaak is robbed by a rival gamer known as Mal-X, Hector abandons questing and assembles his clan, the Spartans, to find the cheater and take revenge. But it is real life that turns deadly when Hector discovers that Mal-X’s clan is actually using Omega Wars to plan and train for something that could plunge the real world into a devastating war. And only Hector can stop them.
The seed for Multiplayer sprouted in author John C. Brewer's head from encountering gamers from around the world while Brewer and his three sons played HALO on XBox-Live. As a physicist and rocket scientist, he was also aware of the technical difficulties government authorities would have monitoring for voice evidence of criminal activity in a mixed data stream, and the idea for the book was suddenly obvious. The military family setting, and the trials that it brings, was a natural backdrop for him, having grown up in a family with a long military history. While Multiplayer's joys, tragedies and real life challenges appeal to a wide range of readers, Brewer hopes the novel's context will also draw in those game-playing teens who have given up on books as a source of entertainment.
Customer Reviews
A demographic barrier breaker
First off, let me say that I am 46 with 2 sons. A friend of mine suggested this book to me, recently. Personally, I've never been into video games outside of the occasional game with my sons (18 and 16). But once I picked up Multiplayer, I couldn't put it down. I tore through it in a matter of days. The themes are closely related to those prevalent in society today but Brewer doesn't shove them in your face over and over like some authors do. I found it to be a pleasant read but still engrossing and captivating at the same time. I actually enjoyed it so much I pestered my sons into reading it. Surprisingly, they absolutely loved it! After years of trudging through frustrating required reading in school, they found Multiplayer to be a breath of fresh air and hope that all books haven't fallen into the pit of dullness. They've moved on to pestering their friends into buying it as well.. Overall, I give it three thumbs up!!