The Eye of Minds by James Dashner (review)

Like most people in his world, sixteen-year-old Michael spends nearly all of his free time in the VirtNet, an immersive virtual reality that offers the best of both reality and fantasy without any of the consequences. Now, though, a cyber-terrorist named Kaine is trapping players in the Sleep, wiping their brains and leaving their real-world bodies comatose. Unable to stop him, the government has turned to talented hacker/gamers like Michael to fight Kaine’s skills with their own. Their curiosity piqued by the challenge, Michael and his two best friends follow a trail of underground gossip to the Path, a set of challenges that leads to Kaine’s virtual hideout. Just as they begin to succeed against the Path’s obstacles, Michael realizes that Kaine is hiding an important secret that connects them, one that might convince Michael to change sides. Strongly reminiscent of Neal Stephenson’s cyberpunk classic Snow Crash, this high-intensity science fiction adventure emphasizes suspense from its very first scene and never lets up. Fans of video games, especially quest and puzzle-platforms like Portal, will revel in the mission-based narrative, while readers enjoyed Doctorow’s Little Brother (BCCB 2/08) or Falkner’s Brain Jack (BCCB 9/10) will find themselves at home in the hacker-friendly cyber-setting. Characterization isn’t deep, but the relationship between Michael and his friends provides plenty of playful banter. A last-minute twist subverts everything the reader knows about Michael, provides the perfect set-up for expected sequels, and makes for a bombshell ending that will have readers rereading and then coming back for more.