Friday 4 December 2015

Book review - The Cybermancer Presents, by Andrew Barber




Who has not lost a few hours, days or weeks to SIMS, King's Quest or something of that ilk? In The Cybermancer Presents, we get to experience these games from the inside, as an unlikely group of people are projected into the interior of a virtual reality game.

Of course, the game is the creation of an evil mad scientist. It just wouldn't be as much fun otherwise! I was already loving the book when the characters experienced the first game, a mediaeval RPG-type game, but when they moved into Grand Theft, Auto it got even better. I haven't played myself the game on which that one was based, but it seemed likely that if I had, I'd have found it even funnier.

But for me it all peaked when they hit The Virts. A recovering Simaholic myself, I almost screamed with laughter.

It wasn't just the gimmicks, either; those would quickly
have palled over the course of an entire book, had they not been supported by wonderfully realistic character action. It may seem a little odd to be talking about realism in such a fantastic scenario, but there is a realism that relates to types of people and how they work, and this is needed in every genre. Every character was fully believable, even the disgusting Brian. I'd have liked to see the two sexual episodes toned down a little, but tastes vary, and it's nothing you don't see every day in romance books.

Anyone who has ever played an RPG or simulation computer game is bound to love this book. For sheer FUN I don't know when I have seen its like. 

The Cybermancer Presents is available on AMAZON.








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