A new entity is born into the internet.
Is it the rebirth of an ancient evil in a new realm? Or something much worse?
A sexy looking avatar grants wishes for people across the web, but nothing is truly free, and for those who accept, what price must be paid?
Sarah Mitchell must discover the truth of this creature and stop it while it can still be stopped, but why is a mysterious lawyer dogging her every step?
This is the first book in the Morton and Mitchell series, and if you are overly sensitive or find reading about real news issues translated into fiction, you may want to give this novel a pass. . Also if you are a firm believer that all the ills of the world are committed by people who play video/online games and read ‘the wrong kind of book’ you may want to consider not picking this up.
The character developments in this novel are phenomenal; starting with the ‘birth’ of the entity mentioned in the book synopsis above, each of the characters we are introduced too, for however briefly they remain in play, are given depth and traits that draw the reader in and make them want to keep reading. The female protagonist is likeable and easily connected to; we see her written in such a manner that her addiction to her work at the cost of her private life is all too painfully familiar. We are allowed, through the words of the Author to see her strengths, tenacity and weaknesses; and weakness of the characters is a large part of what this novel is. Not just the low-end of society, the criminals and those of low intelligence, but the high society people and all points in-between. Each of the characters has their innermost wishes exposed to the reader in an impeccable and flawless manner, making this so much more than a good cyber-mystery, it becomes an almost voyeuristic look, through the characters eyes, into a society that is quickly becoming fueled by a ‘something for nothing’ mentality. Despite some of the novels ‘players’ only being on centre stage for a few pages, their personality and reasoning are exposed for all to see and even when they are no longer a focal point, they are linked seamlessly with the others. Each of the characters featured throughout the book are unique in their own way regardless of age and, it is this that makes the actions of the entity seem just that little bit more treacherous.
A lot of the storyline for this book is centred on computers and the computer world, bringing to the fore our increasing dependence on these machines. In parts this book made me shudder at the thought of how easily even the most secure networks could be breached, and are we really that far away from the future depicted in ‘I, Robot’ by Isaac Asimov or even the SkyNet system we see in the ‘Terminator’ movies. However, do not pass this novel by if you are ‘into’ computers, regardless of whether you only use them for work or are a full-blown professional computer programmer, or hacker, this book is easily digestible and believable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery, sci-fi and even horror genres, however due to a certain section of the book; I would not recommend it to anyone under a college age reading comprehension.
Cate's Book Nut Hut 