Sunday, September 4, 2016

An Unwelcome Quest (Scott Meyer)

An Unwelcome Quest
(The Magic 2.0 series, Book 3)
Scott Meyer
47North
Fiction, Sci-Fi
**** (Good)


DESCRIPTION: Thanks to their computer skills and a hidden data file that controls reality, various programmers, engineers, and hackers have made themselves "wizards," time-traveling to various places in history where their skills will be more appreciated (and less likely to draw national or international law enforcement on their heads.) But that doesn't mean they've lost touch with their original decades; the wizards in Medieval England, for instance, have a weekly movie night. Usually, they're uneventful, if occasionally traumatizing (as when showing a geek from the 1980's what Hollywood later did with the Star Wars prequels or the fourth Indiana Jones film) - until the night five of their number inexplicably vanish. As Martin, Gwen, Roy, and the Brits (Elder and Younger) race to find them, their friends find themselves trapped in a video game created by an old rival, the first (and, until Jimmy, only) programmer/wizard to ever earn banishment for his crimes: sadistic, mentally unstable Todd.

REVIEW: Amazon had a bundle deal on the whole trilogy, so Book 3 was in queue when I was finished with Book 2 - and, with other plans for the day not panning out, I succumbed to a reading binge. This book maintains the fun nerd-culture/genre-tweaking air of the first titles, placing the wizards at the mercy of a man who has spent decades plotting suitable revenge. Gamers in particular will enjoy Meyer's take on modern role-playing games as seen from the inside. The characters remain interesting and fun, growing in their own ways as they make their ways through Todd's adventure. It moves along decently, with a climax that leaves things open for more books and is somewhat ambiguous on one or two notes. It makes for an enjoyable, light sci-fi adventure.

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