Eye of Minds

Book Title: The Eye of Minds

Author: James Dashner

Rating: 3 stars

Number of Pages: 323

Genres: Sci-fi Dystopian, Young Adult, YA Fiction, Technology

Books like it:

My Favorite Quote:

Brief Synopsis from Goodreads:

An all-new, edge-of-your seat adventure from James Dashner, the author of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds is the first book in The Mortality Doctrine, a series set in a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams . . . and your worst nightmares.

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.

And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.

But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

My Summary:

This book was from an author that I really like. My excitement turned to disappointment as I found this story dull and not nearly as exciting as expected.

This book had a good plot, and when I read the synopsis on Goodreads a while ago, I was super excited. This book sounded very intriguing and different. However, I think the synopsis makes the book sound a lot better than it actually is.

    What the synopsis says:

    And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet.

    What it really means:

There is this guy named Kaine and his intentions are super confusing. And  as far as holding hostages inside the VirtNet, we never actually meet a hostage.

    What the synopsis says:

But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid.

    What it really means:

They ask Michael for help and threaten his family, so he agrees immediately without further thought despite the fact that it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and, oh yes. STRANGER DANGER. (And also, their threats are not very….. that threat-ish.)

Short Synopsis: (My Version)

Basically there is this thing called the VirtNet where kids can hook themselves up inside of a coffin thing and enter the VirtNet to play games. You can die as many times as you want and still wake up just fine and go on with life, although dying in the VirtNet does feel a little upsetting, says Michael, the main character.

NO DUH!!! Everything in the VirtNet is supposed to be ahem  very realistic.  

Then there is this guy named Kaine and he is holding  victims (again, I don't remember meeting even one) inside the VirtNet, and when  those victims are found in the real world, they are confirmed brain dead. So, naturally,  they ask a teenager for help, because apparently the only good hackers are teens…..? What?

    And so Michael agrees and his VirtNet friends, (whom he has never met in real life, but trusts that they look in real life like they do in the real world) Bryson and Sarah, help him to help him defeat Kaine once and for all before things get out  of hand.  But as the line between the VirtNet and real life is “blurred,” their lives are in real danger. Can they stay safe and still save the VirtNet ?

    My Problems With This Book:

1. The message that it is giving younger readers.

For younger kids and teens that read this book, it does not give them good messages. It completely throws away the cautions of cyber stranger danger. In the VirtNet, you can create your character to look however you want it to. So, basically Michael trusts that his friends are really the age they say that they are, when in reality, they could be a completely older age than they claim to be. They both want to meet Michael in real life, which is like the biggest NO of cyber stranger danger.

2. The main character.

I really, really did not find Michael an interesting  character. I didn’t. Sorry. It felt to me like he had zero personality and he was just another kid that plays violent video games.  

3. That one disturbing scene….

There was a really disturbing scene at the very beginning where someone committed suicide. Except this one was like, super creepy and disturbing.  I went back just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.

Okay, so I am being a little mean…..

I really did enjoy this book. It was creative and full of action. It was actually a pretty epic book. I think that the main thing for me is that this book was written by JAMES DASHNER. I mean, this guy wrote the MAZE RUNNER. That book is AMAZING. And he also wrote 13th Reality! I absolutely loved those series, and Dashner just did not live up to his reputation with this book.

Conclusions:

Read it.But watch out for all the things that I listed above. This book was an average read. Would I read it again? No. Would I recommend it? Possibly.