Book review by Chance Norton

Epic

by Conor Kostick

***Stars

This book is an easy, quick read even if you don’t particularly enjoy the subject, like I didn’t. The book is based around a young man named Eric and his friends in a world that is completely pacifist with the exception of an in depth video game that doubles as this world’s form of government. If any act of violence, even as simple as a slap, the offender could be banished from their society. The people must use the game as a form of bringing their debates before the government for review. They also need the game because the currency for the entire world is based on the currency in the game, for example 1000 dollars in the game can be used to buy a tractor for real life. All in all this is a book that is completely unbelievable from almost every standpoint. EVERY citizen uses their extra time on this game, even if they could be in their gardens making more food, which is most often scarce, they get on the game. Adults, Grandfathers, and everyone else down to around 12 years old plays this game.

The society is NOT workable and I couldn’t stand to read about a situation like that. The reason I gave the book three stars is because it was short and easy so I could be a book project overnight, because the themes are easy to pick out, and because the life in the game (without people controlling the characters) would have been an okay story by itself. Overall this is a book written by someone who makes video games and is addicted to games like World of Warcraft. So maybe its just not my thing.