The Eye of Minds - Reviewed by Maggie Devero

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Reviewed by Maggie Devero

If given the opportunity, would you choose to spend your time in a virtual world as opposed to the real world? A virtual world where anything and everything can happen?  And if you're a talented coder or hacker, you can bend the virtual reality to your every whim? If so, then welcome to the VirtNet, a world beyond your wildest dreams and your worst nightmares.

Michael is one of those talented coders and hackers. He has spent almost more time in VirtNet than he has in real life; trudging through school and home life only to return to his coffin and enter this computerized world once more. It's where he's made his best of friends (though he's never met them in the real world), had all the experiences he's wanted, and where he's generally just the happiest. But when randomly one day, he comes across a girl who manages to kill herself in both the game and reality, all the while screaming about someone named Kaine and how she won't let him get her, Michael's virtual takes a turn. He and his friends are soon assigned to located and take down, easily the great hacker of all time, Kaine himself. Though Michael, Bryson and Sarah are all talented with potentially lethal skills themselves, they aren't sure they will be a match for this crazed genius. A fast paced adventure/thriller, this book will leave you on the edge of your seat!

I liked this book relatively well, so I have it a worthy three stars. I'm normally not big on the whole scifi genre, but I decided to give is new book a try. I was pleasantly surprised. The idea of a virtual world being warped by those with the skill is a really cool and scary idea. And though I didn't really connect with any of the characters, I still thought they were decently written. The book started off right in the middle of action, and it kept that way throughout the entire rest of the story. It looks as though there will be more in this series, so it's another I'm interested in keeping up with if I get the free time! James Dashner also wrote the very popular Maze Runner series, so I would suggest those to anyone who reads and likes this book. They're pretty different in means of storyline (and I've heard Maze Runner is in many ways better), so if you did like this and are interested in more Dashner novels, those are ones to check out!