The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Release Date: October 8^th, 2013

Series: The Mortality Doctrine (bk. 1)

Genera: Dystopian Sci-fi

Subjects: virtual reality, video games, games, technology, futuristic,

Age/Grade Level: Teen/12 & up

Length: 323 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $18.99

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Summary/ product description: “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 Review: This book was kind of mind blowing. It started out just fun and interesting and turned into a crazy thrill ride. The book is set in a world of virtual reality called VirtNet, and mainly in a game called LifeBlood. Michael, Sarah and Bryson are all gamers and hackers. They’re selected by VNS to find Kaine. Their search takes them deeper into the game than they’ve ever been before.

The characters didn’t seem completely developed because we didn’t get any background on their pasts, but that doesn’t matter because we didn’t get background in Maze Runner either. We did get their personality and a lot of humorous dialogue and banter. This book reminded me so much of Insignia by S.J. Kincaid, which has a similar trio of characters and virtual reality. Michael is the main character, and Sarah is kind of his love interest, but really they’re just friend because they never met in real life. Bryson is the funny friend who always does something ridiculous.

The world building was good. I loved the way virtual reality was used in this book. There’s just so much you can do with it. Anything goes really. It’s like magic, but it’s really technology and coding. You can enter different games and worlds, even fantasy one. It’s just so awesome, and so life like. It’s like the Matrix. It has just as much action. There’s a lot more adventure, though. I kind of made me think of the Percy Jackson series in a way. Instead of mythology, it’s virtual reality. Instead of a labyrinth, it’s the Path.

That ending! I so saw it coming (kind of). I KNEW IT!!! (I am amazing at guessing plot twists. There’s always a little foreshadowing by the author that gives it away.) It made me think of this movie, but I can’t remember what it was called. I have no idea how the next book, Rule of Thoughts will go, but I wish I had a copy now just to find out. I recommend this book to gamers, Matrix fans, and people who liked Insignia by S.J. Kincaid. Or if you just love sci-fi. It’s a really fast and fun read. Hope you all enjoy it.

Cover Art Review: Awesome cover. Love that it’s metallic and love the cool, crazy buildings that look like something out of Inception. I like that it all reflects, even the guy and the title.