The premise for this book is so good! Think a more contemporary version Ender's Game, and then throw in bits and pieces of that old Scooby Doo movie called Cyber Chase. Does that sound awesome to you or what?
Mindwar by Andrew Klavan
Rick Dial has the potential to be a hero. He just doesn't know it yet.
Rick's high school football team couldn't be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled.
Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he's approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick's gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn't just a game . . . but Rick doesn't have many other options at the moment.
Entering "The Realm" gives Rick the one thing he thought he'd never have again: a body that's as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already . . . and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?
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Andrew Klavan is a best-selling, award-winning
thriller novelist whose books have been made into major motion pictures. He
broke into the YA scene with the bestselling Homelanders series, starting
with The Last Thing I Remember. He is also a screenwriter and
scripted the innovative movie-in-an-app Haunting Melissa.Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads
Guest Post
The Hero of Your Own Life
The hero of MindWar is a guy named Rick Dial and when you first meet him he’s in really bad shape. You know how sometimes you sit around and worry that something really bad might happen to you? Well, in Rick’s case, his worst fears came true and it really happened.Rick was a high school football hero, the quarterback of a winning team. Good looking guy, good student, great athlete. Coolest guy around, the guy who got all the girls, the guy everyone wanted to be friends with. He even had a full scholarship to college based on his athletic skills.
Then one day, his car gets broadsided by a panel truck. His legs are crushed. There’s no chance he’ll ever play football again. In one second, everything he values most about himself is wiped out.
His answer? He gets angry, depressed. Locks himself in his room. Plays video games all day long. Hardly ever comes out. Hardly ever says even hello to his mom or brother. He doesn’t even open the curtains because he doesn’t want to look at the outside world. That’s what he’s like when we first meet him. A defeated guy. A guy who’s lost everything. And that’s where his story begins.
I think everyone is afraid sometimes, afraid of what might happen to them, afraid of failing, afraid of looking foolish, afraid of getting hurt. Most of the times our fears aren’t realized. But sometimes... well, sometimes bad things really do happen. The question is: what then? Is your life over? Is there any way to keep going?
I think the truth is: sometimes our worst moments are also our best. Which sounds weird at first, but when you think about it, it’s only logical. Sometimes the moment when we’ve lost everything is the same moment when we’re given the chance to demonstrate real strength, real courage, real grace. That moment when you just want to give up, put your head in your hands and cry — that’s the exact same moment when God is giving you the chance to be the hero of your own life.
So that’s the chance that Rick is given, and the story of MindWar is about whether he’ll take that chance or not.
I think my son would love this book!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post.
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