Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Three common swear words used.  Belittling of others because of their rank in society.  Sarcastic humor used for good and bad throughout the book.

Violence:  A group of activists, supposedly protecting children and families, storms an arcade gaming center, damaging equipment and placeing some of the gamers lives in danger.  In the game, the participant can virtually kill other characters as well as be killed which starts the game over.  There are many battles using weaponry from the middle ages (bow and arrows, daggers, swords, catapults, poisoning etc.) .  Many heads are cut off, throats are slit, and bodies stabbed.  A young boy is killed for poaching, a man’s head is crushed by a wagon wheel.

Sexual Content:  Mentions that sexual harassment is not allowed in the games.  A man sits so that he has a good view down the front of a woman’s dress.  One of the wizards, a female, uses her good looks and feminine charms to influence men around her.

Adult Themes:  Main character does not have a good relationship with her dad.  She is uncertain that dads in general are any good.  The story is based on total immersion gaming which requires the gamer to link their senses and memories to the gaming system.  A group of activists protest the gaming center saying its product is ruining children and families.  In the game, minors are allowed to ‘consume’ alcoholic beverages.

Synopsis

Giannine receives a gift certificate for her 14th birthday from her dad.  It is for a gaming center which offers Total Immersion Gaming, the latest fad in the gaming industry.  When she arrives at the arcade, she  encounters a group of protesting activists claiming to protect families and children from this new evil.   She decides to go in, despite the protests, and signs up to play Heir Apparent.  This game offers a medieval adventure where the gamer is chosen to be the late king’s heir and must gain the confidence of the characters in the kingdom in order to be to be crowned and win the game.  Shortly after Giannine is in immersion, the activist group breaks into the building and begins to destroy some of the equipment.  Because she has already been immersed, technicians cannot safely disconnect  Giannine out without risking damage to her brain.   In order to be released from the total immersion status, Giannine must win the game.   On her adventure, she meets a spiteful step family, odd wizards, a few untrustworthy advisers, rebelling barbarians and a giant dragon.  Giannine must learn how to win their favor and be crowned before time is up.  She is killed virtually in several attempts and must start the game over until she finally learns from her mistakes.  This is coupled with the pressure of getting through the game in a timely manner so that she can escape her total immersion before her real brain is destroyed.

This book is a unique mix of fantasy and future with a creative story line and characters. I thought it was interesting to see the influence that each of Giannine’s  choices had as she returned to the beginning after being ‘killed’. Sarcastic humor was abundant throughout the book and was a little much for me personally.  Because of the violence, (even though it wasn’t ‘real’, ) I would recommend it for the older end of the grade 6-9 spectrum depending upon the sensitivity of your reader.