Verdia is the greatest game ever played - a virtual world that blurs the line between imagination and reality. Many play for power and fame; others play to escape the pain and loneliness of real life.
One boy, paralyzed at birth, knows no other world. For Ben Shepherd, Verdia is home.
The Shepherd is Verdia’s most famous and mysterious blacksmith, constructing armor and weapons for elite and wealthy players while hiding from public view. Players ponder the Shepherd’s true identity, and Ben creates his masterpieces in isolation.
Ben discovers friendship in the form of an enormous white wolf - a creature unique in all of Verdia. As news of the boy and his wolf spreads, Ben becomes the target of greed, envy, and fear; Ben’s tranquil life is shattered.
A band of strangers, united by compassion, will battle a perilous landscape and unrelenting enemies to deliver the Shepherd and his wolf to a new home.
To succeed, they must enlist the help of an enemy - a player who is as powerful as he is hated.
They will discover that a small group of friends can face impossible odds, and that a hero can hide beneath a villain’s mask.
My Opinion: Good book. Little light on RPG elements. No level up notices, or skill tree descriptions. That’s ok though. The story brings together multiple perspectives of the same world. Some are villains, some are heroes, and one is child blacksmith. The story has an interesting mix of sci-fi and fantasy that works.
Score: 6 out of 10