Kevin was a young man enjoying his college life when a car jumped the curb and crippled his body. Unable to support himself and dependent on others to meet his needs, Kevin was slipping into depression when his best friend convinced him to play a new game called Genesis Online. The concept was simple: a revolutionary artificial intelligence controlled the game world and adapted it to the actions of the players. Even the developers didn't know what course the game could take as it evolved.
Lured into the game by the prospect of earning real money, Kevin soon runs afoul of a man determined to control as much of Genesis as possible. He recruits other disenfranchised players to his side in his quest to find a way to prosper in the game. Can they stop the man who calls himself the king of Genesis from taking over everything?
My Opinion: 256 pages, $2.99, Available on Kindle Unlimited
This is a delightful story. The author does a good job of making you empathize with the main character, Kevin, very quickly and get the reader into the game by the 4% mark of the novel.
I really liked the game mechanics in the story. While the four basic classes are the standards: Warrior, Rogue, Wizard, and Cleric. However, leveling up depends entirely on raising the skills you have and learn. Learning new skills and performing specific actions unlocks new classes. A number of skills you're able to learn is limitless and changing classes has no penalty. Additionally, a feature I really thought was neat, was that you can learn skills from the people that you’re grouped with. Meaning that a rogue can pick up an ice spell from their wizard friend. So there are tons of playing options available. There’s also a good bit of crafting in the story, which I enjoyed.
The storyline of a power hungry antagonist griefing other players isn’t bad. However, it gets a bit predictable at times, especially towards the end of the story. Still, the original game mechanics and the way that the main character combines them with crafting to overcome obstacles and enemies more than makes up for any of that.
Overall, a good story.
Score: 7 out of 10