The future is here. A century after the human-A.I. wars, the two races have settles together in a country of peace. From their mutual cooperation, science has exploded once again into a revolution of new ideas. At the forefront is the newest and most advanced game to ever exist, Everlife.
Plat was a senior in the academy when he first began his adventures into the game world. After years of suffering from his betters, he now had a chance to shine in a world where everyone was equal. Unless, his troubles follows him into the world. And Everlife isn't just what it was advertised to be. Will Plat survive in both the real world and the game world as he struggles against his oppressors? Or will he fall into corruption and take back what is owed him?
My Opinion: 227 pages, $4.49, Available on Kindle Unlimited
Written by the author of the Slime Dungeon Chronicles. This was one of the first stories that Falcon wrote on the Royal Road, it sort of shows. Not that this is a bad story but compared to some of his later works this one lacks focus and planning.
The first 40% of the story is a mixes high school teen drama with the excitement of getting a new VR MMORPG game.
There’s descriptions of a far future where everyone is ranked and educated according to some RPG like system. There are stats that students are judged on like Body, Soul, Mind. When I first saw this in the novel I thought it was a great way of applying RPG mechanics to a real world. However, it ultimately isn’t used that way. Rather it’s used as a means of explaining the separation of the main character from his old friends and a replacement for normal social class divisions.
The game, Everlife, is fine. It’s a fantasy world with adaptive AI. In the real world, artificial intelligence is a thing and there was some vague war between them and the rest of humanity that resulted in a treaty giving AI the same rights as everyone else. However, the AI normally keep to themselves these days. Except when it comes to this game. Both humans and AI are playing it. The AI could be another player or they could be some NPC. Again, cool potential stories here. But not utilized.
The game is fairly standard with switchable classes and the ability for anyone to learn skills and spells. The main character chooses to be a spear and shield character, as shown on the cover. Most of the first part of the story in game is just him exploring the game world and it’s mechanics. Gaining levels, learning magic, raising his reputation with NPCs.
Then at about the 40% mark, the story takes a dark turn and it becomes a story of revenge. The main character is betrayed and he seeks revenge for the wrongs done to him. From here on is, it’s him as this dark character stuck in the game going on quests, gaining new abilities and companions, killing mobs. All to gain the power he wants to get revenge on the jerks that wronged him. Again, potentially cool. However, that revenge doesn’t take place. Sorry, I was disappointed too. There is some interesting spirit of vengeance stuff in the story but there is no satisfaction or resolution for the main character. It just ends. Like a break in a longer serial story.
I liked the game stuff. It’s neat world and there were lots of potentially cool stories possibilities that were just never developed. That doesn’t mean the quests or fighting in the story are boring. They’re not. There just doesn’t seem to be a purpose of larger plan in it all. The story feels like a long running serial that has been collected together. You know, a bunch of small stories.
Overall, ok. Not bad, but not amazing either.
Score: 6 out of 10