An exciting fantasy/horror which you will not want to put down – The God Game by Danny Tobey.

The plot:

After receiving an invitation they can’t refuse, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D Game. Tasks are delivered through their phones and high-tech glasses; when they accomplish a mission, the game rewards them. Charlie’s money problems could be over. Vanhi can erase the one bad grade on her college application. It’s all harmless fun at first.

Then the threatening messages start.

Mysterious packages show up at their homes. Shadowy figures start follow them. Who else is playing, and how far will they go to win?

As Charlie looks for a way out, he finds that ‘God’ is always watching. Only He will say when the game is done.

And if you die in the game, you die for real.

This is a blend which will blow your mind

Doesn’t this book sound incredible? The verdict is in, and it is incredible. I’m already scheduling in a re-read, as I’m thinking it’ll be a different experience once you know the ending.

The God Game is intense and all-round very impressive. It’s like a horror movie with an added fantasy element and I am HERE FOR IT. With the rise of AI, it adds that scary element, even if some bits are unrealistic (thank goodness).

I ploughed through this – it’s quite a big book at 449 pages, but I read it in three sittings. I even cut short my Sunday morning lay-in to read more, and I love my Sunday morning lay-ins. I could’ve happily had 100s of more pages – it was gripping, addictive and thriller-y in the best places. There’s a lot of conversation and chapters are relatively short, so I’m not sure whether this just borders on YA.

There are a few easter eggs and I only wish I knew more of the references. There’s also a lot about the web and tech, and I’m pretty limited to making a word bold with coding, so some bits did blow my mind and it’s already a complicated book.

It felt like a messed-up version of Ready Player One – I’d 100% rate this as a movie, so petition started for that to be a thing.

There’s a quote on the front of the book which says, “like an episode of Black Mirror written by Stephen King” and I wholeheartedly agree – this is a blend which will blow your mind.

The God Game, Danny Tobey, RRP £16.99 (hardback); Book Depository 

Pages: 449

Publisher: Gollancz

Genre: Fantasy/ Horror