The Tetris Effect
By Colin Carvalho Burgess
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Gods, gaming and a reincarnating goldfish … Lars Nilsson’s life is about to level up.
A hacked-off online gamer, an ageing spiritual scientist, a psychotropic-addled anaesthetist, and a reclusive RPG developer undertake an unusual quest.
An online gamer’s escapist routine is disrupted by mysterious powers, and his journey of self-discovery begins. He’s sent spiralling towards a destiny where shadow animals patrol the street corners, gryphons command the purple skies, and an other-wordly force is determined to prevent him from discovering the true origins of his identity.
A spiritual science experiment tears open a passage to the underworld, and a deal is made with a mischievous supernatural being. The ancient immortal guardians of the afterlife have been displaced and the land of the dead is rotting in their absence.
The clock is ticking to take back control of the afterlife, but a mysterious future tech company have a powerful ally and different intentions for the land of the dead.
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About the Author
The Tetris Effect is Colin’s debut novel and is the first part of The Tetris Trilogy. When he isn’t writing, he can mostly be found playing open world computer games or binge watching cult television drama. He currently lives in London with his wife, and two pesky cats.
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My Review
5 stars
Gaming is a very big part of a lot of people’s lives. Part of this story is about a game called Atari Shock. People from around the world log in and play the game to acquire items. The more they play, the higher the level and more goodies. But it is a constant battle getting to the top and staying there.
Lars is one of those people. It is an obsession and you can see how it affects his marriage and work. Lars is very high up in this ranking until a lot of other players banded together and essential knocked him back to square one. But something is trying to get his attention. It’s convenient that work is sending him to Japan. It seems fate has more in store for him.
Malcolm Van Peterson has discovered a way to project the spirit to the afterlife. But to do so has opened a door and let the gatekeepers into our world. Without the ancient gods to guard the afterlife it is open to other intervention.
This story has two completely different stories that comes together in the most interesting way. I admit that I’m not much of a gamer. I learned early one that I don’t have the patience or skill for games. But I do see how some people get addicted to them. Lars is one of those people. He gets knocked off his throne in Atari Shock and is having a hard time dealing with this.
Then there is Van Peterson. Although he is trying to find that space between Heaven and Hell, he is opening up the world to complete destruction. It seems the ancient gods have grown tired of their roles. Then when two step out of their roles to spend time as mortals, it’s a low blow to those left behind. They are clearly ready to spend time away from their created roles.
This is a wonderful story. I love of you have two stories that seem to be completely opposite that circle around each other, combine, and then become something else completely. It was so easy to get into this story. And when you think you might know what is going on, you are off in another direction.
I recommend checking this one out. For a first book and the beginning of a trilogy I think it was very well executed. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank Sage’s Blog Tours for the opportunity to read and share this book.
The author is giving away 5 ebook copies of The Tetris Effect!
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