Scan barcode
asarahguslol's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.75
While I enjoy Dashner’s stories, this is the second time that the second book in a series has been slow and difficult for me. The book has a few fun twists and continues to explore the lines between artificial intelligence and consciousness, reality and fabrication, and power structures out to help themselves more than those they serve. Yet, I found myself struggling to keep on reading about, what is essentially, kids meandering around with a vague, chatty plot.
As with the maze runner, I am hoping the third book will pull me back in with more of a concrete story and some much deserved answers to the mysteries and secret motives of the major players.
As with the maze runner, I am hoping the third book will pull me back in with more of a concrete story and some much deserved answers to the mysteries and secret motives of the major players.
awall14's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
nathlyv98's review against another edition
4.0
Perfection. I literally jumped out of excitement after reading the end. Can't wait for the Game of Lives.
jessiihaze's review against another edition
3.0
Not going to lie, it took me awhile to get into this one. Not sure if I just wasn't ready for a read like this or it was just a bad beginning but I stuck with it and was so glad I did. Picks up right where Eye of Minds leaves you. It's a bit wordy and not much happens in the beginning except a lot of whining on Michaels/Jacksons part but once he meets up with some people it starts to get good. There's tons happening and its action packed for the rest of the book to keep you turning that page.
emily164's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
thatgirlinblack's review against another edition
4.0
Kaine has just made the startling revelation that Michael is a Tangent. A string of computer code that had become self-aware and is now housed in a brand-new body, courtesy of Kaine himself. By finding the Path and the Hallowed Ravine, Michael has accomplished what no other gamer has and is now the first breakthrough in Kaine's Mortality Doctrine: a plan to inhabit human bodies with artificial intelligences. But Michael is horrified at the thought, fleeing to find his best friends Sarah and Bryson.
Connecting with and finding his friends in the real world is a bit more complicated, and the stakes are heightened when Sarah's parents are taken and held against the kids' cooperation with Kaine. But it's not an option to cooperate with the Tangent computer program bent on wreaking havoc and pulling no punches in his mysterious, violent plans for some kind of world domination.
But they do have a friend in VNS (VirtNet Security) and Agent Weber, who first started them on this mission. Armed with Hider programming to avoid the vicious monsterous KillSims, Michael, Sarah and Bryson are sent into the Sleep to search Kaine out. What they find is confusing and terrifying, but somewhere in the defunct and abandoned games, glitchy pixelated landscapes, gamers being attacked and disintegrated, disappearing Portals, and literal seas of wriggling snippets of code, they gather enough information to be thoroughly freaked out. Reporting back to Weber and the VNS, a plan is hatched to destroy Kaine's core programming in the Sleep to prevent his transferring over to the real world of the Wake. It should be as simple as planting a bomb, but then everything goes terribly wrong.
VNS has not been upfront. In fact, Michael, Sarah and Bryson have been massively deceived and might even have destroyed any indication or link of all the sly things the organization has been doing, including. Now the trio is sitting in jail for setting off an actual bomb in real Atlanta. Kaine is still out there. Everyone has questions and key people have secrets.
How will this tangled Web (pun intended) be unraveled? When will the truth come out? Will computers prevail? What IS reality? Is there any hope for humanity?
Connecting with and finding his friends in the real world is a bit more complicated, and the stakes are heightened when Sarah's parents are taken and held against the kids' cooperation with Kaine. But it's not an option to cooperate with the Tangent computer program bent on wreaking havoc and pulling no punches in his mysterious, violent plans for some kind of world domination.
But they do have a friend in VNS (VirtNet Security) and Agent Weber, who first started them on this mission. Armed with Hider programming to avoid the vicious monsterous KillSims, Michael, Sarah and Bryson are sent into the Sleep to search Kaine out. What they find is confusing and terrifying, but somewhere in the defunct and abandoned games, glitchy pixelated landscapes, gamers being attacked and disintegrated, disappearing Portals, and literal seas of wriggling snippets of code, they gather enough information to be thoroughly freaked out. Reporting back to Weber and the VNS, a plan is hatched to destroy Kaine's core programming in the Sleep to prevent his transferring over to the real world of the Wake. It should be as simple as planting a bomb, but then everything goes terribly wrong.
VNS has not been upfront. In fact, Michael, Sarah and Bryson have been massively deceived and might even have destroyed any indication or link of all the sly things the organization has been doing, including
Spoiler
the creation of KaineHow will this tangled Web (pun intended) be unraveled? When will the truth come out? Will computers prevail? What IS reality? Is there any hope for humanity?
gidaehada's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I can't believe I have had this sitting in my TBR for years. I should've read it way sooner. I loved the first book and I was worried I wasn't going to like the 2nd book as much, but damn was I wrong.
If there is one thing James Dashner is amazing at it's dystopian fiction books where you never know where the plot is going to end up. Just when I thought I knew where he was going with this he would pull the rug out from under me and make me question everything.
I loved the character of Michael and his growth through the series. He changes as the plot changes and has grown from when we first met him in the 1st book. I couldn't believe he was 13 when I looked it up. He acts well beyond his years and the way his brain works is so fascinating. I did love that Dashner would remind us of the characters' actions about how old they actually are. It's another reason I love James Dashner's work.
Dashner also managed to mess with my head that just like his other trilogy we only know as much as the characters so that way when things happen we are as surprised as them. I really did feel for Michael and co when I had a feeling Weber wasn't telling the truth but I knew the kids couldn't do anything. It's that sense of dread and hopelessness that you can feel building and there is no way to stop it. Dashner is good at building suspense and making action scenes both fun and a real page-turner.
I have no idea where he is going to go with this ending book and I'm excited to see what he'll do because you never know wit James.
If there is one thing James Dashner is amazing at it's dystopian fiction books where you never know where the plot is going to end up. Just when I thought I knew where he was going with this he would pull the rug out from under me and make me question everything.
I loved the character of Michael and his growth through the series. He changes as the plot changes and has grown from when we first met him in the 1st book. I couldn't believe he was 13 when I looked it up. He acts well beyond his years and the way his brain works is so fascinating. I did love that Dashner would remind us of the characters' actions about how old they actually are. It's another reason I love James Dashner's work.
Dashner also managed to mess with my head that just like his other trilogy we only know as much as the characters so that way when things happen we are as surprised as them. I really did feel for Michael and co when I had a feeling Weber wasn't telling the truth but I knew the kids couldn't do anything. It's that sense of dread and hopelessness that you can feel building and there is no way to stop it. Dashner is good at building suspense and making action scenes both fun and a real page-turner.
I have no idea where he is going to go with this ending book and I'm excited to see what he'll do because you never know wit James.
taygus's review against another edition
3.0
don’t expect genius writing from Dashner.
It’s not bad, easy and quick to read. Much better than Scorch Trials as the middle book in his other series.
The characters are all interchangeable. The all have the same skills and much the same personality.
There’s another
Not even the readers know, what is real and what is not. And there doesn’t seem to really be any limits in “coding”. Anything can happen at any time…or it can’t because Suddenly it’s too difficult. But then ooh, actually can do it after all. Groans. Set some rules into your world Dashner and stick to them.
It’s not bad, easy and quick to read. Much better than Scorch Trials as the middle book in his other series.
The characters are all interchangeable. The all have the same skills and much the same personality.
There’s another
Spoiler
twist at the end. Dashner, there is such a thing as too many twists.Not even the readers know, what is real and what is not. And there doesn’t seem to really be any limits in “coding”. Anything can happen at any time…or it can’t because Suddenly it’s too difficult. But then ooh, actually can do it after all. Groans. Set some rules into your world Dashner and stick to them.