marcherlady's review against another edition
5.0
Brookmyre does Sci-Fi, one for the gamers. Can I give this 6/5? Sneaky plotline + Brookmyre's usual snarky sense of humour.
"He wasn't sure whether [the creature] flew on avian aerodynamic principles or merely broke the laws of gravity because gravity was too scared to object"
"He wasn't sure whether [the creature] flew on avian aerodynamic principles or merely broke the laws of gravity because gravity was too scared to object"
lian_tanner's review against another edition
2.0
What is it about virtual worlds that makes them so boring to read about? I've loved most of Brookmyre's books, but this one left me cold - it's hard to stay interested in characters who respawn instead of dying. I suspect that people who are heavily into gaming will enjoy it a lot more than I did.
However I DID stick with it right to the end (though I skipped rather a lot), which is why I'm giving it two and a half stars rather than one. If this is the first of Brookmyre's books you've read, don't judge him by it. Go back to his crime novels, which are clever, sarcastic and laugh-out-loud funny.
However I DID stick with it right to the end (though I skipped rather a lot), which is why I'm giving it two and a half stars rather than one. If this is the first of Brookmyre's books you've read, don't judge him by it. Go back to his crime novels, which are clever, sarcastic and laugh-out-loud funny.
annabella82's review against another edition
3.0
I found it really hard to get into this book. The pace was slow and I wasn't all that into the plot.
This isn't a typically Brookmyre novel, so I'm not surprised that I didn't really enjoy it (it was all a little too sci-fi for me).
I think the only thing that saved this novel for me was its ending.
This isn't a typically Brookmyre novel, so I'm not surprised that I didn't really enjoy it (it was all a little too sci-fi for me).
I think the only thing that saved this novel for me was its ending.
rachelini's review against another edition
3.0
Christopher Brookmyre steps into sci-fi. It has his signature awesome characters, but the story didn't totally click for me. I still enjoyed it, though - 3 1/2 stars.
reading_on_the_road's review against another edition
2.0
I'm a huge Brookmyre fan, but this book just didn't hit the spot.
The central character is great, the real-life situation engaging and the ending satisfying. Unfortunately the central section dragged a bit for me as I've never been that absorbed by gaming.
The central character is great, the real-life situation engaging and the ending satisfying. Unfortunately the central section dragged a bit for me as I've never been that absorbed by gaming.
tartancrusader's review
4.0
Almost all I will say about this, save that I loved it, was that one passage triggered (from Stygian depths of memory) the release of a cheat code - a 7-digit number - for a computer game which I had not even *thought* about (much less played) for 25 years.
The cover blurb just doesn't do it justice - for me, this book was as much about nostalgia as it was about plot. The nostalgia wasn't as thickly-layered, nor as all-pervasive as Ernest Cline's almost-equally worthy "Ready Player One" but, for me anyway, this was all the better for that. Also, and here's what got me - this was smarter, the puzzle better, the resolution neater. Don't get me wrong, I liked Cline's book. But I liked this more.
The cover blurb just doesn't do it justice - for me, this book was as much about nostalgia as it was about plot. The nostalgia wasn't as thickly-layered, nor as all-pervasive as Ernest Cline's almost-equally worthy "Ready Player One" but, for me anyway, this was all the better for that. Also, and here's what got me - this was smarter, the puzzle better, the resolution neater. Don't get me wrong, I liked Cline's book. But I liked this more.
nerdyfoxreads's review
4.0
As someone who has always loved video games, this was such a fun read! I mean, who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to be dropped into your favorite video game (or book, for that matter.)? Bedlam is a story about that very thing! I thoroughly enjoyed all the subtle nods to some of my favorite franchises and gaming culture as a whole. Bedlam manages to feel like the best parts of Ready Player One and Sword Art Online while also feeling totally unique to itself. Brookmyre’s sense of humor probably has a lot to do with that
lisarue's review
4.0
An entertaining romp through virtual reality. Shades of Total Recall but great understanding of computer games, with a satisfyingly evil corporate plot to foil.
canadianbookworm's review
5.0
I picked this up when I saw it in a bookstore as I'd really enjoyed his A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil a few years ago. Since that was a mystery, I'd assumed this was too, and I suppose it is in a sense, but really it is much more science fiction.
Ross Baker works as a scientist developing medical technology for the large corporation Neurosphere at their Stirling offices. He works hard, but doesn't feel appreciated, and his work drive has put a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend Carol. This particular Monday, he is feeling down in the dumps, and when he overhears a conversation that tells him his girlfriend is pregnant, he feels even worse. Why would they know before him, and what does that mean for his relationship? He decides to accept an invitation from a fellow scientist to be a test candidate for a new scanner to get out of his office.
But when he emerges from the scanner, he finds himself apparently in a video game, one he eventually recognizes as a favourite from his youth, Starfire. As he struggles to find a way, he gradually learns more about this place where he is trapped. When he is asked his name, his mind reverts to that young boy, and he gives his childhood gamer name, Bedlam.
With his emotions reaching back to his life with Carol, he follows any trail he can to find his way through various video game worlds, hoping to find an escape.
As this book progressed I was drawn into it more and more, and the ethical message that Brookmyre embeds here is one that doesn't seem that futuristic. Rooting for Ross, I found myself in a pageturner that I had trouble putting down. Very different from the other book of his I've read, this book is just as good if not better. A new favourite.
Ross Baker works as a scientist developing medical technology for the large corporation Neurosphere at their Stirling offices. He works hard, but doesn't feel appreciated, and his work drive has put a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend Carol. This particular Monday, he is feeling down in the dumps, and when he overhears a conversation that tells him his girlfriend is pregnant, he feels even worse. Why would they know before him, and what does that mean for his relationship? He decides to accept an invitation from a fellow scientist to be a test candidate for a new scanner to get out of his office.
But when he emerges from the scanner, he finds himself apparently in a video game, one he eventually recognizes as a favourite from his youth, Starfire. As he struggles to find a way, he gradually learns more about this place where he is trapped. When he is asked his name, his mind reverts to that young boy, and he gives his childhood gamer name, Bedlam.
With his emotions reaching back to his life with Carol, he follows any trail he can to find his way through various video game worlds, hoping to find an escape.
As this book progressed I was drawn into it more and more, and the ethical message that Brookmyre embeds here is one that doesn't seem that futuristic. Rooting for Ross, I found myself in a pageturner that I had trouble putting down. Very different from the other book of his I've read, this book is just as good if not better. A new favourite.