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A review by kgagne
Ghosts in the Machine by Lana Polansky
4.0
What if our video game characters were self-aware? Or what if we lived inside a video game? It's a theme that has surprisingly long legs, as evidenced by the quality of the 13 stories that compose this anthology.
I found myself most enjoying the stories that clearly referenced specific games or genres — especially Alois Wittwer's "A Perfect Apple", examining life in the town of Animal Crossing. Also notable are Ian Miles Cheong's "The Hierarchy of Needs", which parodies the fruitlessness of achieving a high score in a game like Galaga; Shelley Du's contemplation of free will in a fantasy RPG, "See You on the Other Side"; and "Patched Up", Ryan Morning's look at MOBA character types hamstrung by bugs and glitches.
Although the anthology starts and ends weak, there are enough gems in the middle to raise the sum of the parts above average. What a bizarre and enjoyable collection.
I found myself most enjoying the stories that clearly referenced specific games or genres — especially Alois Wittwer's "A Perfect Apple", examining life in the town of Animal Crossing. Also notable are Ian Miles Cheong's "The Hierarchy of Needs", which parodies the fruitlessness of achieving a high score in a game like Galaga; Shelley Du's contemplation of free will in a fantasy RPG, "See You on the Other Side"; and "Patched Up", Ryan Morning's look at MOBA character types hamstrung by bugs and glitches.
Although the anthology starts and ends weak, there are enough gems in the middle to raise the sum of the parts above average. What a bizarre and enjoyable collection.