“Smart, propulsive and gripping, THE GOD GAME is an ambitious thriller and a terrifying examination of what could–and probably already is–happening in the world of artificial intelligence.”–Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away A technological thriller with an all-too-believable premise, award-winning author Danny Tobey’s The God Game follows five teenagers obsessed … The God Game follows five teenagers obsessed with an online video game that connects them to their worst impulses and most dangerous desires.
They call themselves the Vindicators. Targeted by bullies and pressured by parents, these geeks and gamers rule the computer lab at Turner High School. Wealthy bad boy Peter makes and breaks rules. Vanhi is a punk bassist at odds with her heritage. Kenny’s creativity is stifled by a religious home life. Insecure and temperamental, Alex is an outcast among the outcasts. And Charlie, the leader they all depend on, is reeling from the death of his mother, consumed with reckless fury.
They each receive an invitation to play The God Game. Created by dark-web coders and maintained by underground hackers, the video game is controlled by a mysterious artificial intelligence that believes it is God. Obey the almighty A.I. and be rewarded. Defiance is punished. Through their phone screens and high-tech glasses, Charlie and his friends see and interact with a fantasy world superimposed over reality. The quests they undertake on behalf of “God” seem harmless at first, but soon the tasks have them questioning and sacrificing their own morality.
High school tormentors get their comeuppance. Parents and teachers are exposed as hypocrites. And the Vindicators’ behavior becomes more selfish and self-destructive as they compete against one another for prizes each believes will rescue them from their adolescent existence. But everything they do is being recorded. Hooded and masked thugs are stalking and attacking them. “God” threatens to expose their secrets if they attempt to quit the game. And losing the game means losing their lives.
You don’t play the Game. The Game plays you….
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Five friends, who see themselves as outcasts from the rest of their peers. They form a friendship and call themselves the Vindicators.
Charlie is a brilliant student, who has lost his way following the death of his mother. His loss has become anger, where he’s let everything go. There is a disconnect with his father.
Peter is the newest comer having transferred from another school. Peter is a risk taker, with a father, who is rarely present.
Vanhi is the sole female in the group, who has dreams of going to Harvard. She is a whiz at coding, her secret could cost her getting into Harvard.
Kenny comes from a religious family, who have high expectations of him. Following his older brother taking a less than desired career choice, his parents put more pressure on Kenny.
Alex started out as the odd one, who always had a made up story to tell. As he got older, his attention seeking went a different route. He’s become more aloof with the other members and not everyone is happy with him as a member of the Vindicators.
Each member has something they keep about themselves hidden from the others.
Peter and Charlie are hanging out in Charlie’s room on the computer. Peter is pushing Charlie to respond to a game program chatbox. Back and forth questions and answers. Peter testing waters, grabbed the keyboard and typed in a not very nice message. There was no reply.
Then, Charlie got a text the next day with a message and a request. The Vindicators lives are about to change. Every action has a reaction, in this case, good deeds earned Goldz, and bad deeds earned Blaxx.
We live in a world of AI where robots and game avatars appear so real and lifelike. Reading this wasn’t a far stretch to imagine an AI game testing players’ limits. This was a fascinating, engrossing read. I think, this would make a wonderful movie.
I received an ARC from NetGalley via St. Martin’s Press and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.
An amazing and unputdownable book that will instantly hook you ! I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review and my opinions are my own. I read this in 2 days and couldn’t wait to pick it up again! An amazing suspense filled book you won’t forget! Thank you so much to the author and publisher for my copy! What a treat it was! Can’t wait to read more by this amazing author!
The God Game is a thrilling, suspenseful ride that kept me biting my nails till the end. This is slightly out of my normal genre of books that I usually gravitate towards, but I am so glad that I gave it a chance. The plot was intricate, paced appropriately, and satisfying. It will keep you on your toes.
A great read. 5/5 stars
While browsing Facebook one day, I came across a book entitled The God Game by Danny Tobey. I was intrigued, so I decided to read more about it. After reading the synopsis, this book reeled me in. I decided to give it a read, and I am very glad I did. The God Game has become one of my favorite reads so far.
With the way the digital age is going, the plot of The God Game sounded like it could already be happening in real life. A bunch of teens decide to play a random game with what they suspect is just some kind of artificial intelligence. However, when God (the AI in The God Game) starts asking them to do some highly illegal and dangerous activities as well as activities that make the teens question their morality, they start to think that maybe they are in over their heads. Will the teens be able to quit the game or will death be the only way out? Don’t get me wrong. The plot has been done before, but Danny Tobey put his own original spin on the idea and made it where it comes across as a fresh idea. As I mentioned earlier, The God Game comes across as being very realistic. While I feel that there are no major plot twists and that the book is fairly predictable in some places, The God Game is still a highly entertaining read. Tobey gives his readers enough information at the end of the book to leave them satisfied, but he still leaves it somewhat open ended for a possible sequel.
The God Game flowed very smoothly, and I felt like the pacing was perfect. Not once did I feel like the book became too dull or that it was going to fast. The transitions between chapters was very spot on which made The God Game an easy read for me. It was so easy to lose myself in this novel as I became completely immersed in the world Tobey had created.
A couple of things that kind of bothered me, and they seem to be more personal preference than a fault with the story, is the mentions of politics and how anti-God/Christianity The God Game seemed to be. I’m not a political person by any means. In fact, I don’t lean one way or the other when it comes to politics. However, I felt like politics were mentioned way too much in this book. It’s very obvious that the author is very anti-Trump. If I wanted to read a book about politics, I’d read a political thriller or something similar. I didn’t like how this book seems to poke fun at those that believe in God. It comes across as if the author is trying to challenge the beliefs of those who believe in God. I get that The God Game has God in its title and is about an AI that believes it’s God, but I felt that the way the author speaks about God came off as a bit crass. However, those were minor issues for me, and I still enjoyed reading The God Game very much.
I felt that all of the main and supporting characters in The God Game were written superbly. The God Game had such a diverse group of characters throughout which was refreshing to see. I enjoyed reading about Charlie and his thoughts. He seemed conflicted the most with everything that was happening. It was great to read about how much he cared about his friends as well as other people. Charlie came across as a stand up guy. Vanhi was my favorite character. She was such a badass that I couldn’t help but to love her! I felt like she was the second most conflicted character. I just felt sorry for what Alex was going through. My heart ached for him. Kenny was a great character too, and it was interesting what the game would ask him to do. I never quite knew what to make of Peter. He was written well, and he came across as very charismatic which made me suspicious of him throughout the whole novel. I did admire how much he would throw himself into something though.
Trigger warnings for The God Game include violence, profanity, drug use, politics, challenging the existence of God, racism, sexual situations (although not graphic), and murder.
Overall, The God Game is a highly thrilling read. With such an interesting cast of characters as well as a highly thought provoking plot, I wouldn’t be surprised if The God Game became one of the most sought after books of 2020. It would also make a great film. I would definitely recommend The God Game by Danny Tobey to those aged 16+ who love thrilling plots that really make you think. Give The God Game a read. It will sink its teeth in you from the very first page!
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(A special thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a paperback ARC of The God Game by Danny Tobey in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.)
I’m sorry to say this was a DNF for me….
I struggled with making any kind of connection with the characters, and was unsure while reading if this was a YA novel. Perhaps my age is keeping me from enjoying the story as I’m tech challenged and did not understand most of the technology terms. After 1/2 way in and still being confused, I’ve opted to set it aside. I’m sure that this story would appeal to others, but sad to say, not this reader.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was a book that was hard to put down. With an eye catching cover and a storyline filled with action and unease, I was hooked.
Five high school friends, kind of the nerdy outcasts, get caught up in this game that no one really understands. It’s the GOD game, and at one point it’s call G.O.D. . At times, it seems like a really smart, all knowing (evil) AI, other points it almost sounds like talking to a teenager. And the group of friends start keeping secrets from one another, when they should be banding together.
You know those books that leave you feeling unsettled and uncomfortable? This is one. No clear good guy, no clear happy ending, and it definitely had twists and mean surprises. I haven’t read anything like it before.
This should be a YA smash! It’s like a mash-up of Ready Player One and Unfriended: Dark Web.
This story has a familiar vibe, but it is so well-written, so engaging and thrilling that I’m giving it four stars.
Charlie Lake and a small group of his friends hang out in the tech lab at Turner High School in Austin, Texas. There they do coding and come up with epic school pranks. They are all intelligent and are somewhat “outsiders”.
They are lured into a game that is powered by AI (artificial intelligence) and that calls itself God.
The game promises big rewards for winning, but losing will bring dire consequences. Very dire, indeed.
The characters are very well drawn, showing their problems, family life, history and what makes them tick. You really connect with and care for them.
You learn their growing motivations from continuing to play the game even though bad things begin to happen. They are human.
The tight structure and fast pace build the excitement to a massive crescendo of an ending.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was hard to put down.
My prediction: It will be a movie.