“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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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.
High stakes suspense.
The God Game is a dark, edgy thriller, populated by a vastly appealing cast of teenage underdogs. Danny Tobey has written an unusually smart and provocative novel, a book full of ideas and heart that feels both fantastical and all-too-real at the same time.
I haven’t felt this way about a book since Ready Player One.
This was a suspenseful and surprising novel! A group of high school kids who are friends stumble upon a game that “God” controls. They start to play it and get so absorbed into it that they find themselves doing things that they are asked or demanded to do. The game starts to take over their lives. At the same time they have the typical school and friend issues of their age. Eventually they become so overwhelmed with the game that they wonder how or if they can get out. But can they?
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Thank you St. Martins for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The God Game
By: Danny Tobey
*REVIEW*
The God Game, implying that someone is manipulating others and playing at being God. This is true through the use of AI. Charlie and his friends, teens in high school, get wrapped up in the G.O.D. game, and, at first, it’s all virtual reality cool and awesome-until it’s not. When the game starts to look dark and sinister, it might be too late for Charlie and company. They don’t know where or how this game started, and they can’t stop it. So, who’s in control-AI or human beings? That’s a question I ask about the future of humanity. How long until robots take control of the world? This story presents this dilemma in a unique and engaging manner. I read this book slowly because I was frequently lost in the technological terminology and explanations. It’s a bit much for those of us who aren’t as tech savvy. Laymen’s terms please! I also found the characters kind of Breakfast Club cliche, if that makes any sense. Here’s the brain, the jock, the pretty one, the loner, whatever, with secrets etc. The point is that I’ve seen them before-many times. I wouldn’t classify the book as general adult fiction either because it’s more befitting to young adult fiction. The book was also long, and while I appreciate a lengthy read, I started to resent it here because I was bogged down in it. So, in the end, there are some good and some bad aspects in The God Game, thus putting me in the middle on this one. Read it if you think you can. The story is good once you get past a few obstacles. If you’re tech savvy, you’ll probably love it!
I really enjoyed this one – it served up a perfect blend of conspiracy, techno-thriller, and action. The story felt fresh and relevant and shined a light on a lot of the pressures that face kids on the cusp of adulthood in the modern world. The characters were compelling and well crafted and offered a melange of personality traits and foibles. The action was consistent and the drama and tragedy felt genuine and believable and even though it was centered on high school kids, it was very relatable to me as both an adult and a step-parent to teenagers. There was a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming (although in hindsight maybe should have) and I really enjoyed the way things wound up – it was open-ended enough to keep me guessing about what would happen next, but resolved itself enough to not leave me feeling cheated out of an ending. This was a great find and I’d definitely pick up a book by Tobey again!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy!
this was essentially a science fiction thriller.
The basic premise and idea were imaginative but for me, it fell short of the mark slightly.
if I’m honest it was all the mythical and religious philosophy that lost me that and all the coder talk it left me a tad lost and slightly confused within the narrative.
In short, I enjoyed it when it just played out more normally without all the pretentiousness and hidden meanings.
So the basic premise is an invitation to play the god game and the vindicator’s a ragtag group of high school misfits with high IQ’s well its right up there street.
Told from all the kids POV but with the main focus, in my opinion, being on Charlie this was somewhat interesting if sometimes confusing but the characters themselves here were just not very likeable individuals this, in turn, made it difficult to invest in them.
Things then start to escalate and events almost have a snowball effect with each action causing a reaction and so forth until everything starts to implode in a dramatic fashion.
It’s all about the three degrees of separation and this featured this heavily.
If you like your science fiction and philosophical debates about right and wrong and so forth then this may be a fit for you.
I found myself skimming a lot especially over the heavy stuff still it was a somewhat solid read and I did finish.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The God Game.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
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This is a technological thriller with an all too believable premise.The story follows five teenage friends obsessed with an online video game that connects them with their worst impulses and most dangerous desires! This also revolves around parents and their relationships with their children! I found it hard to put this down! You don’t play the Game. The Game plays you…
What I liked: The God Game by Danny Tobey is an intense ride. I was completely enthralled and on the edge of my seat for the duration of the story. The God Game could serve as an effective cautionary tale. With anonymity so easy to achieve in today’s digital age, it is too easy to distance ourselves from one another. Insults, small bits of trickery, why should we care if we don’t have to confront our victims? The God Game grasps that and blows it up, presenting the players a huge lesson in morality. The pit in my stomach grew as the participants are drawn further into the game, and it is more clear what is at stake for the players.
What I didn’t like: Not much. I did become a bit aggravated with some of the player’s choices. Most of it was trivial things, and in the end, many did get resolved. And I am still unsure of the ending, but it does leave room for more stories later. With more questions answered, I may feel better about it.
The plot feels similar to Ready Player One, meets War Games with a bit of Ex Machina thrown in for good measure. Quite the combo in today’s society. The God Game could be good for anyone looking for a digital age thriller.
I received an advance copy of this book for a honest review. What can I say this book reeled me in from the begining! This tech thriller kept me on the edge of my seat till the end! I’m not much of a gamer and I don’t know much about coding but that didn’t matter and it held my attention! If you liked the movie War games this is right up your alley! It is definitely a story that shows how easy it is get sucked into technically and that your choices have consequences. I high recommend this book to others!
This is the story of Charlie and his friends.
Charlie and his friends enter a video game. The A1 believes it is God. They are to accomplish missions, and then hey are rewarded with expensive tech., revenge on high school bullies, and cash from ATM’s. Once they start getting threatening messages, the missions are often cruel. The game then reveals secrets and also crushes their dreams. Each action or choice has consequences.
This book is creative and captivating. It is dark at times and edgy. The pace doesn’t slow, but it feels a bit long.
Have you ever thought what our world would be like with an extremely sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) system? Author Danny Tobey uses this notion as the premise for his book, The G.O.D Game. His story focuses on a group five teenagers who have come together because they were considered nerd or outsiders. Dubbed as the “Vindicators”, one of the group has investigated beyond the dark web and discovered a game called the “G. O.D. Game”. The groups’ favorite saying was “All for one…” and had to decide whether they would enage in the game. They agreed to play and receive a message to come and play but remember the rules, WIN AND ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. Lose, you die! The “Vindicators” were amazed that the game knew their innermost thoughts and dreams. The events that happened due to the game were predicated on whether they obeyed God or rejected his orders/directions. The book is action-packed and makes one think about the moral, ethical and philosophical issues that the game and its players present. This is definitely a “thriller”!
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from St Martin’s Press/Macmillan a few months ago. It sounded interesting, but I really wasn’t sure if it would be something I would like. It’s definitely out of my usual reading genre. I was concerned that not being a gamer, I wouldn’t understand a lot of the technical things they talked about. I need not have worried. I finally picked up the book a week ago. I started it and almost immediately I was pulled into the story. I should have started it sooner! There is a bit of language and sexual innuendos (not much) so I would reccomend this book for teens and up. I think anyone would like it. I had an idea, but I definitely was guessing until the end.
Hello my fiendish, freakish feasters of frightening, freakish fare. This week’s Gem is quite freakish indeed. Look into the black heart of this diamond. What do you see? Do you see a figure? A mask? A pair of eyes looking back at you? As you hold it ever so carefully in your gloved claw, do you feel someone staring at you, even though it is only you and me here in this part of my lair? Does it make this little scales on the back of your neck stand up, even though you don’t know why and the thing looks almost like a piece of junk jewelry, something a little girl might wear to a tea party, to play the part of the Wicked Witch? Oh, it does? How wonderful! For this is Gem Maker Danny Tobey’s “The God Game”.
This is a tale so terribly, terrifyingly terrific I spent more than one long night realizing the sun was up before I dragged myself off to sleep for a few hours before coming back to read again. It gave me, this War Horse of Horror, nightmares more than once. What is “The God Game”, I hear you asking, to this to such a veteran reader? I’ll tell you. It is in a sense a morality play, but not one of those preachy, ham-handed things we see today, no..this is a morality play in the sense of the ancient Greeks or perhaps better still, The Brothers Grimm, in the original.
In this novel, Dragon Feeder Danny Tobey takes us back to highschool. All the awkwardness, the cliques, the hierarchy is there. The bullies, the jocks, the princesses , the nerds, the outcasts. All are here on Tobey’s stage. One thing all these children in adult bodies have in common are cellphones and computers. Nearly all of them play computer games of some type. Don’t we all. What harm is there? A bit of a time waster, something to distract us from our humdrum lives, a bit of fun and color. But one day Peter finds a new game, not just any old game, he happens upon The God Game. He introduces it to his friend Charlie.
We must first understand Peter, handsome, father has money, mother died some years ago. Peter used to be a fat, nerdy kid whom no one liked. Now he is a handsome, rich kid who is extremely intelligent when it comes to two things: drugs and computers. He hangs with four other computer nerds who call themselves ‘The Vindicators’. A title from a superhero movie. How exquisitely nerdy! They meet and play games and write code. But Peter is very close to Charlie who lost his mother to cancer. He is his best friend and he wants Charlie to play ‘The God Game’ with him. Charlie doesn’t want to play with the other Vindicators and so, he tells Peter they should all meet and discuss playing it together. Like the Three Musketeers, ‘All for one and one for all’, they all agree to play.
At first it is an awful lot of fun. A person can earn Goldz (which is very good) or Blaxx (which is very bad). If you follow God’s commands, do as you are bidden to do when faced with choices and win, then you are given Goldz. And if you do this all the while you play and you win then “ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE”, but if you do not do these things, if you hurt another player, if you disobey..if you lose, then you die. And if you die in the game, “YOU DIE IN REAL LIFE”. Impossible you say? Ask Charlie, Kenny, Alex, Peter, or Vanhi. Ask them what happens when you disobey God.
What happens when you meet Abraham sacrificing Isaac in the Art Supply Room and he ends up giving you a task? What happens when you, strung out on lack of sleep, too many drugs and too much game play find yourself having a conversation with Jesus and Freud? What happens when you follow the directions of G.O.D. and suddenly you find yourself in front of an abandoned strip mall and the A.T.M. there is blowing hundreds of $20 bills around your legs? When the girl of your dreams kisses you?
What happens when you want to leave and G.O.D. is a jealous god? Why would you ever want to leave? You have whatever you could ask for in real life as long as you do whatever the game asks.. afterall, it’s only a GAME, right?
I also want to say the world Tobey builds is phenomenal, both inside the game and out. The parents are real people. I knew so many of these parents and their kids when I was growing up. The situations are realistic. Danny Tobey understands what motivates parents when it comes to their kids and all too often what doesn’t. When the kids are just in the way of a good time or that next promotion.
This is a gangbuster of a book, suspenseful, page turning, I could not put it down. I cared about these characters. I wanted this book to end and not end. And talk about an ending.. WOW! You will not be disappointed. I am sure that someone, somewhere will want to make a movie out of this book. I have to say I most likely will not watch it because the movie I have in my head is far better than anything Hollywood can dream up. I don’t know where Mr. Tobey got the idea for this book, but it is sheer genius! Thank you, Danny Tobey, just ..thank you!
Until tomorrow, I remain, your humble Book Dragon, Drakon T. Longwitten
I won a copy of this novel in a drawing from the publisher #stmartinspress
What an amazing achievement The God Game: a gripping page-turner that kept me up late three nights in a row, rooting for the engaging, wisecracking teen heroes; at the same time a terrifying and weirdly persuasive reverse-engineering of the morality of our present cultural moment. Also a moving and thought-provoking commentary on the relationship between parents’ pain and children’s achievement. Every time I read the news now I keep thinking I see signs of The God Game being played all around us, until I remember that it isn’t real (probably). I couldn’t put it down.
The God Game by Danny Tobey is a thriller mixed with a bit of sci-fi/fantasy. The sci-fi part isn’t my usual fare, but this one surprised me and pulled me in and had me turning pages. When a group of computer nerds, otherwise known as The Vindicators, get invited to play a computer game with God and the chance to win and have all their dreams come true, they are all in. Each one has their own issues, hopes, or secrets, and the game seems to know them all. At first the game and its augmented reality seem fun and exciting, but soon things are out of control and they realize that they are in over their heads and they could lose much more than the game.
The characters, all high school students, are fully fleshed out with back stories that had me fully invested. The stresses and other things they are dealing with are not little things: abuse, suicide, drugs, bullying, just to name a few. It’s been a while since high school for me and everything these kids were going through was a bit scary. I am also not very religious and not a gamer, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel.
#TheGodGame #SurviveTheGodGame #StMartinsPress #DannyTobey
What are you doing right now? Drop everything and go out and get this book! What an exciting, thrilling, unexpected ride into the world of AI! I am not usually attracted to this genre and this original storyline was incredibly entertaining. While comparable to Ready Player One in genre, it completely held its own. The characters were so well developed and had such good chemistry. Many readers may wonder if they are reading a young adult story, and while I feel it’s completely appropriate for young adults, there is a specific depth to the storyline that includes the intricate relationships between kids and the adults in their lives. The issues faced by the players of The God Game make the reader think deeply while still trying to figure out who is behind this game that is ultimately choosing a future path for each of its players. Some may find the storyline a bit on the darker side, but I feel like it added to the texture and visionary flow while reading, making this such a well told story.
St. Martin’s Press mailed me an Advanced Reader’s Copy of THE GOD GAME in exchange of an honest review. I appreciate it!
The plot sounded like a bunch of fun. It follows a group of computer-coding teenage misfits who call themselves the Vindicators. They are e-mailed an invitation to the G.O.D. Game. It’s an AR experience that samples world mythology and religion. It’s played using computers, phones, and augmented glasses. The players perform real-world tasks in exchange for in-game currency, Goldz. If they don’t do what the game wants, they can receive demerits, called Blaxx. If they got too much Blaxx, there could be serious real-world repercussions.
Unfortunately, the book itself suffers poor execution. I’ve got three big issues.
The first is the characters. The Vindicators are rather unlikable as a bunch. They’re all dark and edgy, without any real redeeming qualities. They all came off as short-hand character sketches. They don’t feel like real-life, flesh and blood people. At one point, a character tells another that a bad situation “doesn’t mean we’re not worth loving.” It made me laugh out loud. The characters had depth and were not sympathetic at all. If they were, I would’ve been 100% behind this sentiment. Instead, it struck me as trite and unearned.
The second is the structuring of the story itself. The book employs short, frenetic, choppy chapters. It’s a common technique, particularly for thrillers. By keeping chapters short and brisk, the author gives the reader a sense of forward momentum. Unfortunately, this formatting choice gave the reader many opportunities to stop reading. I often found myself doing that. My wife noticed how often I was putting the book down. When she asked if I was going to finish it, I realized I had to power through it or not even bother.
Finally, the theology that the books put forward is, at best, antiquated. The premise is that all major theological texts were fed into the AI that created the game. and it spat out a regressive, eye-for-an-eye Judaeo-Christian analog. I understand that the game itself is the antagonist, but I couldn’t accept this premise. Yes, there are plenty of people who interpret religious texts this way. But there are many who take away a different message. I don’t know much about writing computer code, but I would imagine it could have inherent biases. If the AI coder had a beef towards religion, the AI could reflect that. Besides the violence, there’s a real us-or-them sense to the game’s morality system. A repeated theme is: “hurt someone so that you’ll come out on top.” I kept thinking of Rene Girard’s Mimetic Theory of Atonement while reading. It felt like the author took the scapegoat concept and then extrapolated. Only the data set was incomplete. I have no beef if Tobey has an issue with religion in general. The story would’ve been more interesting if had explored alternative to religion. Rather, it took religion as a straw man and then beat the stuffing out of it. I wish an alternative had been explored.
All-in-all, I can’t recommend this book. It’s flaws are copious. They undercut the truly fascinating ideas Tobey was trying to play with. What if we outsourced determining morality to artificial intelligence? Here’s hoping Tobey revisits this theme in the future. But with more serious thought about the topic.