1. The Game, ★★★★★"As far as you’re concerned, this is the real world. You will not be leaving to visit another...Here’s the first tidbit for you to process: you only get one life here.”
2. Digital Heretic, ★★★★★
3. Interlude-Brandon, ★★★★★
4. Virtual Prophet, ★★★★
5. Shadows, ★★★★
6. Digital Evolution, ★★★
7. Cyber, ★★★★
8. Fragmented, ★★★ 1/2
To say that I am conflicted about the latest installment in the Game is Life series would be an understatement. I continue to be blown away at the careful web that Schott is crafting in this universe, but I am beginning to feel overwhelmed by it all. There is so much going on in these 417 pages, so many that when I opened my Highlights & Notes just now to pick a quote and compile my thoughts, I literally forgot that an early plot point happened in this book. I finished this book like 6 hours ago; that shouldn't happen. There are so many characters and realities to keep track of at this point that it is a little difficult to read this book over a couple of days as it takes time to figure out whats happening again.
As much as I want to love this book - and part of me does - the truth is that [b:Fragmented|32126686|Fragmented (The Game is Life, #8)|Terry Schott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474353585s/32126686.jpg|52766210] is not a book written with the casual reader in mind. I read this book over 2 days directly following a re-read of the entire series to date, and I found myself on a number of occasions confused. I struggled keeping the new characters and/or new identities for previously introduced characters straight, and on more than one occasion I was thankful for my obsessive habit for taking notes as I read; however, it became tedious to have to scroll through my highlights to situate myself.
The theme of this book really do mirror the earlier installments; you have one life and better make the most of it. The Atonement narrative especially is so interesting (and heartbreaking), and I would really love to see a companion story to delve into that reality a bit more.
I was pleased to see that the threads introduced in Shadows and Cyber tied together with the overall narrative... and of course added more layers to unpack! This book does provide more insight into the old man, the singing man, and the overall arc that has been hinted at in the companion series. Unfortunately, there are a couple of plot inconsistencies introduced that are a little troubling. The fact that at 29% there is a discussion where Danni had trouble learning how to meditate until getting some feedback... since she was meditating well on Earth and her memories carried over when she returned to Tygon is a little strange. But the bigger issue for me is a larger driver of the plot of this book: Trew has to enter Earth the way that children do (and that adults cannot return to their bodies from). Brandon and Cooper both have exercised other methods of going between simulations (heck, even Thorn does, although how he visited Tygon from the Dream to this date hasn't been explained), and the fact that they didn't even ask if there was another way felt disjointed. I understand that Trew entered in this way is important to drive the plot forward, but perhaps he could have asked Brandon or Cooper for help and been told no. Also, why the hell would Atonement be created as a second chance but also a dangerous hellscape?.
I have faith in Schott's ability to bring everything together, and I do intend to read the next book upon its release, but I do wish that a few of this spoiler-y things had been addressed in this book, even if it resulted in some of the new threads being held for a future book. I adore these new threads. The stories of people in different realities are interesting and could be their own companion pieces; to merge them all together kind of does a disservice to everything. Overall I still love this series and cannot wait to see what happens next, I just hope it doesn't become overly complicated and get dragged on beyond it's prime (*coughcough* Pretty Little Liars *cough*)
Blog | Twitter