Tuesday 1 May 2018

LifeGames Corporation by Michael Smorenburg (Book Review)


When I first skimmed the first few lines of this book's blurb on Amazon, I knew it would be a book I'd enjoy.

It seemed like a real fast-paced techno-thriller about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality.

Well, it is that. Kind of. But it's so much more. The angles about hypnosis and the inner workings of the human psyche were totally unexpected, but thoroughly satisfying.

Pacing-wise, it wasn't as fast as I would've expected, but it wasn't lacking either. It was, at times, meandering and brooding, and the writing was quite literary. A nice change, I thought.

I also really enjoyed all the South Africanisms--this isn't an author who likes to pretend he's an American. As a native of this beautiful country, it made me feel at home.

And now for the not-so-good news: I think the editing let this book down. Not the usual typos, missing words, or errant punctuation that I often see, but misspellings of homophones. "Break" instead of "brake", or "loose" instead of "lose"... stuff like that. It makes you think that this book was originally dictated and transcribed by computer software.

Then there was a minor plot inconsistency, but it was at an important stage in the book, which made me remember. A character picks up a fully-loaded revolver, and later relays, "There's one in the chamber."

Erm. It's a revolver.

Nonetheless, this was a fantastic, engrossing story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of science fiction, thrillers, or medical stories (since the medical facts in it seem quite well researched).

My Rating: 4 / 5 Stars

About the Book


Da Vinci Code—meets Paranormal Activity—meets The Matrix.

Ad-agency boss Catherine Kaplan is a danger junkie. Bold and brave, she’s cornered the juiciest prize in the global arena, a LifeGames Corporation contract. But now it’s time to pay the price—a dare to cross the forbidden line. There’s a deal sweetener of course—give a little… and enjoy some intriguing secrets.

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy.

No comments:

Post a Comment