Review of "The Eye of Minds"

"It's not a game--not anymore."

     In James Dashner's The Eye of Minds, danger threatens more than a way of life--it threatens reality itself. For Michael, nothing is more important than the VirtNet. More specifically, what matters is Lifeblood Deep, the next level in his game. Michael is two, maybe three years away from getting into Deep when he is recruited to prevent a girl from throwing her avatar off a bridge. But when she rips out her Core, the code separating her mind from the VirtNet, things suddenly grow deadly. Against his will, Michael and his friends are pulled into a war against a mysterious cyber-terrorist named Kaine. Although what Kaine wants is unknown, he's trapping people in the VirtNet--people who remove their Cores and perish rather than help him. It will take incredible courage and strength to track down this hacker, but what he doesn't know is that Kaine is more than he appears...and he has plans for Michael.

     The intriguing thing about Michael is that he's alone. His parents are constantly leaving him alone while they travel around the world, and his nanny is fairly hands-off. The only people he knows well enough to care about are his VirtNet friends Sarah and Bryson, kids he's never met in real life. Together, the trio go on daring escapades throughout the lower levels of the Lifeblood virtual reality game, hacking their way through particularly difficult obstacles. It is these hacking skills that draw the eye of VirtNet Security. When VNS asks Michael and his friends to track down Kaine, he doesn't tell anyone. Instead, he dives right in, heedless of what effect this mission might have on those around him. It's an interesting way to deal with the "family problem" every YA author struggles with, and it isn't pointless--in the end, Michael's family situation will have serious consequences.

      It's interesting to note that, despite the fact everything is virtual, the VirtNet is very much a real place. Worlds upon worlds are stored within its vast sprawl, and anyone who can afford a Coffin can access it. Countless people flood the servers at all hours to experience everything from first-person-shooters to clubs and parties. The landscapes can be anything from luscious forests to cityscapes or barren war zones. In fact, as Michael and company move from game to game, the VirtNet becomes just as realistic, if not more so, than the real world where he spends so little time. It's almost scary how intricate this simulated universe is, and if that is part of Dashner's underlying message, he has done his job well.

     Because the VirtNet is so lifelike, there are some hazards standing in Michael's way. For one thing, his quest is top secret, so he and his team have to go dark. No one can know what they're up to, even the authorities, which means they have zero backup until they reach Kaine. For another, users have a habit of setting their senses to their maximum capacity--which means that any creatures Kaine sends after them will look, sound, and feel like the real thing. If someone is injured on a battlefield, it actually hurts; if they die, they have to wait in darkness for thirty seconds before respawning. While nothing is graphic, the scraps Michael, Sarah, and Bryson get into can get a bit brutal. Profanity is kept to a minimum, there is no romance, and the actual hacking and coding are not described in any kind of detail.

     Unfortunately, although the pacing is fine and the premise is grand, there is a problem with Dashner's little story. Simply put, the ending is rushed. It's not that the climax moves to quickly or the conflict is unresolved. Rather, the final chapters contain a plot twist that completely throws off the story's rhythm. Everything is going smoothly, characters moving from one problem to the next with all the usual drama and action, until--bam!--the end arrives, bringing with it a shift in premise that is barely foreshadowed. The twist, of course, is marvelous; it's only that the suddenness of its appearance, so close to the flyleaves, cheapens the impact considerably. It does, however, leave plenty of room for a rousing sequel.

     I would recommend this book to teenagers looking for a science fiction novel about a VR-addicted boy, great online friends, and a villain who threatens the very fabric of reality. Michael is a strong character with lots of talent and plenty of spunk, and his friends are very helpful with his mission. If they're going to stop Kaine's evil plan, they'll need to throw every hacking technique, coding trick, and gaming strategy his way, and even that might not be enough. Sadly, the final plot twist comes too near the end to have a real impact, but it will definitely leave readers interested in what happens next. All together, James Dashner's The Eye of Minds is a good tale that is worth reading. It deserves four stars.