“They forgot nothing real can be perfect.”

Slated for a Halloween release, I couldn’t think of a better time for this pre-dystopic world building cyber novel to enter reader’s lives. Yes, it will make for a spooky read for those inclined during the evening of trick or treat. Yes, it will make for a good Christmas present and yes, you will most likely get a copy from me for Christmas.

To write this review I went back to my Good Reads progress comments thinking that would give me a basis and prompt to write. There were so many quotable moments and I knew I didn’t move from my comfy spot to get some post-its. Alas, I didn’t have much written. In fact, I only updated it 3 times. That’s because I was unable to put the book down long enough to update. Only comfort breaks and the need to appear sociable stopped me from devouring it in one sitting. I guess that just means I’ll have to pick it up for another read shortly.

I came to the novel hoping to have it compete for my love of Ready Player One. What I got was so much more. While Ready Player One is consumed by 80s nostalgia and the society is already accepting of the gaming platform in which the storyline is based, Otherworld is less reminiscent, much more relevant and loaded with foreboding and fear of what this technology could bring. It is a fable and Simon is not the only person on a journey of social and technological discovery.

The thing I love most about this book is that stylistically this is a book that has been missing from my reading life for a long time. It’s a cinematic techno-thriller, worthy of sitting on myself alongside the master of the genre and my favourite author, Michael Crichton and his counterpart Robin Cook. (Interestingly enough, Crichton directed the film Coma, which was written by Robin Cook.) I hope I’m right in thinking that Segel was a fan of the original Westworld growing up. I’d even go out on a limb and say he’s seen Coma. There’s too much passion and a labour of love around the creation of this book for there not to be.

The world building, pace and ‘Coma’-like jeopardy and moral ambiguity all make this a must read that will keep you on tenterhooks right until the last line. It reads like it could be lifted right from the pages and placed onto the screen. Its a story that is inclusive, despite its focus theme. I’m the furthest from a gamer and at no point did I feel Otherworld, Segel or Miller were isolating me from the plot.

There are secondary characters that some may feel are underdeveloped. I would agree to a certain degree; I want to know more about them. However, I would argue that this is realistic of some people we meet online. There is also enough hints to prompt people’s imagination and to also feel for the characters. I suspect the two characters in question will prompt many a fanfic over the next few years.

As the book comes to a close, there is enough of a resolution to satisfy any reader, while the set up for the follow up novel is a nice touch and one that should promote many chats, both online and in person while we wait, as patiently as we can for that second book.

I so wish I was a gamer if I was I think I would have really loved this book, and probably understood the action scenes much more.having said that having never been interested in or played any online games remotely like the one in this book, I can still appreciate the complex world within the real world that has been created.I think the idea of being able to leave your real self behind and become a character in a different world is a fascinating idea, and especially when there are hidden agendas and the same people in the real world and the otherworld .There was really a lot going on here with back stories that made the main characters really interesting and likable and had me caring about what happened to them in both worlds.I guess this was aimed at much younger people than me but although if I was younger I may be more up to date on the gaming world I still enjoyed reading this book and didn't feel that I was too old to be reading it..I enjoyed it I liked the imagination and thought it was pretty clever, and a good entertaining read.I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I am not sure whether this is a series opener or book one of a trilogy or other set number of books. To me it definitely reads more like the latter than the former in the way it ends. It definitely feels like there are a finite number of books left to tell the whole story rather than an open ended series. That said, the main part of the story told within does conclude nicely at the end of this book. But, for the full story you will have to keep reading, so be prepared to invest in more than just this book.
Being new to the genre, I have not read any of the books that other reviewers have likened this one to. I do have Ready Player One on my Kindle ready to go when I find some space in my tbr but only cos so many of my booky friends have raved about it recently and it was cheap on a daily deal. What I am trying to say is that I went in cold with nothing to compare this book to so my review will reflect this.
Otherworld was an old video game; now resurrected and expanded, as technology has moved on in leaps and bounds, to include virtual reality headsets and tactile, reactive gloves to give a total immersion feeling to the experience. Kit that costs a bunch of money. So much that our hero, main protagonist Simon, steals the money to pay for a set for both him and ex-best friend Kat to play. Hoping that drawing her into the game with him would rekindle their once tight friendship that has ended for reasons beyond his comprehension. Falling at the first hurdle when his kit is repossessed by his parents, Simon tries again to reconnect with Kat in the real world; following her to a party. But events at the party take a bad turn and an accident leaves Kat and others in a somewhat vegetated state and diagnosed with locked in syndrome. At the hospital, as Simon is visiting Kat, scientists arrive and connect her to a similar setup to the one they used in the new Otherworld. This time involving some kid of disc to connect with. Fearing something sinister to be going on Simon receives a set of equipment and enters this new world. Things are not as simple here as with other games he has played; there is something more real in the threats it delivers. Can Simon survive the game long enough to find Kat and possibly, together figure out what in the heck is going on, and why?
Well, for a newbie to the genre, I really enjoyed this book. I am not a gamer myself so I didn't quite get all the things being described but I am intelligent enough to accept what I didn't understand and go with the flow for the sake of the story. A story that actually kept my attention nicely throughout the book.
The characterisation was good throughout. Simon made for an interesting lead. Flawed and a bit of a bad boy but in a good way if you get what I mean. he has his principles and he more/less sticks to them quite forcefully at times. I loved his backstory, especially how his relationship with Kat developed. The action in the game was also interesting to me; especially the game-play tactics. Not being a gamer myself, my eyes were definitely opened by some of what was going on. I was especially intrigued with the thought that went in to game character building and avatar selection. Even though my interest in this stuff is pretty non existent, I was easily able to engage in what was going on and it help my attention nicely throughout; albeit a tad on the violent side on occasion.
I have already mentioned my suspicions regarding the format of this story and, with that in mind, this section ended very well. Enough was wrapped up to make this a complete episode but there is plenty still to happen and, on the face of what I read here, I will definitely be following the story beyond this volume.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Otherworld is a game, the kind I've always wanted to play. The participants leave their physical bodies behind and step, literally, into the game. Virtual reality is an amazing premise and one I hope to see more often in science fiction novels.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It moves with a good pace, is thrilling, entertaining and there's not a single dull moment. I finished it in a single day.

However, it's definitely a book for young adults and the writing style is aimed at the younger age bracket. The story is simple and straightforward and the teenage love story made the novel less interesting for me. People who have read Tad Williams' Otherland or similar books, might think this is not as original as it could be.

The characters are definitely well developed teenagers that sound authentic and the world building is intriguing, if a bit lacking.

I would recommend this to people who enjoyed the Maze Runner series and loved Ready Player One not because of the 80s nostalgia but because of the focus on virtual reality.

I went into this not knowing what to expect - given one of the authors is an accomplished actor and in my experience they aren’t too brilliant at writing original stuff - but it was such a pleasant surprise. It’s a mix between Sword Art Online and the Matrix with a sprinkling of Ready Player One on top. Even though it sounds like it wouldn’t work, it actually did!

The main plot line is that a company, called the Company, has developed the VR Otherworld and, in addition to having the game up for general release (during the book it is limited to a couple of thousand headsets) there is also a beta test happening with unwilling patients in the same world. These patients allegedly have locked-in syndrome and the Company attached a disc to their brain stems for a completely immersive experience. The crux being that if the disc patients die in that world then they also die in the real world. Our main character, Simon, goes on a journey to try save his best friend slash childhood sweetheart from the Otherworld and we get to follow the story from there.

It is fast paced and well written. It is dark whilst being entertaining at the same time. You can’t really say much about the plot, other than what I mentioned above, without giving away a potentially important aspect.

I really enjoyed this and will definitely be reading further in the series. I have been left questioning everything that I knew about this book (which is always a good thing) and second guessing myself over who the bad guys actually are. I honestly cannot wait until Book 2 is released!

Otherworld is a fully immersive game, where the participant leaves behind both reality and their physical bodies, in their entirety. Eager gamer, Simon, filches his funds to join, from his wealthy mother's account. And with this further strain added to his real-world relations his desire to return becomes increasingly enthusiastic. But what is at first a fun and addictive new game soon turns into something that will turn both his reality and his virtuality on its head.

I knew nothing more about this novel other than it focused on virtual reality, and that was enough for me to be excited. The sections that actually did so were five star reads, for me. I found this fascinating, complex, and surreal. It also felt authentic, and the words acted on the reader as the transportive technology did for the characters, so enraptured did I become in this fantastical sphere. The traditional free-roaming world, as well as the task-centred gaming elements, made this both a fun and fascinating read.

The parts that were rooted in the real world were enjoyable but just not as intriguing. They appeared more thriller-esque in tropes and plot device. This was interesting but not what I had anticipated and, unfortunately, paled in comparison to the former sections.

I found these saturated in information that I struggled to fully grasp. There was a distance to the sci-fi elements but additional political aspects were added, which culminated in the overwhelmed feeling I experienced during my reading of these parts. There were many threads to disentangle, for Simon and the reader to learn the truth, and I was consistently forgetting corporation and character names, and which knot I was currently working on.

I was constantly eager to return to the virtual reality and what was first this novel's defining feature became its ultimate downfall, when I found I could not do so as much as freely as I would have liked.

Beware where you hide!

Ok so I sat down at 7:30 in the evening with the cat on my lap and a glass of beer next to me after deciding I would give it an hour of reading, then go do some proper work. I looked up after 20 mins and it was 11:43 and I thought I would just finish the chapter. Well, ten mins later at 2:07am, I realized the cat had gone to bed and the house was in darkness apart from my reading lamp behind me.
I’m sure you know what the book is supposed to be about, so won’t go into detail of the whys and what ifs, except to say the characters had a lot of depth and thought behind their creation and the storyline was incredibly well planned out, executed, smoothly written to flow nicely. I regret it was so easy to fall into the trap of losing one’s self and getting carried away with trying to become the hero and saving the world. I did, sadly, find the ending rather abrupt and I didn’t quite understand the meaning of the last couple of sentences but hope it means that there is at least one more book to tie up all the loose ends left dangling and take us back into the otherworld a few more times. So, in brief, would I recommend this? Very much so, but beware it is addictive, I offer nothing but praise for the pair of writers who just took me and showed me a whole new world.

A review copy was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, full disclosure: although I love a dystopia and I love Jason Segel, this book is Not For Me. I'm not much of a gamer, I don't particularly like violence in my media, and I like my female characters to be a bit more well rounded than Kat's character is. But I can see this book being FANTASTIC for teenage boys, and frankly anything that can get more teenage boys to read is brilliant in my eyes. So from me, 3 stars, but for the right audience, 4 stars. Perfect for fans of the Maze Runner.

Review will be published on the 28th of October, 2017

Why is it always so hard to articulate how much you loved something? The more I like something, the less comprehensive my reviews are so today I'm going to just go back to the basics and write a list of reasons I loved Otherworld. (And hope that you just take my word for it because this book is amazing).

1. The Otherworld


Otherworld is the name of a virtual reality "game" that Simon enters during the book. He sticks on a visor thing and gloves and boots and then suddenly he feels like he's in the middle of a game. At first I imagined it as getting dropped in the middle of nowhere but it turns out you get to create your avatar and then everyone starts in a city and can do whatever they want there. Explore the other realms, fight the creatures that live in the Otherworld or take part in the underground orgy.... I wish I was joking.

I was fascinated by Otherworld. An alternate reality in a game that's so real... It raised some interesting thoughts. A world where you can do anything you're too afraid to do in the real world? It sounds insanely cool, but obviously it comes with a lot of problems. People become addicted to the "fake" world and in this particular case, Otherworld came with all sorts of bugs (literally) including the AI in the game being a little too good and self aware.

2. Simon

CBS shocked vr surprised virtual reality GIF
Simon was the most fascinating protagonist. He was flawed and he was slightly crazy and messed up, but he was loyal and funny. He was human. It's been a while since I've read a book with a character that has so many layers like Simon did. I may be slightly obsessed with him.

3. It was a journey

an unexpected journey GIF
Otherworld was full of twists and turns and ups and downs. I could not stop reading. It was fast paced and I almost felt like I was there with Simon and his friends. That's how you know it's really good book, when you feel like you're right there experiencing the action with the rest of the characters and you can't turn the pages fast enough.

4. There were some truly evil characters


In Otherworld you could do whatever you wanted to do and be whoever you wanted to be with pretty much no consequences which brought out some pretty evil characters. Is that what would happen to people if there were no consequences? Would it really bring out the filth in humanity like that? I don't know, I hope not, but probably. Anyway, my point is that evil characters are sometimes the most interesting characters.

5. I read it in one day


This book hooked me.... I felt almost like the players of Otherworld... I read this book in a day and didn't do much else during that time. Luckily I was able to get up during that time to eat and do other things so I didn't wake up in a pile of my pee (and poo) like Simon often did.

But seriously, just take my word for it! Buy this book ASAP! It comes out on the 31st of October and you need to read it!! The only problem I have is how long I'm going to have to wait for the next book... I hate waiting.

If all the teenagers of r/WritingPrompts got together and wrote a sci-fi opus, Otherworld is probably something along the lines of what they'd come up with. It's entirely told from the perspective of an 18-year-old asocial nerd with mad gaming chops and an affinity for dick jokes. The totally casual tone (think Percy Jackson if Percy was an adult instead of a MG hero) makes Otherworld easy to read and alleviates much of the gloom-and-doom subject matter but also causes some of the heavier emotional moments to fall flat.

The blurb is intentionally minimalistic, hinting at a deadly conspiracy disguised as virtual reality but not really explaining what's going on. As a result, the first quarter of the book ends up being rather muddied and confusing because the reader has no idea where it's all headed. Once Simon actually gets into Otherworld, though, the plot goes a lot smoother and stays reasonably paced for most of the way. The story ultimately falls at the intersection of Warcross and The Maze Runner, but written by Redditors. So, a lot more lowbrow humour. I appreciate a good dirty joke when I see one, but in this book the gross-out comedy gets a bit grating at times, considering that it's neither particularly clever nor creative.

World-building is iffy when 75% of the plot takes place in, well, another world. The bulk of it is a road-trip style quest filled with enemies that want to either eat our protagonists or hang, draw and quarter them in front of screaming mobs. Bloody stuff, but again, not that creative--nothing you haven't seen before. Simon wanders through these death traps with a nonchalance that keeps things entertaining--come on, you know he's surrounded by a hundred layers of plot armour, so he can do pretty much anything and still stay miraculously in one piece. Then there's Kat, his Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and of course Carole, who's a no-nonsense Bible-quoting soccer mom who also happens to be the greatest of all time badass and closest thing we'll come to Lara Croft. (Self-declared, too!)

The ending is quite meh after the book hypes up Otherworld so much. I expected a fair few questions to be resolved that weren't, being left in the air to be addressed in the sequel, as is the case for a substantial number of YA novels these days. The climax is disappointingly anti-climactic and serves more to set up the next instalment than deliver the payoff of this one, and the cliffhanger in the "epilogue" (which isn't really structured as an epilogue, why call it one?) is more confusing than intriguing.

That said, Otherworld is an enjoyable read short enough that you shouldn't have to force yourself through. Call me cold-blooded, but it's refreshing to read for once a protagonist that does the dirty business without hesitation and kills in self-defence without spending the next five chapters worrying about the consequences to his pristine moral character. After all, it's just a game! Except it isn't, of course, it's way more sinister. We can't let you just get away with running around going stabby-stab-stab at all the NPCs with impunity, can we? That, for those of you wondering, is essentially the crux/message of this book. Not half bad, in my opinion. You could do a lot worse as far as social commentary in your YA novel.

Very reminiscent of Ready Player One and definitely a book to recommend to fans of that book. It avoids feeling too much like books that have been before and very much feels like a prequel to a grim dystopia. .

A dark, enjoyable fast pace book which has the ability to total immerse the reader. It asks uncomfortable questions about the dark things humans will do with new technology. This is all wrapped up in an enjoyable, if slightly familiar, main story of a young boy and what he will do for love.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

This. Book.

It basically took all the things I loved about book #1 multiplied them tenfold, added all the things that were missing from book #1 and then handed them to me wrapped in a phenomenal story!

I love a sequel that takes everything you learned in book #1 and then just fully pulls the rug out from under your feet. It's the perfect way to shake things up and to move away from the difficulties a first book often presents. I adored the storyline of this book. It was everything I have ever wanted and I have no idea how Kristoff might top it in later books.

Mia is an amazing character as always and only becomes more relatable through the romance plot in this book (I can't say because spoilers but if you have read it just comment 'I KNOW' because it's so amazing). However, it is the addition of new characters that I truly appreciated. Mr Kindly suddenly has to deal with another companion in Mia's shadow and it's the perfect balance of humour and grit. But the companions Mia meets in relation to the games are equally complex and well rounded as her, it's so well fleshed out I feel like you could have an entire spin-off novella about any one of these characters.

If the gore in Nevernight was what put you off, I would maybe avoid this book. It's almost certainly more gory than it's predecessor. I personally feel that it fits with the tone of the book, that certain irreverence it has fits with a lack of censoring violence. But I can see some people not liking that so consider yourselves fair warned.

This is one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 and it certainly didn't let me down. Well done Jay, now I just have to start pacing the room waiting for Obsidio to come in the post!

My rating: 5/5 stars

As I say, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley but also purchased it for myself. All opinions are my own.

Good read. Engaging characters and plot. End was not great but allows for a follow on book which would be good.

I picked up this book as many of the reviews likened it to Ready Player One which being a nerdy child of the 70s was a pure nostalgia hit for me. Although Otherworld is based on VR and AI gaming tripping into the “real” world, that’s where the similarity between the two books end.
This is more obviously a teen/young adult novel that sets the scene well in the first of a new trilogy by Segel. It reads like it was written for adaptation with all the ingredients of a great film – dysfunctional families, love interest, gorgeous female character, masses of CGI capability etc. I enjoyed it – it is a quick read, quite youthful in tone, but draws you in nonetheless.
It didn’t have that unique cult-status that I was expecting so although I was disappointed not to be blown away by it, I’ll definitely read the rest of the series.

I've been getting around to finally reading some of the Netgalley books I have downloaded. 'Otherworld' was one of these books (the other two weren't decent enough to warrant a full review).

I've read Kirsten Miller before but not Jason Segel and have to say that this isn't he kind of book I usually read. However, I thought it was brilliant, after reading two not-so-good books from Netgalley, this surpassed my expectations.

So, the book is about a guy called Simon, he's in love with his best friend Kat. Kat, for some reason, won't talk to Simon but he knows something bad is going on with her. When Kat is involved in an accident and Simon is told she has locked-in syndrome with small chance of recovery, Kat is enrolled into a Beta Testing programme which enables Kat to access a virtual reality. However, nothing is as it seems, Kat starts screaming (even though this is medically impossible) and Simon decides to go into the virtual reality himself to find her and finally discover what's going on.

This book had A LOT of twists and turns (which I love in a book) and it was a little kooky in places. It had a really fun narrative that changes to have a slightly harsher edge the longer Simon is inside Otherworld. It's clear the game is changing him and we have to question his sanity, especially by book two.

Simon's antics at the start of the book are very funny, I honestly didn't know where the book was going when I started it - having downloaded it a long time ago and forgetting the synopsis. Another thing I'm curious about is the appearances of Simon's grandfather. Is this further proof of his insanity?

The book raises a lot of moral questions - would you sacrifice a dozen lives to improve the lives of billions? I like the fact that it makes the reader question what is it that makes our reality real, when to the 'children' in the Otherworld their world is a reality. It also calls into question life and sentience. Overall, some very interesting concepts are looked at.

The only negative I found with this book really, was that the ending was very abrupt. I didn't know what to make of it really. It wasn't quite a cliff-hanger, it wasn't a neat, ominous, ending. It was just a normal sentence with no indication the end was near and the effect was jarring. Of course, this could have been intentional, to mimic the jarring effect the characters experience going from reality to reality, like the readers have done with the books universe and their reality.

Overall, I really liked this book and can't wait for the next instalment.

I’m always looking for books which the gamer guys, the Ready Player One guys will enjoy, this book fits the bill really well. In the same way as RPO you are immersed in the game with competing with other players. You’ve left your body behind and you are in the virtual reality of a world which feels completely real. It is very cleverly done, scene after scene with a very real feeling, an almost breathless ride, action pushing forward all the time. There is a lot of tension between the characters, mystery and mayhem are all taking place in a breathless rush.

There is such a lot going on that it gets a bit relentless at times. It has a feel of a book which is written for a specific audience and which nails that well, but at the same time there is a slight feeling of emptiness. Maybe the characters could have been developed a bit more. Simon’s obsession at all costs, even to constantly endangering his life for the sake of his friend are at times unbelievable. There is a huge conspiracy, bad doctors and dodgy hospitals all over the place, Simon in in the game and trying to save his friend. There is a lot going on. I got a bit over the relentless struggles inside the game but I can imagine that these would be thrilling for the target audience of teenage boys.

Given it is labelled #1 it is obvious there is going to be another and I’ll definitely be buying this for our library.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this title.

This book is being sold as being similar to Ready Player One but it doesn't feature the 80s nostalgia of RPO so potentially has more appeal especially to younger readers. The two authors have crafted a tale that doesn't rely over heavily on the virtual world aspect and stands alone. The virtual world is also more than a gimmick but actually raises interesting questions about our world in a non annoying way. This should be a successful series.

I enjoyed this book and I will definitely be picking the next book in the series up as soon as it comes out. I thought this book was fairly well structured and centred around a quest (which I enjoyed as it mirrored a video gaming experience). I thought this book did well at solving part of the conflict whilst still leaving questions to be answered and things to do in later novels. I sometimes felt that this book was a bit too drawn out and there were certain scenes that I thought should have been cut. The main character is interesting and I definitely felt invested in his story. The book relies fairly heavily on tropes and this is especially apparent in the characters of the 'bad guys'. Overall, I thought this book was fun so I would recommend it.

A fast-paced and wish-fulfilment Ready Player One for people who don't fetishise 1980's.

Simon Eaton is kind of a bum. Born to rich, apathetic parents, he takes nothing seriously. Until his best friend becomes comatose after an accident he witnesses, and he learns she's trapped inside a computer simulation. Simon vows to go in after her, and in the process uncovers a conspiracy that puts him, Kat, and a host of other characters in grave danger.

The concept behind Otherworld isn't original, but it doesn't quite stray into the self-indulgent fantasies of Ready Player One. However, it does maintain a lot of problematic tropes: there is a definitive damsel in distress, an older woman and a PoC are sacrificed to help the hero complete his journey, oversexualised female characaters exist. If you're a reader who can put aside these issues, then you're in for a gruesome, clever, and deftly-plotted ride. But sadly for me, I couldn't enjoy it quite as much because of it.

Excellent book. Great main characters and a real page turner. I loved the plot and would recommend this book.