It wasn’t the best example of the fantasy genre but surprisingly this book hooked me from the beginning, glued to my fingers, captured my mind even it’s quite mash up of Stranger Things concept waltz with some Black Mirror episodes and finally doing Macarena dance with “Ready Player One” and takes a bow after the powerful performance accompanied by “Nerve” (Emma Roberts and brother Franco teamed up for deadly truth or dare concept) There are also some vibes of “Ready Player One” hid inside that you easily catch.

So when you see all those references you want to dive in without thinking. This kind of fast paced, full of action and entertaining books interestingly relaxes my mind and make me feel like I’m a part of team to fight against the obstacles for achieving my goals. It’s better than wasting my time by competing at play station tournaments (I had a husband spent his last weekend with his friends sleepless/ bath-less/ proper food-less on the couch like a statue, only his fingers for moving, eyes glued on the screen, playing Fifa 18! So I know if they read my review about the games, they’ll come after me! I am not afraid of you sleepless, game addict zombies!!!)

Let’s get back to the plot. Story starts with Charlie and his gang’s invitation to play a game with “God”( We don’t know it is a sign of inferiority complex or they are playing games with Morgan Freeman) on the computer. It seems like their God stalking their daily moves and commands them to pull some pranks on students and teachers in exchange cash rewards. But the challenges become compelling, confusing and finally their friendship seems to be broken because the tasks they get start to turn them against each other.

Finally everything gets out of their control. They became jealous, paranoid, and find their loyalties, priorities getting tested.

So this marvelous, entertaining, heart throbbing page turner gave me so much fun and I want more. I felt like I still had some place to taste more sweets of game world.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press to share this wild and exciting ride /ARC COPY with me in exchange my honest review.

At a high school in Austin a group of teens who call themselves "the Vindicators" begin to join in an online game with an A.I. who calls themselves God. Promising great riches and rewards but also severe punishment for losing the group thinks it is a harmless game until they find themselves locked into a very powerful and deadly game with some frightening repercussions. GOD has control over all their devices, virtual reality glasses, social media and it seems over any online systems. The worst part is that the game is only over when GOD says it is over. This scary A.I. plays with our emotions and greatest fears preying on adrenaline-seeking teens. Take a group of super stressed out, highly driven teens and give them an opportunity to exert control on their environment then sit back and wait for the chaos to ensue and you have THE GOD GAME. Intense thriller/science fiction that hits a little too close to reality to make you comfortable. This will appeal to teens and adults who enjoy borderline futuristic, creepy thrillers that make you think. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I really enjoyed the fast paced nature of this book and how it really tied into technological advancement to create a suspenseful and dynamic story. When a group of friends discover an AI game, the possibilities for their futures make enmesh them into something that they cannot easily find a way out of. The book covers what the game is like and doing for each player. It seems enticing until they found out that this game is whole lot bigger than they ever thought possible. The sheer creativity of this book was astounding and I absolutely loved this one. I will be recommending this book and author to others.

Excellent cyber thriller where high school misfits join an online game that spills over into the real world. Great characters, fast paced, and intriguing moral dilemmas. Highly recommended

The God Game was an intriguing and captivating work. The world and characters were well developed, and the story unfolded at a good pace, upping the tension throughout. The book had an interesting premise, particularly in light of every-growing IT abilities and the fact that the idea of something like this happening could be a possibility in the future. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish, waiting to see how things would play out, and I found the ending satisfying. This is a solid 4.5-star read for me, which I will round up to 5 stars for the rating.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

The God Game by author Danny Tobey is a fast paced thriller with sci-fi tendencies! Great book with a great plot line! I would absolutely recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an intriguing look into the world of artificial intelligence and how it's proliferating in our society. Set in a high school (my favorite setting), the novel follows Charlie and his band of misfit "Vindicators" as they are invited to play a game with "God" on their computers. Of course they are awestruck as the game seems to know things about them that no one else can; and it appears to be able to follow them on their phones and in real life as well. So when it begins to offer them "challenges" which are really just pranks on fellow students or teachers, they readily agree as they are promised rewards that they can cash in for...well, they aren't sure just what. But as a high school student, wouldn't you have been game??? But the pranks become more challenging and begin to turn them against each other as they question each other's motives and loyalties. Secrets. lies, jealousies, revenge motives, crushes, family issues...yes, all the crazy high school drama that we all experienced...but with the added influence of social media and all of its scary and sinister influence! This is a novel you won't be able to easily put down, so get ready for a thrill ride (and maybe turn your phone off while you read this)!

The God Game by Danny Tobey, I tried to like this one but it had a lot of unnecessary foul language. I can see that others will like it though. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the preview copy! I was really excited about this one, as I'm totally into crazy games and AI stuff, and I was not disappointed. The story centers around a bunch of teens at a high school in Texas - they are hackers, calling themselves The Vindicators. They learn of this weird game that never ends, and the game is everywhere - in their phones, on their computers, on their webcams - and it always knows where they are and what they are doing. The game is controlled by a vast network of artificial intelligence, and it promises rewards if they do well - but if they fail, they will fail in real life, too, with extreme consequences. While the omniscient point of view can get a bit distracting, I understand why it's used - as the AI thinks it's God, the POV choice makes it seem as if the reader is also God, jumping around from head to head. This is a fast-paced, creepy novel, with lots of mythological, technical, and philosophical references to keep the reader thinking and guessing throughout.

I can’t wait to push this book into the hand of my students!

What could go wrong when you are invited to play a game that has the potential to give you everything you’ve ever wanted? What if you know that you could have it all-but that it would come at the expense of others? Would you still play?

That’s the premise behind Danny Tobey’s “The God Game”, a fast paced thriller that puts you in the front seat as a group of teenagers on the cusp of adulthood are pulled into a game where they can finally have all that they dreamed of—Ivy League schools, freedom from abusive parents, even the pretty girl they’ve pined for. This story is fresh, engaging, and the pacing is perfect to keep the reader turning pages. The characters are well developed and believable and the twists are unexpected yet wholly in line with the story as a whole.

I don’t want to give ANYTHING away—it was that good. A few years ago, Neal Shusterman’s “Scythe” ripped through my school and neither students nor teachers could put it down. I have a feeling “The God Game” is going to do the same!

The God Game is an imaginative novel about a video game being ordered by high school students from a group of underground hackers. The group consists of what is thought of at their school as Nerds and are all interested in normal relationships with the so called "normals" The motto of the game is Win and all your dreams come true - lose and you die. And therein is the basis for an interesting novel by Daniel Tobey.
Mr Tobey is a recognized authority on AI (artificial intelligence) and the idea that this is what is being dealt with is in the background of his book. However, as soon as the students begin playing the game all sorts of what is normally impossible things begin appearing in a virtual world playing out via their phones and computers. The game begins texting them orders like worship me, obey me and complete a mission. They find that if they obey and successfully fulfill an order they will receive rewards in real life, if not there is a punishment.
The God Game is an updated and fascinating book based on the Science Fiction literature about intelligent machines taking over from their creators and subjugating them as servants rather than the masters as originally conceived when the robots were built. The book is a draw for the reader, but not an all nighter as much of the technical descriptions can be a bit over the heads of non computer literate people. There is no problem, however, with understanding the events taking place and finishing the novel with an interest in reading more by Mr Tobey.