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Book Review of Dream Park (Dream Park, Bk 1)

Dream Park (Dream Park, Bk 1)
cyndij avatar reviewed on + 1031 more book reviews


Great idea of the Dream Park, good descriptions of it, it's practically reality by now. As a gaming book I guess it did pretty well, the authors wrote two more in same setting. There's lots and lots of gaming action, lingo, and filk. The murder though is given short attention, with 99% of the action devoted to describing the game. I liked the idea, although the book itself is sadly dated and some of the plot not believable even when it was written. Cameras following the players during the game but not during their rest periods, and no security cameras inside the gaming center? There's some really awkward flirting/sex going on, and for a giggle the authors throw in the destruction of Los Angeles by earthquake 50 years before the novel's time. But I hated the end. The murderer is allowed to walk free because exposing would cause harm to the corporate profits. The authors do give clues early on about the company's ability to rationalize their own behavior, and of course Niven always sort of leaned that way, so I probably should have expected it. Still - left a bad taste.