The Game (The Game is Life Book 1)

Nice idea, surrounded with good characters, action and plotting. One is occasionally jolted out of suspension-of-disbelief by that author being deliberately obscure about the reality of the background universe, just to keep up suspense. And our main hero & heroine are a bit cardboard-cutout, compared to the real players. But that is a minor annoyance. Along the way, it is great fun to learn that angels and demons are not really alien beings but are merely computer constructs of a (possibly sick) mind. Or is their a difference between those two?

This may be the best philosophical work I have ever read. Of course, on one level it is simply a work of fiction. On another level, I found myself consciously slowing down and taking breaks to ponder the abundance of ideas and wisdom. As a 70 year old man, who has lead an unusually exciting and fulfilling life, I found this book contains a remarkable mixture of inspiring hope and disarming cynicism. There is clearly a message here, and it is written well enough to be sure the message you receive, is your own. Put this on your must read list.

This book was an easy and captivating read. I must say, though, that the language was too much for me. I was also upset that the main character in the game world didn't stay with the same girl all his life(so disappointing, although he did end up marrying the girl that the reader was drawn to like). It ends abruptly, yet the next book carries on right away. I also noticed that the next book seems to bring in a god; and, all though I didn't read the second book completely, it seems that Terry Schott turns this god into a being that is not omnipotent.

The book had a lot of potential, but I think it went the wrong direction. Just to note again, there is a language problem in there.

No writer is perfect. The Game is a well-crafted story with surprisingly compelling characters. I really enjoyed reading it, and I might even buy a sequel. What keeps me from giving this 4 or 5 stars is the fact that there are nearly-consistent errors in the text. Some are typos, sometimes words are missing or in the text twice, and more often than not, if there is a chance to mess up an apostrophe, it is messed up. As an English tutor, I cringed in nearly every chapter. This book needs another good round of editing and then it will be worthy of at least 4 stars.

I hesitated giving this book 5 stars, because the Kindle version I read could most definitely use some editing, but I surprisingly enjoyed this book enough to overcome the wanting grammar choices.
The story tells of a civilization which teaches children by the use of virtual life simulation. Kids play through an entire life on Earth, unknowing that they are only participating in a game, until that character "dies." These virtual lives are viewed by the adults in their own world, and determine their future.
While the book has some known story lines, it is written in a new and unique way. I loved the characters, even the "bad" ones. At one point while reading this, I lost my purse, which contained by Kindle. I was literally more concerned with not being able to finish this story than finding my purse! (I found both, by the way.)
I cannot wait to read the next installments to this story.

I was pretty drawn into this book from the start. Interesting concept. It was well written, suspenseful and had that 'hmmmm this is really a possibility' feel to it. I sometimes found myself confused, though, about where we were in time/place. The spiritual aspects were also intriguing. I found myself wondering how the author was going to bring this book to end and was frankly a bit disappointed. For those of us with a techie / gamer mindset this book was a fun, sometimes dark, romantic, full of possibilities, read.

My 14 year old daughter loved this book and shared it with me--right now we're both reading other books in the series. Author Terry Schott creates interesting characters and places them in a world much like Earth . . . . although the children of that world do visit Earth within a game. The book questions life as we know it--could it be that are our lives here on Earth are really a game? Will we be reincarnated to once again return to Earth to live other lives? What will happen to our favorite characters playing the game on Earth? Overall, a good book, leaving you wanting to read the entire series!
"The Game is Life" series begins with The Game (Book 1). Other books in the series can be bought in digital form or paperback, and they include (as of April 2015): Digital Heretic (Book 2); Interlude Brandon (Book 3); Virtual Prophet (Book 4); and Digital Evolution (Book 5). To find out more about the author or to subscribe to his mailing list, visit terryschott.com/.

I enjoyed the thoughts and wisdom of coming to grips with emotions, however I felt the author intrusion when he tried to explain things by using excerpts from books. With that said and done I still had a good experience reading it

There are few fictional reads that induce such thought provoking moments. I was enthralled by this story from page number one...that also is quite a rarity. Scott immediately forms characters believable and convincing that could easily be people you would know in real life. The concept, I must admit, of the book...a philosophy of life I dare say....is one that I have pondered more than once. It is rare indeed, to find a work of literature based in fiction that prompts one to aspire toward a higher level of thought while inspiring such passion to fulfill what we desire to see happen on this humble planet we call home.

Entertaining but it is only the beginning and is very much left that way with book 1. While I appreciate it is the start of the series, I feel a need for more closure with the individual book that didn't come. Certainly enjoyable and enjoyed the weaving of Tygon and Earth together.

Not really any actual plot, there was fairly Mary sue esque characters. Left many questions unanswered, and not in the intriguing wa, but more in the plot hole ish way. The game can't be recorded but people buy recordings of the game that they can esxperience second hand. a lifetime passes in a couple of weeks but viewers can apparently watch real time. Tons of idiosyncrasies. Not too terribly much a fan.

Initially I couldn't get past the writing style. It reminded me of a teenage girl writing fiction (it reminded me of my writing as a teenager). I read the last bit to see what happened and that is what actually made me go back and read the whole thing. I still hated the writing style, but the premise was enough to keep me going. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to read the next book.

Terry Schott came up with a creative story of the tech minded perspective. Enjoyed the stories strange twists and inner world of the computer game. The story kept my interest. Liked the great life expressions the characters shared. Good book for junior high to adults.

Terry Schoff creates a work that I hope never becomes reality but i fear the possibility is there! Never considered such a plot could be stirring my imagination every time I open the envelope of internets various mailboxes. Character development seems quite believeable and the harshness of the lowest class in societies treatment by the masses is appalling and I will venture a guess has already been quite real for minorities in this society. I liked that wake up call and the "game" is absolutely riveting.

"The Game" is unique and hard to describe. It tells an interesting story while proposing a new religion. There are characters with power, but the power can't be used in real time so most efforts go awry in one way or the other. Again, hard to describe. But very good. All the more so in that the book is written in a YA format that makes it appropriate for any audience. Hopefully the rest of the series will be as good.

This book plays off the now classic idea of "what if everything we know, what if life itself, is just a big computer simulation"? However, the author takes the concept in a different direction from the dark cyber-punk themes of The Matrix and creates something that is ... confusing, to say the least.

From the get-go, and throughout the book, the author splits events between the virtual reality simulation and some place called "Tygon". I say "some place" because the author never explains exactly what Tygon is. And while yes, I now see this book is the 1st in a 4 book series, and I would hope that at some point in those four books he provides an answer, it is nonetheless quite frustrating as a reader to go through nearly 300 pages of fiction and never really understand what's going on.

And that's my biggest complaint with this story: the overall concept, while increasingly cliche, is actually pretty cool. The problem is the author went about relaying the story in one of the most muddled, convoluted, and strange ways possible. The second chapter of this book sets up the virtual reality concept; another chapter shortly after that talks about the "real world" being on a planet called Tygon, therefore, there's little INTENTIONAL mystery from the get-go ... the problem is the author creates lots of UNintentional mystery as to what, exactly, is going on by failing to clearly explain or scene-set anything. Right up until the last page of this book, I had no idea what the citizens of Tygon were ... aliens? Gods? But they all have Anglo-Saxton names ... so ...

But that's hardly the only problem. Ignoring the many MANY questions that arise with the "virtual reality versus reality" concept, the author is also very contradictive in the rules he creates for the virtual reality simulation ... it seemed that every time a character would talk about something being impossible, a dozen pages later something would happen to disprove that very statement. I get the whole "hero overcomes seemingly insurmountable barriers" story trope, but when you're dealing with a computer, and you're constantly breaking every rule you, as the author, setup, then what's the point of claiming there's any rules or restrictions? Not to mention this made the nature of the virtual reality even more confusing.

A NOTE: for those looking for a hard-core sci-fi experience, this story is far from it. In fact, the author takes an odd sort of quasi religious bend with things. Much like how The Matrix tried to explain ghosts and monsters via computer glitch, The Game explains angels and demons through a similiar means ... although I'll leave the details for the reader to find out. This aspect of the story starts out mysterious enough, but after a time, the religious elements start to become rather heavy handed, lacking any real subtlety or hidden meaning, and the book goes from concept sci-fi to something more like Chicken Noodle Soup for the Christian Soul crossed with The Matrix.

Dialogue is an important part of any story for me. It brings realism and emotion to the story in general, but also makes the characters seem like actual people. And it can make the story itself move along with less resistance ... this is not the case here. The conversations between characters here are almost always stilted, short, nearly emotionless, forced sounding, and sometimes even painful to read. It's not quite excruciating, and occasionally there are times where conversations sound almost life-like, but in general, it is far from the best dialogue I've seen in a work of fiction.

So ... after all of that, why 3 stars? Despite all of the failings, the story does get somewhat compelling after a time, which was what was so frustrating about the end of the book. The overall concept is solid; the mystery of the ancilliary characters and what's going on in "the real world" keeps pulling you forward. And despite rather bland dialogue, the main characters' self-reflections and observations on life in general are surprisingly genuine and relatable. The author gets close to breaking the 4th wall on more than one occassion with what seem like very preachy messages, but they still retain an element of truth worth considering.

Ultimately, this book warranted a 3rd star largely on the basis of how, despite an unresolved ending meant to clearly bait you into a 2nd book ... I kind of want to read the 2nd book. Whether I will actually spend $5 on it is another matter. Instead of this book, I recommend Ready Player One. Check out my review on that book by viewing my profile and seeing my other reviews.

I was skeptical when I began reading despite being intrigued by the book title and the positive reviews. Most books in this genre fall flat. But The Game grabbed my attention early on and kept me reading. The book was like my first ride on Magic Mountain as a kid; a total experience.

Terry Schott really makes you question reality in this book. It's a great read. There's even a scene that brought a tear to my eye. Only the best storires, characters, and authors can make you feel like crying.

This series is amazing! It gets complicated, but the characters are interesting and the concept well thought out. I got this book as a freebie, but I'm now on the 5th in the series.. Just keeps getting better!

... meets Inception, meets, Ender's Game, meets Science of Mind, meets Christian philosophy... And, like The Matrix, part One is actually pretty good, part Two you think, "Well, this has potential," and then part Three&Four are just pretty bad.

I would not recommend reading this series. I felt most of the ideas in it had been better explored, and more originally, elsewhere. There were unnecessary levels of complication, unnecessary added characters in the final book, and unnecessary (and unsatisfying!) plot twists that weren't well supported.

But if this mashup is one you've been waiting for, this may be the book series for you!

(h/t to the Rotten Tomatoes reviewer who had the same observation about Eragon/Star Wars...)

I have just recently purchased a Kindle Fire. Being on the thrifty side, I am not purchasing full priced kindle books but ones that are free or .99. I find many books of the lower end kindle books not up to standard reading expectations. I was very surprised finding this gem. Love the story, the concept, characters. Found it a definitely a good enjoyable read. Loved it so much I am considering buying the 2nd book in this sequel for the full price.

I was really interested in the game itself. I loved how Schott built the world up but I found myself more interesting in the "articles" about the game rather than the characters itself. I didn't like how it switched from third person to first person. The story, in my opinion, was more engaging when written in third person. The concept in this novel is really good though, I just couldn't get into it.

I began reading this book, and immediately found it not worth my time. I think it is a bit of a rip from the movie, which is even mentioned in the credits. Just watch the movie. Jim Carey is at least funny.

I was a little confused at the beginning, but that seems to be how the author wants us to be. I really began to enjoy it the more I started to understand the plot, who Zach is, and why he was doing was he was. It's a very interesting idea, sort of like "Avatar" meets reality TV meets dystopia. Word to the wise, do your best to keep track of everyone's name. It will help later on.

I loved the book. There were a few grammatical errors here and there, but they didn't take me too far out of the book when I would come across them (yes, I am one of THOSE people). The theme is very interesting to me and reminds me of another popular book right now, but has a lot of different twists.

I love the premise. This books brings up many interesting possibilities and keeps going without leaving you hanging until the end which is just too abrupt and a poor lead in for the next book. The main characters are all cool but a bit flat. Good looking, smart people out to change the world but written with little personality.

I was extremely impressed with this book! Not only did it seem quite relevant to the age we live in, anyone troubled as to just where we're going as a planet, or addicted to the Internet or reality tv or games, or conflicted by beliefs in the afterlife should find this book hard to put down. And although many e-books nowadays always seem to continue on in a series, I am excited this story doesn't end here. The first e-book was free, but I'm more than willing to spend the $4.99 the store charges to find out what happens next in a world not so different than our own.

This is my opinion, others will vary greatly. This is probably the first 'not great' review I'll write. MOST books are fun to read.
In my opinion, the book seemed more like a rough draft for a larger book, than an actual finished product.
It never really gets a good flow going and seems to jump from here to there and back again, just racing for the finish line without care for development in the middle. This is the only book I have read in the past 15 years that I was bored from start to finish.

This book reminded me of the Matrix movies. It made you think and wonder what life would be like if the foundation of this book was real. It was easy to get involved in the characters' lives and care about them. The only problem I had with this book was that it ended in such a way that I had to buy the next book in the series because I really had to know what happens next. I'm sure that was intentional. So be prepared to buy the rest of the series.

Terry Schott is an incredible author who's writing provokes deep thought while being simple enough for teenagers to understand. The story in this book series can appeal to everyone. The genre is difficult to describe because it has everything; action, romance and comedy are just a few of the many themes that are covered so well in this book. I loved this book and all of its sequels and am eagerly awaiting the 6th installment in the series.

The idea of earth being a video game is interesting, and it carries the book. However it is full of plot inconsistency and poor writing, if you are not irritated by that this would be a fine read for you.
(Spoiler: the one inconsistency that bothered me most is that players entire lives can be viewed in real time but they're supposed to be happening at hundreds of times the speed of real life. There's no mention of compensation for that discrepancy.

It's not high literature by any stretch. The writing is probably at the 6th grade level, at most. But the discussions between characters reflects a lot of themes I'm seeing coming out in the world, like "the Talent" and the value of meditation. This would make a really good gift for a teenager or anyone who is struggling to make their lives feel meaningful and have hope.

Fantastic read, really makes you think what if this is all just a virtual world?. Best way I can describe it is sort of a TRON meets Hunger Games. I'm a fairly fast reader but I read this in a little over a day, I had a hard time putting it down and that hasn't happened in a long while. I'd write more but I need to start book #2.

When you first start reading this book, you will think that it is just a version of the Matrix but it is so much more. The first book is free but I immediately paid for the final 3 books in the series. It is well written, moves right along and really makes you think about life and its meaning. Reminds me of how the Foundation Series made me feel. Excellent book.

The story is so captivating. This is one of those books you want to tell everyone about while you are reading it but don't want to spoil a second of it by telling them what it is about. It is a really fun read and the start of what I hope is a new favorite series.

I have often wondered if life was really a game. Fascinating story of star crossed lovers and a world that doesn't make sense. Playing the game is the focus. Playing it well is its own reward. Can't wait for the next book. The action never seems to end.

It was an amazing entertaining journey of "introspection" for me to clearly "see" my place in the universe.
Giving me the opportunity to ask the powerful questions in my own life. To look deeper and ask the "right" questions.
Using the "Game is Life" theme to improve my awareness, to assess the reality of my life now, to choose something bigger than my self for what next, to try anything/everything to improve my connection with my "inner being".
To be 'serious' about having fun. Having a fresh perspective on "understanding" believing to "being" a "believer" and making the impossible possible.
I choose to be a "Gamer" and create the "right" circumstances for others to do the same.
A kindred spirit, thank you Terry Schott.
A bucket list book for sure.

This is a pretty fun concept and adventure geared toward YA readers. Although I have read similar books - escapism in virtual reality...what is real, and what is Memorex, the use of VR to gain lifetimes of lessons and practical application is pretty interesting.

The youth of this world plug-in to E.A.R.T.H. where they live a life from beginning to end, while little time passes as their body rests in an induced coma. Once the die in VR, the exit the game with all the knowledge of their play(s), which sets them up for career opportunities once they mature.

Of course, it would be a different game entirely if you had all that knowledge and went back into VR as a baby. Where this is not allowed, some catch glimpses, or intuition about the big picture while playing - and that is where some fun occurs.

Schott has fun planting the seeds of truth against conspiracy theory (pyramids, religion, god, eternal beings, strangers appearing at the right time, etc.) as he weaves through the story taking place in the game and behind the scenes.

This book leaves you with a cliffhanger. It also provides a fun twist. Overall, I enjoyed the concept, the style, pace, and would continue the story. 4.5/5 Stars

I couldn't put it down. Very enjoyable, it borrows from a lot of stories from the past, which I feel makes it even more compelling to read. My only painful spot was getting to the end and being left dangling off a cliff.

It is an intriguing premise that our world is actually a VR run by another culture, and we are all avatars in this virtual game.

Unfortunately, Schott did not do much interesting with this rich premise.

The Game made no sense for the hosting society. In fact, it looks like it destroyed it- everything became part of a monopoly owned by The Game's creator, while all of its denizens became addicted to reality TV- especially since The Game intentionally provided no ability to record, or fast-forward through boring bits- making it pretty much impossible for anyone to follow more than 1 feed, though there were references to people following multiple feeds.

And- this was considered a replacement for education??? only people under 18 were allowed to have these avatars in the virtual worlds, and they were supposed to learn and grow by having multiple lives before reaching maturity. I suppose this would not be as essentially unrealistic if it were not known that physically people's brains mature over time, only reaching maturity somewhere in our 20s. A 9-year-old playing a senior citizen would not miraculously become able to cognitively process those later years.

And, adding to the perversity, the kids running the avatars are essentially graded not on how well they do, but on their audience (of their parents and the rest of the adults). Ones who fail to attract sufficient followers are literally discarded into hellpits... not that they realize this when they are actually IN The Game. How cruel is it to force someone into a high-stakes game- without telling them that they are in a game, or the stakes???

But all that's on the theoretical/philosophical level. In terms of the actual writing- it is juvenile and simplistic. Our 2 avatar-protagonists have an utterly ideal romance for years in which they apparently never disagree on anything ever. The Good Guys in the originating culture have no squabbles among themselves. The rest of the populace in the originating culture want nothing more than to watch other people live their lives a la reality TV. Now, this could work as a dystopia... except that's not where Schott is focused.

It could have been a really fascinating book... but wasn't. Not recommended, and I will not be reading any of the 5 sequels.

Pulp fiction at its most mediocre. A well developed world view and a fun and mercifully quick read, but poorly developed, caricature-like characters. Maybe we would all be so one dimensional if the earth really were a computer generated simulation, but life would be most uninteresting. The writing is sophomoric, containing errors of English most should learn by the fifth grade: it's for its, lay for lie, that sort of thing. The book ends in mid-plot. By the third chapter I was longing for one well-crafted sentence, but was disappointed. Going to go reread some Vonnegut instead of book 2, because I don't care how this story ends.

3 1/2 stars, pretty good story, and well written, but a little too wonderful if you know what i mean... not nearly realistic enough. I mean not really sympethatic characters as they are all too goody goody perfect, brainy and beautiful....

Great story, great plot .... What an imagination this author has! I loved it and have downloaded the next book. He had me so caught up in it, I felt that I was in the Game.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars - it could be fine tuned a little more with sentence and grammar structure.
All in all, a very wonderful story.

I really liked this book. It was very well written and thought out. I like finding plot holes and ripping them wide open but there were very few in here. The story kept me well engaged. I have only ever bought one digital book, all of the other hundreds I have read I got for free. I did now just buy the second book in the series.