Saturday, September 02, 2017

Click Here To Start

Click Here To Start has been described as a younger reader's version of Ready Player One. Both novels center around an expert video game player who uses video game skills to complete a real-life quest. They also have a "backdrop" (80s nostalgia or literature) peppered throughout the story. And they both take a few too many jumps to allow them to be truly believable.
Ted is a half-Jewish, half-Japanese twelve year old who is an expert at "escape" video games. His great uncle served as Japanese soldier in the American army during World War II. He recently passed away and left all to Ted (after praising his intelligence and skill at games.) Ted's Jewish dad was recently passed over for the position of English chair at their local Southern California college in favor of a wealthy east coaster. The new professor has a "too perfect" daughter Ted's age. She doesn't want much to do with him, but you can tell she will be part of the story. She, along with Ted and his friend end up solving the puzzle to find the treasure (meanwhile dodging the efforts of a rouge antiques dealer. In the process, they also grow to become good friends.
The mechanisms for solving the puzzles seems to stretch believability. Worse, however, is the video game that only shows up for Ted and exactly mimics some key real life escapades he will have. By never explaining this, the author leaves the novel in a slightly fantastic world, just unreal enough to make it annoying.

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