The idea of a quasi-sentient AI is nothing new such stories date back decades. There were three elements of The God Game that really made it work for me: the eerily prescient premise, the character development, and the breakneck pace and turns. As the game takes over the Vindicators’ lives, blurring the lines of reality through the use of AR glasses, they soon realize that playing the game is a risky endeavor…but getting out might prove fatal. What starts as just some innocent pranks (changing a street sign to read “DONALD TRUMP IS A SHAPE-SHIFTING LIZARD,” for example) quickly morphs into lying, cheating, vandalism, and worse. Following G.O.D.’s directions earns you Goldz, which lead to real-world rewards of cash and favors, while disobedience earns you Blaxx, which bring real-life consequences ranging from embarrassment to physical violence to actual death. When one of the group members, Peter, introduces the others to a game known as “The God Game,” run by an AI that was trained on all the world’s religious texts and literally believes itself to be God (or G.O.D., as it calls itself), the teens quickly find their lives consumed by the game’s endless quests, tests, and blackmail.

Five high school seniors, who refer to themselves as the Vindicators, spend their time coding and executing the occasional practical joke. The plot of The God Game is at once complex and simple. Just remember, even as you read this review: G.O.D. Prepare yourself for moral dilemmas, the horrors of technology, the complexities of teenage friendship and high school life, and above all, a riveting plot that makes this book’s 450+ pages absolutely fly past. Welcome to The God Game! This book, and the game within it, feels like something straight out of a Black Mirror episode–“Shut Up and Dance” (the one with the blackmail text messages) especially comes to mind.

The god game danny tobey