- Title:
- Deep Into the Game (GAMELAND, #1)
- By:
- Saul W. Tanpepper
- Pages:
- 130
- Rating:
- 4
Zpocalypto gamer Jessica Daniels and her gang of code jackers decide to break into Long Island’s Gameland hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the Infected Undead, and in doing so they risk additional years being added to their Life Service Commitment (a civil or military obligation fulfilled after death). But getting past the barriers – the EM field, the wall surrounding the island, the mined waters – requires the assistance of a stranger to their fold. His inclusion raises tensions within the group, particularly between Jessie and her boyfriend. So too do the risks mount. After a terrifying “accident” during preparation nearly takes the life of one of their members, emotions run dangerously high, threatening to abort their plans.
But they press on, and what they find when they finally arrive in the abandoned wasteland is like nothing they ever expected. Their excitement, however, quickly turns to dread as the reality of their situation – and the dangers – become all too clear. What they don’t know is that one member of their group has a secret agenda, and it doesn’t involve the rest of them getting off the island anytime soon. Not alive, anyway. And not dead, either.
The episodic nature of this series promises to keep things going for quite some time. After reading the first i’m keen to get my hands on the next! The future is not so far that we’ve lost touch with Humanity (no intergalactic aliens etc), but the whole idea of the undead is given something of a twist. I especially liked the way the story kicks off with zombies a matter of course, rather than anything special, and am keen to see how our teens comport themselves in this thrilling and all-too-plausible environment.