Roan had never been much of a gamer, in fact, he’d never been a gamer at all. He was 
quite happy grounded in reality, that was, until his work with the FBI forced him to hook up and join the popular gaming realm of Daggerland. The FBI had been called to investigate a series of suspicious deaths, it almost appeared as if someone was using the game to manipulate the actions of people in the real world, something that was meant to be impossible. With no clues to follow in the real world, Roan and his team are recruited to partake in the first ever online investigation. Out numbered, under-resourced, and with no idea where to start they must learn to use the game, and its people, NPC and player alike, to their advantage, and for Roan, it is one heck of a learning curve. Infinite Reality is the most popular game in the world, and he is nothing but a noob amidst a sea of experienced players, yet it is his sworn duty to track down and stop the person who created the very world he finds himself within.
The gamer in me loved this book, as did the fantasy fan and reader. There are enough gaming elements to make you smile, and enough fantasy adventure to sate even the most avid fans of the genre. It took a short while for the characters to grow on me, but as the book progressed I was really rooting for them. I enjoyed watching how each of the characters changed and grew, from the adapting relationships to the change in perspectives. The game mechanics were well considered, as were the attitudes of many of the players. Roan’s initial reluctance to a proper character creation made me chuckle, I know a few people who been guilty of skipping everything only to find themselves unhappy with a character, unfamiliar with the game, and needing to head back to the tutorial. He makes a brilliant reluctant gamer, and the growth and adaption seems as he begins to lose himself in the game is well transitioned. As a reader you’ll have no problem slipping into the world created, and visualising its every detail. I’m certainly considering picking up number two in the near future.
Book link:
K.J's Athenaeum 