MindWar

When Rick lost the ability to run, he came one step closer to becoming a hero. New High Score! New Record Time! Rick nodded with grim satisfaction. He laid the game controller aside on the sofa and reached for his crutches. Rick Dial was the best quarterback Putnam Hills High School had ever seen. Unflappable. Unstoppable. Number 12. But when a car accident left him crippled, Ricks life as he knew it ended. He disavowed his triumphant past. He ignored his girlfriend. He disappeared into his bedroomand into the glowing video screen. But Ricks uncanny gaming skills have attracted attention. Dangerous attention. Government agents have uncovered a potentially devastating cyber-threat: a Russian genius has created a digital reality called the Realm, from which he can enter, control, and disrupt American computer systems . . . from transportation to defense. The agents want Rick, quick-thinking quarterback and gaming master, to enter the Realm and stop the madmanbefore he sends America into chaos. Entering the Realm will give Rick what he thought hed never have again: a body as strong and fast as it was before the accident. But this is no game, there are no extra lives, and what happens to Rick in the Realm happens to Ricks body in reality. Even after Rick agrees to help, he cant shake the sense that hes being kept in the dark. Why would a government agency act so aggressively? Can anyone inside the Realm be trusted? How many others have entered before him . . . and failed to return? In the tradition of Enders Game and The Matrix, MindWar is a complex thriller about a seemingly ordinary teenager who discovers a hidden gifta gift that could make him a hero . . . or cost him everything. "Edgar Awardwinning Klavans well-orchestrated fantasy thriller features . . . an imaginative mix of gaming action with real-life stakes. With just the right cliff-hanger ending, this trilogy opener shows promise." Booklist