Reviewed by Karin Librarian for TeensReadToo.com

What if the quality of your life depended on how well you played a MMORPG? What's a MMORPG, you ask? It is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. Well, on New Earth that is exactly the way life is.

On New Earth, violence is illegal. Epic (the MMORPG) was created for people to clip up, enter the world of Epic, and take out their aggression on fictional characters rather than doing harm to a real person. However, over the years, the purpose of the game shifted and became the determining factor for what kind of job you had, where you were able to live, and what supplies you received. Central Allocations, a small group of people in charge of all the decisions, controls everything.

Erik's family is having a tough time. They have had some solar panels break and aren't able to produce enough olives to meet their quota. Their attempts at getting replacement solar panels have been unsuccessful, and the family is afraid Central Allocations will require them to move to the salt mines for punishment.

In addition to the family problems, Erik isn't doing well in the game himself. In order to have a chance to go to University, you must accumulate wealth and status in Epic. Erik just continues to get his characters killed because he tries to kill the same dragon every time he enters the game.

His last "death" is the final straw, though. Out of frustration, he does something he has never done before. Erik creates a character who is female instead of his usual male character that resembles him in real life. Instead of going by his own name, he chooses one he thinks befits a beautiful character - Cindella. Immediately upon entering the game as Cindella, things begin to look up. Characters that are a part of the game begin talking to her and giving her things. Soon, she realizes the characters are pointing her toward a quest.

With his newfound status in Epic, Erik uses his accumulating wealth and the help of his friends to take on Central Allocations - once and for all. They are up against the most dangerous players. Ones with more wealth and experience. But, if Erik can defeat Central Allocations, he'll be able to save his family and possibly create a better life for them and those of his friends - possibly even the world.

EPIC is an interesting story. There is no problem keeping up with the "real" world and the "Epic" world. The author does a great job of distinguishing the two. If you enjoy Fantasy or Sci-Fi, then you'll enjoy this story. There is also a sequel called SAGA that has already been released. ( )

Erik Haraldson lives in two worlds. In the real world, on New Earth, he works on a farm with his parents, where they use both solar panels and wood-burning stoves, tractors and donkeys, an odd juxtaposition of the old and the new. He also lives in Epic, a fantasy MMORPG with virtual reality interfaces that nearly every person plays. It is within Epic that business transactions and governmental issues are handled, disputes are settled, and the economy functions.

Then, of course, things start going wrong. I really liked this book, it turned out to be much, much more interesting than I expected it to be. I do have three minor quibbles: there were almost no female characters in the book and the ones that did exist were unimportant and practically invisible; a major battle near the beginning was completely omitted; and the end wrapped up too quickly. But regardless, it was a fun and enthralling SF story. ( )

A very clever idea - a completely peaceful world is governed with a massive online video game called Epic - but not executed all that well. I thought the writing was very choppy, but perhaps that was a language issue? I'm not sure that English is this author's native language. I kept getting confused on which character was which, and some of the action was kind of slow. But really, the idea was intriguing, and I'll probably read the sequel if I can find it at the library. ( )

Epic was an interesting story that caught my eye because it seemed like an idea similar to a manga I was reading. I really did like the book and, even though I had my doubts, the ending was quite nice. I don't know what to expect of the sequal but am glad that the ending of this book was not rushed. ( )

Erik is a boy in a future society where violence is outlawed. The fate of families depends on how well they play a computer game called Epic, which I likened to World of Warcraft. Erik ends up trying to save his father from exile, and in the process does much more than that. There is a sequel that has been released called Saga. ( )