This Is Not a Game

A woman sits in a hotel room, alone and scared; outside, the city burns, white hot. Black roiling clouds pollute the horizon, flames flicker in the distance, the smell of burning flesh—of death—penetrates the room. She looks out her window, perched high on the fourteenth floor, and watches the world explode. Into chaos. Watches the riots, the murders, the hatred. Families lined up, destroyed. And she waits. Stranded. A prisoner of circumstance.

The news is grim. The local economy has collapsed, the country’s currency now worthless. The airport and train stations are closed. No one can leave the city. Without help.

So, she waits in her hotel room, a damsel-in-distress. Waits for someone to rescue her, for someone to figure out how show more she can escape, for someone to solve the puzzle. Of her life.

A life now transformed into a very real game. The goal: helping her leave the city, the country, to make it back home, safely. Woman Stranded in a Hotel Room, seemingly a starting point for the latest alternate reality game (ARG), an online adventure where reality intrudes on make-believe. Where the answers to fictional puzzles can be found in the real world. Where millions of players worldwide use whatever resources, ideas, and skills—whether legal or illegal—to solve puzzles, furthering their quest. It’s the proverbial rabbit hole, players constantly tumbling deeper into a wonderland where conspiracies reign, waiting to be uncovered. It’s Lewis Carroll meets the Grassy Knoll Theory. It’s life, re-imagined. As a story, as a game.

But this is not a game.

This interconnection between reality and fiction is masterfully explored in Walter Jon Williams’ latest novel This Is Not A Game, a beautiful multi-layered novel, both vastly entertaining and astute. It’s a fascinating sociological experiment, an exploration of large-scale problem-solving by a community of minds. An ode to the Hive Mind and the power of Group Think, to its immense processing power. Each individual providing a unique perspective of the problem, a single paintbrush stroke; only the group providing the complete picture, the solution, the Monet. Like a group of rats, arguing, sharing information, before finally deciding the best course through the maze. There’s power in numbers. Reasoning power.

Even better. This Is Not a Game is a compelling mystery, one that threateningly demands—like a militant nun, ruler in hand, your knuckles spread before her—for you to continue, to finish. Stopping, it’s not an option. It’s not even a thought. You turn the pages of the book not just to get answers, but to get the questions, also. And neither disappoint. There is no letdown, no clumsy resolution, no descent into lameness. Everything works, the story coming together beautifully like a well-played game of chess, Williams maneuvering the reader, skillfully. Like a pawn. A very happy pawn.

The novel feels fresh, new, totally unique. Something completely different from the tired, recycled space opera found in most sci-fi novels today. You’ll remember This Is Not A Game afterwards, for its distinct storyline, for being unlike anything else you’ve read. For being special. A rabbit hole, both deep and dark, leading to a dazzling wonderland, where a game imitates life. And life imitates a game.

Last Word:
Games vary. Some you play on a board, everyone fighting to be the little metal car. Some you play on the latest whiz-bang video game system, featuring the most realistic graphics yet. And some you play with people, manipulating their emotions and ideas. But the best games arise from stories; storytelling being nothing more than an author playing a game with their reader. An imagination game, one in which the writer sets the rules. A game with drama and mystery, winners and losers. So Walter Jon Williams’ This Is Not A Game lies. It is a game. A hell of a game, a fascinating mystery, and intriguing social commentary. Where every reader is a winner, no matter what alternate reality you choose to call home. show less

Another fine read from Walter Jon Williams, who is already mining this same vein in his newest book ([b:Deep State|8203603|Deep State (Dagmar, #2)|Walter Jon Williams|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|13050632])

[b:This Is Not a Game|3535568|This Is Not a Game (Dagmar, #1)|Walter Jon Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256044569s/3535568.jpg|3577531] is a near-future book that explores massive, multi-player games - and how the lines between reality and fantasy can easily be crossed.

The heroine (Dagmar) is a "puppetmaster" - a freelancer who runs large-scale, multi-player games (mostly as marketing events). As a character, she's realistic, smart and sympathetic, yet Williams wisely avoids turning her into an action show more hero.

When appropriate, she gets scared, she runs, she hides, and yes - she eventually she takes action (again, when appropriate).

In fact, outside of one false moment (*Spoiler Alert**a hacker "cracks" the game, uses its unwitting players to help commit a murder, yet the plot seemingly speeds right on by), the book is nicely plotted and populated with characters that only occasionally feel odd or wooden.

Despite its small mis-steps,
[b:This Is Not a Game|3535568|This Is Not a Game (Dagmar, #1)|Walter Jon Williams|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256044569s/3535568.jpg|3577531] is a wholly worthwhile read from one of Science Fiction's consistently under-rated writers (if you haven't read the Green Leopard Plague collection, you're missing a lot).

I'm looking forward to the next book featuring Dagmar ([b:Deep State|8203603|Deep State (Dagmar, #2)|Walter Jon Williams|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|13050632]), which should be an excellent read. show less

I picked this book up on a whim during a recent trip to Powell's, and was not disappointed. I love the premise and how the author explores the overlap between virtual space and physical space, between what is a game and what isn't. I also appreciated how strong and believable the female protagonist was written. If you enjoy gaming, especially ARGs, you will enjoy this story.

...If you enjoy a good (techno) thriller this book is as good as it gets. Events frequently outpace the main character keep her, and to an extend the reader, off balance. Williams captures the paranoia, desperations and frustration of the main character very well, without making her completely helpless. Dagmar is used to being in control of the game, when she eventually cuts the strings that move her the result in interesting, unexpected even. In short, I thought This Is Not a Game was a very entertaining read. Not bad at all for my first exposure to Williams’ work.

Full Random Comments review

When Dagmar lands in Jakarta, she finds her connecting flight has been canceled... along with every other flight out of the country. The currency is under attack and a revolution is underway. Luckily, Dagmar is the major producer/writer for Great Big Idea, a company that specialized in creating ARGs: alternate reality games. Her boss is a multimillionaire and he's determined to get Dagmar out of the country and back to safety, where she can start writing the next big game. When some of the more conventional rescue attempts fail, Dagmar turns to the online gaming community to help her.

Fast forward to a few months later, with Dagmar back in LA and starting a brand new ARG. As the game gets underway, one of Dagmar's longtime friends is show more murdered. Can she once again call on gamers to help solve this murder? And, as Dagmar digs deeper to solve this mystery, other countries come under attack, just like Jakarta. The line between game and reality begins to blur... however, This Is Not A Game.

Okay, this book is difficult to sum up, particularly without sounding cheesy. Williams does an excellent job between joining online games with reality, as well as recognizing the strange potential of massive amounts of gamers. I think he creates a story that will appeal to classic RPGers as well as those who've only gamed on a console or computer. I liked Dagmar - she was resourceful, funny, and creative.

If I have any complaints for this book, it's that it felt like there were a few loose ends or unnecessary characters/plot bits. The transition from the chapters in Jakarta to the start of The Long Night of Briana Hall was abrupt, and the ending didn't have quite the punch I expected... or maybe I was just thinking there was going to be another plot twist. The moments with the gamers are gold... I wish there were more (why is it I hate reading message boards in real life, but enjoy them in a story?). And there's just something thoroughly enjoyable about a plot involving what happens when gold-farming goes so wrong.

If you love gaming, whether it's on paper and involves d20s or if it's on a console or involves being in character, this is a book you'll probably enjoy. I'm glad it was recommended to me! show less

This was great! Real world, bots, net gaming, social networking, murder, Russian mafya, national economies attacked, this book ties them all together. It started off kind of slow and odd, with the main character in a 3rd world country that was collapsing. But once she got back to LA, the main story took off. The ending was a bit rushed, imo. Basically, an overlapping and intertwining of the real world and the networld. It was a cool ride. However, due to the slow start and rushed, almost simplistic, ending, I don't think it was as good as it could have been. Really recommend it though to anyone who thinks that the net can't affect the real world :-0

Williams extrapolates the very near future of alternate reality games and gives us a superb thriller where the heroine, who writes such games, first learns to use the collective intelligence of thousands and millions of gamers to get herself out of a tight spot, and then solve a problem that could lead to a global economic catastrophe. The depiction of gamers and startups is spot on, and the pacing kept me up late at night. If you liked Charles Stross’ Halting State, you will enjoy this book.