Virtual Vandals (Tom Clancy's Net Force; Young Adults, No. 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Tom Clancy (Author), Steve Pieczenik (Author), Diane Duane (Author)

Book Description

Series: Net Force YA | Publication Date: February 1, 1999

At a holographic "old-timers" baseball game, Matt Hunter and several other Net Force Explorers are thrilled to see Babe Ruth swing for the fences. But when Ruth does his famous routine of pointing to the stands, four people dressed in 30s-style outfits stand up and open fire with Tommy guns!

Even virtual bullets can kill you. Matt and his friends know that these "virtual vandals" must be stopped. But the stadium stunt is just the beginning. And even the teens of the Net Force might not be able to stop them next time!

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425161730
• ISBN-13: 978-0425161739
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #806,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting YA Novel for Computer Geniuses, March 16, 2004

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Virtual Vandals (Tom Clancy's Net Force; Young Adults, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

The year is 2025, and computers rule the world. Which is why the Net Force was formed. To protect the United States of America from all online criminal activity. But there is also a group of teenage computer geniuses who sometimes know more than adults, who are known as the Net Force Explorers.

While watching a holographic "old-timers" baseball game, Net Force Explorer Matt Hunter, and several of his Net Force Explorer friends are filled with excitement at seeing the legendary Babe Ruth come up to bat, but while doing his well-known routine of pointing to the stands, a group of four people dressed in outfits from the 30's, stand up and open fire on the entire stadium with Tommy guns. Everyone knows that virtual bullets can kill you, and Matt and his Net Force Explorer friends know that this group of vandals must be stopped. But the stadium shoot-out is just the beginning. Now Matt and his friends are worried that perhaps even the legenday Net Force Explorers will be unable to stop them next time.

I found that the first installment of TOM CLANCY'S NET FORCE was both intriguing and interesting. The fact that VITUAL VANDALS takes place in the year 2025 will gain fans from the futuristic and science fiction fans, and all of the talk about the Internet and computers will intrigue the so-called computer geniuses of the world. The characters are intelligent, and computer-savvy, who embark on numerous adventures throughout the novel, and will have the reader rooting for them from the very first page until the very last page. A must-have.

Erika Sorocco

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! A great book to read!, June 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Virtual Vandals (Tom Clancy's Net Force; Young Adults, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Since Virtual Vandals was the first Net Force book I ever read, what I didn't know was that is was the third in the series. After reading it, I was so amazed, I would probably read it all over again. An excellent book, definitely worth buying and would recommend to a colleague!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read for young science-fiction fans, July 21, 2005

By 

Geert Daelemans (Leuven Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Virtual Vandals (Tom Clancy's Net Force; Young Adults, No. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Matt Hunter, an enthusiastic Net Force Explorer, and his friends are sitting in the stadium of Camden Yards watching a holographic baseball game. There are only a few people who are physically present at Camden Yards, because most spectators have bought a virtual seat and are watching the game from their home, while at the same time being represented as holographic images at the stadium. Suddenly four virtual viewers stand up from their seats and start firing at the audience with machine guns. One of Matt's friends is hit by a holographic bullet and struggles for his life. Matt starts to wonder how it is possible that people can get hurt by virtual bullets. With the help of the Net Force Explorer team he starts his investigations and soon reveals something that is much bigger than what that vandal's prank might seem at first sight.

Virtual Vandals is a decent and well-written science-fiction story that will definitely serve as an enjoyable read for many youngsters. The main theme is virtual reality, but as opposed to another Net Force book titled The Deadliest Game, this time the storyline is not entirely submerged into a virtual world. Typically of a virtual world is that everything can happen and nothing needs to be explainable. The authors have not stepped into this trap and have kept the suspense into the 'real' world, which is in my opinion the better choice. The story contains a few twists that might not all be as convincing, but they keep up the pace so that Virtual Vandals can be called a real page-turner.