What can I say about "Citizen Sim"? One thing's for sure: it was an interesting ride.
Johnny Clark is like any other teenage boy of the 21st century--he cuts class, plays video games, and eats junk food--until one day he wakes up with the know-how to build a device that makes him invisible and erases people's memories of his very existence. Monsters and strange secret-agent types begin chasing him, and only Johnny's device--which he calls his "gone band"--allows him to stay out of their reach. He soon encounters Layla Storm, a girl who reveals a world-shattering idea: Johnny is in a massive simulation, a la "The Matrix." Most of the people in his life are computer-generated, and his "gone band" is a hack that allows him to circumvent the simulation's rules. More importantly, he has memories locked away in his subconscious from his life before he entered the simulation that are critical to saving humanity from slavery under the Martians. (Yep, aliens.) Out in the real world, it's the 23rd century and space travel has brought Earthlings into conflict with their neighbors on the Red Planet.
Now if you think my explanation of the plot was confusing, you're in for a roller coaster ride when you actually read the book. I spent a good portion of the book confused. Most of that was just due to the nature of the plot and the fact that Johnny's memories of what was really going on were blocked, so I don't count it against the book. I like a little bit of mystery. But there was one point where I had a hard time telling if Johnny was dreaming or the things happening to him were really happening.
One great thing about "Citizen Sim" is that it kept me laughing. Toward the beginning of the book when Johnny is still figuring out his "gone band," he refers to turning invisible as "going all Sue Richards," which I appreciated as a fan of Marvel comics. Plus there are some delightfully weird things that happen in the book, like Johnny chasing a giant sheepdog across various screens in New York City, or biting into an apple that tastes like meatloaf as a result of a glitch in the simulation. Stuff like that kept me smirking pretty much the whole time I was reading.
There is also a rather large plot twist toward the end of the book, which I won't spoil, but I will say that I started suspecting the truth when Layla went to the Trash. I liked that Mr. Solana gave us some hints at the twist before it was fully revealed, so I had a chance to figure it out myself. (Though sometimes it can be fun to be completely blindsided by major plot twists too. Brandon Mull's first "Beyonders" book is a great example of one of these.)
One thing I always have to mention when I review an ebook is the quality of editing. I am pleased to say that "Citizen Sim" was mostly free of editing errors. I noticed a few small ones (like confusing "waste" and "waist"), but mostly they just made me chuckle and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book.
I am also pleased to say that "Citizen Sim" is quite clean in terms of mature content. There is a little bit of language here and there, and some violence, but it is not overly graphic. (Though I will admit the sentinels majorly creeped me out. They reminded me of Chris Paolini's Ra'zac.) No sex either.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will certainly be keeping an eye out for the sequel. (And there definitely will be a sequel, because the end was a bit of a cliffhanger.) If you like giving your brain a stretch in order to wrap your mind around the rather complex plot, "Citizen Sim" is the book for you.
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