![The God Game: A Novel by [Tobey, Danny]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51v79Hla-sL._SY346_.jpg)
This one roared out of the gate. The first two hundred pages or so went by in a flash and while the final three hundred didn’t drag, the pace slowed to a reasonable rate. When reading that first part, I thought this was a pastiche on Ready, Player One – a novel I enjoyed completely. However, The God Game soon turns first dark and then coal mine at midnight dark before it winds up.
The theme of the book is speculation as to what it’d be like, or could be like if augmented reality (AR) controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) had an effect on the physical world. While the book is farfetched and clearly in the realm of science fiction, there’s nothing here that would violate the laws of physics or otherwise be impossible.
Think of Skynet updated to today to give you an idea of how chilling this book struck me. The AI assumes an identity that has enormous theological implications if it were to actually happen. So the story is compelling and in a very real way, thought-provoking.
What is not nearly as well-done are the characters. The protagonist, Charlie, is the least believable player I can remember in a book. He a teen at the end of high school but exhibits a two-bit sense of morality straight from Disney Studios. Aside from a Freudian neurosis discussed below, his character could be played by The Little Mermaid. Some of the other five in his group that are swept into this AR dream/nightmare seem also to be infected by this same peculiar affliction. It appears over and over with Charlie and the others striking a false note every time.
Then to add to this unreality, the protagonist has a full-blown creepy goosebump-inducing Oedipal Complex. This book would make Freud’s day. The others in his cadre seem also to have this to a lesser degree. It was nauseating reading the dialog and thoughts of these teens that have such an inexplicable and repulsive attachment to their mothers. I think a good deal of this author has leaked into his characters.
The last act is more than a bit incoherent, but that’s easy to overlook since the outcome does fit even if it’s a bit unclear in the details. In sum, I enjoyed the book finding it, especially the setup, intriguing and exciting. It’s a solid entry in speculative fiction for our time.
Review’s Note
While not relevant to the quality of the book, the author, through his players, doesn’t miss a chance to mock or belittle Donald Trump. It’s beyond heavy-handed. While this didn’t damage the book for me, it does baffle me that any author would chance putting off so many readers since this aspect of the novel had no bearing on the plot or theme. Half the people I know wouldn’t mind or maybe they’d laugh along while the other half would likely return the book demanding their money back. It’s not exclusive to Tobey, but never makes commercial sense to me.
Review
"THE GOD GAME is a dark, edgy thriller, populated by a vastly appealing cast of teenage underdogs. Danny Tobey has written an unusually smart and provocative novel, a book full of ideas and heart that feels both fantastical and all-too-real at the same time."--Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftovers and Little Children
"What an amazing achievement THE GOD GAME: a gripping page-turner that kept me up late three nights in a row, rooting for the engaging, wisecracking teen heroes; at the same time a terrifying and weirdly persuasive reverse-engineering of the morality of our present cultural moment. Also a moving and thought-provoking commentary on the relationship between parents' pain and children's achievement. Every time I read the news now I keep thinking I see signs of THE GOD GAME being played all around us, until I remember that it isn't real (probably). I couldn't put it down."--Elif Batuman, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Idiot
"What an amazing achievement THE GOD GAME: a gripping page-turner that kept me up late three nights in a row, rooting for the engaging, wisecracking teen heroes; at the same time a terrifying and weirdly persuasive reverse-engineering of the morality of our present cultural moment. Also a moving and thought-provoking commentary on the relationship between parents' pain and children's achievement. Every time I read the news now I keep thinking I see signs of THE GOD GAME being played all around us, until I remember that it isn't real (probably). I couldn't put it down."--Elif Batuman, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Idiot
About the Author
Danny Tobey is a fifth-generation Texan. He went to Harvard College, Yale Law School, and UT Southwestern medical school. Harvard gave Danny the Edward Eager prize "for the best creative writing." He wrote and edited the Harvard Lampoon and was anthologized in The Best of the Harvard Lampoon: 140 Years of American Humor.
Danny's first novel, the sci-fi fantasy thriller The Faculty Club, came out from Simon & Schuster. Danny is a noted expert on Artificial Intelligence. In 2019, the Library of Congress gave Danny the Burton Award for his work on AI and the law.
