Review- The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

Summary-

An all-new, edge-of-your seat adventure from James Dashner, the author of the New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series, The Eye of Mindsis the first book in The Mortality Doctrine, a series set in a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams . . . and your worst nightmares.

Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?

But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.

The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker.
And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team.
But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

Review-

I have heard a lot about James Dashner's Maze Runner series so when I got a chance to read The Eye of Minds I jumped on it. The Eye of Minds was definitely a unique read. It is set in a world where the VirtNet exists and technology and gamers are all that matters. 

Michael is a gamer. He is an expert in the codes which exist in the VirtNet and is addicted to the thrill which he gets out of it. Even if its not real is pretty damn close to it. The more hacking skills you have the more fun you can have. I liked Michael. He was a typical sixteen year old guy, completely into the VirtNet just looking for his next adventure.

But there are rumors spreading about people disappearing in the VirtNet. A gamer is holding them hostage and they are all being declared brain dead in the real world. So the government hires Michael and his two friends Sarah and Bryson to find out the hacker. I really liked Sarah and Bryson. They were all great friends who always had each others backs.

They Eye of Minds is filled with Michael and his friends adventures to find the hacker in the VirtNet. They go through a series of levels and soon the game becomes more dangerous than any one of them could have imagined. I can see how all this could appeal to a hard core science fiction reader. I liked it to an extent but I can't say I was amazed by the character building.

James Dashner definitely has amazing world building skills. Each level or mission the teenagers were on had a unique setting. I could clearly imagine what was happening, the description was so vivid. I loved the twist we got in the end. It kinda changed the whole game. The Eye of Minds was a good read.

*Note: A copy of this book was provided by Random House India in exchange for an honest review. We thank them.