Christopher John Farley

I liked the premise of this book, with the main characters going in to a real-life video game. I also was quite intrigued with the Jamaican mythology and fantasy that was woven in to the book. I found myself referring to the glossary of terms in order to better understand the mythological creatures that were included in the real-life video game. Overall, this was an adequate book. I liked that the friendship between the characters what developed and grew throughout the book. By the end of the book, I think they understood each other a little better. Other than that, though, I did not feel much of an emotional connection with any of the characters. Towards the end, when the main character finds out the true history / nature of his mother and father, it didn't feel very real to me. It just seemed to fall flat. There was no real hint anywhere in the book leading up to this, and so it just seemed to come out of nowhere. Maybe that is what the author intended; maybe he wanted it to feel like a shocker to the reader. I did not feel it, though. Overall, this is a fun read, though, and I would recommend it to any middle grade reader!… (mere)

Dylan, although bullied at school, finds his strength in being the best video gamer when playing Xamaica. Dylan enters a contest and he is chosen as one of the best players of the game...little does he know that that talent will earn him a trip INTO the game. A mixture of Jamaican folklore, fantasy, and dangerous adventures awaits Dylan and friend Eli as they embark into the reality of the game and face dangers they never dreamed of. The aloof teenage daughter of the game's maker, Ines, accompanies them into this strange world with her own hidden agenda.

GameWorld is a action-filled adventure which pits teenagers against almost-mythical like creatures into order to 'win' the game and achieve their desires. Who will be the hero? Who will succeed at the game? What will be the outcome? Lots of questions await Dylan, Eli, and Ines as they explore a another world far from home.

Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers, Akashic Books, Black Sheep Publishing, Susannah Lawrence, and C.J. Farley for this ARC copy.… (mere)

I read a lot of young adult fiction, so I am accustomed to its somewhat less sophisticated nature. However, although I am rarely this blunt, I have to say that this book is just bad. Either it is being written 'down' a bit too much, or the author is a terrible writer. Sentence by sentence, it is *written* like a high schooler wrote not, not written as though a good author wrote it *for* a high schooler. The jokes are dumb, the metaphors and analogies that are used (constantly) are awkward and inaccurate. The plot line is rushed, the characters are hyper-stereotypical and pretty much uninteresting. The premise for the plot is overused, and although the actual setting of a Jamaica-like world is a cute idea, it doesn't save it. That's too bad, there are some neat ideas and it would be neat if kids could be exposed to some of the global/Caribbean mythology that comprises the characters and setting. Sadly, it falls flat. Terrible. I quit at about 100 pages.… (mere)

Dylan, a poor kid with a passion for gaming, manages to enter a tournament for his favorite video game and wins, leading him to become a part of the game. With the help of the game creator's daughter, his best friend, and his sister, they struggle to save the parallel world and find lost family members.

I really enjoyed this book. A lot doesn't make sense if you're not familiar with Jamaican folklore, but after a bit of research it was easy to see how much work went into it. It definitely seems like a thrilling read for kids starting to enjoy fantasy.… (mere)