MegaDeath

by Tory Quinn, Marie Vibbert

Overview

Death plays dirty.

It’s 2112 and war between nations has become a spectator sport. Soldiers are now gamers who live and die based on the outcome of the match, and every four years a worldwide MegaDeath tournament gives countries a chance to air their grievances. This year, however, an enterprising company has made it possible for ordinary citizens to bet their lives on their country’s team. Winning players will become national heroes, but losers will be responsible for the deaths of millions of their fellow citizens.

For North America’s talented star player, Megan Mori, death can’t come soon enough. Haunted by the loss of her daughter, which she blames on her own government, she has nothing more to lose and no one to fight for.

But as the games begin, it becomes clear that a much more sinister agenda is unfolding, and Megan will need to rally her fellow gamers against a threat that could end humanity as they know it.

“A thrilling and inventive future world that strikes a chord in today's nationalistic climate.”  –Advanced Review

Fans of Death Race and Ready Player One will love this book. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646300662
Publisher:	Level 4 Press, Inc.
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Pages:	310
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Working for a government think tank specializing in future technologies by day, TORY QUINN enjoys spending the evenings in front of the fire, sipping wine (a good but cheap Merlot from a box), while spinning yarns about technology gone astray and the lessons we can learn from the people faced with those situations. How does a scientist like Tory become a prolific writer? As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Many of the same skills required to dream up tomorrow’s great technologies apply to building fictional worlds, then setting extraordinary characters free within them.

Editorial Reviews

05/30/2022

With this middling cyberpunk tale of technology gone haywire, Quinn (Twilight of the Gods) and Vibbert (Galactic Hellcats) send bereaved mother and obsessive athlete Megan Mori to compete in a dangerous game, pitting her against both other players and herself. It’s 2112, and Megan’s only child was euthanized due to overpopulation, leaving Megan embittered and bent on competing in MegaDeath, the international, virtual-reality gladiatorial game that has replaced all-out wars in the face of rising waters and dwindling food supplies. Losers at lower levels of these games merely suffer intense pain, but the highest level losers die by the poisoned collars that they fasten to themselves before entering the competition. Megan quickly becomes the star of Team North America as it rises through the world tournament ranks en route to a protracted finale full of vicious violence, revelations of Big Brother–style governmental abuses, and even an unconvincing love triangle. The premise and character motivations strain credulity, and the profusion of video game–style fight sequences leaves little room for character development. For an audience that appreciates purely fast-and-furious action, this might work, but those looking for depth can take a pass. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"A grim future...exciting take on war and sport." —Advanced Reviewer

"Mega Death by author Tory Quinn is a brilliantly executed novel — and one that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary Science Fiction collections."—Midwest Book Review

MegaDeath by Tory Quinn and Marie Vibbert is a finalist for Eric Hoffer's The Montaigne Medal

From the Publisher

A brilliantly executed novel.”

Midwest Book Review