The God Game: A Novel

Smart, propulsive and gripping, THE GOD GAME is an ambitious thriller and a terrifying examination of what couldand probably already ishappening in the world of artificial intelligence.Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run AwayA technological thriller with an alltoobelievable premise, awardwinning author Danny Tobeys The God Game follows five teenagers obsessed with an online video game that connects them to their worst impulses and most dangerous desires.They call themselves the Vindicators. Targeted by bullies and pressured by parents, these geeks and gamers rule the computer lab at Turner High School. Wealthy bad boy Peter makes and breaks rules. Vanhi is a punk bassist at odds with her heritage. Kennys creativity is stifled by a religious home life. Insecure and temperamental, Alex is an outcast among the outcasts. And Charlie, the leader they all depend on, is reeling from the death of his mother, consumed with reckless fury.They each receive an invitation to play The God Game. Created by darkweb coders and maintained by underground hackers, the video game is controlled by a mysterious artificial intelligence that believes it is God. Obey the almighty A.I. and be rewarded. Defiance is punished. Through their phone screens and hightech glasses, Charlie and his friends see and interact with a fantasy world superimposed over reality. The quests they undertake on behalf of God seem harmless at first, but soon the tasks have them questioning and sacrificing their own morality.High school tormentors get their comeuppance. Parents and teachers are exposed as hypocrites. And the Vindicators behavior becomes more selfish and selfdestructive as they compete against one another for prizes each believes will rescue them from their adolescent existence. But everything they do is being recorded. Hooded and masked thugs are stalking and attacking them. God threatens to expose their secrets if they attempt to quit the game. And losing the game means losing their lives.You dont play the Game. The Game plays you....