Gamechanger by L.X. BeckettMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Gamechanger is a hopeful novel, in that it's post-apocalyptic--as in, we've had the apocalypse (Setback) then some very hard times (Clawback) and now we're making progress (Bounceback). Society is pretty advanced--no one is left behind, and there's resources to spare for a lot of playtime. So it's appropriate that the novel centers on a couple of immersive game stars, the sports heroes of their time.
The technology and overall tone are from William Gibson. Not sure where Star Trek comes in--maybe the hopefulness? But I have to agree with other reviewers that the actual plot is pretty haphazard. Rogue AI/space invader combined with villains escaped from the Setback. And it's somewhat unrealistically hopeful--all three phases occur within a human lifetime, so one of our older main characters remembers the whole progression. I don't think we'll fix our environment quite that fast. Our author has ideas and can create engaging characters, but there's not enough plot coherence behind them to really carry the story. I managed to finish and am glad, because it really picks up toward the end, but can see where some might not carry through.
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