Thursday, July 26, 2012

GAMELAND by S.W. Tanpepper

From Goodreads:
A group of tech-savvy teenagers breaks into Long Island's Gameland, a formerly militarized wasteland that was, for years, abandoned to the Infected Undead before being reclaimed by a government-sponsored company interested in merging virtual reality and survival gaming into a single seamless entertainment package. But while breaking into The Game turns out to be a lot easier than they could ever have imagined, breaking out is one hell of a killer.


Episode 1 Free For Kindle July 27th and 28th!!

Lori's Review: 5 Stars

First of all let's get started by talking about the format of this book. You'll notice in the title that it is sectioned into episodes 1-8. Currently only episodes 1-3 are available. Which are the 3 that I will be reviewing here.
This book is played out like a tv show. Each episodes ends on a cliff hanger much like the tv show the Walking Dead or Lost. The next episode has a little backstory of the previous one and then picks up where the story arc left off. It makes for a fast paced, interesting read. Without annoying commericials to boot. I'll take it!
The writing was great. You are drawn in and invested in the character Jessie from almost the get go. She's a normal teenager, angsty, insecure, strong willed, loves video games, and has a knack for breaking the rules. Yes, there are typos. Enough to notice but not littering every single page. Once again...I really don't give a crap about typos. (Also, the author invites readers to point these out to him so he can fix them...so all you crazy typos peeps there you go. Make a note of them and send it to him. Sorry Mr. Tanpepper...I just don't do that unless I am beta reading a book. I'm lazy.)
The rest of the characters are quirky and rag tag. They are a futuristic computer hacking scooby doo gang...minus the dog...plus a couple dozen zombies. Real zombies, not a bunch of white dudes in masks.
Because of the tv show layout of this book, the zombies aren't the starring cast. The rag tag computer hacking, video game playing, and tresspassing teenagers are. The zombies aren't even the main enemy. They are more or less a tool used by the enemy. This story takes place 15 years after a major zombie outbreak. Zombies are a tool that the government and media use. For warfare, to clean stuff and as tv stars a la survior type show called Survivalist. They are controlled through brain implants. Which everyone has...they are only activated once dead. Yes, there are some uncontrolled zombies. They roam the deadlands of Long Island. Barricaded in by well stuff. I can't give everything away.  So you hardcore zombie fans have been warned. Although, I say go ahead and pick it up. It's very enjoyable even though not every page has blood spatter on it. I'm a gore head too and I simply loved this book (story?)
Each episode is self contained with a cliff hanger and an overeaching story arc like I said before. But there are new problems brought up and solved within them. They are very detailed and you feel like you really are watching a tv show. Because of the length and information load I was only able to read on episode per day. Which is perfect. It's like getting to see your favorite TV show everyday. Or once a month until Dec. Which is when this will be done. :(
There is plenty else to keep readers entertained. Romance (YA-M style), mystery (someone within the group has betrayed them but we just don't know who yet...I have my suspicions) and action. If you enjoy a good action filled book/tv show then you should definately pick this up. The zombies are just an added bonus. Honestly, I would have loved it even without them.
At the end the author tells you several ways to update your ebook at the beginning of each month when he puts out a new episode. I will be downloading the next one for sure. I want to see how we get to the end (which he tells you in the beginning).

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