The Eye of Minds by James Dashner (The Eye of Minds #1)

onyxdarkling
May 18, 2015
2 min read

In the future, virtual reality reigns supreme. The population spends almost all of its free time inside the VirtNet, a cyber-world where anything is possible. Gamers use everything they can to become the best, trying to have the highest score in their games and advance to the next level. Two tricks that comes in handy? Hacking and coding. Michael is just like every other gamer in the VirtNet. He and his friends, Byson and Sarah, are up-and-coming players, talented and ambitious. However, rumors begin to spread through the VirtNet about a dangerous gamer who calls himself Kaine. Kaine is harming other players, and people are dying. Michael and his friends are recruited by a government agency to track Kaine down and stop him before he can cause even more damage. In a chase for the gamer, Michael and his companions will be forced to go to new places and search the darkest corners of the VirtNet.

I'm a little underwhelmed by the characters. Sure, I can see that Bryon is the boy who keeps the mood light and always has a snappy comeback, just like how Sarah is supposed to be the smart one who's the voice of reason. Other than that, however, I didn't learn much and they seemed a bit 2D. All three are obviously very brave if they're willing to put themselves in danger to find Kaine, risking death and injury. The fact that they haven't given up also shows that they must be pretty determined. Even so, I couldn't get a good fix on Michael's personality. It didn't make it impossible to enjoy the story, but it was annoying that I couldn't feel like the characters were real people with me.

On a better note, I really loved the setting! Virtual reality is an enticing idea as a world where anything and everything is possible and the rules of everyday life don't apply. Dashner came up with some pretty creative games, from a frightening Hunger Games-style free-for-all shooter to other games that are supposed to simulate real life as much as possible and are slightly more tame. I enjoyed exploring the VirtNet, and I hope to see more of it in the sequel.

I can't say I was unable to put the book down, but I enjoyed it. The characters need development, but apart from that, I enjoyed the story. The world of the VirtNet is original and creative, and it was a first for me. There were several good twists towards the end, and while not particularly action-packed, The Eye of Minds had the occasional spurt of fighting and a decent dose of adventure. If you're a James Dashner fan, I would warn you that this book wasn't as exciting as The Maze Runner, but it certainly had almost as much intrigue. 3.5/5 stars.