Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Moon Maze Game-Larry Niven and Steven Barnes

The Moon Maze Game
Larry Niven and Steven Barnes
Tor, Aug 16 2011, $25.99
ISBN: 9780765326669

In 2085 the colonized Moon hosts the latest Live Action Role Playing Game based on H.G. Wells’ classic First Men in the Moon. The contest will be broadcast live to the moon colonists and to those living on earth. The chosen ones to participate include famous gamemaster Xavier, Prince Ali of the African Republic of Kikaya whose father is President for Life and the royal’s bodyguard Scotty Griffin, and Xavier’s competitors Wayne Gibson and Angelique Chan.

However, the Live Action Role Playing Game turns deadly when Shotz leads his ruthless gang on an invasion of the moon landscape. His unit captures game participants killing some and holding others hostage as they demand the President for Life Abdul abdicates. The problem for Shotz and his professional mercenaries is they are gaming on Xavier’s turf.

The fourth Dream Park game theory based science fiction (see The Barsoom Project and The California Voodoo Game) is an entertaining thriller that extrapolates present economic and political trends seven decades into the future. The story line starts slow and in some ways repeats its predecessor even with the game base being radically different but fans of the saga will enjoy this action-packed lunar landing.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: