Yep, LitRPG again. Sorry! This definitely might be the last one.
Opening Moves is the first in Cosimo Yap's series called "The Gam3", which he started releasing as a web novel, available here. He's currently in the middle of writing book 3, but I've got through Books 1 and 2 in ebook form. It's a little easier to read than the website version, and has undergone a degree of tidying up.
This series made a nice change to the ones I've read recently, as the game it's set in and around is a science fiction themed world, as opposed to the fantasy that seems to be more common.
Our main character, Alan, lives in a universe which has eliminated all war, by only allowing proxy conflict, within "The Game" (capitals mandatory). As different species or colonies take over control points through fighting in the game, they also gain power and control over the equivalent real-world location. As a new joiner to the game, Earth gets six months of leniency, before they are allowed to be preyed on by all the other species of the universe. (There's a lot.)
This turns the series into something of a political thriller, with different factions on the Earth and in the game jostling for position and power, in order to either control, defend or exploit Earth. There are plots within plots here. Which unfortunately, do occasionally get a little confused. Still, it's an impressive attempt for a genre which often seems to try and stay fairly simple.
The game world is also nicely fleshed out, with a lot of world-building in the background making it seem much more of a universe spanning MMORPG. There's always the issue of scale, in that this should have billions of players, but I think trying to cover quite that far would result in very little story. The mechanics are kept fairly light, which allows a bit of wiggle room as the plot demands. This might be too much wiggle room, in that Alan is beginning to look a bit overpowered, but that rather depends on how the plot develops. There's a few things going on in the background that might account for it.
It's a gripping read, in that I've raced through the first two books and am now up to date with the ongoing web version of the third. I am excitedly awaiting new chapters.
Probably tied with NPCs for my current favourite LitRPG.
Recommended.
Tagged: Book GameLit Super-science world Novel Print