Equal parts American high school drama, augmented reality AI adventure and modern social commentary, Danny Tobey’s The God Game is a breakneck thriller about choices, consequences and the facades we hide behind. For Charlie and his friends, navigating high school brings with it a host of pains and problems, but at least they have each other – the Vindicators, a tight-knit group of talented misfits. When they’re introduced to the G.O.D. Game, a secretive AI program created in the image of the Almighty, joining in seems like harmless fun. As they get deeper into the game, however, they come to realise that there might be some truth to its outrageous claims: “Win and all your dreams come true™! Lose, you die!”
It’s an elegant, achingly relevant concept – a group of teenagers are lured by the promise of illicit thrills and escapism, tailored perfectly to appeal to their underdog nature, into a tantalising game blending reality and technology. At first it seems harmless, setting them simple tasks that they’re comfortable completing, but as things quickly escalate they dig themselves ever deeper into a web of increasingly troubling social manipulation as the scale of the game – and its repercussions – become clear. It’s more than just a video game adventure, though – it’s also a family drama dealing with the relationships and power dynamics between children and their parents, underpinned by a consistent theme of contrasting religious, mystical and philosophical ideas with modern technology and coding.
A story about choices, deals and consequences, it’s driven by characters who are all hiding their own secrets and battling their own demons, and are susceptible to the temptation of what the game offers. Even while it’s exploring the perils of relying on technology and what we’re willing to sacrifice – in privacy, and personal values – for the sake of power and convenience, it’s also examining the relationships between these characters as each of them face tricky choices that risk pushing away those closest to them. As the main protagonist Charlie gets the most upfront backstory, but all of his friends have their own secrets and motivations which cause them to react differently to the game and what it offers, while even the key adult characters are engaging and well-developed – although they’re mostly there to add emotional complexity to the dilemmas faced by the Vindicators.
Short, rapid-fire chapters help maintain a breathless pace throughout, cycling between different characters’ viewpoints and cramming in a lot of plot and character work alongside the cool tech and heaps of modern pop culture references. The multiple viewpoints work as a stylistic choice overall, even if the odd change mid-scene – and the occasional snippet of god’s eye perspective (which is, to be fair, thematically appropriate) – sometimes jars a little, and while the breakneck pace might not be for everyone it does suit the story and undoubtedly keeps the pages turning. The themes of social manipulation and the subsequent acts of desperation can be quite tough to read in places, emotionally speaking, but if you’re in the mood for a contemporary, technologically relevant thriller which sits somewhere between the excitement of Young Adult and the usual gritty adult stylings, there’s a lot to enjoy here.
Many thanks to Gollancz and Stevie Finegan for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!
