Book Review: Warcross

I didn't realize that Warcross, by Marie Lu, is the first in a two-book series. Thankfully, however, the second book is already available, and I have put my name on my library's hold list. Seventeen magazine bills Warcross as The Hunger Games meets Minecraft. I think readers who enjoyed Ernest Cline's Ready Player One will enjoy Lu's virtual reality gaming series (although, of the two, Cline's is better).

Emika Chen is down on her luck. Her father's death left her with his gambling debts and illegal hacking led to a ban on her computer use. Thus, she is scrabbling a living as a bounty hunter. None of that can stop her from watching the worldwide sensational Warcross games. But, when she hacks into the game, attempting to steal a power-up, she enters a world of even higher stakes. Instead of being arrested, they fly her to Tokyo and offer her a job. But who can she trust in this world of virtual reality?

Emika is a colorful character with rainbow-dyed hair and an armload of tattoos. Her spunky grit draws the reader into her plight. Though the protagonist is a girl, the virtual reality gaming aspect of the book will suck boys in equally. The fast-paced action keeps you turning pages. What drives the young prodigy Hideo Tanaka, developer of Warcross and the Neurolink virtual reality glasses? Who opposes his developments and triumphs? Can Emika find the opponent and eliminate him?

I'm not much of a gamer, so I skimmed through the gaming details. I tolerated the romance aspect (thankfully none graphic, though one scene involved the couple swimming in the raw). Still, I followed Emika's journey with interest.  Indeed, the book provided plenty to think about concerning our use of technology. Why do we give up our privacy in order to participate? Are we so sucked into the current rage we ignore inherent dangers? Is virtual reality an enhancement or a threat? Who monitors the ethical ramifications of new technology? So many questions to ponder.

When I came to the cliffhanger ending, I recognized the book left more questions than answers. The final reveal was significant enough to garner my curiosity for the second installment. I can imagine this book as a movie, but could only find information on Lu's Legend book. The acknowledgements mentioned a film agent, so perhaps Warcross will one day be available in movie form. In the meantime, I will happily invest a few more hours in the sequel, Wildcard.