Game Over - Extended Edition
Todd Thorne
Todd Thorne, publisher
Fiction, MG? Chiller/Sci-Fi
Themes: VR
****
Description
With his parents going through a bitter divorce, Timmy becomes a pawn in their vicious power games. As if that weren't bad enough, the boy has to
contend with the monstrous aftermath of a VR challenge with a schoolmate, Joshua. Only by winning a rematch can Timmy rid himself of the nightly
visitor - but Joshua's already written him off as an unworthy opponent. He needs to concoct a truly horrific simulation to best the beast. If only he
could find some inspiration...
This Kindle-exclusive edition features an extra, alternate scene.
Review
Though the main characters are kids, the fear and gore level rank fairly high, which is why I qualified the age category; I've read some dark middle grade tales, but this might very well have been intended for mature audiences. That said, I enjoyed it. It starts fairly fast, establishes its characters and its universe without resorting to info-dumps, and wends its way through terrors material and psychological on its way to a fairly dark conclusion. Given my usual iffy luck with short stories, I enjoyed it all the more. (As for the alternate scene, I personally preferred the one used in the finished story, though both were creepy in their own ways.)