Genre: Science Fiction
Published: July 24, 2022
Kindle Unlimited: No
Audiobook: No
Downloaded from NetGalley and encouraged to leave an honest review.
Blurb
"After losing his wife and son, Orin, due to his alcoholism, Dennis Hoke feels like he really needs a lucky break. He sees the Family Royale online gaming competition as his chance at redemption. This is the moment when he can rise to the challenge and finally become the father Orin needs.
They enter the contest together, competing to see which family can come out on top. What starts out as a great bonding experience for father and son soon derails as Dennis becomes addicted to success and his newfound stardom.
Orin begins to question just how far his father will go to win? And what’s the point in winning the game if you lose your soul?
Family Royale is a new stand-alone near-future SciFi novel by Avery Blake, author of Analog Heart, Vicarious Joe, and The Taken Saga."
Review
Dennis lost his wife and son because of his alcoholism. He's been sober for three years now, and his ex-wife is allowing him visitation of his son, Orin, on the weekends. Dennis feels inadequate as a father and when he sees an opportunity to bond with his son by entering a competition, he takes it. What was supposed to be a way for Dennis to bond with Orin quickly turns into a different kind of addiction.
I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed with this book. When I think of science fiction, I think of speculative fiction in which future tech has an impact on society or a single person, time travel, futuristic tech, parallel universes, space exploration, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, and other advanced futuristic concepts. I don't think of an app that uses gamification to bring families closer together or to teach children values. This and much of the other technology that is mentioned in the book already exists or is currently being researched.
The plot of the book doesn't focus so much on the impact that the app has made on Dennis and his son, Orin, it seems more focused on Dennis' self-destruction than the app. The app didn't cause Dennis' problems, Dennis did that all on his own by essentially trading one addiction for another. The app could have literally been replaced with anything, such as real-life roleplaying or a video game tournament, and the outcome would be similar to the ending of the book.
As a contemporary fiction/contemporary drama book, my view of the book would be different. Orin and Dennis have decent histories and the dichotomy between the two is illustrated well. The dialog and interaction between father and son with their surroundings were well-articulated. It's easy to see when Dennis begins his spiral downwards and the effect that this has on Orin. Dennis' compulsion to win overrides the original purpose of entering the competition, which was to have fun. I found myself emotionally invested in the plot; sometimes I wanted Orin and Dennis to win, and there were other times when I hoped they'd lose so that Orin could get the love from his father that he was desperately seeking.
As a science fiction book, the premise fell flat. As a contemporary drama/contemporary fiction, I thought it was an enjoyable read.
Comments
Post a Comment