THE GOD GAME / AUTHOR: DANNY TOBEY / PUBLISHER: GOLLANCZ / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

The God Game is a sci-fi techno thriller set in the modern day. It’s the tale of five misfit friends who, though over-achievers with solid futures planned, get sucked into a strange online conspiracy. They discover a game which assigns tasks to each player and the more they do for the game, the more advantages in the real world the players get.

Deliver a box, get your high school grades modified, that sort of thing. The game is called G.O.D. and this apparently rogue AI believes its own hype. After all, thanks to things like mobile phones, Alexa and the internet, it can pretty much be all-seeing and all-knowing. Things take a sinister turn pretty quickly, or we wouldn’t have a story.

Despite the modern trappings, the vibe is very 80s. The kids have their own cool team name (The Vindicators), speak in pop culture references, care about their grades and so on. We have the scholarly one, the rich kid, the girl, the charming everyday character and the one with serious self-image issues. All pretty much cookie cutter characters from any given John Hughes movie. Each character has their own problems, guilty secrets and growing pains.

We often talk about how books tend to go for a cinematic vibe, and that normally means that they have tightly written prose that allows the reader to picture epic chase scenes and provide the sort of special effects only found in the imagination. The God Game doesn’t do this; instead it wants to crank out the retro music and have the reader reminisce about how tough high school was. It’s like a Hollywood movie in the sense that it doesn’t feel terribly original. It relies too heavily on the reader to fill in the gaps. This means that rather than second guessing the plot you can pretty much see through the storyline and figure out what’s coming next.

This would be fine if the characters were interesting. Unfortunately, it fails to make any of the characters distinctive. Even the two main friends in the story, Peter and Charlie (the rich kid and the everyday hero) are very similar to each other. Though we get a slow reveal that makes them distinctive over time, at the start all these kids seem equally likeable, dumb and optimistic. The pacing is uneven and the story begins to groan under its own weight at times. The combination of samey characters and plodding plot means that it’s easy to miss some of the good stuff.

There are some great highlights; the premise of G.O.D. is fascinating and the various payoffs are clever. Alas it can’t decide if it’s a thriller, a fantasy or something else, and the story suffers for that. All that aside, Danny Tobey is a dynamic and clever writer. We are keen to see what he does next.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The God Game is a fast paced science-fiction/fantasy novel.
With similarities to Ready Player One it was an enjoyable read.

Charlie and his friends are high-school misfits. Nerds and losers, the group of five friends call themselves the Vindicators, and spend most of their free time in the school’s Tech Lab, coding and building robots. Charlie, once a star student, has let his work suffer following the recent death of his mother through cancer and while his friends and teachers try to get him back on track, Charlie is content to seek oblivion. When he receives an invitation to a game run by an AI that believes it is God, Charlie and his friends join willingly enough. The promise of big rewards is enough of an incentive, if they’re willing to ignore the threat of death if they fail to complete the objectives set for them by the game. But as they get deeper, the game begins to drive wedges between the friends and Charlie – the group’s voice of wisdom – begins to wonder if what they’ve been promised is worth the dissolution of their years-long friendships.

Danny Tobey’s new novel, The God Game, is everything you want from a good technological thriller: fast-paced, exciting, interesting characters who drive the story, and a nice balance of technical detail and action. Tobey’s background in software gives him a good foundation on which to build his premise and, as a result, The God Game is not only believable, but a conceivable very-near-future development, with enough artistic license to keep readers on the edges of their seats.

The conceit is a simple one: an artificial intelligence trained using every known religious text, to the point where it believes it is God, a combination of all of the gods described in these texts. And this God wants one thing: to be worshipped and loved, and so it creates a Game that allows its followers to show their devotion. When they are obedient, these followers are rewarded both in the Game, and in real life. But this is a malevolent God, and when it is crossed, it metes out the punishment it feels most suitable, from awarding Blaxx within the game, to beatings and death in real life.

Charlie and his friends all have reasons to want to take part in the Game and they conveniently ignore the parts of the sales pitch they don’t want to think about – “You lose, you die” – and focus on the rewards: the power to destroy the school bullies, or to woo the school’s most popular girls; the power to erase a bad grade and bolster one’s Harvard application, or to ruin the life of a competitor. We can believe in this group’s gullibility simply because they’re the misfits, the outcasts. The promise of popularity, of their wildest dreams coming true, is a powerful driver and each of these five teenagers is susceptible in their own way.

It doesn’t take things long to go awry, and each of the friends starts to question whether what they’re doing is entirely legal. Worse than that, they begin to suspect each other, and the group quickly falls apart, recriminations and accusations thrown freely around, lines crossed, and years-long friendships potentially destroyed in the blink of an eye. As Charlie frantically searches for a way out, he discovers that the Game is over twenty years old and that there is only one way to quit: this malevolent God demands a human sacrifice, leaving Charlie with the stark choice between insanity and death.

The God Game is a reasonably slow starter as Tobey sets the scene and introduces the key players. Once the friends become seriously invested in the Game, things ramp up quickly to the point where it’s difficult to set the book down. We have become invested in these characters and, while none of them is particularly likeable, we’re driven to find out how this story ends for them. The climax, when it arrives, is beautifully constructed, and manages to surprise and satisfy in equal measure.

One point I’d like to make, as an aside from the excellent story: this is the second Gollancz book I have read recently that contains a credits page at the back, listing everyone who worked on the book from editorial and publicity to finance and sales. This is a brilliant idea, giving credit where it’s due, and I would love to see this trend picked up by other publishers, and become standard in the publishing industry.

Dark and engaging, Danny Tobey’s The God Game is perfect for fans of Michael Crichton or Matthew Blakstad. A rollercoaster ride that mixes technology and philosophy in a way that doesn’t sacrifice pace, it has proven to be an excellent start to this reader’s year. I can’t recommend it highly enough, and look forward with some enthusiasm to see what Tobey has up his sleeve next.

The blurb of this sounded great and I like that it was a unique and interesting plot. But I felt some parts of the book dragged a little bit but perhaps this was because it wasn’t my usual genre of choice. Saying that, this book hasn’t helped me enjoy the genre and want to pick up more of it! Although the writing was good and the plot could have been really interesting, I just found it hard to get into and enjoy. Overall this book wasn’t for me, but may be for many others.

I was drawn to The God Game initially because of the cover and totally hooked from the blurb.

In these current times it's possible to think that this game could happen. This YA sci-fi hit the spot on delivering reality.

The book had quite an interesting plot to start with and it started off well but then slowed way down and became quite dragged out for my liking. I'm generally not so much into techno sci-fi books and this book didn't help in changing that opinion. Although the writing style was good and the story could have been interesting I couldn't get into it and struggled. Overall did not enjoy this book very much. Sorry. And a big thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me this book in exchange of my honest review.

I did not realise this was a YA book and so would not have requested had I realised - I did try but was not for me - apologies

I think my opinions on this will be a little biased as I did not realise this was YA. The usual problems I have personally with the genre were just as abounded in this one.

this was essentially a science fiction thriller.
The basic premise and idea were imaginative but for me, it fell short of the mark slightly.
if I'm honest it was all the mythical and religious philosophy that lost me that and all the coder talk it left me a tad lost and slightly confused within the narrative.
In short, I enjoyed it when it just played out more normally without all the pretentiousness and hidden meanings.
So the basic premise is an invitation to play the god game and the vindicator's a ragtag group of high school misfits with high IQ's well its right up there street.
Told from all the kids POV but with the main focus, in my opinion, being on Charlie this was somewhat interesting if sometimes confusing but the characters themselves here were just not very likeable individuals this, in turn, made it difficult to invest in them.
Things then start to escalate and events almost have a snowball effect with each action causing a reaction and so forth until everything starts to implode in a dramatic fashion.
It's all about the three degrees of separation and this featured this heavily.
If you like your science fiction and philosophical debates about right and wrong and so forth then this may be a fit for you.
I found myself skimming a lot especially over the heavy stuff still it was a somewhat solid read and I did finish.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The God Game.

Thank you St. Martins for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The God Game
By: Danny Tobey


*REVIEW* ☆☆☆
The God Game, implying that someone is manipulating others and playing at being God. This is true through the use of AI. Charlie and his friends, teens in high school, get wrapped up in the G.O.D. game, and, at first, it's all virtual reality cool and awesome-until it's not. When the game starts to look dark and sinister, it might be too late for Charlie and company. They don't know where or how this game started, and they can't stop it. So, who's in control-AI or human beings? That's a question I ask about the future of humanity. How long until robots take control of the world? This story presents this dilemma in a unique and engaging manner. I read this book slowly because I was frequently lost in the technological terminology and explanations. It's a bit much for those of us who aren't as tech savvy. Laymen's terms please! I also found the characters kind of Breakfast Club cliche, if that makes any sense. Here's the brain, the jock, the pretty one, the loner, whatever, with secrets etc. The point is that I've seen them before-many times. I wouldn't classify the book as general adult fiction either because it's more befitting to young adult fiction. The book was also long, and while I appreciate a lengthy read, I started to resent it here because I was bogged down in it. So, in the end, there are some good and some bad aspects in The God Game, thus putting me in the middle on this one. Read it if you think you can. The story is good once you get past a few obstacles. If you're tech savvy, you'll probably love it!

The God Game is a story that brings the fun of gaming with the good and bad side of A.I.

With the increase in games like Pokemon Go and Wizards Unite, the book feels like there could be people playing the G.O.D game now, and none of us would know. The way the technology overlapped reality in the book was one of my favourite elements. Even if certain aspects of the technology made me want to cover all the microphones and camera on my tech devices.

The characters in The God Game is a mix of people that we would or do know from school. The leading character Charlie has given up at school after the death of his mother. Throughout the story, Charlie deals with the moral quandary of what he is willing to do to get the best opportunity. Is getting a leg up in life worth the downfall of someone else. I enjoyed the fact that Charlie and his friends battle with the decision they make when they no the price.

Another element of the book that I felt was well done was showing each of the Vindicators (The name of Charlie friendship group) are dealing with there own issue, some dealing with different aspects of mental health. But the one thing they are all dealing with the pressure wither from home, school or society.

I did find it hard to like all the characters but that might have something to do with me being a goody two shoes at school.

Overall the book is fastpaced, with an interesting and thought-provoking plot. It's easy to read with some great surprises. 

My rating for The Good Game is 4 out of 5.




Thank you to Gollancz and Netgalley for providing me with an E-book copy of The God Game for a fair and honest review.

The God Game is about a group of high school kids who get invited to play ‘The God Game’, an AI that sets them missions. If they win, they get amazing prizes, but if they lose...

The concept is well executed, and as a big fan of Black Mirror, Stranger Things and Ready Player One, this book has elements of them all. The tension mounts as the characters are drawn into the game and the consequences get higher.

You definitely don’t need to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy this.

This was an original concept I was looking for in a thriller. I really enjoyed it. The plot was well done, the characters were well-drawn. It had a very strong start. It'd be better if it was a tad shorter.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Win and All Your Dreams Come True™! ;)

This cyber sci-fi thriller revolves around a group of five high school geeks – the Vindicators. The tech-savvy teens are experts at code and pulling trivial stunts. That is until Charlie and Peter receive an invitation they can’t refuse. They receive an invitation to play the G.O.D. Game. If they play and win, all their dreams come true. But if they die in the game, they die in real life... What begins as some harmless fun soon warps into something more sinister. As the virtual reality interposes itself onto real life, will they be able to escape?

I was immediately intrigued by the premise of The God Game, and, from the outset, it was incredibly immersive. It felt like a Stranger Things and Black Mirror collaboration with the scare-factor amped up a notch.

As the story progresses, we gain an insight into the characters’ innermost thoughts and fears, their dreams of getting into Harvard, and the secrets regarding the problems they’re enduring at home. They see the game as a chance for all of their dreams to come true. However, the missions, lies and promised rewards crescendo until the game becomes a prime source of their paranoia. Did my Dad really text me that or was it the game? The group dynamic crumbles as the players become mere pawns to the manipulative, omniscient AI. Just like Big Brother, it knows all and sees all. There is no off button. There is no way out. Despite its hefty length, I raced through this like it was a novella to see how, or if, they escaped.

The tech and religious jargon were difficult for me to follow along at times and I thought the quick POV switches were sometimes jarring. Nonetheless, this is an entertaining, original and engrossing story that any fans of Black Mirror will enjoy

So I was initially intrigued by The God Game as it sounded like a mixture between Nerve and Ready Player One. And with insta-pull it was the kind of book that had me hooked from the beginning.

This is an action packed, fast paced story that will have you on the edge of your sit as Charlie and gang become hooked on the game. And what started as innocent fun, soon causes paranoia and friendships to break.

While it was obvious that the dares and the associated risks were going to get bigger over time, I had no idea what the ultimate gameplay was. And it was really This that had me hooked.

There was times when The God Game was a little dark for my liking. However, despite the fantasy vs reality there were some grim, hard hitting topics, including suicide and bully. All of which get twisted into the game.

Sometimes this was hard to read, but overall an entertaining read, that may have need a couple of edits here and there.

The God Game by Danny Tobey

Charlie and Peter receive an invitation they can’t refuse. Messages appear on Charlie’s computer which claim to be the voice of God. He invites them to play the G.O.D. Game. If they succeed at the tasks they are set then all of their dreams will come true. If they fail or deny God, then they will die and if you die in the game then you die for real. This is the catch that Charlie, Peter, and their friends Anhi, Kenny and Alex have yet to learn but, the deeper they get into the game, carrying out the dares set to them by God and reaping the rewards, the more they realise that they are caught in a trap. Shadowy figures, mysterious packages and conflicting messages all serve to trick the friends as they discover that God intends to own them. There is no way out. God sees everything. God knows everything. Only God can end the game.

I immediately fell for the premise of The God Game and it delivers fully. It’s completely irresistible. The game that the teenagers join takes them on a series of loops, of cause and effect. They can never see the full picture and they are helplessly caught in a spiral. And it is all possible because of the society that we live in, where nothing can be hidden from cameras, microphones, hackers, games that can learn from the user’s behaviour. I really enjoyed this satirical take on the networks and programming that tie teenagers, or anyone, to their phones and computers and can manipulate them, which combines with the excitement and tension of a very enjoyable techno thriller.

The novel isn’t as Young Adult as I expected, it’s just as much Old Adult, but it does present an insightful look at the pain of being a teenager in a world controlled by social media, which makes all of the drama of growing up so many times worse. We see the world through the eyes of people who do not know who to trust, who have hopes and dreams, who fear everyone else because they’re a bit different, who are afraid of failure or of being humiliated. The teens have to deal with God but they must also deal with bullies at school, with the emotions of falling in love – usually with the wrong person – and with the expectations of parents and teachers, who are just as flawed as their children and pupils. This affects them all differently and this human drama drives the novel on, making it as emotional as it is thrilling.

The God Game is extremely exciting but there isn’t quite enough reason or explanation in it for me and, towards the end, I did feel that it’s a bit too clever for its own good. Charlie is the main character but I warmed the most to the only girl in the group, Vanhi, who is arguably the bravest of the four, the most loyal and the most self-sacrificing. I also had warm feelings for Kenny and Alex who seem to be manipulated even more than the others – served up as Abraham offered up his son Isaac to God. There are some intriguing glimpses of Old Testament theology through what is otherwise a very secular thriller.

The God Game is a real pageturner, which exceeded my expectations. It’s sharp, witty and tense and provides some real food for thought on the difficulties that teenagers have always faced but which are now arguably amplified by a digital world that never sleeps, that always watches and constantly judges and manipulates.

Interesting tale around a high school group of geeks - the Vindicators - who get the opportunity to play an online game called the GOD game which takes place around their school. The game begins to intrude into the real world and it becomes clear others are playing the game and taking instructions. How will they survive? Good construct, written with pace and drive.

This was an interesting (and at times creepy) book, that gave me some serious Black Mirror vibes! I did struggle a little bit at first to keep up with the various POVs, but this got easier as I settled into the story more. I would definitely recommend this one to all sci-fi fans looking for a unique and different take on a popular theme.

“Come inside and play with G.O.D.

Bring your friends!

It’s fun!

But remember the rules. Win and ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.™ Lose, you die!”

With those words, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God. Through their phone-screens and high-tech glasses, the teens’ realities blur with a virtual world of creeping vines, smoldering torches, runes, glyphs, gods, and mythical creatures. When they accomplish a mission, the game rewards them with expensive tech, revenge on high-school tormentors, and cash flowing from ATMs. Slaying a hydra and drawing a bloody pentagram as payment to a Greek god seem harmless at first. Fun even.

But then the threatening messages start. Worship me. Obey me. Complete a mission, however cruel, or the game reveals their secrets and crushes their dreams. Tasks that seemed harmless at first take on deadly consequences. Mysterious packages show up at their homes. Shadowy figures start following them, appearing around corners, attacking them in parking garages. Who else is playing this game, and how far will they go to win?

And what of the game’s first promise: win, win big, lose, you die? Dying in a virtual world doesn’t really mean death in real life—does it?

As Charlie and his friends try to find a way out of the game, they realize they’ve been manipulated into a bigger web they can’t escape: an AI that learned its cruelty from watching us.

God is always watching, and He says when the game is done.

Happy New Year internet book chums! After a much-needed break, The Eloquent Page returns for its first review of 2020. To kick things off, I’m taking a look at The God Game by Danny Tobey.

When Charlie initially discovers G.O.D. it feels like the answer to all his prayers. A family bereavement has left him emotionally and psychologically battered, and he needs some way to escape. High school, where he once excelled, seems like a pointless exercise and all his relationships have become strained. The opportunity to regain a sense of control in his existence is too strong a draw to resist.

Starting small, the initial challenges the game sets appear to be innocuous. It soon becomes evident however that the virtual deity is working towards a much larger design on a far grander scale. Events start to spiral as other members of the local student populace start playing. Some embrace the chaos allowing the game to determine their every move, while others are far more wary. Who is in charge? Does G.O.D. control the players, or do the players control G.O.D? Is the game dishing out its own form of righteous justice, or has everyone become a victim?

Where the novel excels is the way the author perfectly captures the insecurities that eat away at Charlie and the other people in his life. Much like the rest of us, he is a jumble of conflicting emotions and uncertainties. The other members of the Vindicators, the group of geeks Charlie hangs out with, are just as well observed. There is a character called Alex who will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong.

I’m thoroughly ancient but I can just about remember how horrific it was sometimes to be a teenager. There is that expectation to conform, to fit in somewhere. It strikes me that in the 21st century this pressure has been amplified significantly by the rise of social media. Teens no longer have the luxury of being able to go home, close a door, and step away from the outside world. They are bombarded by opinion, by all the latest trends and “must haves” twenty-four seven. Cliques and peer pressure have gone viral. Tobey’s insightful writing deftly picks apart the many pitfalls of the modern teen experience*.

The God Game explores the darker corners of human morality. How far you are willing to go to get what you want? Would you be prepared for others to suffer in order to achieve your goals? It’s bound to promote an amount of introspection from any reader. How could it not, this is Big Brother on steroids and then some. I certainly found myself pondering how/if I would be able to cope.

As ever, I like to suggest some musical type sounds that you can enjoy whilst devouring the plot of a book and this case is no exception. In keeping with the neo-tech/hacker related theme of the story, my recommendation is the soundtrack to Deep Web by Pedro Bromfman. The tracks on the album are just the right side of sinister to perfectly dovetail with the novel’s gleefully intense plot.

The God Game is published by Gollancz and is available from 9th January 2020.

*I cannot begin to describe to you how happy it makes me knowing that I am so far beyond this chapter of my life. Social media and growing pains at the same time must be hell.