This was very entertaining I enjoyed the book not my usual genre but pleased I read it.

Thanks for the opportunity to review the book

I feel like this felt a tad disjointed and not in the good way. I really didn't know what was going on and I don't feel like that was really the point. Probably just me.

This book is not exactly easy to review. I have lots of contradicting feelings about this one.
First off, I love the idea of the book. In a nutshell, this is a dystopian novel where individual health is controlled through a fancy AI technology, but basically it's somewhat of a lobotomy. I mean, how cool is this premise?
However, I feel it was rather difficult to even grasp what the book was really about because there was lots of (in my opinion) unnecessary background noise that was distracting from the actual plot.
I also, as a reader, I didn't get to experience how exactly the "health" was "improved" through AI. It was stated that things like mental illness were practically eradicated. But I didn't feel convinced that they really were. I would wish for the author to show more of what that would look like. How would people act if no one had mental illness? I didn't get an actual feeling of a utopia, but the whole thing was dystopian through and through. It felt like people were aware how bad things were, but the story focused more on the eccentric creator of the technology and his more empathetic co-creator. I would have liked the story more if the victims of the system were the main characters. I think I would definitely be able to empathize a lot more.
By no means am I saying that this is not a good book, but I think I was possibly not the intended audience for it. I feel the writing style was also not exactly my cup of tea. I prefer fast-paced, engaging writing, more show and less tell. This book was drawn out, and I don't think it needed to be.
Still, I very much appreciate how much thought the author put into this book. The world building was stellar. And by that I mean what I would like to have more of was actual descriptions of the world. How did the buildings, the technology, the people looked like? I really struggled to imagine the visual aspect of this future. However, what the author really excelled in is that he obviously took a lot of time to focus on the all the various aspects of this future AI technology. He really created a unique world. All in all, I would say, however, was that this world felt pretty virtual and not very tangible.
I could tell that the author must have poured his soul into this book. This kind of felt like a story devoted to every kid who was deemed a nerd in school and who liked to play with formulas and fantasized about technologies that weren't created yet.
I do think that there is definitely an audience for this book, I just also think that before beginning with this story you should be aware that this is not a fast read, and it is definitely an intellectual commitment.

Ragnar Kroll’s novel is undoubtedly smart, but it’s not an easy ride. I loved the ambition and scope of the world-building—the idea of Directed Neuroplasticity Therapy is chilling, and the presence of self-aware AI felt like a natural (and terrifying) extension of our current trajectory. However, the nonlinear structure was a challenge, and I found myself lost at times trying to follow the various timelines and perspectives.

The characters, while interesting, often took a back seat to the concepts of the world itself, which made it harder to connect emotionally. Overall, this is a book for hardcore sci-fi fans who enjoy deep dives into complex ideas, but it might not be for those looking for a more straightforward or fast-paced read.

If you are just starting to dip your toes into the world of science fiction then this might not be the best fit for you, however, if you are a fan of speculative fiction with multiple timeline and connecting the dots as you read, then this is the book for you.

Pros:

Intriguing Premise: The concept of mandated neuro-electromagnetics controlling human behavior and the rise of self-aware AI animatronics is both thought-provoking and original. This sets the stage for an engaging exploration of ethics, free will, and technological overreach. Ragnar Kroll is apt at using the strengths of speculative fiction and putting every tool in the genre to good use.

Complex Themes: Kroll dives deep into complex scientific and philosophical questions about humanity's future, the consequences of artificial intelligence, and how neuroplasticity could be manipulated. These themes resonate strongly with fans of hard sci-fi who appreciate big ideas.

Tension and World-Building: The world of Virtuality is meticulously crafted, with detailed descriptions of the World Council’s political unification and the technology that has reshaped society. The stakes feel high as the trio of rogue animatronics threatens the fragile balance of this near-future world.

Cons:

Nonlinear Structure: The book jumps between different timelines and perspectives, which can be jarring for readers. The disjointed narrative structure detracts from the flow of the story, making it difficult to follow at times. Readers who are not fan of too many POVs in a single book are going to have a hard time with this one as well.

Character Depth: While the premise and ideas are fascinating, the characters themselves sometimes feel secondary to the plot. Deeper emotional development could have made their experiences more relatable and the stakes feel more personal.

Pacing Issues: There are moments when the story feels bogged down by exposition, especially when explaining the intricacies of neuroplasticity and AI. This occasionally slows the narrative, leaving the reader wanting more action or forward momentum. The dense scientific jargon and heavy focus on philosophical questions may alienate readers who aren’t well-versed in sci-fi.

Conclusion

Virtuality is a cerebral, thought-provoking exploration of humanity’s future, where AI and neuro-electromagnetic therapies dominate. Ragnar Kroll presents a world that feels both terrifyingly plausible and deeply unsettling. The novel’s strength lies in its bold ideas and philosophical questions about the nature of free will, human identity, and the potential dangers of advanced technology. However, it can be a challenging read due to its complex narrative structure, dense content, and shifting perspectives.

I really enjoyed this as a opening chapter and thought it worked well as a scifi novel. The ideas in the novel was terrifying and uses the robot perfectly for this setting. The world was interesting and had characters that I was expecting. Ragnar Kroll has a great overall story and can’t wait for more.

Unfortunately this book was entirely not for me despite the description being geared towards my typical types of read. I think the prologue and authors notes put a weird taste in my mouth for the read. Perhaps at another time I could circle back and be in the right mind to enjoy this book.

I want to preface this by saying, that I usually do not read science fiction novels and therefore I am a bit out of my comfort zone.

However, this book just was not for me. There were way too many characters with sometimes similar names (it took me way too long to realize that Sam & Simon and Justin & Jackson) were all different people -.- Furthermore, Simon's Pov (which is used a lot in the beginning) utilized a great number of unnecessarily complicated words - this does fit his character, so I get why the author chose to do this - while a great number of terms which were invented for the (admittedly creative) world of this book were used. I think most of them, like DNT, Fav and Lectrom, are not or at least only pretty late explained in the book. It was very frustrating for me to constantly look up words just to realize that they were inventions for this book.
After an embarrassingly long time I realized that this book has a glossary with a character index and an explanation for all the terms that drove me crazy. Of course I read through everything, thinking it would prepare me for the rest of the book.... I forgot a lot of the terms and had to check the glossary regularly. This also led to me spoiling myself in regard to some of the plottwists at the end of the book.

Considering all this, I do want to remind you that I am not used to reading sci-fi, so maybe this is common in this genre. For me it was not a pleasant reading experience, which explains my low rating :(

Ragnar Kroll wrote a novel that really makes you work for it. This isn't one that can be quickly devoured in one sitting. It makes you think. It truly makes you contemplate a lot of things. You have to pay attention, and truly take it in. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this one. I will be rereading it to see what I missed the first time around.