Otaku

December 23, 2019
Kluwe’s well-crafted fiction debut, an old-school cyberpunk adventure, brings the thrills of virtual reality combat into the real world while taking aim at the racist and sexist abuses that pervade contemporary gamer culture. In a near-future America that’s divided between the Silkies, anarcho-capitalist West Coast tech companies, and the Gummies, a morally dictatorial East Coast theocracy, Ashley Akachi (aka “Ashura the Terrible”) is the leader of a team of professional VR gamers, the SunJewel Warriors, who gains fame for her impressive in-game stunts, but faces misogynistic backlash from other gamers. When Ashley gets sucked into the power struggle between the Silkies and the Gummies, she and her fellow SJWs infiltrate high-tech facilities to unravel the conspiracy of how their VR game is being used to control the minds of its players. Kluwe’s complex near-future politics are convincingly rendered, and fight scenes featuring the team blasting and blitzing its way through government buildings with missiles and swords will appeal to video game fans. This is a solidly entertaining romp. Agent: Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management

February 1, 2020
In this cyberpunk fiction debut, a massively popular online game has real-world consequences. Ashley Akachi is a mixed-race woman who's known as "Ashura the Terrible" to millions of fans of Infinite Game, which is watched around the world. In a near-future Florida that's half drowned by rising sea levels, she sits inside a haptic chamber that converts her movements into gameplay in the ultraviolent competition. Former NFL player Kluwe (Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, 2013) describes the game's mechanics at length, at times giving the book the feel of watching someone else play a video game. (The game's racist and misogynist online message boards also feature prominently.) Eventually, Ash uncovers a vast conspiracy involving not only Infinite Game, but also her love interest, Hamlin, who's hiding a secret of his own. Unfortunately, there's not enough space in this brief review to examine everything that's obnoxious or distasteful in this novel, from its opening bullet-point infodump, lazily passed off as worldbuilding, to its eye-rolling last line. One may wonder if any women were involved in this book's publication in any meaningful way. Only a male author could believe a woman thinks about "dicks" this often; when facing gender inequality, Ash huffs, "Must be nice to have a dick"; before castrating a would-be rapist, she scoffs, "You thought your dick made you a man? You'll never be a man again." Characters' attacks on Ash are all viciously gender-specific; in addition to being threatened with rape throughout, she's repeatedly called "slut," "whore," and "cunt." Meanwhile, Ash herself reads like an unintentional parody of an empowered woman; she leers suggestively at a woman's behind and then laments her small bust size, at length, before deciding "boobs are overrated." At the book's climax, Ash thinks that she's "so tired of shitty men and their shitty dreams." After reading this, readers will surely feel the same. Irredeemable in any world, real or virtual.

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March 27, 2020

[DEBUT] After the Water Wars have wreaked havoc on the world, the people are still dealing with the fallout. Ash's mother needs costly medical care to avoid slipping back into her war memories, and Ash feels responsible for her safety and well-being. To make ends meet, Ash became Ashura the Terrible, and her clan, the SunJewel Warriors, are top-ranked professional players in Infinite Game. Facing discrimination and abuse both in-game and in the real world, Ash annihilates every threat to herself and the people she loves. When she takes a side job to pay the bills and discovers that someone is using game technology (haptic hoods) to control players outside of the game, she becomes involved in tracking the equipment and its manufacturer to the source. It's a real-life quest with no resurrection if she should fail. VERDICT Parts sf, mystery, and romance, this high-adrenaline thriller, by the author of the nonfiction collection Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, captures the intensity of in-game encounters in a postapocalyptic world, with a fiery protagonist who holds nothing back--whether fighting monsters or relentless misogyny. Recommended for fans of dark gaming stories, with a side of violence.--Karin Thogersen, Huntley Area P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2020
In the future, America no longer exists after the Water Wars. Miami, or Ditchtown, is a haven for outcasts and outlaws. Everyone has an online presence that is their true self, and to pass the time, people either play a fantasy virtual reality game or watch footage of others playing. In the VR game, Infinite Game, Ashley Akashi is a warrior leading a team taking on Dragons. In the real world, Ashley is attacked both online and in-person for her Infinite Game success; and she is not allowed to block any of the gender- and race-related slander that is sent to her. In spite of this, Ashley thrives, fights, and protects the people she loves. In order to help her mother, Ashley takes not-always-legal jobs. In the course of one of these jobs, she finds out that the new gear used to access the VR world might not be all it appears. Readers may be initially drawn to outspoken former football player Kluwe's debut novel (after the essay collection Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, 2013) because of his name, but Ashley's courage and strong opinions will win their hearts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)