The forth Pendragon installment #4 The Reality Bug proved to be the ultimate sci-fi future or more specifically the ultimate vault of virtual reality where the human mind is so caught up in the imagination that it does not want to process reality.
So here is how the summary goes like:
VIRTUAL REALITY?
The territory of Veelox has achieved perfect harmony. Fifteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon arrives on this territory in pursuit of the evil Saint Dane, but all is peaceful on Veelox — because it’s deserted. The inhabitants have discovered a way to enter their own personal dream worlds, where they can be whoever they want, wherever they want. Their bodies lie in stasis while their minds escape to this dream realm. Fresh from his battle with Saint Dane in 1937 Earth, Bobby is confident that they can defeat whatever Saint Dane has planned for this world. But once Bobby enters the virtual world will he be able to resist the lure of the ultimate in escapism?
Like the 3 previous books of the series that happen on a different dimension…..oops sorry territory this one takes place on the territory called Veelox. Veelox is peaceful. There are no wars on Veelox, because it is totally deserted. Almost everyone is living in their own virtual reality, which is a lot like a very long, perfect, dream.
People don’t communicate with real people anymore, they’re too busy living inside their own heads and creating characters to act in their own personal dramas. Nothing is happening. Nothing is moving forward. Nothing is real. Veelox is dead. Prophecy about our own future? Possible if we are not to careless. Description of what happens to a world that is so engrossed in their own fantasies that reality is ignored and the world deteriorates. Definitely a dystopia.
So, Saint Dane has definitely outdone himself on Veelox. Aja Killian, the Traveler from Veelox, believes she has the answer to defeat Saint Dane and resents the appearance of Bobby who we find out in this edition has been designated the “lead Traveler”……..okay so one question that I had raised at the end of my last post for the Pendragon book 3 review”why must Bobby flume to all the territories to maintain the peace?” Aja is very smart, but she is also arrogant and naive. A bad combination when you have to fight the ultimate evil.
Veelox is a world in neglect. The inhabitants spend their lives “jumping” into a fantasy world within their minds using a technology called “Lifelight”. A jumper lies down in a bed of sorts, is connected to Lifelight, is fed via electrodes attached to their skin and enters a perfect world of fantasy where all their dreams can come true. The perfect fantasy is something everyone wants and gets. It is also something Saint Dane has been planning to use to bring down his first territory. When everyone is jumping, there is no one to fight a takeover.
To fend off Saint Dane, Aja realizes that she must make the fantasy world a little less appealing so that people will jump less and return to their deserted homes and back to reality. To do this, she has developed a “reality bug”, a software program that injects just a bit of reality into every jump.
They agree to load the reality bug and, hopefully, save Veelox. Unfortunately for them, Saint Dane is not only evil, but, he is patient(often setting up the path to destruction years and years in advance) and clever. Once the reality bug is introduced into Lifelight something terrible happens. The bug is far more dangerous and lethal than Aja meant for it to be (………..guess who had a hand in helping Aja design it?). Fantasy crosses over into reality. The reality bug feeds on the jumpers fears and grows into a monstrous killer as it is fed by millions of jumpers.
While Bobby, Loor, and Aja struggle to save Veelox, Mark and Courtney on Second Earth find out that they have been pre-ordained (Bobby’s journals are sent to them) to be acolytes (people who help the Travelers by providing clothing, food and other assistance in each territory). And Gunny has followed Saint Dane to Eelong to try and head off his attempts to bring down that territory.
Although I’d say it again this series is not meant for my age group but so far i had only like the #2 & #3 books of the series but yes their is some room for improvement that is definitely needed in the series to make it much more interesting but yes what I like about this book is that Pendragon isn’t the superhero that everyone expects, being able to save each and every territory like other authors would have done. It makes him feel more real as a person to me.
Genre : Fiction, Young Adult, Coming of Age
Publisher: Simon & Shuester
Rate: 3/5 (liked it)
Publisher: Simon & Shuester
Rate: 3/5 (liked it)
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