Author: Marie Lu
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Published on: September 12, 2017 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.
I’m aware of the hype that Warcross has gained. Readers seem to love the book (and its protagonist), so I wanted to see what was to like. Warcross is a sci-fi novel set in New York and Tokyo. Its world is a little more technologically advanced than ours. The main character is Emika Chen, an eighteen-year-old Asian-American hacker and bounty hunter. She’s living in Manhattan, New York when the book starts. Emika’s parents died some years ago, so she shares a cheap apartment with a roommate.
In the novel, Warcross is an uber-popular virtual reality videogame. It’s like a cross between Fortnite and Capture the Flag, with two small opposing teams. Warcross is so beloved that it has an annual Olympics-esque championship. It’s obviously lucrative, so many people engage in illegal Warcross gambling. Emika makes a living by tracking down such gamblers. Apparently, there’s so much crime that the police pay bounty hunters to catch low-level crooks for them.
At the start, Emika is in such financial trouble that she’s about to lose her apartment. When Emika’s latest hunt goes south, she makes a drastic choice. She hacks into an official Warcross match in an attempt to score easy money. A glitch causes Emika to become visible to everyone watching the match (all spectators are invisible by default). Including the players, that’s billions of people. The match is cancelled, and Emika feels ashamed at having disrupted it. She spends the night worrying that Warcross officials will punish her for the stunt.
The next day, Emika’s all over the news. Whether it’s in a good or bad light I won’t spoil. This is when the book’s other main character is introduced. He’s Hideo Tanaka, CEO of Henka Games (the company that owns Warcross). At only twenty-one, Hideo is already one of the richest tech/gaming magnates in the world. Like everyone else on Earth, Hideo witnessed Emika’s hack. To her surprise, he reaches out to her. For some unknown reason, Hideo wants to see Emika face to face. She never dreamed of ever meeting her idol in person.
For the rest of the book, the story takes place in Tokyo. Emika (and the reader) meet the rest of the supporting characters. I liked them, especially Asher and Hammie. Like Hideo, Asher sees great skill and potential in Emika. Whether either of them becomes a love interest I won’t spoil. As for Hammie, she’s a fun and competitive girl who may become Emika’s best female friend. She’s also got a useful skill: a strategic mind capable of predicting her opponents’ moves steps ahead. Among other things, this makes Hammie one of the toughest chess players imaginable.
Warcross was an exciting and gripping read. The more chapters I finished, the more I saw why people love Emika. She’s a charming, badass character. Emika is attractive, smart, and never gives up when she’s trying to accomplish something. She also has a distinctive look: Emika’s an Asian-American girl with rainbow-colored hair. The last bit’s rather unusual for a hacker who’s a whiz at concealment. I didn’t dislike Emika’s sense of style, though. It’s cool. Emika’s now one of my favorite book heroines. I’m eager to read the next book in her story. It’ll be the last one, so I hope it wraps up the story well. With a character like Emika, I wouldn’t mind a third book. Just saying.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
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