Reviews
Web Wombat:
"This would be a good book for a young person who
you may consider to be too close to computer gaming and
who may benefit from having their imagination channeled
elsewhere."
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the full review...
Amazon.com – Review by Starre Sheep:
"As soon as I finished reading this, I wanted to grab
the first young person and give them this book! The story
is so fast paced, interesting and exciting that it took
me only one sitting to finish it. I can see reluctant readers,
especially middle-grade boys loving this. Being about computer
games, virtual worlds, battles and as the title suggests
- quests - I can see them tuning into it with the same effect
that Matthew Rilley's books have on adults."
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the full review...
Interstellar Ramjet Scoop #253, April
2010 – Review by Bill Wright:
"The action is fast and furious with enough blood
and grappling with unspeakable opponents to sate any teen's
ghoulish proclivities. But the overall plot and point of
it all are more complex than a simple slimy narrative can
encompass. Gamers' Quest twists and turns as fantasy
and reality coalesce then diverge into new states of being.
The only constant is friendship between Tark and Zyra that
continues until an entirely predicable but, to me, totally
surprising conclusion. Kids will love it. So also will adults..."
Around The Bookshops NZ, May 2010 –
Review by Barbara Murison:
"Players of computer games often want to enter the
world unfolding in front of them on the screen but what
would happen if the computer images had the same feeling
about our 'real' world? This is non-stop action in a story
that is a cross between a computer game and Dungeons and
Dragons with much over-the-top humour."
Melbourne Science Fiction Club –
Review by Ian A. Chapman:
"I found Gamers' Quest quite tense and appreciated
the various worlds and environments through which they travelled;
the humour mixed through the chapters carried the story
and my interest, plus the twist on clichés worked
splendidly."
Viewpoint, Vol.18, No.1 – Review
by Eddie la Marca:
"Gamers' Quest deals with complex themes,
including the nature of an existence, purpose, identity,
equality, and reality. Fortunately, these themes are not
brutishly shoved in the reader's face ...
Gamers' Quest doesn't muck about with metaphors
and junk, it gets right to the point, often with violence
along the way. It would make a good movie too..."
Inside A Dog – Mini-review by Tom-Tom, age
13:
"The best thing about this book is the action and
adventure. It was almost as good as playing a video game."
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the full review...
Australian Women Online – Tania
McCartney :
"Ivanoff manages to combine action with an extremely
clever plotline that will have readers guessing ‘til
the end. His story may be awash with rotting sewers and
echoing and cavernous scenes of grunge and metal, but a
nice meandering ribbon of romance brings unexpected emotion
to the story, rounding things out into a well-crafted book
both teens and adults will enjoy."
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the full review...
ReadPlus – Donella Reed:
"With a fast-paced plot and some interesting twists,
this is an enjoyable book ... Students with an interest
in gaming and alternate realities will be very excited about
this book"
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the full review...
KidsLife – mini-review:
"The plot will keep readers 11+ engrossed to the end."
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the full review...
Aussiereviews.com – Claire Saxby:
"Gamers' Quest moves at breakneck speed from
challenge to reward, from one world to another. Pitched
squarely at readers who are computer-skilled, and game fans,
it is a wild adventure. Recommended for upper primary to
early secondary readers."
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the full review...
MC Reviews Website – Marion J Lawie:
"This is a ripping futuristic adventure yarn with
a high page turning quality ...
Ivanoff has managed to come up with original spins on what
you would expect to find, from dragons and magic swords
to the ghost in the machine. And it really isn’t easy
to guess how each sticky situation will be resolved, or
to know whether new characters are going to help or hinder
Tark and Zyra on their quest."
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the full review...
Boomerang Blog – William Kostakis, author
of Loathing Lola:
"George really did capture the sensation of being
inside a video game. There isn’t an air of ”older
person writing for young people” about the whole thing,
which is great, because us young’uns, especially us
cynical gamer young’uns, can smell a fake a mile off.
Gamers’ Quest passed my test with flying
colours..."
William's mini-review appears at the end of George Ivanoff's
guest blog.
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guest blog and the full review...
YARA Older Readers Website – Review by Josh,
age 11:
"This adventurous book is full of twists and I recommend
it for readers aged 11 and over. I give it 8 out of 10 because
it is fast, fun and unpredictable with a thrilling plot,
characters and events."
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the full review...
Hey! Teenager of the Year – Reading and writing
blog by Steph Bowe:
"Gamers' Quest is a really cool sci-fi/fantasy
novel that I think will appeal especially to teenagers who
enjoy reading fantasy, playing videogames and are intrigued
by concepts of reality & identity. This novel certainly
contains a lot of action and adventure, and challenges ideas
about reality & virtual worlds in videogaming. I think
it'll appeal to girls as well as boys (Zyra is a pretty
awesome character), and anyone 10 & up can read it."
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the full review...
Buzz
Words (#70, 15 Oct 2009) – review by Jenny Mounfield:
"Ivanoff has managed to raise some of the most intriguing
and essential questions about what it means to be human
while delivering a thrilling adventure story that resonates
on many levels. ... Gamers’ Quest has all
the makings of a cult classic. Highly recommended for its
enjoyment value alone, this book would be a powerful tool
in a classroom environment, sparking all manner of thought-provoking
debates."
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MS Found in a Shoebox – Writer's Blog, Narrelle
M. Harris (author of The Opposite of Life):
"Gamers' Quest is a zippingly entertaining
YA novel. ... The main thing I enjoyed about this book was
the characterisation of Tark and Zyra. It would be so easy
to make them 2D people in their constructed world, but there
is an energy and sweetness to them and their relationship
which I found charming."
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the full review...
The Great Raven – Book review and science
fiction blog:
"A good introduction to speculative fiction for younger
readers, this one is non-stop action with a light touch.
There is a lot of delightful over-the-top silliness –
you wouldn’t for example, want to be a mage in this
world, where you can end up a toad if your spell bounces
back at you. The story is a cross between a computer game
and Dungeons and Dragons, with a touch of Westworld."
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the full review...
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