One of the reasons How the West Was Won was such a disappointment was because I’ve already read two five star books this year. I don’t get to read books that make me want to make everyone read them all the time, but when I find them, I love sharing them with everyone. And I do mean everyone. My husband, my kids, random people who come through my line at the grocery store. Everyone.

Gamechanger was one of those five star, share with everyone books. I’ve even pre-ordered the paperback so I can have this on my shelf to re-read later. There’s a reason I need to make a run to IKEA sometime soon. The only reason I’m not re-reading this immediately is because it’s a library book, and I just got notification that something I requested has arrived.

So, enough about how good it is. What is it about? Let’s see…

This is near future sci-fi, so it takes place about a hundred years from now. Environmental catastrophes are here. Widespread social change has taken place, in part through an even deeper immersion into the electronic world.

Everyone, once they reach a certain age, is outfitted with VR tech that lets them immerse themselves in various games and environments. Personal property fits into a small bag, and the things that make your home yours are all digital overlays over the physical world.

That’s just one of the interesting ideas in this book.

There’s the idea of social capital as actual capital, increasing or reducing the amount of resources you get beyond the bare minimum every person is entitled to, based on your behavior, and the actions you do or don’t take.

I could go on, because the world building is immersive and interesting, but suffice it to say that there are a lot of cool ideas here.

When you get right down to it, it’s a fairly simple story that starts out as a missing persons case that turns into a murder mystery and then into some world-changing sci-fi. Not going to spoil this one for you. The reveal is entirely too much fun and ridiculous, but completely serious, to share here.

I love the characters too. They worry just the right amount. Some books, the characters obsess over one idea or another and never do anything, but these people use the worrying to figure to what they’re going to do.

Sounds like real people to me.

As a bonus, you know how doom and gloom a lot of near future dystopian stories are? This isn’t. This one acknowledges that things suck, and they have sucked in the past, but they can get better through individual action. Sort of like what the baby boomers preached when they were kids, but forgot about as they grew up.

So. Good. Read it!

Did I mention five out of five stars?

Now what’s next…