Code Jumper: A GameLit Novel

By: Zachariah Dracoulis

Narrated by: Michael Norman Johnson

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

Code Jumpers...skilled hackers who meet strict criteria, are the traffickers of the new world. Guns, drugs, just about anything else you might need or want in the heavily moderated base game world of Re.Generation, the Code Jumpers can get it for you. As one of the very few people in the US who can dive into Re.Generation without getting stuck, Eddie is one such Code Jumper.

Eddie likes his job, he gets to be a demigod who sells weed and guns to mere mortals every time he goes to work, but following a catastrophic event that affects both the real world and Re.Generation, access to the game is restricted and he becomes locked outside in the dreaded real world. Fast-forward five years to a world where certain cities are becoming more and more dangerous to live in, and Eddie is forced to go back.

Before he knows it, he's jumping around Re.Generation and many of its expansions in a last-ditch effort to stop what promises to be Hiroshima compared to what was a slap on the wrist with the last event. A video game. A terrorist. A hacker and his AI. What could go wrong?

©2017 Zachariah Dracoulis (P)2019 Spectrum Audiobooks

If you like 'Ready Player One' you will enjoy this

The story reminds me A LOT of 'Ready Player One'. There is a virtual world where most of humanity lives until a cyber terrorist decides to shut everyone out. We get a looooooooooot of pop/geek culture references during the protagonist's quest ('It's only q quest if it involves a dragon') through various layers of the virtual world in order to stop the terrorist from completing his plan.

There is a funny AI, a protagonist who doesn't give a shit and a narrator who delivers a spectacular performance!

I only wish the author would have spent a little more time writing the end. Even after listening to the final battle i am still not completely sure if I understand who actually 'did it' or if the whole thing was just a ploy.

Overall however I can wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed 'Ready Player One' or Neal Stephenson's 'Snow Crash'.

I gave this 4 instead of 5 stars just because of the end. The narrator totally deserves his 5 stars!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Jump around

If you like GameLit and video games check this one out
I liked how each game world was a different game genre kept it interesting
Michaels narration was excellent eddies banter with his AI was a highlight for me
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Sword art online meets Deadpool

This has hands down been the coolest and most entertaining story I’ve listened to in awhile!

From the first moment, I was absolutely captivated! I just finished it 3 minutes ago and have the biggest craving for more!

If you’re reading this review and still debating, don’t. Buy this book and get ready for one hell of a quest!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

It's like Master Chief and Cortana, but not

It's the buddy cop book you never knew could be written.

Dracoulis writes good banter and even managed to make truly lol and not just pretend I did like when I text my friends after they send me a meme. I don't know that I would call this book a true LitRPG because there's no leveling system, armor or weapons ratings, and really only one quest. It's more of an immersive world hopper using games as a reason. Still a good book though.

Michael Norman Johnson does s great job with the narration. I found myself thinking that he kind of reminded me of RC Bray. He does a great job delivering the banter between Eddie and his A.I. partner.

I enjoyed the story and think as sci-fi, cyberpunk, dystopian adventures go it's pretty great.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Fast Paced and Fun

Overall I enjoyed this one. It was a fun and fast paced read. The premise was interesting. The build up was entertaining, and the resolution was handled well. Some areas of the story could have used a little more depth, but it was a good experience.

Disclaimer: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Entertaining GameLit

I enjoyed this novel - interesting characters, good dialogue. Development of the storyline and they mystery was o.k. The book kept me entertained throughout and leaning toward the ending. Some of the concepts in the book felt a bit shallow, maybe could use a bit more flushing out, but that is just me. Certainly, the story covered quite a bit of ground for the time. All in all, I enjoyed it and recommend to anyone looking for a good GameLit journey.

Now, the obligatory, "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Better than expected

This book is easily compared to Ready Player One, but I think that will be the case for almost all future gaming lit stories. It’s hard to imagine a future of games that isn’t VR/AR. It doesn’t capture the attention like RPO but it does a good job in its own right.

Code Jumper took the idea of VR gaming to an extreme but failed to really flesh out the backstory or provide an adequate description of the game. It never really explains how the Code Jumpers function within it. Yes you inherently understand but it just felt lacking. This lack of world building leaves the reader filling in the pieces on their own and never really feeling a part of the world.

Michael Johnson was surprisingly good at his narration. I had never listened to one of his performances before. I think over time and as he develops some of his character voices (mainly female voices) he may become one of the better narrators around.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Code Jumper is a great YA Book

With hints of the book/movie adaptation of Upgrade and a small feel of Ready Player One, Code Jumper is a book that challenges future tech. Zachariah Dracoulis is able to convey a witty and sarcastic humor from the main character that is really brought to life by Michael Norman Johnson’s performance.

At points the book can be somewhat confusing by leaving out information needed for the context of the subject. In some cases that information is brought to light later in the book but you may have unanswered questions when you finish the book.

Michael Norman Johnson’s performance really brings out the characters in this book. He is able to truly grasp the authors intention of each character with a voice perfect for the main character.

I would recommend this book to especially young adults (adults is a key word here as their is some MA stuff in the book) who have an interest in future tech who love to escape from reality.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fun GameLit Novel

Code Jumper was a pretty entertaining, action packed GameLit novel. It has some elements of Ready Player One as it mostly takes place in the virtual reality game world. This book is fairly fast paced and the story is pretty good with an interesting take on the virtual vs. real world dynamics. I enjoy the relationship between Eddie and his AI Quinn and that is probably the highlight of the book. Eddie is a Code Jumper who is essentially a hacker who has abilities that most players don't in the virtual world. The game is called Regen and a large population of the earth partakes in it essentially giving up their real lives to live forever in the virtual world. In the Virtual game world their is a terrorist attack that wreaks havoc on the VR world by the mastermind of it the Messiah. Eddie being a Code Jumper is tasked with putting an end to the Messiah and bring back stability to the game world of Regen.

I mostly enjoyed the book but found the ending seemed a bit rushed and not completely fleshed out. I found the narration by Michael Norman Johnson very good and would probably give it 5 stars but found the voice for the character of Tony very annoying and was not a fan. I know the character is supposed to be annoying so the voice makes sense, I just couldn't stand it. The book was fun, had some interesting plot elements, characters and game elements and was pretty entertaining overall.

"Please note I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Code Jumper

Overall, I did enjoy listening to this book. I liked the banter between Eddie and Quinn best. I could have done with less of the world/portal jumping. I thought the narrator did a good job. I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

New spin on immersive VR, well worth a listen

I generally really enjoyed Code Jumper, so much that I actually finished it across two sittings. Being a massive fan of The Gam3, Ascend Online, and even Magic 2.0 this story felt like a fresh angle to approach the potential that this kind of world building/extending offers. I quite enjoyed the quippy metaphors. The story was pretty non-stop from start to finish. It's a different beast to Ready Player One, but if you enjoyed that and are looking for more you can't really go wrong here. The only part I struggled with is that I consumed this in audiobook format and I really struggled with the narrators female voices - they grated some inner nerve until it was totally raw by the end of the book, I know it's a personal taste thing and I struggle to put my finger on precisely what it was but it distracted me from the story. A recommended listen!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Have you ever played Frogger?

Eddy is a hacker, not a player, and he dives in and out of the fully immersive game, Regeneration, earning a living delivering packages between the outside and inside, aided by this AI implant Quin. Until the Rapture shuts it all down.
Missing money and one of his legs, and feeling at least in part responsible, Eddy eventually agrees to return to Regeneration. This is an humerous, fast paced, original actioned, deliciously dialogued and, just, a slow grown romance of the sparring kind. Narrator Michael Norman Johnson is perfect as Eddy, reacting to the text with emotion and enthusiasm , allowing the intrinsic wit to shine through, and his voicing s of all protagonists, but especially of Eddy and Quin, are clearly defined, separate and appropriate. His reading is fast, matching the novel's pace, but never strained or unclear and always bubbling with humour. A fine performance which greatly adds to the enjoyment of the book.Sent

My thanks to the rights holder of Code Jumper, who, at my request via Audiobook Boom, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy. And I really loved it from opening to end. I am not, nor have ever been, a gamer but the S.F. potential opened up within these stories is great. Many have the on line scoring with levellings up etc.built into them. This book does not: instead of us a crazy through the looking glass thriller which shifts and turns, sparkles and terrifies, all so quickly moving it takes one's breath away.
Turn on, then in and be transported to another world. Recommended.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful