The God Game

A Novel

By: Danny Tobey

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden

"Smart, propulsive and gripping, THE GOD GAME is an ambitious thriller and a terrifying examination of what could--and probably already is--happening in the world of artificial intelligence."—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away

You are invited!
Come inside and play with G.O.D.
Bring your friends!
It’s fun!
But remember the rules. Win and ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.™ Lose, you die!

With those words, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God. Through their phone-screens and high-tech glasses, the teens’ realities blur with a virtual world of creeping vines, smoldering torches, runes, glyphs, gods, and mythical creatures. When they accomplish a mission, the game rewards them with expensive tech, revenge on high-school tormentors, and cash flowing from ATMs. Slaying a hydra and drawing a bloody pentagram as payment to a Greek god seem harmless at first. Fun even.

But then the threatening messages start. Worship me. Obey me. Complete a mission, however cruel, or the game reveals their secrets and crushes their dreams. Tasks that seemed harmless at first take on deadly consequences. Mysterious packages show up at their homes. Shadowy figures start following them, appearing around corners, attacking them in parking garages. Who else is playing this game, and how far will they go to win?

And what of the game’s first promise: win, win big, lose, you die? Dying in a virtual world doesn’t really mean death in real life—does it?

As Charlie and his friends try to find a way out of the game, they realize they’ve been manipulated into a bigger web they can’t escape: an AI that learned its cruelty from watching us.

God is always watching, and He says when the game is done.

Praise for The God Game:

"Tension and turmoil add up to high stakes suspense and a plot that will make you wonder if all this stuff is real. Danny Tobey absolutely kicks butt and takes names in this gem of a thriller"--Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of the Cotton Malone series

“The God Game is a dark, edgy thriller, populated by a vastly appealing cast of teenage underdogs. Danny Tobey has written an unusually smart and provocative novel, a book full of ideas and heart that feels both fantastical and all-too-real at the same time.”--Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftovers and Little Children

Critic reviews

“Tension and turmoil add up to high stakes suspense and a plot that will make you wonder if all this stuff is real. Danny Tobey absolutely kicks butt and takes names in this gem of a thriller.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of the Cotton Malone series

"Smart, propulsive and gripping, THE GOD GAME is an ambitious thriller and a terrifying examination of what could--and probably already is--happening in the world of artificial intelligence."—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away

"The God Game is a fantastic read. I haven't felt this way about a book since Ready Player One. As addicting as any video game I've ever played, I got sucked in from the first page and couldn't put it down. Can't recommend this one enough." —Ben Mezrich, New York Times Bestselling author of Bitcoin Billionaires and Bringing Down The House

“THE GOD GAME is a dark, edgy thriller, populated by a vastly appealing cast of teenage underdogs. Danny Tobey has written an unusually smart and provocative novel, a book full of ideas and heart that feels both fantastical and all-too-real at the same time.” —Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftovers and Little Children

“What an amazing achievement THE GOD GAME: a gripping page-turner that kept me up late three nights in a row, rooting for the engaging, wisecracking teen heroes; at the same time a terrifying and weirdly persuasive reverse-engineering of the morality of our present cultural moment. Also a moving and thought-provoking commentary on the relationship between parents’ pain and children’s achievement. Every time I read the news now I keep thinking I see signs of THE GOD GAME being played all around us, until I remember that it isn't real (probably). I couldn’t put it down.” —Elif Batuman, author of the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Idiot

"A story that keeps the reader in a constant state of suspense, the book is sure to appeal to SF readers, gamers, and anyone else who enjoys a well-plotted, well-told thriller." —Booklist

"Tobey brilliantly captures the immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere of the malign game and its addictive allure for a collection of flawed and needy characters."—The Guardian

"Great characters, a novel concept, and scary set pieces." —Kirkus

"Fans of AI run amok should relish this one." —Publishers Weekly

awesome

I enjoyed listening to this book would recommend it to a friend. As long as I think they would understand it.

Long winded

I initially enjoyed the story but once it got about 3 quarters into it, I got lost. Different components introduced on so many different levels I lost the players. story did not need 100 chapters to be told.

Had to return it.

It was very slow to start. The book it geared towards teenagers. Maybe it gets better the longer you listen, but it couldn't hold me long enough.

Story is great, reader is just okay.

I enjoyed the story quite a bit. I found the reader to be mediocre. It wasn’t so much bad, more that the attempt at juvenile vocal tonalities often misses the mark and ends up sounding somewhat like mockery rather than characterization. Not all of the reading is like that, but enough to be kind of annoying to me.

Dark soap opera with an AI

Loved the concept, but the story was really just a dark teenage drama with a panevolent AI as the backdrop. Some great elements but the story felt like a slog through an emotional dystopia where everybody is broken and dysfunctional, and the only difference between the good guys and bad guys is their degree of dysfunction. That got tired, and when the group from the beginning of the story splintered, etc, it became hard to stay fully engaged.