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Book Review: Rage

    Hey, everyone, out there in the ether. I've just finished a book you might enjoy. As you might guess from the title of the post and the picture, it is called Rage, by Matthew Costello. This book was a Christmas gift from a friend who knew that I was a gamer. Of course, I have played the I-Pad version of this game, and a bit of the X-Box 360 version. Interestingly enough, the book is actually taken from the game, I believe, rather than the other way around. It reminds me of going to see a movie, after you've read the book. It gives you the feeling of being privy to hidden knowledge as you progress.
     Here's the recipe for this entertaining story. Nicholas Raine is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He has a background in special ops and is a warrior. Because of his background, he is chosen to be buried. Not in the sense that you think. He is chosen to be entombed in an 'Ark', along with scientists, doctors and others. This is for the purpose of rebuilding civilization after a pending catastrophe. The catastrophe? A large asteroid (Apophis) is about to strike the earth. The government has lied to the people (surprise!) about this and said that it will miss us. Meanwhile they intend to bury an ark, here and there, for about a century. So, Raines wakes up from a state of suspended animation and enters a chaotic, violent world without any government to speak of. He quickly learns about a mysterious group that seeks to control the planet. They want to capture all Ark survivors for their own nefarious purposes.
     I started to say that Lt. Raine makes some friends along the way, but really, he just meets various folks who want to use him. He does have skills. For instance he is good at killing mutants. Much to his surprise, this is a valued skill in the new world. Also to his surprise, he learns that scientists have stuffed his bod full of nanotrites, which bring rapid healing, among other things.
    Raines races in an arena death match and is a contestant in a TV show called Mutant Bash TV. Unlike the I-Pad game, Raines is not equipped with guns when he enters the maze on Mutant Bash. He must fight for his existence with a pike and a club.
    It is evident, from the ending of this book, that a sequel is planned. I liked it enough so that I will buy the second book, if the price is reasonable.
      Good science fiction is as scarce as hen's teeth. I would have to say that this book is good, not great. It is available on several of the on-line retailers, in either e-book format or as a paperback.
     If you have time, check back with me this weekend. I've been playing several new games this week. I plan on talking about them. Some are really good and others are a waste of money. Usually I try not to even review games I don't like, but I think I'll make an exception on a couple of these. I hate to give $5 for a game and despise it.
    Hey, if you get a chance, have some fun this weekend. Why wait until you're old to discover that you've wasted your life?
 From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
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