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Bedlam

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Bedlam

By: Christopher Brookmyre
Narrated by: Angus King
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Would it be your ultimate fantasy to enter a video game? A realm where you can look like a hero or a goddess, fly space-ships, slay dragons, a realm where there are no consequences and no responsibilities. Or would it be your worst nightmare? Stuck in an endless state of war and chaos where not even death can offer an escape…This is where you find out. This is Bedlam.

©2013 Chistopher Brookmyre (P)2013 W. F. Howes Ltd Adventure Humorous Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Fantasy Funny Witty Thought-Provoking Fiction Video Game
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I've always loved video games and science fiction so this book very much appealed to me from the get go. On listening to the sample the narrators accent also drew me into listening to the book. However, the book, in my opinion, had a very poor beginning. I am not a prude but the amount of foul language during the first few chapters almost made me stop listening altogether. I felt it unnecessary and jarring and that it disrupted my enjoyment of the story. Thankfully, the swearing decreased significantly as the book progressed and I suddenly found myself completely hooked! Despite the narrators best attempts at different American accents (not convinced they are his strong suit) his clarity in reading and fresh voice made listening a very enjoyable experience. I loved the parts of the story when Ross enters new worlds and during his descriptions of the new landscape or atmosphere I found myself attempting to guess the game he was in (was very chuffed when I got a few right).
The twist and ending of the story was very satisfying. I enjoyed the finished but not 'cookie-cutter perfect' ending.
I would indeed recommend this book but if you're not a fan of bad language (or intending it for a younger listener) some parts of the story may not be to your taste.
Enjoy having a full nostalgic and modern gaming geekfest with this story and be prepared to want to live in a video game just a little bit. ;P

Poor start but gets so much better!

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Clearly this book owes a huge debt to the Matrix and to a bunch of other science fiction books and films. Nevertheless, with it's own particular approach and sense of humour, it's a hugely enjoyable romp.

Brookmyre really has fun playing with the possibilities of a world of real life computer games and with the potential for totally conscious replications of human personalities. There are some real "I have no mouth and I must scream" type moments in here.

Angus King does a solid job of the narration. Very occasionally he seems unsure which character is speaking, but I only noticed this a couple of times.

Enjoyable, if derivative.

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This is the first Christopher Brookmyre I've read, and I took a gamble because of an offer that was on at the time.

Narration on this was great, and I'll definitely look out for more books read by Angus King. The story was something a bit different and I really enjoyed the concept. It rambled along nicely and brought up some interesting ideas to think about as well.

Really enjoyable & different sci fi

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I suppose the headline is, that nice episode of black mirror but also video games. Which i find very appealing as video games are awesome and even nice black mirror still has chilling implications which the author capitalises on here.

It’s a fun ride even if you are ahead of the plot twists and the performance is engaging and entertaining despite some less-than-accurate American accents.

Lots of fun.

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great story. made even better if you have even a small understanding or appreciation of gaming

don't let the tech-y description put you off

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