“The Eye of Minds” takes readers on an action-packed adventure through virtual reality.

The book “The Eye of Minds” was released October 2013 and its sequel “The Rule of Thoughts” in August 2014, and the series is just beginning to gain momentum. The third book, “The Game of Lives,” released on Nov. 17. The author, James Dashner, is widely known for writing “The Maze Runner” trilogy.

Set in the future where people can enter video games (virtual reality referred to as the “VertNet”), 17-year-old Michael is an experienced hacker. When a cyber terrorist enters the VirtNet, the VirtNet Security (VNS) knows they need assistance from people like himself and request his help. As he and two friends fight their way through the programs, they discover many new clues as to who this cyber terrorist, who refers to himself as Kaine, really is. The mind-blowing plot twist at the end of the book is sure to leave anyone powering through the sequal.

Overall this book was very well written. It has a lot of depth and tiny clues that seem like one thing but mean another. It makes you consider the possibilities as you read. For example, from the beginning of the book there is a clear antagonist: Kaine. However, the entire book is full of clues referencing who Kaine actually is. It was very clever of Dashner to have an obvious villain with an unknown identity. By doing so, he was able to incorporate an element of mystery  into an already exciting sci-fi adventure. I really enjoyed the fact that it makes you think and keeps your interest peaked with existing situations. Some may argue that the virtual reality theme is a bit too far fetched, but I really found it exciting!

“[I liked this book] very much so. As a gamer myself, I wish we had this level of immersion as often times myself and others who play with me ask ‘so what would that feel, smell, taste [or] sound like,’” freshman Nolan Cosnier said. “[This book makes you wonder] what are the true limits of technology in the real life, and what is the line between man and machine.”