This Is Not a Game
by Walter Jon Williams · first published 2009
2mentions
2recommended by
2HN commenters
2011–2012first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Once upon a time, there were four of them. And though each was good at a number of things, all of them were very good at games...Dagmar is a game designer trapped in Jakarta in the middle of a revolution. The city is tearing itself apart around her and she needs to get out. Her boss Charlie has his own problems -- 4.3 billion of them, to be precise, hidden in an off-shore account.Austin is the businessman -- the VC. He's the one with the plan and the one to keep the geeks in line. BJ was there from the start, but while Charlie's star rose, BJ sank into the depths of customer service. He
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I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable (when I read it in 2011). I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre; also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Also "This is not a Game" by Walter Jon Williams. The main character designs games like this. Then since it's fiction winds up involved in the real thing, of course. I liked it, and there's a sequel coming out soon too.
on “Real-Life Massive Multi-Player Spy Game” ↗