Pills and Starships (34 page)

Game World
by C.J. Farley

An adventure novel in a video game turned reality, with giant spiders, malevolent hummingbirds, a not-quite-yellow-brick road, and preteen children learning how to be heroes.

“Drawn from both video gaming culture and the rich tapestry of Jamaican myth and folklore, blending pointed social satire and mystical philosophy, this exuberant, original hero’s journey is a real trip . . . Exhilarating, thought-provoking and one of a kind.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Adult author/Wall Street Journal editor Farley’s middle-grade debut draws from Jamaican mythology and beliefs, as well as from other cultures, to weave a fast-paced, whimsical mixture of magic and action . . . the setting lends itself well to memorable imagery and a fun experience.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Farley blends video gaming and Jamaican folklore in this intense, fast-paced middle-grade fantasy that is sure to quickly grab readers.”
—Booklist

“Here (finally!) is a middle-grade action novel that showcases West Indian mythology and features protagonists of color.”
—School Library Journal

“Game World
is unique in that its fantasy world, as its name suggests, is built upon characters and stories from actual Jamaican folklore.”
—Philadelphia Review of Books

One of “This Spring’s Hottest Teen Books”
—Huffington Post

“Farley writes in a straightforward way that is both accessible to younger readers but still interesting to adults.”
—Persephone Magazine

Dylan Rudee’s life is an epic fail. He’s bullied at school and the aunt who has raised him since he was orphaned as a child just lost her job and their apartment. Dylan’s one chance to help his family is the only thing he’s good at: video games. The multibillion-dollar company Mee Corp. has announced a televised tournament to find the Game-Changers: the forty-four kids who are the best in the world at playing Xamaica, a role-playing fantasy game that’s sweeping the planet. If Dylan can win the top prize, he just might be able to change his life.

It turns out that Dylan is the greatest gamer anyone has ever seen, and his skills unlock a real-life fantasy world inside the game. Now actual monsters are trying to kill him, and he is swept up into an adventure along with his too-tall genius sister Emma, his hacker best friend Eli, and Ines Mee, the privileged daughter of Mee Corp.’s mysterious CEO and chief inventor. Along the way they encounter Nestuh, a giant spider who can spin a story but not a web; Baron Zonip, a hummingbird king who rules a wildly wealthy treetop kingdom; and an enchantress named Nanni who, with her shadow army, may be bent on conquering Xamaica and stealing its magic.

In order to save his sister and his friends, Dylan must solve a dangerous mystery in three days and uncover secrets about Xamaica, his family, and himself. But will he discover his hidden powers before two worlds—Xamaica and Earth—are completely destroyed?

C.J. FARLEY
was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and grew up in Brockport, NY, with stops in Middle-earth, Xanth, Earthsea, and Narnia. Farley’s biography
Aaliyah: More Than a Woman
was a national best seller. A former editor of the
Harvard Lampoon
and a former music critic for
Time,
Farley is a blogger, columnist and senior editor at the
Wall Street Journal. Game World
is Farley’s first novel for young readers.

Game World
is available in hardcover and paperback
from our website
and in bookstores everywhere. The e-book edition is available wherever e-books are sold.

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Akashic Books is an award-winning independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers. Akashic Books hosts additional imprints, including the Akashic Noir Series, the Akashic Drug Chronicles Series, the Akashic Urban Surreal Series, Infamous Books, Kaylie Jones Books, Punk Planet Books, Dennis Cooper's Little House on the Bowery Series, Open Lens, Chris Abani's Black Goat Poetry Series, AkashiClassics: Renegade Reprint Series, and Black Sheep, our imprint for young readers.

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