A Game of Life or Death

Welcome to Zu Tech’s newest game, SHACKLE…

When sixteen-year-old Asha Kennedy discovers her older sister Maya's dead body in their home, her world falls apart. Desperate for answers, and to stay out of the hands of the social services she grew up in, Asha turns to her hacker friends for help.

Her search leads her to Zu Tech, the hit games studio where Maya was a lead coder. As Asha begins to unravel the riddle of her death, she realises that the only way to uncover the truth is from the inside.

Asha ghosts her old life and infiltrates a Zu Tech eSport tournament as they launch 'SHACKLE', the revolutionary Virtual Reality video game Maya was working on - and which hides a monstrous secret...

Apart from the murder mystery element, this is absolutely NOT the sort of book I would normally read- but I am so glad that I did! Asha is a complex character in a complex situation, determined to unravel the truth about what happened to her sister and the reader very quickly becomes caught up in her quest, willing her to not only solve the puzzle, but survive the experience and come out on top.

The book immerses the reader in the world of games and gamers, with reference and details which are sure to appeal to those familiar with the technology and inspirations behind much of the story. I have no knowledge of these things yet I was still engrossed by the story which surely speaks volumes about the strength of the plot rather than the context. The action moves quickly and the story is suitably full of twists, red herrings and puzzles, including (I hope!) the possibility of more to come in future books. Loved it!

A Game of Life or Death Triona Campbell

Scholastic ISBN: 978-0702317880