Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: The Restoration Game

By Sandy Amazeen Nov 3, 2011, 17:17 GMT

NOMINATED FOR THE BSFA AWARD IN BEST NOVEL CATEGORYThere is no such place as Krassnia. Lucy Stone should know-she was born there. In that tiny, troubled region of the former Soviet Union, revolution is brewing. Its organizers need a safe place to meet, and where better than the virtual spaces of an online game? Lucy, who works for a start-up games company in Edinburgh, has a project that almost seems ...more

Red headed Lucy Stone, a game designer with her own startup company is hired by a clandestine organization to develop a fantasy video game based upon the Krassnia culture and history. The only problem is, the Russian country of Krassnia doesn’t exist anymore and Lucy’s mom, Amanda a CIA agent, created much of the known history. The game is actually meant to be a way of Krassnian revolutionaries aka CIA agents to communicate and plot an overthrow. The Krassnians struggle with their past while attempting forge some kind of national identity in the midst of political turmoil and spy vs. spy activities which Lucy is now a part of.

Although there are liberal doses of humor sprinkled into this fantasy/thriller, it remains a deep, thoughtful story about a people struggling with their history and potential future. It illustrates how a government can unilaterally change a country with the mere stroke of a pen and the repercussions such actions can have. With the wealth of culture and development of an unusual energy source on a mountainside, this is not a fast-paced story but if you are looking for a stimulating, unusual thriller, look no further.