FOR THE WIN

Millions of young people in countries like China, India, and Singapore make fortunes for owners of online games by trolling for troublemakers. They also make millions for unscrupulous schemers who turn “gold” harvested from the games into real-world cash. With an amazingly sympathetic voice, George Newbern breathes life into these teenagers in a fantastic novel of revolution. A charismatic woman called Big Sister Nor convinces the gamers to form a worldwide union and demand living wages. It's when she calls a strike that the worlds of the Web and real life clash. Sometimes jarring changes of time and place are tricky to follow on audio without distinct chapter breaks. However, Newbern keeps listeners hanging on to every word as he builds a powerful story. M.S. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2010]