Lenses On

Teen bounty hunter Emika Chen is behind on her rent. She’s just eaten the last packet of ramen in her possession.  To escape the problems of her current reality she turns to the alternate world of Warcross – a virtual computer game played by anyone who can afford a pair of NeuroLink glasses.  Finding a glitch in the system, Emika hacks her way into the opening ceremony game of the Warcross world championships.  And accidentally reveals herself to, well, the world.

Warcross creater, Hideo Tanaka, invites her to Tokyo to try her luck as a draft pick in the championships. Using her player status as a cover, her task is to find Zero, a nefarious character trying to sabotage Tanaka and the world of Warcross.  

With engrossing play-by-play matches, a colorful backstory (her dad was a fashion designer), and romantic intrigue, author Marie Lu has written a novel almost as addicting as a video game.

Although Lu’s Warcross fits the challenge of reading a sci finovel with a female protagonist by a female author, she sets up an even more rigorous trial. Can the reader wait until October for the sequel?