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Just a Game?
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Imagine living in a world where everything is not what is seems. Imagine only living
with computer generated images that appear to be real, but vanish when you have tired of
them. This is what it’s like for 14 year old Corgan, the genetically engineered teenager. In
Gloria Skurzynski’s Virtual War, Corgan is not the average boy. His only parent is a flowing
computer image named Medor that can serve as both a mother and a father. Corgan is trained
all of his life to have the fastest reflexes and response time ever. Corgan is trained through
numerous simulations disguised as games. They are created to push Corgan’s limits and
abilities to new heights. Corgan’s training leads him to meet two other humans like him that
will soon be his teammates in the Virtual War. This 152-page exciting novel is set far in the
future were the world is divided into factions. Each faction fights for undamaged land on
which their civilians can live on. This book shows you that fighting is not always right, but is
sometimes necessary. This book also presents ideas of how life might be in the distant future.
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Corgan is extremely athletic and very good at the simulations that his superiors
present him with. For example, Corgan has the ability to perform rigorous exercises
such as catching laser lights, at incredible times. Page 9 truly shows his expertise at the
games. It says, “It was just a game to check the speed of his reflexes. He’d never lost
yet.” Although it may seem like Corgan was the master at these games, as they get
harder, he struggles to keep up. Corgan was also not always truthful. Page 39 shows that
by saying, “He was twisting the truth, and he felt guilt.” Virtual War makes me think a
lot about the future and what might happen 200 years from now. We can never know
what is ahead of us until we actually experience it for ourselves. I think not very many
people can relate to this book for obvious reasons. None of us are genetically engineered,
and none of us are fighting in virtual battles. Yet there are some ways we can relate to
this novel. Like Corgan, we each have a passion to succeed. That passion is so strong in
Corgan that he becomes too self-confident and it actually slows him down in the long run.
Still, overall, Corgan and his friends fight for the good of the cause and for the
undamaged island for their people to live in.
The book surprised me in the end by how Corgan quickly put aside his problems and
trained harder and fought more than he ever had before. It almost disgusted me as how the
author depicted the battle scene through Corgan’s eyes. I almost forgot, as Corgan
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did, that it was all computer images. Corgan was a brave person on the outside, but
deep down inside him, I think he had trouble dealing with situations and quick
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problems. I’m very glad I could read the thrilling Virtual War. I would recommend
anyone who loves sci-fi and other adventure books to read this. It is also a good book
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for those who want a look into a possible future and who seek quick paced action and
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maybe a little romance. The book is short though so those of you who like longer
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ones, this might not be for you. So in conclusion, I think anyone who enjoys facedpaced action and science fiction, should read Virtual War.
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Lead
Transition
sentence
Author
Title of
the book
summary
Theme
Present
tense (is
not was)
Character
traits (2 min)
Specific
examples
Quotation &
page #
Transition
words. 3
min. (See
bold ex.)
Comparison
Present tense
Your thoughts/
opinions
Surprises/
questions
Recommendation
Book title
Concluding
sentence
This is single-spaced in Times 11 pt. So it will fit on one sheet in order to make the paragraph
organization as clear as possible. However, yours should be doubled spaced 12 pt.
Book Review
November 2003