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Release Date: 07/15/14
Thomas Nelson
352 pages
Summary from Goodreads:
Rick Dial has the potential to be a hero. He just doesn't know it yet. Rick's high school football team couldn't be stopped when he was leading them as their quarterback. He was going to Syracuse on a scholarship. But then his dad abandoned them and a terrible accident left him crippled. Certain his old life is completely lost, Rick spends months hiding away in his room playing video games. He achieves the highest scores on so many games that he's approached by a government agency who claims to be trying to thwart a cyber attack on America that would destroy the technological infrastructure of the entire country. The agents say that the quick-thinking of a quarterback coupled with Nick's gaming experience make him perfect for this assignment. The problem is that there are no extra lives and this isn't just a game . . . but Rick doesn't have many other options at the moment. Entering "The Realm" gives Rick the one thing he thought he'd never have again: a body that's as fast and as strong as he ever was before the accident. But the more time he spends in The Realm, the more questions he has. What secrets are these agents keeping from him? What really happened to his father? How many others have gone into The Realm already . . . and failed? And perhaps most important, is he the hero they think he is?
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About the Author
Andrew Klavan is a best-selling, award-winning thriller novelist whose books have been made into major motion pictures. He broke into the YA scene with the bestselling Homelanders series, starting with The Last Thing I Remember. He is also a screenwriter and scripted the innovative movie-in-an-app Haunting Melissa.
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Excerpt:
He started running toward the blue trees, toward the sparkling figure
standing in front of them. He got about three steps—and then he heard
the rumble, coming from a distance this time. He looked over his
shoulder. He saw the ground hoisting up, saw the rise of it rushing
toward him like a solid wave. Before he could react, before he could
take another step, the rumble grew loud and the surge came up directly
underneath him. The shock was sharp, fast. He was thrown two steps to
his right—then he tripped and toppled over onto the spongy ground.
He started to push back up to his feet, but even as his hand pressed into the red-gold turf, there was a loud shuddering, ripping noise. Frozen where he was, Rick stared as a black chasm began to open up in the ground in front of him.
It was an astonishing sight. It was as if the surface of this strange new world were being torn apart. As Rick watched, openmouthed, the crack in the earth spread toward him quickly, the
noise growing louder, the black rift shooting at him across the open space, threatening to swallow him if he didn’t get out of the way—if he didn’t start moving, right now.
Rick rolled, trying to dodge the oncoming crevice. He felt the whole world shuddering around him, heard the scrabbling rumble filling the air. With an agonized rending noise, the earth broke apart right beneath him. He just managed to roll to the edge of it, keeping out of the way of the widening black chasm.
And then the world shook roughly and he was thrown backward. He spilled over the rim of the break and plunged into the blackness.
His arms flailed desperately. He caught hold of the broken edge of the earth with one hand. He clung to it. Hung from it, his feet dangling in the air. He had no idea how far down the chasm went below him—it was too dark to see. If he lost his hold, he might fall and fall forever.
He hung there, his hand grasping the quivering ground, his legs swinging free in the pit. He could feel his fingers slipping off the surface. He had to bring his other hand around, get a better grip . . .
No. There was no chance. The earth shook again. He lost his hold and fell.
Rick had a moment of sickening helplessness and confusion as he tumbled down. He didn’t know where the bottom was or when or what or how he’d hit when he got there. Then, with a jolt, his feet touched ground. A dull pain shot through his ankle. His knees buckled. He fell and rolled across what felt like dirt.
Almost at once, he hit hard against the wall of the crevasse. The blow jarred him to his bones. For a second or two, he lay still, stunned. Then, with a groan, he pushed off the ground, climbed to his feet. Looked around.
He was standing at the bottom of the long chasm. The fissure traveled off into distant darkness on either side of him, he couldn’t tell how far. He looked up. At least it wasn’t very deep. With a little effort, he thought he ought to be able to climb the wall and get a grip on the surface, pull himself back up.
He was about to try it, when the earth began shaking again, quivering and bouncing beneath him even more violently than it had before. Pebbles and dust started falling from the surface of the earth above him, pattering down on his head. The air began to fill with noise again, that slithering, scrabbling, rushing noise. What in the world . . . ?
Rick turned toward the sound. He froze, openmouthed. His stomach went sour and his eyes went wide. He wanted to cry out, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t even move. He was rooted to the spot.
He could not believe—no one could have believed—the horror that was rushing toward him.
He started to push back up to his feet, but even as his hand pressed into the red-gold turf, there was a loud shuddering, ripping noise. Frozen where he was, Rick stared as a black chasm began to open up in the ground in front of him.
It was an astonishing sight. It was as if the surface of this strange new world were being torn apart. As Rick watched, openmouthed, the crack in the earth spread toward him quickly, the
noise growing louder, the black rift shooting at him across the open space, threatening to swallow him if he didn’t get out of the way—if he didn’t start moving, right now.
Rick rolled, trying to dodge the oncoming crevice. He felt the whole world shuddering around him, heard the scrabbling rumble filling the air. With an agonized rending noise, the earth broke apart right beneath him. He just managed to roll to the edge of it, keeping out of the way of the widening black chasm.
And then the world shook roughly and he was thrown backward. He spilled over the rim of the break and plunged into the blackness.
His arms flailed desperately. He caught hold of the broken edge of the earth with one hand. He clung to it. Hung from it, his feet dangling in the air. He had no idea how far down the chasm went below him—it was too dark to see. If he lost his hold, he might fall and fall forever.
He hung there, his hand grasping the quivering ground, his legs swinging free in the pit. He could feel his fingers slipping off the surface. He had to bring his other hand around, get a better grip . . .
No. There was no chance. The earth shook again. He lost his hold and fell.
Rick had a moment of sickening helplessness and confusion as he tumbled down. He didn’t know where the bottom was or when or what or how he’d hit when he got there. Then, with a jolt, his feet touched ground. A dull pain shot through his ankle. His knees buckled. He fell and rolled across what felt like dirt.
Almost at once, he hit hard against the wall of the crevasse. The blow jarred him to his bones. For a second or two, he lay still, stunned. Then, with a groan, he pushed off the ground, climbed to his feet. Looked around.
He was standing at the bottom of the long chasm. The fissure traveled off into distant darkness on either side of him, he couldn’t tell how far. He looked up. At least it wasn’t very deep. With a little effort, he thought he ought to be able to climb the wall and get a grip on the surface, pull himself back up.
He was about to try it, when the earth began shaking again, quivering and bouncing beneath him even more violently than it had before. Pebbles and dust started falling from the surface of the earth above him, pattering down on his head. The air began to fill with noise again, that slithering, scrabbling, rushing noise. What in the world . . . ?
Rick turned toward the sound. He froze, openmouthed. His stomach went sour and his eyes went wide. He wanted to cry out, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t even move. He was rooted to the spot.
He could not believe—no one could have believed—the horror that was rushing toward him.
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