The Choice (Virtual War Chronologs) - Hardcover

Gloria Skurzynski is the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults, including Virtual War, The Clones, and The Revolt. Her books have won numerous awards, among them the Christopher Award, the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, the Golden Kite Award, and the Science Book Award from the American Institute of Physics. She lives with her husband, Ed, in Boise, Idaho. You can visit her website at www.gloriabooks.com and e-mail her at gloriabooks@qwest.net.

Grade 5-8–This final installment in the series picks up where The Revolt (S & S, 2005) left off. Corgan, 16, genetically engineered to participate in a bloodless virtual war, has stolen the zero-gravity spacecraft Prometheus from Flor-DC, a domed city in Florida for survivors of nuclear contamination. His companions, Ananda, 15, and Cyborg and Sharla, both 16, each have special traits that help Corgan make the right choices. Brigand, Corgan's murdering nemesis and Cyborg's clone-twin, can channel his brother's thoughts so he is aware of everything that Corgan is planning to do, including returning to Flor-DC with The Locker, a machine that can freeze a person's age forever. Brigand wants the machine because without it, he ages two years every month. The climax, a virtual battle between Corgan and Brigand in which the winner gets to choose the fate of the loser, is waged through thought-controlled avatars. Readers will enjoy the video-gamelike quality of the final combat. This is a well-written adventure in which the technical details are deftly woven into the fast-paced plot.–Ann Robinson, Moultonborough Academy Library, NH
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