Rated: 4 of 5 stars
 
Review:
 
Virtual Reality at a new level with nanites altering the participants and death assured – 4 stars A new game is set in a time that is barely in the future. The game is Capture the Flag. Because the game is in Beta release, the new gamers (Noobs) participants are in for trouble and possibly death. Two teams of 30 are set to shoot anything that moves. Each participant assumes that any harm will be erased at the end of the game – presumably it is only a game. They get an injection 12 hours prior to the start of the game. Because the Noobs are unskilled and not curious, they needed to be told to check their equipment and suit up. They have no experience in playing using their real bodies in an imaginary environment. Expectations for success are high. All risks are discounted. Unknown to the player participants, someone in information technology (IT) changed the rules. Some of the male participants knew about the environmental changes and planned to sexually attack the female players. The novella is quite short.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review:
Short story that has some interest for seeing a continuation of the story line. Background is minimal but I had read Net Zero before reading this story so I had some idea about references to the background. Would have liked to see some more plot and character development but in a short story what can you expect. Overall a quick entertaining read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review:
Length is a novelette but it does add a little more to the overall scenario of the books and readable in itself as a standalone story.