With a full blast of all-out geekiness, admirable online friendships, and fierce fights with internet trolls, Eric Smith’s upcoming contemporary, Don’t Read the Comments, is going to transfer you to the magnificent virtual universe of Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. The novel is led by Divya Sharma, also known as D1V online, one of the most popular streaming gamers in the community, and Aaron Jericho, an aspiring game developer and a writer who fell deep into the world of gaming but couldn’t fully pursue it due to his parents’ expectation for him to become a doctor. Prepare yourself for a fast-paced story full of action that will make your heart beats faster with every page passing by.
For Divya, Reclaim the Sun is not just a game that will entertain her when days are slow. It’s her passion, obsession, but most importantly, it’s a side income that helps her and her mother to pay the piling bills, thanks to her irresponsible father that decided to leave. Earning a small amount of money in exchange for doing sponsorships on her popular channel, it’s the least she can do to help her mother who’s ready to give up her education and search for a second job instead. She simply can’t let that happen, though it means she has to face the stream of negative comments that she continuously gets.
Meanwhile, all Aaron Jericho wants is to be able to write his own script for a game, if it’s not for his unsupportive parents, especially his mother who expect him to continue the family legacy by becoming a doctor just like her. He spends his spare time to work on his mother’s medical practice instead of working on a game’s plot which yet to be paid. Though his father is a bit more relaxed when it comes to Aaron’s love for the gaming world, he also has a little sister, Mira, who he very much loved.
Told in alternating point-of-view, this is a story of Divya and Aaron in facing the worst side of online gaming community. When the threats are no longer exists online and start haunting them in real life, the two must work together in order to survive.
My first impression of this book is its outstanding gaming-focused story. It was obvious that Smith is a huge fan of video games and poured his heart for developing this fast-paced yet heartfelt story. Centering around everything fun and geeky, Smith doesn’t forget to include heavier topics in this story, including racism, sexism, and online toxicity, making this story balanced perfectly. Don’t Read the Comments also features many great representations, starting from racially diverse characters to the case of female oppression when it comes to field that considered to be manly, including video games.
Though I could see how gamers will have a blast reading this story, non-gamers (like myself) are more likely to have a great time too, thanks to Smith’s wonderful narrative in describing this online community with all its dramas and problems. The gaming plot was narrated fiercely and it felt as if I no longer read a contemporary anymore, as the sci-fi bits blended perfectly, creating a wholesome new experience in reading this modern tale.
This story is very much a character-driven one as it featured deep connection and intimacy amongst its characters. And as for the plot, I couldn’t help but compare the universe of Reclaim the Sun in Don’t Read the Comments to Oasis in Ready Player One. While the two VR platforms feel familiar during earlier chapters, Smith’s crafted a universe that soon separate itself and grow to become something entirely unique.
In conclusion, Don’t Read the Comments is a solid genre-bending story that doesn’t shy away from today’s ugly reality of online communities.
Don’t Read the Comments is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
