The Eye of Minds

by James Dashner

A few of my 6th grade boys really recommended this book/series. The Eye of Minds is the first book in The Morality Doctrine series by James Dashner, the author of The Maze Runner series.  And like his Maze Runner books, this books starts off fast, pushes limits, and rocks with action. It is a great books for middle school boys or older.

The Eye of Minds is set in a futuristic city. The exact city is not named, but it is large and sprawling. The main character is Michael and his two friend Bryson and Sarah. Computers rule this world, and everyday, everyone plugs into their Coffin, a casket-like structure. In the Coffin, you are plugged into the Virtual world where you can be whoever you want and can live whatever life you want. It's yours for the taking, if you know how to do it. Michael and his friends are hackers and can steal anything they'd like.

In the beginning of the book, Michael is faced with a situation that can earn him points in his virtual world. Michael must prevent a young woman from jumping off  bridge. However it's not so simple. She is crazy, mumbling and screaming about a man named Kaine who won't let her "Wake" up. She's trapped in the Sleep. In front of Michael, she rips out her Core (a small device that connects her to her body in her Coffin) and plunges over the bridge to her death. Without her Core, her death is not just virtual but actual. Michael tries to grab her but joins her in her plunge. He, thankfully, wakes up in his Coffin sore but alive.

He is disturbed with this turn of events. Who is this Kaine? And why is he responsible for, not just this death, but others as well? Michael is picked up (forcefully) by the VNS (VirtNet Security) and brought to their headquarters. Michael is introduced to Agent Weber who explains that Kaine is killing off people for an evil plan. Michael and his friends are tasked with finding Kaine using their impressive hacking skills and leading the VNS to his location (in the Sleep) so they can stop him before he destroys everything.

Michael and his friends join in the hunt, but Kaine scares them, holding them in a void with nothing but his voice. They almost stop, but decide to continue on with their search. They find they need to get on the Path to get to the Hallowed Ravine. There they will find Kaine with his evil Morality Doctrine, whatever that is. It's not easy. They are attacked by Kaine's minions, KillSims, which can suck the virtual life out of you, leaving you almost brain dead in the real world. One latches onto Michael, and after that, he starts to have terrible headaches that come and go suddenly (but very painfully). Michael, Bryson, and Sarah have to join an adults-only game to find the start of the Path. The game is labeled Devils of Destruction and is supposedly based on a historical battle. However, this game is all about killing each other violently to get points. They three friends must battle for 3-4 days as they look for the start to the Path, getting killed over 20 times each in every way imaginable.

Once they find the Path. It starts on a disk floating in a weird world. An old granny gives them a clue of how to get off. She also warns them that if they die, they will wake up in their Coffins, but they can no longer get back to the Path. They figure out the clue and find themselves in more bizarre circumstances, places that get creepier and more dangerous as they go. Bryson and then Sarah both die, leaving Michael alone to finish the search, still battling his headaches along the way. He finally makes it to the Hallowed Ravine where he finds Kaine. Kaine is thrilled Michael is there, as he has led him there the whole time. Kaine says he has big plans for Michael who doesn't yet understand what is really going on. Before Michael can get answers for all his questions, the VNS show up and start blasting everything to smithereens.  Michael almost escapes but gets trapped by KillSims eager to suck him away. He pools his hacking strength and blows them all to dust, blowing everything surrounding him the virtual world away.

He awakes in his Coffin, amazed at how things smell and feel more clear than before, and he finds out he is not actually who he thought he was. There is a big surprise ending that sets you up for the next book.

What I liked: There were good twists and turns, excitement around every corner, and interesting characters. Kaine and Michael are not who you think them to be and it leaves you wondering who you can trust.

What I didn't like: I didn't really like some of the more graphic details, especially in the Devils of Destruction game. It was violent, and that's not something that I revel in. However, boys will definitely be sucked into this game as it is fast paced and exciting.

I would recommend this book to boys and girls who like excitement and adventure. This would be for middle grade or above as some of the content is for older kids.