Tom Clancy's Netforce: Virtuele Vandalen

Inhoud

Matt Hunter, een enthousiaste Netforce Explorer, woont samen met zijn vrienden een honkbalwedstrijd bij. Sommigen zijn daadwerkelijk aanwezig in het bomvolle stadion, anderen nemen een virtuele zitplaats in beslag. Het stadion is uitgerust met een sensationele virtual realitysimulator die het mogelijk maakt dat legendarische honkbalhelden van weleer deelnemen aan de wedstrijd! Tijdens de wedstrijd staan er plotseling vier virtuele toeschouwers op en trekken machinepistolen tevoorschijn! Ze openen het vuur waarbij ook een van Matts vrienden door een holografische kogel wordt getroffen.
Matt krijgt van Netforce opdracht tot op de bodem uit te zoeken hoe dit heeft kunnen gebeuren en wie die vier mysterieuze figuren zijn.

Bespreking

A good read for young science-fiction fans

Matt Hunter, an enthusiastic Net Force Explorer, and his friends are sitting in the stadium of Camden Yards watching a holographic baseball game. There are only a few people who are physically present at Camden Yards, because most spectators have bought a virtual seat and are watching the game from their home, while at the same time being represented as holographic images at the stadium. Suddenly four virtual viewers stand up from their seats and start firing at the audience with machine guns. One of Matt's friends is hit by a holographic bullet and struggles for his life. Matt starts to wonder how it is possible that people can get hurt by virtual bullets. With the help of the Net Force Explorer team he starts his investigations and soon reveals something that is much bigger than what that vandal's prank might seem at first sight.

Virtual Vandals is a decent and well-written science-fiction story that will definitely serve as an enjoyable read for many youngsters. The main theme is virtual reality, but as opposed to another Net Force book titled The Deadliest Game, this time the storyline is not entirely submerged into a virtual world. Typically of a virtual world is that everything can happen and nothing needs to be explainable. The authors have not stepped into this trap and have kept the suspense into the 'real' world, which is in my opinion the better choice. The story contains a few twists that might not all be as convincing, but they keep up the pace so that Virtual Vandals can be called a real page-turner.