Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

title: Erebos
written by: Ursula Poznanski
series: none
pages: 434
genres: Young Adult, mystery, Fantasy
publication date: January 19th 2012
publisher: Annick Press

An intelligent computer game with a disturbing agenda.
When 16-year-old Nick receives a package containing the mysterious computer game Erebos, he wonders if it will explain the behavior of his classmates, who have been secretive lately. Players of the game must obey strict rules: always play alone, never talk about the game, and never tell anyone your nickname.
Curious, Nick joins the game and quickly becomes addicted. But Erebos knows a lot about the players and begins to manipulate their lives. When it sends Nick on a deadly assignment, he refuses and is banished from the game.
Now unable to play, Nick turns to a friend for help in finding out who controls the game. The two set off on a dangerous mission in which the border between reality and the virtual world begins to blur.

Erebos was a book with a very intriguing plot, and I really wanted to read and love it. I saw my library had just gotten a new copy of it -in Dutch that is- and I borrowed it. It lay on my shelves for about 2 months, and then I started reading it. -Books usually lie on my shelves for a really long time-

Once I started reading it I got hypnotised by the story. I couldn't put it down and read it as quick as I could. The story is easy to read and understand. You already kind of know what's going to happen, and that Nick will recieve the game. But what will happen when he does get it. What is Erebos?


I for one think the blurb contains too much information about the book. If I'm really interested about a book I try avoiding to read the blurb, since it might give me too much information about a books' plot. This blurb definitely did. It tells you about the first 2/3 of the book or something. And that's not OK. But yeah, I kinda understand why they did it.


The story focuses on the video game world of Erebos. I am no gamer, and I have not been addicted to gaming ever. And I have been addicted to a lot of things. *books, internet, coffee, ...* I think this book gave a pretty good description of how it is to get addicted to gaming, and how frustrating it can be not to be able to play. Then there is the fact that most of Nicks -main character- friends also play Erebos, but he can't talk about it or ask what Nicknames they have. That must be aweful. I wouldn't be able to play Erebos, because of the rule of secrecy. I can keep a secret, but I am too curious so I'd definitely talk about it with my friends.


Nick, the main character, was not my favourite character of the past month. Or week. I  couldn't relate to him at all and that was a very bad thing. Still, I think teenage boys, the main target group of this book, might be able to relate to him.


Erebos is an exiting book for every teenager, although I would recommend it specifically to boys. This book taught me that books about gaming aren't lame at all! And how a game can spread like a virus.


I give this book 3 stars