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In Game and .nightsandweekends.com/articles/13/NW1300335.php>Buzz, the first two books in his Game trilogy, author Anders de la Motte set the stage for a thrilling race to the finish. Now, with Bubble, he takes all of the paranoia and conspiracies of the first two books and ties them together in a conclusion that’s filled with enough technological twists and turns to make readers’ heads spin.
The third and final installment of the Game trilogy finds Henrik “HP” Pettersen once again pulled back into The Game. After he managed to infiltrate ArgosEye (in Buzz), he was offered one final task—an assignment so excessive that he couldn’t possibly agree to it. Instead, he’s spent several months hidden in his apartment, trying to figure out The Game’s secrets.
When The Game forces him out of hiding, HP becomes connected with an underground group of former Players who are trying to bring an end to The Game and its manipulation once and for all. But it’s impossible to tell who’s on his side and who’s just another pawn.
Remember the way you felt after watching The Matrix for the first time? Remember that blend of breathless awe and utter bewilderment, mixed with an eagerness to go back and experience it all over again, just to try to make sense of it all? Well, that’s the same feeling you’ll have when you finish reading the last page of Bubble.
It’s no surprise that Bubble is a twisting, turning techno-thriller; the first two books in the trilogy promised nothing less. From start to finish, the series conclusion will have you doubting, questioning, and second-guessing everything, as HP’s ever-increasing paranoia is constantly backed up by layer upon layer of lies, deception, and manipulation.
While the first two books in the trilogy focused on the technological aspects of The Game—particularly its ties to our social media-obsessed society—Bubble offers a broader view of this extravagantly devious organization to show its mind-blowing scope. Nothing is sacred here. Big businesses, government organizations, historic events, the royal family—everything seems to be connected in some way, whether directly or indirectly. And the various connections and conspiracies—along with the constant plot twists—are enough to leave even the most meticulous reader feeling hopelessly tangled.
Still, this complex adventure is well worth the effort (and the confusion). The story is so fascinating—and so irresistibly thrilling—that you won’t be able to set it aside. Then, once you finish reading, you’ll end up going through the details over and over again, trying to piece everything together for yourself. In the end, you probably won’t succeed—because there’s simply too much going on here. So if you need a nice, neat conclusion to satisfy you, it’s best to steer clear of this mind-bending trilogy. But if you’re searching for a fast-paced adventure to get your adrenaline pumping—and to pull your brain out of the winter blahs—Bubble won’t disappoint.
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