As hard as I tried I just couldn't get into the novel. I found it slightly confusing and really boring.

The premise of the novel was interesting but it just took too long for anything to happen. I liked the idea of how religion was declining and technology was all important. Also how real physical relationships had declined and instead the online world dominated everyone's lives.

The philosophy portrayed throughout the novel could have been interesting had it been more consistent and less subtle. It was really hard to understand what the novel was trying discuss. Is technology bad? Is religion bad? Does humanity need a mix of both to be the best they can be? What?!

I gave up 43% of the way through as I realized I was just reading it to finish it, instead of enjoying it.

'Convergence' by Jerry Sander details and rich and complex dystopian world in which technology has reached new heights and poses a threat to a post-human population. Providing commentary on our own technological reliance (and making several references to our time), this story is a topical one, designed to make its readers think.

This book was a heavy read initially, I'll be honest. Following our young protagonists, the worlds brightest and best, from travelling to university, through orientation, followed drastically by playing through the addictive game 'Hell on Earth', leaving them so much more important in the grand scheme of things than they had ever imagined.
My only real complaint, is the supposedly super smart teenager, who whilst being aware that the world is falling apart and that these few people may be the only ones to try and stop catastrophe, spends almost all of his time mooning over his roommate, and really cant seem to focus, despite being the worlds supposed saviour.
Despite this, I did enjoy this book. Some things seemed a little too easy and the ending seemed a bit rushed in comparison to the rest of the story, but on the whole this is a book worth reading.
4 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion and review
#Netgalley #Convergence

This is a little confusing at times due to a lot of acronyms and just the way it's presented. It's OK, but not great. It contains some philosophy, is slow at times, and is not a quick read (requires some brain cells). Recommended for those seeking an intellectual dystopian read.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

This book was so confusing and I don't understand the message it was trying to convey.
In the near future, there was a war between technology and religion and religion was basically obliterated. The years started over with year one and people were implanted with technology to move society into a new future.

I felt like we were dropped into this new world and we didn't get as much world building as I wanted. I did like the beginning part of the story, where Zokaya comes to California and meets his team that he is going to work with to develop new technology. A game called Hell On Earth is released and the players become violent and start hurting other people. This was intriguing and I wanted it to go on longer, but it ends and Zokaya leaves the program to go on his own.

The second part dragged, Zokaya spends a long time discovering himself and religion and that technology can be harmful. I get that message, but I wasn't sure if the author was celebrating or condemning religion and either way it wasn't interesting to me. If Zokaya had stayed with the CAWS group and we had seen what they were working on and how they were combating it, I would have been more invested. Also, the romance between Zokaya and Kristina was odd and not well developed.

There were way too many acronyms that I couldn't keep track of and big sections of internal dialogue and slowed this down. I think this could have benefited from more explanation on the world we were in now and more action to keep the story interesting.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I have no McFreaking clue what just happened. This book is about the triumph of humanity over technology, and reclaiming the human experience from a corrupt, controlling world. Maybe. Clearly written by someone who loves <i>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</i>. Religion is evil, except for Zen Buddhism, which is the only human truth. Overall, this book left me confused.

Jerry Sander shares a book that works as a new go-to read in the world of science fiction. I enjoyed this unique dystopian take, and I like how Sander weaves in political ideas and cultural work into the sci-fi realm (the way good books from this genre should). Highly enjoyable.

I requested this title because it sounded like it would be a perfect fit for me. I love distopian literature, and this sounded like a great YA option. The book is fine, although I found the formatting a little distracting. There is a glossary of terms used, to give contact to the in-book slang and terminology, which was helpful. All in all, this ended up not being my cup of tea. I think this would be more enjoyable to a YA audience.