I liked this book a lot but the pacing felt kind of slow. Overall good story and would recommend to friends!

Greenhouse is an immersive game played by millions where you try to save the environment. Its creator Don Barton finds out his teen gamer son is missing. He's joined a hacker terrorist group whose mission is to destroy online entertainment and social media as well as assassinate their corporate owners. It is run by a mysterious woman, Eris. Don searches Greenhouse, the only place his son still talks to him, and finds out that his game is on Eris's hit list. Also that he and his son are in danger.

The premise is great and it plays on our rational fear of where technology and the digital age is taking us. The attempted manipulation is there and it's scary. You think that this is a game about saving the environment, how dangerous can it be? But it is.

Each 1st person POV (yes there is more than one) has a distinct voice and dives into the character's thoughts and how they perceive the world and others. There is a conversational feel to them, and in that conversational tone this world is built. The good thing with these multiple POVs is the many sides of the story we see: the corporate side, the terrorist side, the gamer side, the side of being affected by this. Your interest is piqued as to where this is all leading to. The honest of the characters' musings is sharp, sometimes brutal. With good and bad being constant presences in the game and depending on your outlook, it is a good representation of human nature. But the POVs in general also show the complexity of how we define ourselves.

The theory of the father's guilt made no sense to me or for the narrative, in my opinion, and just dragged the story. The changes between POVs were sometimes jarring while other time they felt out of place in the storyline. I wished for more development of the exciting parts and maybe a different structure to the overall story.

If you like gaming, conspiracies, terrorist plots, a mix of dystopian thrown in, this will be a thought-provoking, interesting read for you.

A novella that lacks world and character building. Don't go in thinking you're getting another Ready, Play One. The premise is better than the actual book.
Don is the creator of Greenhouse – a game that shines a spotlight on the problems with our environment, incentivizing players to save the planet. When his son Tony is kidnapped by the mysterious Eris and her league of hackers, it’s a race against the clock to get him back.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Rare Machines for this e-arc.*

Interesting plot summary and didn't overstay its welcome, but overall didn't scratch the sci-fi/dystopian itch the way it seemed to be trying to.

I’ve always been a gamer and one of my favourite books is Ready Player One, so Eris was one of my most anticipated reads this year.
Don is the creator of Greenhouse – a game that shines a spotlight on the problems with our environment, incentivising players to save the planet. When his son Tony is kidnapped by the mysterious Eris and her league of hackers, it’s a race against the clock to get him back.

I was so disappointed with this book and mercifully it was short, so I powered through rather than DNF it. The game aspect of the book makes no sense, I couldn’t tell at the beginning how it was being played – with virtual headsets or laptops, it’s only introduced mid-way through the story that players can choose to play as ‘the bad guys’ and trash the environment if they like, towards the end the game is referred to as ‘alien worlds’ which makes no sense as I thought it was supposed to be set on Earth. The credit system also makes no sense, with players spending real money to build resources. There’s no backstory and no realistic grounding for the game – it just seems to change into whatever is most convenient for the plot. This also means that the stakes for the hackers also make no sense – what are they hoping to gain by controlling the game? The synopsis mentions Eris wants to destroy social media but nowhere is this mentioned and there’s no link between the two things. We are also often told that Tony is told he has to go on missions in the game from Eris but we have no idea what these actually are.

My second issue was one dimensional characters - each chapter alternates between Eris, Don, Tony, Jun and Lily. All of these characters are written in the exact same way, and quite a few times in the text I’d missed the chapter heading and it took me many pages to notice before some odd context came along, and I’d have to skip back to check. The female characters of Lily and Eris are portrayed so badly, it’s very obvious that they have been written by a man, rather than being realistic women. Each character felt very stereotypical, telling rather than showing their traits. The way that Tony just walks into a driverless car to meet someone he met on the internet when he’s the son of a billionaire was so frustrating and I had no idea how Jun fitted into the plot at all.

Overall, the only redeeming quality to this book is that it’s short – it’s unrealistic, confusing and lacking in basic world building. Thank you to Dundern Press and NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for a (very) honest review.

I was not entirely sure I would enjoy this as I am no gamer. But it was a great read and thought provocative.

Eris has an ambitious, interesting and terrifying premise about reality vs. construct, accountability for our choices and how corporate giants enslave society through their “good” intentions. However, the delivery felt flat for me, as I expected much more. In the end, the topics were just superficially handled. The concept need a bit more exploration, the characters more depth, as we only get a glimpse at their motivations and story.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a bit difficult to rate, in all honesty. The ideas were all there but I think where this book failed to grip me was how short it was. We don't really get much character exploration or growth aside from the diary portions. Because of this, I couldn't find a character to grab onto and really care about, which is something that I need in books I enjoy. It didn't help that we are constantly jumping around between characters. It was difficult to follow. There was a overarching message that could have been done better had the world itself been expanded. For a video game about systemic issues with society, none of that was really given much attention.

I struggled to get through this book. Ultimately, the multiple POVs all sounded the same and meshed together. The pacing was a little slow and nothing really happened I felt.

The description of this book reeled me in, but unfortunately I found it very difficult to get into and DNF'd at 40%. Really liked the video game element, but it just wasn't for me and felt disconnected from the plot.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so sorry to say but the quality of this just wasn't that good. it opened trying to instil high stakes and pressure, but with no background context it was really hard to get into this book at all.

Thanks for the ARC. Intriguing premise but I’d have loved more details on the background of this world.

*Advance copy provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.*

The concept for this book was really interesting, with a virtual game having real world consequences, but it didn’t hit home for me and I have to admit I didn’t finish it, but DNF:d at 40%.
(I have noticed that I lot of other reviews have similar issues with this book as me, so I don’t think my opinion would have changed if I had finished it.)

It’s easy to read but I still had a hard time reading this, because it lacked substance. As a reader you are thrown into the story and I never really understood the point of the game or the plot. Why did everyone play Greenhouse and why did the anarchists care about that? It was also very hard to understand when something happened in the game or in the real world. The characters were equally flat, or caricatured. Their voices weren’t any different at all, except the 15-year old swears a lot, and they were mostly described rather than I actually noticed any of their specific characteristics.

I feel the marketing also couldn’t decide who the intended reader was. Due to its cover and description as the next Ready Player One, it has a very young adult vibe, which the text completely lack.

In "Eris" by Larry Gaudet, the premise holds promise, drawing readers into an intriguing narrative. However, the execution falls short in certain aspects. While the story itself is engaging, the characters lack depth, leaving readers yearning for more profound exploration of their personalities and motivations. The transitions between the different character narratives are choppy, disrupting the flow of the plot and making it challenging to follow at times. Despite these shortcomings, "Eris" remains an okay read, offering enough intrigue to keep readers invested, albeit without fully delivering on its potential.

I wanted to enjoy this book I really did! It sounded interesting and different and I love a good dystopian/sci-fi.

The premise is good, I can see the potential of where this story could have gone. It is not terribly long and it is easy to read.

The characters lack depth, they are just there and even when we are jumping from one person to the next it is hard to get to know them.

I am not sure I understand the world either, it felt like it was something we were supposed to know already.

I wish I could do more than 1 star but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book with its deep dive into gaming and online communities. It did a great job of intertwining the suspenseful plot of a who is doing it story

“Eris” by Larry Gaudet explores the intersection of virtual reality, corporate power, and rebellion. The story revolves around Don Barton, the creator of Greenhouse, a popular immersive game where players aim to save the environment. Don’s son, Tony, goes missing and is revealed to have joined a terrorist group led by Eris, a former cryptocurrency trader with a mission to destroy entertainment and social media platforms, along with assassinating the corporate elites behind them. The plot promises a gripping exploration of the impact of technology on our lives, both in the virtual and physical realms. Unfortunately, the execution falls short due to a lack of context for the characters, setting, and overall narrative. The nature of Greenhouse, the game central to the plot, is unclear, leaving readers struggling to understand its significance. The characters, including Don, Tony, and Eris, lack depth and are introduced with traits rather than evolving naturally through the story.

The narrative’s dual setting in the digital and physical worlds is confusing, with unclear distinctions between the two. The book attempts to tackle complex themes such as the consequences of technology and rebellion but fails to provide a cohesive and immersive experience. The multiple first-person narratives, meant to offer diverse perspectives, instead contribute to a lack of character development. Despite its intriguing premise, “Eris” suffers from rushed pacing, an absence of meaningful context, and underdeveloped characters.

The potential of the virtual reality setting is not fully realized, leaving readers with a sense of unfulfilled promise. While the book raises thought-provoking questions about the impact of technology, its execution prevents the narrative from reaching its intended depth. In conclusion, “Eris” is a missed opportunity to delve into a compelling exploration of virtual reality, rebellion, and corporate power. The lack of context, character depth, and a cohesive narrative diminishes the overall impact, resulting in a book that falls short of its potential.

A very cool, sci-fi, video game type book that had me on the edge of my seat, and if you’re looking for a really good thriller book that’s relatable. This is the one for you.

I liked it a lot, it had some pretty deep messages and was a bit heavy to read at times but overall I enjoyed it a lot. Wasn't a big fan of the multiple POV but would read more from this author.

I enjoyed reading this book! Though it’s not something I’d read usually but I actually liked reading this one. Story had a really cool concept but I felt characters were just kinda boring. But I know so many people who’d love to read it! Highly recommend! Thanks for giving me opportunity to read this book!