TL;DR Review: Quirky, utterly off the wall, wildly hilarious and deeply emotional. Signature Matt Dinniman-style entertainment I couldn’t put down.
Synopsis:
A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do is run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. As a fan of Earth television and culture, he figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there’s a complication.
Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Corporation is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying their own AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their own homes?
The game is called Operation Bounce House.
Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.
Full Review:
As a die-hard Dungeon Crawler Carl fan, I went into this book expecting to be entertained. But let me tell you, I was ENTERTAINED (yes, those all caps were totally necessary).
Operation Bounce House introduces us to Oliver, a young man on a backwater planet who’s got everything he needs right in front of him—a farm to work on, a girlfriend (he may or may not have accidentally broken up with), and a quiet life—with no real drive to do anything more.
Right up until a weird video game-like giant robot crash-lands on his property and tries to kill him. Luckily, the AI that runs his farm is programmed with the mandate to defend him, his sister, and their land, so he walks away mostly unscathed. But it’s then that he learns about Operation Bounce House, a cruel plan by Earth’s government to oust Oliver and his fellow planetary residents to gain access to its resources. (Sound familiar?)
But Oliver and co. aren’t going to take that lying down. Though they’re massively outgunned, outnumbered, and outclassed in every conceivable way, they’re determined to fight back. Thus begins the resistance that gives Earth and its absolute nightmare crew of gamers-tuned-giant-robot-pilots the fight of their life.
Operation Bounce House has the same flavor as Dungeon Crawler Carl—one man and his quirky, colorful crew of friends fights back against impossible odds—but all condensed into a single book. The similarities between the two stories are what make it classic Matt Dinniman, but the differences are what create a truly compelling read that I could not put down from start to finish.
It’s quirky, utterly off the wall, and shifts between wildly hilarious and deeply emotional with Dinniman’s impressive adroitness. There’s not a single boring moment in these pages. The story had me ripping through “just one more chapter” again and again.
Get ready to be ENTERTAINED!
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