The Rule of Thoughts

by James Dashner

Series: Book #2 The Mortality Doctrine 
ISBN: 9780385741415
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: August 26th 2014
Number of Pages: 304
Source: Local Library
Goodreads Summary:  Michael completed the Path. What he found at the end turned everything he’d ever known about his life—and the world—completely upside down.

He barely survived. But it was the only way VirtNet Security knew to find the cyber-terrorist Kaine—and to make the Sleep safe for gamers once again. And, the truth Michael discovered about Kaine is more complex than they anticipated, and more terrifying than even the worst of their fears.

Kaine is a tangent, a computer program that has become sentient. And Michael’s completing the Path was the first stage in turning Kaine’s master plan, the Mortality Doctrine, into a reality.

The Mortality Doctrine will populate Earth entirely with human bodies harboring tangent minds. Any gamer who sinks into the VirtNet risks coming out with a tangent intelligence in control of their body. 

And the takeover has already begun.

My Rating:  

So, seeing as this is book number 2, you kind of have to read the first book, The Eye of Minds, to get what is going on. (See my review for that book here) I know if you are like me, you hating reading a book that ends up being a part of a series. I couldn't resist with this because I loved Dashner's Maze Runner series. For those of you who haven't read the first book - book #3 won't be out until October 2015 (so, a year from now). Maybe that will help you decide if you want to start the series now or wait for all three to be out :)

 ~~~~~

Book #1 ended on a major cliffhanger - We discover that Michael isn't a human, He's basically just a computer program that has now been "given" a human body. 

"Everything he knew was a result of artificial intelligence. Manufactured data and memories. Programmed technology. A created life." - The Rule of Thoughts, 2

Michael struggles with this throughout the whole book - who/what is he? It is the time old question of creating artificial intelligence - does creating something in man's image that thinks, talks, and acts like human still just a computer? To me, Michael doesn't seem computer-ish to me. He has feelings and struggles just as a human does. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

"You're the same goofy Michael I've always known. Who's to say we're not all computer programs, layers upon layers upon layers? Or in a dream?" - The Rule of Thoughts, 88

Michael has to seek out his two best friends - Sarah and Bryson in the REAL world to try and figure out how to beat Kaine (the crazy power-hungry computer program that has started to take over the world).

Michael's body (previous belonging to Jackson Porter) is a source of conflict. One that results from this is Jackson's girlfriend, Gabby. Seems like Kaine chose Jackson's body for a reason.....

The VNS is not being any help and time is running out...

A little slow-going but it does pick up towards the end. Again, we are left with an intriguing twist, though not as cliff-hanging as the first book. (Dashner sure does love putting twists in his books!) 

Overall, decent middle book and I will read the last book to continue the journey with Michael and his friends. 

The Eye of Minds

by James Dashner

Series: Book #1 The Mortality Doctrine
ISBN: 9780385741391
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 8th 2013
Number of Pages: 323
Source: Local Library

Goodreads Summary: Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway? But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery. The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker. And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

My Rating:  

Very intriguing new book for Dasher! Once again, I am disappointed to find that this will be another TRILOGY! Why can't we get some good stand-alone YA books anymore??

He has created a world where it seems people spend a lot of their time inside a virtual reality called VirtNet. A person goes inside a pod-like device, they then enter the virtual world and go through everyday activities such as eating and socializing (the pod is set up that when you eat, it dispenses healthy food to your body & it also simulates the actions that are occurring in the game to your body). You also complete "challenges" to earn life points, which allow you to advance further into this world. 

The book starts out with Michael (our main character) trying to complete one of these "challenges" - save a person from committing suicide. In this virtual world, when you die - you wake up in the real world and you are fine. This time though, this girl wants to die FOR REAL. She removes the chip from her head that separates her mind and body from the two different worlds. This means that when she dies now, her body will also die. She mentions a "Kaine" who has forced her to this since he wouldn't let her leave this virtual world and is performing experiments on others that he has also trapped.

Michael fails to save her and when he returns to the real world, he is kidnapped and put in the employ of VNS (VirtNet Security) to find Kaine. 

Michael has the help of his two best friends, Sarah & Bryson. All three of them are excellent hackers and they journey deep into the VirtNet to find Kaine. 

"They'd use their coding and hacking skills like never before. There was a reason the VNS had chosen him and his friends, Michael thought, and he was glad for the reminder of the lengths they'd need to go. We can do this, he told himself. Over and over." - The Eye of Minds, 49

This journey is the bulk of the story and I don't want to go into more detail, as the reader making this journey with Michael is what makes this book. 

I am interested to see what will happen after that twist at the end (I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!)

Recommended for: fans of the Maze Runner, teen boys that are reluctant readers, and people who enjoy techno thrillers. 

Book Two, The Rule of Thoughts, comes out August 2014!
**Update October 2014** See my review for The Rule of Thoughts over here!