Into the Real

NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR JOHN RINGO AND USA TODAY BEST-SELLING AUTHOR LYDIA SHERRER JOIN FORCES ON A NEW SF NOVEL OF ALIEN INVASION. Ender's Game meets Mean Girls meets Pokemon Go.

Lynn Raven may be the boss master of WarMonger 2050 with her online persona of "Larry the Snake," but when the CEO of Tsunami Entertainment personally asks her, as a favor, to beta test a new augmented reality game, she has to face her greatest fear: going outside and dealing with . . . well, people.

As she becomes more immersed in the game, the stakes rise and so do the obstacles. Strife between teammates, a ruthless rival team, and these strange glitches that make it seem like the game algorithm (or maybe "game AI"?) has it in for her. Now she has to face a new fear: is she willing to step into the real to win the future she's always wanted?

What do you do when a game and real life merge?

About Into the Real:

"The disturbing realism is balanced by dangerous monsters, clever tactics, explosive action, and a compelling twist at the end...immersive, highly technical near-future sf; perfect for dedicated gamers or for fans of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One."--Library Journal

"I found myself enjoying the story and Raven's relationship with the AI that's her guide in the game, and I was invested throughout. It wasn't so much a coming-of-age story as a growing into and appreciating one's own skin... I'm really looking forward to how things will play out from here."--The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

"Ringo and Sherrer have created a modern day Ender's Game using the technology of Pokemon Go... The characters are vivid and interesting, and the action is strong enough to carry you along."--Upstream Reviews

"The futuristic world of the gamers and the game itself will interest sf readers....YA: Teens will relate to Lynn, the main character, and if they are gamers, they will enjoy her gamer and VR adventures." --Booklist

About John Ringo:
". . . the thinking reader's zombie novel . . . Ringo fleshes out his theme with convincing details . . . the proceedings become oddly plausible."--Publishers Weekly on Under a Graveyard Sky

"[Ringo's work is] peopled with three-dimensional characters and spiced with personal drama as well as tactical finesse."--Library Journal

"Explosive . . . fans . . . will appreciate Ringo's lively narrative and flavorful characters."--Publishers Weekly

". . . practically impossible not to read in one sitting . . . exceedingly impressive . . . executed with skill, verve, and wit."--Booklist

"Crackerjack storytelling."--Starlog

Author: John Ringo, Lydia Sherrer
Publisher: Baen
Published: 04/05/2022
Pages: 448
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 8.98h x 6.38w x 1.50d
ISBN: 9781982126001


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 03/01/2022 pg. 36
Library Journal 04/01/2022 pg. 64

About the Author
John Ringo brings fighting to life. He is the creator of the Posleen Wars series, which has become a New York Times best-selling series with more than one million copies in print. The series contains A Hymn Before Battle, Gust Front, When the Devil Dances, Hell's Faire, and Eye of the Storm. In addition, Ringo has penned the Council War series. Adding another dimension to his skills, Ringo created nationally best-selling techno-thriller novels about Mike Harmon (Ghost, Kildar, Choosers of the Slain, Unto the Breach, and A Deeper Blue). His techno-thriller The Last Centurion was also a national bestseller. A more playful twist on the future is found in novels of the Looking-Glass series: Into the Looking Glass, Vorpal Blade, Manxome Foe, and Claws That Catch, the last three in collaboration with Travis S. Taylor. His audience was further enhanced with four collaborations with fellow New York Times best-selling author David Weber: March Upcountry, March to the Sea, March to the Stars, and We Few. There are an additional seven collaborations from the Posleen series: The Hero, written with Michael Z. Williamson, Watch on the Rhine, Yellow Eyes, and The Tuloriad, all written with Tom Kratman, and the New York Times bestseller Cally's War and its sequels Sister Time and Honor of the Clan, all with Julie Cochrane. His science-based zombie apocalypse Black Tide Rising series includes Under a Graveyard Sky, To Sail a Darkling Sea, Islands of Rage and Hope, and Strands of Sorrow. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne, Ringo brings firsthand knowledge of military operations to his fiction.

USA Today best-selling author Lydia Sherrer is an urban fantasy author who hopes to leave this world a better place than she found it. She grew up in rural Kentucky and was thoroughly corrupted by a deep love for its rolling countryside, despite all the mosquitoes and hay-fever. Lydia's parents instilled in her a craving for literature early on, and later regretted it as they had to wrestle books away from her at the dinner table and confiscate all her flashlights she used to read books under the covers. Despite their best efforts, they never managed to break her of the habit, and Lydia is still reading under the covers today, though now she has the convenience of a Kindle with night settings.

Lydia graduated with a dual BA in Chinese and Arabic, and after traveling to the far corners of the globe, came home and stayed. She currently resides in Louisville, KY, with her family and two overlords . . . er, cats.

When not writing or promoting her next book, Lydia enjoys ocarina playing (think Zelda), traditional archery, gardening, and art. She believes dark chocolate and tea are legitimate sources of nutrition, and one day hopes to visit every country in the world.