Michael R. Stevens

I was intrigued by the plot idea of "Fortuna," so I decided to give it a try. At first, I had a hard time getting in to it, mostly because I was trying to take in the various details of the game (Fortuna) and its world (Renaissance Florence), but once those settled in, I found myself moving with relative ease through the book, enjoying the various plot twists and turns. I was a bit thrown when I reached part II, and I found myself wishing that the author had woven parts I and II together throughout the story, but it didn't detract from my ability to enjoy the book. I also found certain parts predictable, but this also didn't deter me. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and will definitely be checking out other books that Stevens has to offer!… (mais)

I was immediately drawn into this story while reading the "look inside" preview online and ended up reading the book in one sitting. Jason, a computer science major at Stanford University, gets caught up in an obsessive online role-playing game that sets his personal life into a freefall. I was enchanted by the beautifully depicted world of Fortuna, set in Renaissance Italy, and was caught up in the events resulting from Jason’s addiction to the game. I'm not a "gamer", so the book dragged a bit for me in the middle and during some of the more technical explanations of the game. However this did not draw me out of the story nor detract significantly from the flow of the book, as they were seamlessly blended into the story and were important to understanding the game of "Fortuna".… (mais)

"Fortuna" by Michael R. Stevens, starts out as a cautionary tale about the effects getting overly involved in a virtual world can have on real life. By the end of part 2, the book shifts genres and goes from an after-school special to James Bond meets the Sopranos. Basically, what starts out as a timely and realistic story, becomes something fantastical and improbable. The story is still interesting and exciting; it just becomes disjointed and a bit contrived.

In an effort to add some excitement to his ordinary life, Jason Lind signs up for the virtual world of "Fortuna". An online role-playing game based on Renaissance Italy, Fortuna promises an escape that Jason can't refuse. As he becomes more immersed in the game, Jason turns his back on the real world and soon finds himself in debt, with no job and no idea how to get himself out of this distressing situation. It is at this point that the book changes gears. We learn the back story of the death of Jason's father and see what happens when real life and the virtual world intersect on a more personal and dangerous level.

Michael Stevens does an excellent job of painting the picture of Renaissance Italy and in particular, the city of Florence. His descriptions of the game and how it works are vivid and fascinating though sometimes a little technical for the novice computer user. Honestly, I didn't need to read about the underlying operation of the game but those who are into that sort of thing should really enjoy those parts of the story.

Overall, I would recommend this book for its imagery and timeliness as well as the unexpected turn of events that leads to an exciting climax.… (mais)

When you don't have any actual money (and even if you do), books are an excellent way to take a cheap vacation. But if you've read all the books on your shelf, and something astronomical has happened to keep you away from the bookstore, perhaps virtual lives are the most convenient solution to this fatal monotony. But imagine a virtual life so sophisticated—so complex—that it's run entirely by machines. Imagine a world where the lines between the game and real life begin to blur, until they're almost impossible to distinguish.

Welcome to Fortuna.

Computer science major, Jason Lind, is looking for an escape from his boring life, when he happens upon Fortuna, an incredibly sophisticated online role playing game set in renaissance-era Florence, Italy. Playing as Father Allesandro da Scala, Jason finds himself seduced by this wild world of relationships, politics, and greed that extends beyond the virtual walls of his computer.

When he incurs an in-game debt that flows over into his real life, Jason is forced to seek the attentions of his estranged computer-mogul uncle, Frank Stocker. Under his uncle's employment, Jason begins to remember and realize the secrets of his family's past, and to uncover the realities of his future.

The first word this book brings to mind is "detailed". Michael R. Stevens' Fortuna captures the essence of renaissance-era Italy with an artist's eye. From the social hierarchy, to the dangers of every day life, to the confessional at Father Allesandro's church, the historical aspects of this book are as engrossing as they are beautiful.

I also loved all the technological references. The code-speak isn't difficult to understand, but geeks like me still feel like they're getting a crash course in the antagonist's program-of-choice (of course, my knowledge is a little outdated now…). Fortuna is truly a technological thriller, but, for the casual reader, the historical elements help to balance this out.

Now, normally I'm a stickler for interesting characters, and—let's face it—Jason Lind's life is pretty boring. He and his friends are all freakishly normal, but for once, I think this enhances the book. The plot here is front and center; our eyes are ever drawn to the lush and beautiful world of Fortuna. I like it; a lot.

Michael R Stevens' writing style is very straight forward, and easy to read. I didn't find myself clamoring over the letters, or getting that 'red pen' feeling. Fortuna would make an excellent airplane book, or passenger-seat-of-the-car kind of book; both fast and engaging.

The biggest negative I have for Fortuna, would be its predictability. I know I can almost always predict the ending of a book within the first forty pages, so maybe it's just me. But I did find Fortuna to be highly predictable. That isn't to say I didn't like it—because I did. I just guessed the ending.

Fortuna is a book that grabs you and won't let go. I'm proud to have it on my bookshelf.

An afterthought: After reading Fortuna, I decided I needed to try some online gaming. Stevens' website said that the game Fortuna most closely resembles Second Life in the games available today, so off to Second Life I went. After spending about an hour creating my character (I named her Ink), I began interacting with people… and promptly got off. It was too much for me. The actual voice chatting with people I've never met; the humongous community. I think I'm internet paranoid or something, because it just made me all kinds of nervous interacting with people that way. So I want to congratulate Jason Lind on his bravery—he made it farther than I did.

You can read more reviews like this one at my blog: http://www.dailymonocle.blogspot.com… (mais)