DISGARDIUM
One teenager. The world’s biggest VR game. And a power so dangerous, everyone wants him deleted.
The year is 2074. Playing is the only way up.
Earth is ruled by a rigid caste system. For noncitizens, real careers are out of reach — the only work, and the only hope, lies inside Disgardium, the most immersive virtual world ever built. Fifteen-year-old Alex Sheppard doesn’t even want to be a gamer. He dreams of the stars.
Then a freak accident fuses his low-level character with a power the game’s gods themselves fear — and the system brands him a Class-A Threat. Top clans put a price on his head. Mega-corporations send hunters. The developers want him wiped from the servers.
And in Disgardium, dying can cost you everything — in the game, and in the real world. Fifteen books. One complete story. No cliffhangers left behind.
For my birthday, my parents got me an Infinitum 8. Not a very expensive model of immersion pod, but one of the best in its class. It was the present I wanted most for my fourteenth birthday because that is the age you can finally start playing the coolest and most popular game on the planet – Disgardium.
As soon as the birthday party was over and the guests were gone, dad smiled:
“Can’t wait to test it out?”
I nodded. How could I!? An immersion pod is not some steam-powered VR-helmet with sensors gloves!
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“Go on then, Alex,” mom said and laughed, embracing dad.
“Don’t go in too long your first time!” he shouted after me. “Alex?”
“Yes, dad!”
I answered, almost running to my room where the new pod awaited me. I mean it was already installed, calibrated and ready to use. I hurriedly got undressed and went inside. It was vertical, but could change its orientation based on my actions in the virtual world. Gravity is a heartless bitch and it’s hard to feel like you’re standing when your real body is lying down.
I grabbed the metal handles and froze. A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. Does it really not work? I was going to run down to get in touch with the manufacturer when a stern voice rang out in the pod:
“Alex, your heart is beating too quickly for your first immersion experience! Access denied.”
“Oh come on!” I shouted.
“Apologies for the inconvenience, but characters can only be generated when the player is in a normal physical condition...” the voice muttered an excerpt from the user’s manual. Then it followed up with some helpful advice: “Alex, do your best to calm down and try again. Thank you.”
With a sigh, I climbed out of the pod and walked out onto my little balcony. On the backdrop of the starry sky, all kinds of silvery delivery drones quietly buzzed past, landing and taking off from the windows of our huge residential complex.
Higher up, a procession of public flying cars darkened the sky above. As of today, I was legally allowed to pilot them without computer control and I was eager to try it out. Of course, I would have to pass the license test first, but I had no doubts about that.
A cloud of condensation burst out of my mouth. I shivered. The cold damp wind made me shiver even though, earlier today, it was pretty clearly turning to spring.
A few minutes later, I was calm and back in the pod. This time I saw no warnings, and the immersion process began.
“I honestly forgot that this is a translated novel from Russia — it reads more fluid than most American writers.”
“Actual Literature trapped in a GameLit body… reminds me more of 1984 than its compatriots. I highly recommend it.”
“Good writing, good story, good world, good characters. Read this in less than a day — can’t wait for more.”
Ready to become a Threat?
The entire saga is finished. No waiting. No cliffhangers.
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