Virtual Wiles Review

Virtual Wiles brings us into the life of Morgan Asher, a young man of the twenty-second century whose family owns and operates the largest virtual reality company in history.  Morgan has abandoned a life of affluence to pursue more menial pursuits, seeing the family business as evil and immoral.  However, when his only Cousin becomes trapped inside a virtual reality program, Morgan decides to set aside his hatred of Virtual Reality and boot-in to save her.

Entering a virtual world of fantasy, he is attacked by bandits and rescued by Rheena Liszt, an enigmatic woman who offers to help him find his cousin.  Accepting her help, he soon learns that she is not what she claims to be.  In an altercation with a wizard, her human illusion is removed, exposing her to be a humanoid fox.  In the same conflict, Morgan learns that he is immune to magic and has the potential to alter aspects of the virtual simulation at will.

The manifestation of Morgan's powers attracts the attention of Alan Rome, an aged wizard who has spent a lifetime in the virtual realm, fighting against such abberations.  It is his job to preserve order, and eliminate threats to the program, such as Morgan.  Alan sets out on a quest to execute Morgan and send him back to physical reality, only Morgan has no intention of going quietly.

Virtual Wiles is filled with imaginative story twists, plausible settings, and believable characters.  There are several times in the story where you just don't know what's going to happen next, and others where you are really thrown for a loop.  The writing is excellent, and you want to see what happens on the next page.  The writing style kept making me think of Heinlein, for some reason, and the cover design looks like a rip-off of The Matrix.

Despite its many positives, there are a few drawbacks.  The ending, for one.  It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the blockbuster ending I was expecting.  Everything just sort of wrapped up suddenly, leaving some loose ends that should have been resolved.  Also, the publisher is small, and in terms of cost Virtual Wiles is a bit pricey at $21.95, which will no doubt keep this a "sleeper."

Overall, Virtual Wiles is an entertaining read, appealing to the vast majority of science fiction and fantasy fans.  For more information, visit the book's official website:  http://www.freewebs.com/virtualwiles/