Epic (book)
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Epic is a novel written by Conor Kostick. It was published in 2004 by The O'Brien Press Ltd.
[edit] Plot
Epic follows the life of a boy named Erik and his involvement in a game called Epic. Epic is a computer game, but is considered by all the inhabitants of New Earth as much more. In their society violence is treated with extreme severity and any kind of violence is against the law. Epic is used to resolve conflicts and is used as a substitution to violence. You can play for life and challenge The Committee - a powerful group on New Earth with the supposed ultimate fighters - to try and get your way in the world. If you win, then you get what you want, be it a new law or a material object, but if you lose, then you lose everything your character owns (including items and money) and you have to begin all over again. This may not seem too bad but in the game of Epic then it takes many years to amass wealth and power.
The story follows Erik, who seeks revenge for the unjust treatment of his parents. He loses his original character many times fighting the Red Dragon and finding its strategy. When his parents tell him to get on with training for the Graduation Competitions then he decides to take a new approach to the game. He makes a new female human character, which he names Cindella (a mix between Cinderella and Sinbad) and chooses the almost unknown character class Swashbuckler. He puts all of his ability points into beauty which all players before had considered a waste of points, creating the bland, grey characters that exist in Epic. But the tale takes a twist and Erik inherits much wealth from his investment in beauty.
Erik and his friends are drawn into a world of power-hungry, dangerous players. What they don't know is that The Committee has a sinister, deadly secret, and challenging it could destroy the whole world of Epic.
[edit] Honors
It was awarded a place on the International Book Board for Youth honours list for 2006. Epic was shortlisted for the Children's Book Award 2005 by the Reading Association of Ireland. A UK edition was published in 2005, which was shortlisted for the Lancashire Children's Book Award 2006.
