| Epic | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Conor Kostick |
| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Series | Avatar Chronicles |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy, Computer games |
| Publisher | The O'Brien Press Ltd |
| Published in English |
2004 |
| Media type | Print (paperback and hardcover) |
| Pages | 396pp |
| ISBN | 978-1-74167-466-8 |
| OCLC Number | 224779356 |
| Followed by | Saga |
Epic is a novel written by Conor Kostick. It is the first book in the Avatar Chronicles trilogy and was published in 2004 by The O'Brien Press Ltd.
Contents |
Epic follows the life of a boy named Erik and his involvement in a game called Epic. Epic is a virtual game, but is considered by all the inhabitants of New Earth as much more. Epic is constructed in a way very similar to many role-playing games, such as World of Warcraft and MapleStory, but is far more popular than its counterparts. The game seems to be mostly based on equipment and abilities, as the characters in the game only become powerful once they are rich enough to buy powerful weapons and armor. Very few references are made to actual physical ability when describing beings in the game, instead focusing on armaments. Epic is used to control violence, which, in their society, is illegal and is treated with extreme severity. Epic is used to resolve conflicts and as a substitution to violence. However, the game had progressed to a point where, since the game's currency is used as money in the real world, it is nearly impossible for poor people to actually advance in the game, unless given money by people or finding treasures as they cannot accumulate enough wealth to significantly progress. Poor citizens of New Earth play their entire life, slowly building up their characters to try to become powerful enough to go to a university to study Epic, or if they choose study fields of real life, or to challenge Central Allocations, or C. A., which is a powerful, select group of nine individuals that controls all of the world's resources and funds the most powerful characters in the game world. All of the members of C. A. are extremely rich, which results in them having nearly unbeatable characters in the game, especially to the great number of weak players in the game. The challenges are held in a special arena where the various players can attack each other. The challenges are simply a fight to the last man between the two opposing teams. If you win against the Central Allocations team, then you get what you want, be it a new law, a medical procedure, or a material object. If you lose, though, then you lose everything your character owns (including items and money) and you have to begin all over again. Dying in the game outside of the arena where challenges are held also yields the same results, so dying is a disaster, meaning that however many hours you have played are completely wasted, and you have to begin again from scratch.
The story follows Erik, who seeks revenge for the unjust treatment of his parents. His father, Harald, was exiled because he hit another person, which happens to be a future Central Allocations member named Ragnok. Ragnok was trying to assault Harald's wife in a way that is never explained fully in the book, but seems to have some sexual implications. Harald eventually escapes and hides for twenty years with his wife, during which they have Erik. Harald is caught when he challenges Central Allocations to help his town, and is actually exiled to an island this time. Before his father is exiled, Erik is not very protective of his character, and loses it many times fighting Inry'aat, the Red Dragon, who guards a massive treasure hoard. Most of these attempts are spent trying to figure out a quick way to defeat the dragon. When his parents tell him to get on with training for the Graduation Competitions that can win him a spot at a university, he decides to take a new approach to the game. He makes a new human female character, which he names Cindella and chooses the almost unknown character class, swashbuckler. He puts all of his ability points into beauty, which most players consider a waste of points, as they can be used for abilities in battle. This is the cause for the bland, gray characters predominate in Epic that have not used any points on beauty. Quickly, the tale takes a twist and Erik inherits much wealth from his investment in beauty as he mysteriously is given gifts and unique quests. The unique quest the dragonslayers embark on is called Epicus Ultima, and is the biggest quest on the game. A Player from the C. A. (central allocations) has been trying to solve this quest for many years, as this turns out to be a problem for the dragonslayers.
With his friends' help and one of his strategies from studying Inry'aat, Erik defeats the Red Dragon, and as a result he and his friends become some of the richest and most famous characters in all of Epic. Each of the group gains about four million bezants, which amounts to more wealth than they could earn in over a thousand years of normal play. There are many interesting twists, turns, and characters including an evil vampire, Erik's mysterious father, the Avatar of the game world, a dark elf, and the Executioner. The Avatar and the vampire play a central role in the plot, as they are the opposing sides of the persona that the game itself inexplicably developed. The Avatar represents the game's desire to end its existence and save the people of New Earth, while the vampire reflects its desire to simply continue existing.
As the story unfolds 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.