THE STREAM TEAM

Four young gamers gather for a boss battle against an insidious computer virus that threatens to take over both the virtual and real worlds in this work co-authored by popular professional gamer NickEh30.

After outbreaks of rioting by zombified, purple-eyed fans of the mysterious new game Battle Squad kick off a string of virtual and IRL battles, the mysterious Special Division recruits four young world-class gamers—Lebanese Canadian Teddy “TedSh0t” Habib, South Korean Yuri “Keke_Klutch” Song, Argentinian Tina “TeenyTerrorPlays” Torres, and African American Maxwell “Stackz” Warren. It seems that an alien AI that can infect people through their optic nerves is bent on taking over the planet. Fortunately, the four each bring special powers to the fray thanks to mental updates from Layla, Teddy’s shadowy coding whiz aunt. But can they blast virtual hordes of the Glitched (there are no real-world fatalities) and destroy the geomagnetic dome hovering over (real-life) Cairo, Egypt—all while figuring out a cool name for themselves and, most importantly, getting over their egos and learning to work together? Some readers might be after, as Tina puts it, “Less chat, more splat,” and they’ll be well served, but it’s Teddy, with his insight that outsmarting the game is the real road to victory, who demonstrates true leadership qualities. The characterizations are paper thin, but the fast pace will keep the pages turning. Barata’s lively spot art opens each chapter.

Teamwork’s the name of the game in this action-packed romp.