Official Review: V.R.evolution by Dougie Black

Nonso Samuelson · Post by **Nonso Samuelson** » 29 Jul 2020, 18:01

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "V.R.evolution" by Dougie Black.]

3 out of 4 stars

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What is the connection between humanity, technology, and Earth's survival? Should there be a compromise in one or more of these for the other to thrive? This book is an exciting representation of these relationships.

Ellon Munsk is a mystery even to himself. He has always had his ideas about the earth and humanity's parasitic effect on it. Munsk is slowly building his reputation as a young and emerging tech entrepreneur when he discovers that he is the product of a lab experiment led by a non-human, Edgar Rice. After he learns this from Jeff Capaldi, the man he has known his whole life as his father, he sets off on a new trajectory.

He is determined to use tech to upset the powers of the one percent in government, business, and society. But after he meets Alice Land (his DNA-altered surrogate mother) and a mining magnate, Sylvian Reynard, Ellon slowly comes to a decision about how to save the earth from humanity. He decides to build a virtual world where pain and pleasure are just as real without physical bodies. This new purpose will require him to make drastic decisions, push the boundaries of technology, and liaise with some dangerous people to fulfill his mission. There's just one problem: he's got some serious competition and enemies bent on foiling his plans. What is Ellon’s decision? Who are his allies and enemies? Does he succeed in his mission?

From the beginning, V.R.evolution was a lot to take in. In this book, the author, Dougie Black, presents many interesting scientific ideas and notions that kept me thinking as I read. Unlike the central character, Ellon Munsk, the other characters didn't have a lot of depth to them.

The first thing that caught my attention about this book was how the characters were named after famous people, albeit with a tweak to the names. This was clear in the central character's name, Ellon Munsk, a play on Elon Musk. Others included the President of the United States as Donald Rump; an AI iteration of Marilyn Monroe as Munroe; and the television personality, Piers Morgan, as Piers Borgan. This was fascinating to me because it felt relatable in a weird way.

I appreciated how Dougie Black described emotions and scenery. My best aspect of the book was its world-building. It got me to imagine a world utterly dependent on technology and a planet buckling under the pressure of humanity's demands. In the story, 6G networking was a real thing. Nanobots were taking over construction and fueling human bio enhancements. 3D printing could be used to print entire human bodies, flesh, bones, and everything else. And human consciousness could be uploaded to the cloud and transferred to these new bodies in the event of death or for other aesthetic reasons. I was personally worried about the prospects of such a world. Although, I think some readers may be excited by it.

While I enjoyed the core tech and science foundation of this book, there was too much scientific talk. Many times, I found myself overwhelmed by whole chapters dedicated to explaining a scientific concept. I had to fight the temptation to skip these portions of the book. I didn't like that there was more science-speak than there was a story. This fact hurt my enjoyment of what would have otherwise been an excellent story. There was also the use of some strong language, although it wasn't excessive.

Also, this book was not professionally edited. I found a plethora of grammatical and typographical errors. A professional editor could have easily spotted these problems. Owing to the avalanche of science talk and the many grammatical issues, I will give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I won't give it a lesser rating because I believe there are others who won't be bothered by excessive science talk. I recommend this book to people who love futuristic stories that paint a picture of a very tech-dependent reality.

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V.R.evolution
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Dayodiola · Post by **Dayodiola** » 02 Aug 2020, 04:43

Lovely and detailed review, thanks.

Elvis Best · Post by **Elvis Best** » 02 Aug 2020, 05:02

He is determined to use tech to upset the powers of the one percent in government, business, and society.

This part got me hooked. The book sounds very exciting. Great review!

Wuoketch · Post by **Wuoketch** » 02 Aug 2020, 07:00

Sounds so great. I'll consider reading this book some day. Nice work.

baha Ibrahim · Post by **baha Ibrahim** » 02 Aug 2020, 10:49

stunning and strangely mysterious liked the plot, i will consider reading it.

Thanks for the review

Priyanka2304 · Post by **Priyanka2304** » 03 Aug 2020, 03:58

I wonder if this book is about Ellon Musk, and his tech and space exploration companies.

Valkyrie9 · Post by **Valkyrie9** » 04 Aug 2020, 02:25

The author has clearly built a believable albeit futuristic world, and addresses some interesting issues that we should perhaps be thinking a bit more about - especially our reliance on technology, and our impact on the earth. Ellon's plan to create of a world where pain and pleasure are still real but the bodies are not, reminded me of the Matrix Trilogy. Thanks for the great review.

SenSen · Post by **SenSen** » 07 Aug 2020, 17:08

All of the advanced technology seems not so different from what we can do today, and could probably become applicable in the future. So all the problems the world in this book is facing could be the problem of the real world if it isn't already. I think reading this book would be both informative and interesting so thank you for the review!