SYNOPSIS:
15 year-old Dylan Fitzgerald thinks it’s just a game that he’s downloading. Of course, he’s never heard of Dark Lord Entertainment, but hey—here’s the scoop—scan in a picture of someone, have fun putting them in one of three games.
What Dylan doesn’t know is that he’s the target of one newly arrived soul in Hell. Fred Dumbaugh is out to get Dylan’s name on an Early Decision Eternal Options contract. If Fred can snag him, Fred gets to move up (er…is that down?) at least he’ll get a corner office. Back on Earth, Fred made his money ripping kids off with games. Dylan should be an easy win for Fred.
Dylan knows he’s no shining star at school—stuck somewhere between Nerdsville and Dorkland. At home, Mom loves her sweets and corny jokes. Dad is an ichthyologist who specializes in parasites on river fish.
Really messing up his life, Dylan can’t use contacts. He wears glasses with thick lenses giving his eyes a googly look. His enemy at school, Tom Ferris, calls him FISHEYE. Rude but true, Tom’s twin sister is the girl Dylan desires. The sun rises and sets because Janine Ferris is in the world. She wouldn’t fall for a fish-eyed freak. Would she?
By the time Dylan realizes that what goes on in the game is reflected in real life, Dylan is seriously hooked. He can’t stop. Janine is paying attention to him. In the game, he’s her hero. In the game, she kisses him. Just how far can Dylan push things?
It’s all so cool, well, sort of…things at home are getting peculiar, to say the least. Mom’s turned into a fitness freak and only wants to eat fresh organ meat. Dad thinks fish are boring and he wants to be Dylan’s best friend. And the dog, Jonas, is acting like a cat, killing birds and climbing trees.
When Tom disappears and Dylan says it’s because Tom got lost in the game, the police get involved. Try explaining to the jail-house shrink that you put the school bully into a game as a timid dwarf and now you can’t find him.
Dylan’s life really is hell. Even with everything turned upside-down, can Dylan give up Janine to get things back to normal? Dumbaugh is putting on the pressure. Just sign the contract, kid! And what’s this GAS—Guardian Angel Systems? Dylan has to decide if he’s in the game for himself, or if others in his life really matter.
Sometimes, the devil really is in the details. |
