The rumour of The Game made me think of books like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Running Man by Stephen King, but it wasn’t like either. Hughes paints the government as being irresponsible, with possibly evil intentions as Lisse and her friends end up in what is essentially a ghetto. Unbeknownst to people outside the government though, steps are being taken to remedy the situation. Eventually the human population rebounds, except by that point robots are doing so many jobs that humans are pretty much unnecessary. But in Lisse’s world, when pollution begins to decrease the population, humans turn to robotics to fill the gaps in the work force. Like any good dystopia, it isn’t too hard, because this concept has more than a whisper of truth in our current society. Imagine a world where graduating means becoming unemployed for all but a precious few. Review: CAUTION: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! And when they are, it will change their lives forever.

Bit by bit, they collect details about The Game, hoping to be invited to play. Sticking together in the designated area for the unemployed youth, Lisse and the others make the best of their situation, until rumours of The Game reach them. Thanks to the robots who are now able to do almost every job there is, created when Earth’s population was in decline, Lisse is facing a life with no purpose, just pure leisure. Summary: Living in a future plagued by overcrowding, Lisse and her friends are graduating into a world that has no jobs for them.

Monica hughes the game