Happy (Awaken Online #5.5)

Happy is the 12th book I read in the Awaken Online series about an advanced VR game, where people build alternate realities for themselves. This is the third separate story line, the first being Jason’s (5 books) and then Fin’s (4 books).

This story follows Dom, an athletic college student who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and lacks funds for treatment. His scholarship is at risk. To cope, the university clinic offers him access to the virtual reality game Awaken Online as a kind of therapy.

The book explores Dom’s encounters with the god of happiness, and how he goes “all in” both in the game and (eventually) in his real life, dealing with his terminal illness as well. The book is positioned as a Side Quest (similar to the ones about Riley, Eliza and Frank), but it feels more like a new story arc for me as there is little to no overlap with the Jason characters/story.

I love the story here. The characters presented are interesting, and the adventures are fast-paced, explosive, and different enough from the previous books in the series to stay engaging. I also love how one character from the Fin books shows up here, and switched from being a pure antagonist to a more sympathetic role. And the book digs deeper into players’ motivations, and how their situation outside of the game affects their in-game behavior - but also the options they’re presented with by the game’s AI.

On the downside: the characters level up even faster in this story arc than in the Fin books (let alone the Jason books). I understand this helps speed us along to the next big plot moment, likely where all three main arcs converge. I look forward to that book, though I wish the level pacing were more even - as it feels like we may end up with even more high-level and outrageous fantasy battles next.