Reality or Simulation?

This is a book that plays with your sense of reality. A serial murderer is preying on the homeless trying to prove his theory that the world is actually a computer simulation and most of the population are not real (i.e. player characters) but NPCs (non-player characters) whose actions are directed by a computer. He has gone so far as to categorize the NPCs into 5 levels depending upon their sophistication. The serial murderer is trying to upset the system and free the real people from the simulation.

In alternating chapters, we get into the mind of a pastor who is trying to find out what’s happened to these missing homeless people. He’s a recent widower and is having a crisis of faith that the serial killer’s theory intersects nicely with. As he and the killer maneuver against each other, the mystery of the killer’s theory becomes increasingly intricate. There are a ton of surprises in this novel, but what makes it the best is the author’s success in making you alternate between believing in and doubting the killer’s theory. It’s totally gripping and utterly fascinating. You’ll be wondering whether or not the world really is a simulation right up to the very last page.