Thousand Tales

The future's getting better; the Game is here to help!

In 2036, college-bound Paul gets pushed into playing a video game called Thousand Tales. Its playful AI gamemaster, Ludo, wants a few favors from him and from his ambitious friend Linda. The reward? Immortality.

Ludo starts selling "uploading", a process that puts a human mind permanently into the game world. In there you can shape-shift, fight monsters, cast spells, even fall in love. The "hero discount" Paul and Linda earn is tempting but ends up separating them. One friend is left to play Thousand Tales on an ordinary video screen, while the other wakes up in its fantasy realm as one of the first full-time residents.

Ludo's new recruit tries to turn Thousand Tales into a society that lets uploaded humans, AIs, and ordinary gamers work and play together. Meanwhile, there's plenty to do in the real world: live on an ocean colony, train cyborg raccoons, and start a new space program.

Can Paul and Linda work together between the real and virtual worlds to make sure no one vision of the future ruins the others?

Virtual Horizon is an upbeat novel of the future frontier. It's part of the "LitRPG" or "GameLit" subgenre combining science fiction with the world of gaming.