The story is about two brothers, Reggie and Jeremy, who live with a step-dad who gets violent fairly frequently and a mother who is rarely home. They deal with their dismal home life by playing Echo's Revenge, an online game where they compete against others as well as try to defeat the robot-like villain named Echo. When their step-dad Asa goes too far one night, they decide to run away and go live with their dad in Pasadena, California. As they make their way south from their home in Washington state, they are mysteriously assisted by strangers. Unknown to them, though, is the fact that Echo has come to life and is hunting them down.

Those that are into video games and the closeness one can feel to a stranger known only through the computer screen will love this book. The descriptions of the various elements of the game are technical and imaginative enough to keep readers interested. The several life-and-death moments the characters experience will keep readers turning pages to find out what happens to Jeremy, Reggie and their other gaming pals. Echo's minions are nearly as deadly as he is and it takes Reggie and Jeremy a while to figure out what makes the mini-robots operate.

I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Read more of this review in my San Francisco Children's Fiction column.
http://www.examiner.com/review/review-echo-s-revenge-by-sean-austin-perfect-for-gamer-guys-and-girls

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