Running Wild Novella Anthology Volume 8

Book excerpt: The Tragic Plight of E.G.: A Clinical Case Report“ The Tragic Plight of E.G.: A Clinical Case Report” is a day-by-day account of an ill-fated patient who is hospitalized for a mysterious illness. He finds himself in the care of a team of top-notch doctors, nurses, social workers, and therapists. Even so, the patient' s condition continues to deteriorate, forcing this modern medical establishment to grapple with what it really means to “ do no harm.” The Liberation of Jacob Novak a NovellaThe Liberation of Jacob Novak tells the story of a lonely, aimless young man, trapped in a virtual world. He causes a fatal accident and must pay the price. In prison, Jacob feels valued, gains self-confidence, even falls in love. After serving time, he finds his own way in the world. At last, he is free. Sgt Katrina Dunn, a.k.a. Angela Parker & the Games They PlayAngela Parker, who isn' t your average 17 year old, but who is?, has her run of Alien Quest hijacked by a man who looks, curiously, like her Uncle Reggie. The Uncle Reggie clone invites Ange to play an innovative and sensorily immersive kind of game, one that involves adopting an avatar role where you become someone frighteningly like yourself in a world that rapidly goes crazy. As Ashlie Sweet, Angela Parker finds herself fighting villains that look uncommonly like today' s politicians in a small U.S. town. Everything apparently normal in this small town rapidly goes belly up: there are race riots, detention-centres, murder, and that's just in the first week. What' s more &– with her game based boyfriend Norman Mené &– she discovers they're in a game within a game and that they (their real theys back in Nottingham U.K. and Sydney, Australia and all the other places where the game players come from) are being data mined. The stakes aren' t just in winning or losing a game. Maybe the fate of the free world hangs in the balance.Talk about doing a girl' s head in.