Customer Reviews:
 Fantasy v Real Life? This has bucket loads of both! September 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
You could call it a coming of age book, but real, powerful, with all the threats, violence and self-doubt that teenagers actually face. Not just in this world either. And you live it all through the characters. There is warmth too; relationships are strong and never simple. Brilliantly written. Pick it up, start reading and you'll be carried away!
Michael thinks he's worthless, the boys at his old school convinced him of it. He doesn't hold out much hope for life at his new school, St. Anselm's. Just before he starts there, Francis, this tall, confident and seriously cool guy, turns up at his house. He's the son of Michael's mother's friend and a pupil at St. Anselm's. So obviously he's been sent by his mother, which makes Michael feel even more useless; he can't even find his own mates!
But Francis is friendly. He seems genuinely interested in the fantasy world of Evgard that Michael has constructed; its history, characters, buildings, feuds; everything. Cautiously at first, the two boys work together on Evgard. Michael slowly comes to regard Francis as a friend, his only friend. But there is always a niggling doubt; Francis is so popular, can he really like Michael for his own sake? Or is he secretly laughing at him?
The answer comes when it becomes clear that someone else at St. Anselm's knows about Evgard. Michael is devastated. Surely there can be only one explanation - Francis has betrayed him. In return, Michael tells the school bullies something about Francis, knowing it will have disastrous consequences.
But this is only half of the book. The other half is set in the mesmerizing world of Evgard, where events mirror those at St. Anselm's, with one huge difference; here betrayal is a matter of life and death.
The two threads of the book weave together, pulling you in, each as powerful as the other. And they do the same to Michael as it becomes less clear which world he is really living in.
The climax is gripping. Michael wrestles with what he has done to Francis, his own self-loathing and how it has poisoned the only two things that mattered to him; Francis' friendship and Evgard. At the same time, the very existence of Evgard is threatened.
Perhaps because the stakes are so high, it is the world of Evgard that teaches Michael the ultimate lesson.
Dark, well written debut novel September 18, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Michael and Francis are students at St Anselm's, a private Catholic school who form a friendship over Michael's fictional creations Evgard and its city, Arcaster and work out the geography, history and economy of their world, fleshing it out with maps and drawings and going on trips to places like Canterbury to draw further inspiration. Evgard binds them together. But one day, Michael receives an anonymous note: I KNOW WHERE ARCASTER IS and he believes that Francis has betrayed him.
Told in the third person, Michael's reasons for believing in Francis's guilt result from the bullying that he suffered at his previous school. Without dwelling on Michael's experiences, Collins still conveys enough to make the reader understand what he went through and how it shapes his opinions and the revenge he seeks on his friend makes for difficult reading at times, particularly the self-destructive aspects of it.
For me, Michael's motivation doesn't quite come off in terms of believability. This is due to a combination of the sheer likeability of Francis, his lack of moral ambiguity and the fact that there isn't quite enough build-up for Michael's suspicions at the start of the book rather than any problem in Michael's characterisation. Indeed, Collins has created two well-rounded, credible teenage boys who readers will feel able to relate to.
The fantasy element is told in the first person by Argent, an inhabitant of Evgard's marshes who's taken prisoner by Arcaster's sadistic Duke. Argwnt forms a friendship with the Duke's son, Columen, which forms a counterpoint to Michael's suspicions of Francis but also raises questions in the reader's mind as to whether these events are merely a manifestation of Michael's imagination or whether Evgard is indeed a real place. Particularly neat about these sections is the way they build on and incorporate snippets of information discussed between Michael and Francis, adding to the world-building credibility but also making the reader question its reality. In fact, my only nit-pick is a reference made to London, which jarred for me with the idea of Evgard being a wholly fictional/fantastical world.
The hints of sexual abuse in Argent's sections echo an underlying theme of homophobia in the Michael sections as vocalised by school bully, Shipley. The homosexual element might put off some of the male teenage readers, but the violent undercurrent and imaginative world-building should sustain their interest.
A breathtaking debut September 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Traitor Game is one of the finest young-adult novels I've ever read. The two plot strands - one all-too real, the other fantasy, are both compelling and moving. I slightly preferred the real-world depiction of bullying and misunderstandings, but throughout the writing is taught, punchy and profound.
I wish I'd written this book.
Powerful, compelling and passionate August 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Despite being uncompromising and occasionally brutal, `The Traitor Game' creates great sympathy for its teenage heroes and explores their inner world with passion and warmth.
Michael is a clever, isolated teenager who has moved to a private school after being violently bullied at a comprehensive. Here he strikes up an unexpected, intense friendship with another boy, Francis, and together they create a secret fantasy world. But when he discovers that the secret is out, he leaps to the conclusion that Francis has been laughing at him, and takes an impulsive revenge that threatens to destroy both their lives. As events unfold in the real world, a subplot set in the fantasy world provides a counterpoint to the main story, adding depth and suspense. Both plots are beautifully written, and the two voices - one colloquial and realistic, the other elegant, almost lyrical - complement each other brilliantly, intertwining to create a perfect balance of tension as the two threads unwind. Themes of betrayal and treachery pervade both, and the drama of occupation and revolt is played out in the fantasy world as a perfect metaphor for Michael's personal experience.
This is one of the most convincing portrayals of the damage done by bullying that I've ever read. However, it does follow that there is some (well, quite a lot of) violence, and quite a lot of swearing and sex references - though no actual sex - as well. I don't imagine any teenager wouldn't have heard worse swearing on the school bus, but it's something to be aware of. But don't let it put you off - this is a really wonderful book: humane, intelligent, sometimes funny, and above all a very gripping read.
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too August 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Fantasy meets real life in this adventure by B. R. Collins. Role-playing fans of all ages will be intrigued with this intricately crafted tale.
Michael Thompson has been bullied while attending Comp. At the end of the school year, his mother finally pulls him out of that school and enrolls him at St. Anselm's. Prior to the start of the school year, Michael's mother asks around the church if anyone has a son that attends St. Anselm's. She figured that it would be easier for Michael to begin a new school already knowing someone.
With a knock on the door, Francis Harris enters Michael's life. Francis comes across as a cool kid and Michael can't begin to imagine why Francis would take the time to hang out with a tosser (loser) like himself. But surprisingly, Francis seems to enjoy Michael's company, and they become tentative friends. While nosing through Michael's room, Francis notices a detailed map that Michael has drawn. Embarrassed by his childish drawing of his fictionalized world of Evgard, the two soon work together creating an entire culture surrounding Evgard.
Of course, they both know that Evgard doesn't really exist, but one day, Michael finds a note in his locker stating "I know where Arcaster is." This isn't possible because Arcaster doesn't exist outside of Francis' and Michael's imaginations and they have never told anyone else about Evgard. At least, Michael has never told anyone about Evgard.
Michael immediately assumes Francis has secretly been laughing at him and telling his other friends about the silly things Michael is interested in. Michael never stops to consider that there may be another explanation to the note. Soon the two are at odds with each other and Michael is without friends. He withdraws into his imagination and the world of Evgard to get away from how miserable he is.
The story travels between real time and the imaginary world of Evgard. The author creates new words for the language spoken in Evgard to stand for common words we all know. The author moves the reader between the real and the imagined, drawing you easily into the castle world of Evgard. The story is creative and will surely delight those that enjoy the fantasy genre.
Reviewed by: Jaglvr
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