Kopp, Dwight. Moderator.

Kopp, Dwight.  Moderator.  Dwight Kopp    2013  202p  ISBN 978-0-9895853-1-6  ms/hs  Paperback  VG-BN  Science fiction

From the first pages of this book through the end, the reader is gripped by the horrific activities of young people who are following the commands of “The Moderator,” who manipulates gamers in an online gaming site to commit these deeds in real life.  While the personal motivation of The Moderator is never clearly defined (is he truly evil?), the reasons the teenage gamers follow his commands are more clearly presented.  These commands include bullying that results in hate crimes and the destruction of a young girl.  Some readers will see this book as “The Hunger Games meets online gaming.”  The variety of secrets and fears held by the gamers following the commands of the Moderator will resonate with teenage readers.  The naivety of teens combined with their desire to “win at any cost” and feel confident and powerful is well presented without seeming didactic.  The issue of privacy and the internet is at the heart of this novel, as is the fragile state of teenagers whose personal lives are not always what everyone else sees.  Kudos to the author for presenting a frightening look at what social gaming can become, and never being heavy-handed in his concerns about issues involving privacy and the internet. 

This is an intriguing town where adults and teens are equally interesting, and it needs a sequel.  It is to be hoped that the motives of the adults will be made clearer in the next book.  Strongly recommended wherever The Hunger Games was popular.  This is a book based on our times, describing activities that could actually happen in today’s society and unfortunately actually do happen due to social media’s prevalence.     

Summary: When the moderator of an online gaming site requires participants to carry out his commands, all equally horrific, a town is turned upside down, as the commands must occur with real-life citizens.  This book examines the themes of bullying, mind control, and online predators. Grades 7-12.

Science fiction, Horror-Fiction                                   --Lois McNicol