Minecraft: The Crash by Tracey Baptiste
Century, 2018. ISBN 9781780897776
(Age: Teens) Bianca (the main character) is never one to plan ahead:
she, like most people nowadays is 'act now deal with consciences
later,' but on top of that she's a bit of a scatterbrain so most of
the time it's 'act now have someone else deal with consequences'.
When Bianca and her best friend Lonnie are in a car accident that
Bianca might have caused she is incapacitated. After gaining full
consciousness, she is introduced to a VR version of Minecraft and
finds new friends and finding Lonnie in an apparently broken skin
while attempting an 'End dimension run'.
This book is the 2nd in a series, and the first one is a good read
as well. I will tell you that both books are not related apart from
being the first Minecraft series to be sponsored by Mojang and being
in the same series. They are part of a Mojang sponsored program to
get people of all ages reading.
The whole idea of the 'End dimension run' is Bianca trying to run
into her past, to before the car crash happened and it is also seen
through flashbacks that Bianca really depends on Lonnie to help her
with everything, plus that the car accident is a result of her being
a scatter brain. Bianca tries to slip into her past with Lonnie
(whose skin is glitching and has her stuck as a villager) but you
cannot run into your own past.
Bianca feels guilty about causing the crash and tries to complete
Lonnie's plan for the 'End run.' However, thanks to this new VR
version of Minecraft you can control your skin with your mind, but
it also means your deepest darkest insecurities will spawn mob's
most of which will try to kill you. Her guilt about causing the
crash and her obsession about completing the 'End-run' manifests
into an Enderman with a white scar which is the same as the other
car she crashed with. This Enderman will postpone the 'End run' and
attempts to stop the 'End run'.
One more thing, the ending is too obvious. I mean a good book hints
at a spoiler, but this book does it excessively. So much that ANYONE
can guess what it is. This is a HUGE spoiler and that is just not
okay!
Dante C. (Student, Year 7)