Through phone screens and smart glasses, augmented reality images are superimposed on the real world as the contestants complete tasks that test their ethics and integrity. The stakes rise, along with the levels of reward and punishment, until eventually lives are on the line. Tobey, a lawyer and software expert, uses the canvas of high school psychodrama to paint a dark and at times scathing portrait of morality in the era of social media and the dark web. He also lards his novel with pop culture references — a Blade Runner quotation here, a nod to Neil Gaiman there — in a way that feels tacked on and unconvincing, a Gen Xer’s attempt to connect with a millennial audience
