Alistair Aiken (text), Cavan Scott (illus.), Aleksandar Sotirovski (illus.), Ali-A Adventures Game On! Puffin Books, 13 Nov 2017, 192pp., $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780141388168
Gamers will revel in this story but, for those of us who aren’t gamers, the story holds its own and gives us a true taste of the challenges found in online games.
I am in awe of both the physical appearance and the subject of this book. Overall, it is an amazing, high-resolution hard cover book with stunning graphic illustration by Aleksandar Sotirovski and a fast-paced, fun read with amazing visuals that gaming fans will love, as will anyone who enjoys a visual story.
In Ali-A Adventures: Game On! our hero, Ali-A, is a gaming icon who transforms into a real-life hero when a band of aliens crash the launch party for the thrilling new game, Alien Liberator II. With the help of his fans and his canine sidekick, Eevee, Ali-A sets out to save his girlfriend, Clare, and save the world’s population from being turned into Thralls and enslaved by the Tyrantors. Level by level we follow the action as Ali-A is transformed into the Liberator, finds upgrades and awesome weapons, unlocks exits and meets his nemesis, Tyrantor Prime.
The author, Alistair Aiken, or Ali-A to his fans, is a British YouTuber with over 13 million subscribers. He keeps his fans up to date on the latest games and does in-depth reviews of video games such as Call of Duty, Pokemon Go and Minecraft. Ali-A Adventures Game On! is his debut book, an action-adventure graphic novel, co-written with Cavan Scott, whose Star Wars graphic novels are a huge hit with kids.
The combination of stunning graphics and the humorous storytelling skills of Alistair Aiken in mastering the young adult voice will make Ali-D adventures inspirational to others in the creation of graphic novels. Ali-A Adventures Game On! has already inspired SCUF Gaming to design a stylish new game controller – the Ali-A Game On Controller.
Check out Alistair’s video to find out more about Ali-A Adventures: Game On! and have a little peek at the amazing graphics.
Recommended for all gamers, especially readers 8-12 years.
Reviewed by Sharon Smith
