Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
Blurb:
A man must fight for his planet against impossible odds when gamers from Earth attempt to remotely annihilate it in this epic, fast-paced novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit Dungeon Crawler Carl.
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister, maybe play a gig or two with his band, and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. But there’s a complication.
Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why spend money printing and deploying AI soldiers when they can turn it into a game? Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes?
The game is called Operation Bounce House.
Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege. With the help of an old book from his grandfather and a bucket of rusty parts, Oliver is determined to defend the only home he’s ever known.
Review:
Strap in and grab your pitchfork because Matt Dinniman is back again with a fast-paced stand-alone novel that’s sure to leave you itching for more. Oliver is a colonist of the recently inhabited New Sonora, a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy. All he wants in life is to keep his family farm running with its population of agriculture bots and play a few songs in the garage style band he established with his friends.
All this changes when Oliver encounters a mech war machine off his property that tries to kill him on sight. It turns out Apex Industries back on old Earth has started an eviction for the New Sonora residents. To make matters more interesting, Apex has decided to turn this extermination into a game, allowing people on Earth to pay a price to design their own mechs and remotely piolet them. It’s Operation Bounce House. Now Oliver and his friends must band together using the farms robots to defend their home, and planet, from invaders who have paid top tier prices for deadly entertainment.
“It’s Operation Bounce House,” she said. “It’s real, and it’s here.”
From the start of the book, readers are dropped onto New Sonora, a planet much like Earth with breathable air and fertile land. With picturesque towns and tight-knit community residents that give off an Earthlike charm, one might forget that they are on a different planet. The only noticeable difference is the presence of the agricultural robot population that were brought along on the generation ships to assist in setting up the colony. The bots were meant to be decommissioned once their task was done, however Oliver’s grandfather had kept his fleet of machinal helpers running. They now assist with the day-to-day tasks of farm life. No job is too complicated for them as they have a hive queen bot that oversees all functioning. However, these bots cannot run forever. Break downs are bound to happen, and Oliver has become skilled at crafty DIY repairs, doing whatever he can to keep the workforce operational for as long as possible.
As the plot progresses, readers get snippets of lore and information from Old Earth. Life there has continued over the past few hundred years, however parts of the population have developed a new bias towards the inhabitants of New Sonora. They are now seen as inferior genetic alterations, despite coming from a line of colonists who originally lived on Earth. Apex heavily exploits this bias, using it to carry their plans forward and justify the actions of its killing game for its paying players.
Throughout the story, we are introduced to a wide range of main and supporting characters. For the sake of keeping this review at a reasonable length, I will be focusing on the three that had the biggest impact with me.
Beginning with Oliver, our main protagonist, who is enjoying his day-to-day life running the inherited family farm alongside his sister. Early in the story, Oliver is focusing on the tasks necessary to keep the farm and agriculture bots running. But after the extermination kicks off, Oliver is quickly thrust into a new role he is neither comfortable with nor prepared for. His family, friends, and community start looking up to him in this time of strife. Oliver quickly becomes a leader in defending his home, and with that comes the crushing weight of guilt when lives are lost. Dinniman masterfully crafts this internal struggle, giving readers a genuine sense of emotional connection.
Supporting Oliver throughout his life is his younger sister, Lulu. She is a constant presence, standing firmly beside him as they make difficult decisions regarding how to defend their family home from the onslaught of destruction. Of course, sibling disagreements and squabbles naturally arise, however Lulu always remains faithfully by Oliver’s side. She is fiercely protective of her family and community, so the impact of losing life in the coming battle weighs heavy on her consciousness.
The last character I want to highlight is the farm’s hive queen robot, Rodger. He is responsible for communicating, coordinating, and controlling all the agriculture robots, drones, and scouts. He makes it possible for all the farm’s bots to operate together in unison. If Rodger were to ever break down, the majority of the farm’s workforce would cease to exist or be severely limited in its functional capacity. Rodger has a personality that can be described as dry yet sassy. He was programed by Oliver and Lulu’s grandfather to not only help run the farm, but also to look after the siblings and provide protection at whatever cost. Rodger is, in my opinion, the unsung MPV of the story. He quickly became my favorite character, and I deeply enjoyed uncovering more about him as the book progressed.
“We only have five days to cleanse the planet! Don’t’ miss out on your chance to make a difference in the galaxy! The future of true humanity is in your hands!”
Since this book doesn’t not use a magic system, I will be focusing instead on its combat. As one might expect in a world containing mechanical enemies, bullets and explosives are the primary weapons of choice. Every paying customer has the opportunity to heavily customize their purchased Apex mech. From class types and abilities to weapon choices, all the way down to the finer details such as color and personal style, the combinations are endless. The residents of New Sonora must learn the weakness of each type of mech as they are actively engaged in combat. With each new wave assaulting the farm over the 5-day extermination period, the number of players aiming for a chance to kill steadily increases.
Despite the grim outlook, our colonists aren’t completely left out to dry. With Rodger’s assistance, he and Oliver quickly reshape the agriculture workforce into their own makeshift army. They only have a few days to make the transformation before chaos is unleashed onto New Sonora. By customizing the scout bots to be stealthy, they become the colonist’s eyes in the field assisting with recon information. The larger bots transform into heavy duty tanks that hit hard and hold defensive lines. Lastly the large drone population becomes the new primary fighting force. Oliver and his friends must think fast on how to set up defenses around the farm, and plan for launching their own counter attacks on the oncoming Apex forces.
This book was a pleasure to read. From the start the action kicks off and keeps steadily increasing until the very last chapters. The concepts are fresh and original, yet the story has an air of familiarity with Dinniman’s writing style that we all love from his other works. The plot keeps you absolutely hooked to the point you are reading into the early hours of the morning. Also keep an eye out for some fantastic Dungeon Crawler Carl easter eggs!
In closing, this book made my year. I’m a tad bit sad it’s only stand-alone, as I would love to see a second installment or further expansion to this world that has been crafted. However, this book wraps up perfectly to leave readers satisfied with its conclusion. I’m just being greedy.
Lastly, a huge thank you to Dinniman and ACE Books for the advanced reader copy. This book genuinely dug me out of a reading slump.
