Marie-Aude Murail, Golem 1: Magic Berber

It was mesmerizing. Sometimes you may spend the whole night reading it (like me). It was quite a short book in my opinion.

Marie-Aude Murail, Golem 1: Magic Berber - Your computer has just been hijacked by Golem, a pirate program. Strange things are happening on your estate. And there's something lurking in the basement... Is Golem just a game or something more sinister? Golem follows a group of friends who are slowly drawn into an adventure of terrifying proportions... As a computer game craze sweeps the estate, Majid and his friends notice some strange goings on. Adults are collecting 'farting goo', sinister men have started hanging around the estate, and, as weird as it may seem, computer characters seem to be coming to life This funny, scary and streetwise techno-thriller is in five parts. Golem 1: Magic Berber and Golem 2: Joke hit the shops in January 2005, with the rest to come in the following months. Let the game begin if this book sounds good to you go out and get it, and believe me it is brilliant!

Check out the site at www.golem2005.com

Marie-Aude Murail, Golem 1: Magic Berber - REVIEW:

Golem Level one: Magic Berber

Is it just a game? Or something more sinister?

Level one:

Start play

End play

Game beginning...

Magic Berber is a warrior of great stature and many successes. He is a computerized hero. Majid Badach, however, is not. He is a twelve year old boy flunking at school, missing his six brothers and coping with a new life in another country with his illiterate mother.

Set in the backdrop of Hummingbird Tower on the Moreland estate, Majid is an underachiever who miraculously wins a computer from Priceshrinkers, but this is no ordinary computer. Once Majid has the computer set up, with the help of the young English teacher Hugh Mullins, he finds a game has installed itself into the system. 'Golem' the game bellows before play begins and Magic Berber is free to roam the fantasy city of Golemia.

The blood red page isn't just appearing for Magic Berber though, Calimero has been thrown into the game as well. Calimero is the computer generated alias of Hugh Mullins, the newly qualified English teacher at the Moreland school. His hardest challenge so far is taming 8D.

As quickly as these imaginary characters begin wandering through the circuit boards and components of this mystery game, the game uninstalls itself. Strange occurrences are happening more and more, kettles on the blink, plugs that keep fusing, faceless images on tv and a mysterious blue smoke emerging from beneath the Badach's front door. Something unnerving is going on at Hummingbird Tower or more importantly in its basements. Why is it the game works on a personal level, an important gateway at room 777 for the seventh son Magic Berber and room 111 for the only child Calimero?

What is lurking in the basements that seems so attracted to electricity and will Aisha and Majid ever tell each other how they really feel?

Golem 1: Magic Berber, is a cleverly written book about a boy, Majid, who is lucky enough to win a top of the range New Generation BIT computer, which is welcomed by both him and his mother Emmay. Knowing little about computers he asks his English teacher Mr Mullins, more commonly known to Majid as Hugh or Calimero. Amazingly a new computer game, Golem, installs itself on both the computers of Majid and Calimero, which is unheard of by any computer games shops. A warrior appears on screen, as part of the pirate game, which suddenly installs itself. A highly addictive game, which becomes a real part of both Hugh and Calimeros lives, it causes the electricity to fail, and also blue smoke to appear which astonishes his friends and family. Golem remains a secret between Calimero and Majid, until Samir is told about it, and ruins Majids keyboard, which lands him in trouble, resulting in a ban of the computer. Will Calimero continue to play Golem, or will Majid work out a plan to allow him to continue level one? The only way you'll ever know is to read the amazing book Golem: Level one, Magic Berber, which is part of a five part series. A great book, suitable for everyone aged 10 and up, written in a way which will make the reader just want to continue to the end, as the story is so creative and exciting.