
eBook by Vasily Mahanenko
World of the Changed swept across humanity like nothing before — a mobile game with flawless graphics, an intuitive interface, and a viral marketing campaign that had millions waiting for Hour X. Nobody understood the price the game would demand. Mark Derwin, a student, was just another eager fan. What he found when the release hit was a world transformed: humanity split between monsters hungry to kill and players scrambling to survive, with a game owner who will not tolerate anyone advancing too far.

A slick mobile game called World of the Changed launches with massive hype — and Hour X delivers something no one was prepared for. Mark Derwin, an ordinary student, is plunged into a transformed reality where humanity fights for survival against monsters, and the mysterious game owner works against any player who gets too powerful.

The World of the Changed has remade Earth: monsters prey on humanity, and survival demands cooperation with anyone who can help. Mark, now the game's most advanced player, knows that his lead only makes him a bigger target for the owner, who wants Earthlings eliminated. But some players have started to fight back against the alien intelligence controlling the game.

Mark's sister Squirrel has been kidnapped, and he will do anything to find her — including working with the game itself, though never with the game owner. With a powerful enemy closing in and Earth still under the thumb of the monsters, Mark's search is personal and perilous in equal measure.