Admins

Simulation's End

Young Adult - Sci-Fi
Kindle Edition
Reviewed on 10/06/2024
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite

Admins: Simulation's End by David Horn is a YA sci-fi story with a difference. Sierra, Chris, Joey, and Lana are involved in an accident on the way home from a party. Looking for help, Lana and Joey find a strange cabin with a green light inside it. When they touch the light, they discover that their "real" lives are nothing more than a simulation run by Admins. The light has given them powers, but chaos ensues when they try to use them, leading the Admins to determine deletion is the only option. Joey and Lana have started something big, and they are the only ones who can fix things, but now the Admins have them in their sights. Only they can save the world, but their journey is fraught with danger as they learn more about the simulation and uncover deeply hidden secrets. Can Joey and Lana turn things around, or are they too late?

Admins: Simulation's End by David Horn is a unique story that will grab you from the start. It does have a little violence in it, but nothing that doesn't fit the plot. This is a gripping, action-packed story, the likes of which I guarantee you've never read before. The characters are wonderfully well-developed, and you'll find yourself rooting for the main protagonists all the way through. This is the kind of story I could see being developed into a movie or TV series. It has plenty of twists and turns and is written in an engaging, compelling manner that will keep you reading all the way through. The book is written in a series of parts, starting with the story from different characters' points of view, and the ending is a surprise. It's written in the present tense, not my favorite, but it works for this story, making you feel as though you are living the story as it plays out. This is a wonderful piece of work, highly enjoyable, and recommended for anyone who wants a different kind of story, one that might just have you questioning your very existence.

Danelle Petersen

Admins: Simulation's End by David Horn is a fast-paced action novel about four teens who discover that the world they live in is based on a corporation's imagination. Known only as the Admins, they have total control over everyone and everything. Devastated by the revelation, Joey, Lana, Chris, and Sierra end up making a rash decision that only results in a target being placed on their backs. Stuck in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, the teens make even more shocking discoveries, ultimately getting dragged deeper into the cesspool that is their new reality. However, they are not your average teens, so when they discover a glitch in the system, the determined teens become hellbent on overthrowing the corrupt admins and their mission to end the world. However, one of them is hiding a massive secret that might just ruin the entire plan.

Admins: Simulation's End was engaging from the start. I especially enjoyed experiencing firsthand what each of the teens was feeling, allowing me to form bonds with each one. As a reader, being able to make sense of a character's decisions and understanding their motives are necessary to be able to enjoy a novel. One can also see from the character development that David put a lot of thought into creating them. The teens' issues churned up a lot of emotion inside me, especially Sierra, as she was the character that needed the most space to grow. People deal with their insecurities and vulnerabilities in different ways and it taught me a valuable lesson about deceptive appearances and inner demons. I recommend this sci-fi fantasy to fans of the genre; it is an out-of-this-world novel.

Essien Asian

Joey Walker had a childhood ambition of becoming a scientist and making a significant discovery. Well, that day has finally come, but not like he imagined. Joey, his brother Chris, and their friends Sierra and Lana are involved in a car accident while returning from a party. Joey and Lana survive the crash, and in a frantic bid to save their friends' lives, they go for help. They discover an abandoned cabin with an odd artifact that gives them supernatural abilities, enabling them to accomplish the unimaginable. Unfortunately, their new gifts have attracted the unwanted attention of powerful beings who will stop at nothing to restore the natural order of things. Only time will tell if Joey and his friends survive in David Horn's Admins.

David Horn's science fiction novel touches on the delicate subject everyone thinks about: what is our true purpose? He uses a rather enterprising approach to character development, pushing the idea of being part of a much larger setup to unusual extremes in an exciting way. Although Joey and Chris are siblings, Horn wants readers to explore the deeper reason behind their mistrust of one another through their conversations and starkly different origin stories. The narrative flows between the points of view of the characters so readers easily understand their motivations while piecing together the different subplots and determining who is the true antagonist in this curious adventure. A notable aspect of Horn's narrative approach is how the principal characters use analytical elimination to discover the mystery underlying their gifts. Even Sierra's strategy makes some sense despite its horrifyingly unsettling outcomes. After reading Admins, you will have a different perspective on gods and mortals.

Rabia Tanveer

Admins: Simulation's End by David Horn is a young adult science fiction novel about four teenagers who discovered a terrible secret that changed their lives forever. Sierra, Lana, Joey, and Chris were on their way back from a party when they had an accident. Desperate and frightened, Lana and Joey were looking for help when they came across a cabin with a green light coming from inside it. However, things took a strange turn when they touched the light and gained powers. But that was not all. They also found out that they were living in a simulation run by 'Admins'. Scared and excited at the same time, the friends start to explore their powers, only to be noticed by the Admins who want to delete their simulation. Before they knew it, it was a race against time to protect themselves and their world from the wrath of the Admins.

What a fascinating story! Author David Horn did a great job of building the universe and making it believable. Joey, Lana, Sierra, and Chris were incredible characters, and each of them intrigued me and made me want to know more. The story was divided into parts, each of which was told from the perspective of a different character. I found the change in the narrative refreshing, and the descriptions and the plot entertaining. David had me guessing until the very end. I liked Lana and Joey the most; they were the most relatable to me. Each of these characters had a story to tell, and the author made sure they had the time and the page space to do so. The world-building was great, the pace was fast, and the ending was outstanding. I loved Admins: Simulation's End and highly recommend it!

K.C. Finn

Admins: Simulation's End by David Horn is a young adult sci-fi novel that explores the lives of four teens - Chris, Sierra, Joey, and Lana - who discover they are living in a computer simulation after a car crash leads them to a mysterious cabin. Gaining strange powers, they learn that powerful ‘Admins’ control the simulation and plan to delete it due to the chaos caused by their actions. As they grapple with the reality of their existence, they must navigate a plethora of moral dilemmas and fight to save their world in a thrilling race against time.

Author David Horn delivers a fantastic story that is sure to grip young adult readers from cover to cover, with a fast-paced plot that never has a dull moment. Horn’s imaginative world-building, with its mysterious locations and looming figures of peril, is suitably detailed and atmospheric to bring the action to life and enhance immersion for readers. The author excels at creating relatable, dynamic characters that feel realistic with clear talent in the dialogue and emotional presentation. The complex ethical dilemmas they face make their journey compelling and emotionally resonant for young adult readers as the topics are all things they can relate to. I also really enjoyed how each new surprise was revealed, with a great build-up of suspenseful scenes, interspersed with sudden bursts of action and emotional moments between different members of the group. Overall, I would certainly recommend Admins: Simulation’s End to science fiction readers everywhere for their next great adventure.