Viridian Gate Online
Cataclysm

Life's a game. At least it is for everyone stranded in Viridian Gate Online, the only RPG where you can swap the apocalypse for an avatar and a fist full of magic . . .

Jack Mitchell knows he won't survive the impact of the massive asteroid hurtling towards Earth. He's not one of the handful of lucky lottery winners scheduled for rescue. But he did luck into a NexGenVR capsule, which means Jack can risk a one-way trip to the world of Viridan Gate Online (V.G.O.), an ultra-immersive fantasy role-playing game. Taking that leap of faith, though, means permanently trapping his mind in the game and killing his body in the process.

Worse, one in six die during the transition, and even if Jack beats the odds, he'll still have to navigate a world filled with vicious monsters, domineering AIs, and cutthroat players. And when Jack stumbles upon a secret conspiracy to sell off virtual real estate to the ultrawealthy—transforming V.G.O. into a new feudal dark age—the deadly creatures inhabiting Viridian Gate's expansive dungeons will be the least of his concerns.

If Jack can't game the system, he's going to be trading in a quick death for a long, brutal one. Oh well, at least he gets a dragon . . .