When I saw The Demi-Monde: Winter being publicized as a winter release, I had no idea what it was about but the title kept capturing my eye. Little did I know what a treat I had in store for me. The Demi-Monde: Winter by Rod Rees is Book #1 in the Demi-Monde Saga series. Although it could probably best be described as near-future sci-fi, I believe it has a much broader reach than that. This is one genre-bending novel. It’s a thriller, it’s dystopian, it’s got steampunk elements, it’s an action adventure, it’s a novel filled with political and military intrigue and strategy, and much more.

The year is 2018 and the U.S. frankly hasn’t done very well in conflicts characterized as asymmetrical warfare, such Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The military has long used video gaming as a training simulation tool for troops but they need something more, something that will teach troops how to survive and succeed in asymmetrical conflicts. For that purpose, some of the best techie minds are called in to create a MMORPG (massive multi-player online role playing game) so troops can better prepare and train in this kind of environment. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2490.