In Erik's world, everything -' your grades, your job, your status in life '- is determined by a MMORPG, called Epic, which is run by Central Allocations.

Just weeks before his graduation tournament, Erik's character dies. He is now faced with opponents who have been collecting armor, weapons, and spells for their entire lives. There is no chance that he will do well, and therefore no chance he will go to a good school or have a good job.

In desperation, Erik puts all of his start-up points into beauty. And he changes the game ' and the world - forever.

I loved this dystopia - it's fast-paced, and has lots of layers to think about (gender roles, the role of games, politics, etc). There is lots of action in the game, and lots of detail about the post-apocalyptic world outside it.

The sequel is "Saga."