One of the latest science fiction releases for young adults is intended to deliver more than its promise of a thrilling adventure ride.

In ENTER (Neeman House, 2008), there are subtle lessons on deception and entrapment, some of the unfortunate characteristics of the world wide web.

More and more teens are now plugged into the Internet, tossing their surfboards for a more sedate type of surfing. Yet, any serious efforts at examining the risks involved are still few and far between.

Author IJ Goldman says he wanted to make the Internet real as if the reader was actually transported inside it. “That way, it creates the impression that the Internet is occupying actual physical space, and how you have to proceed with caution just as you would anywhere in the world.”

He adds that many children and young adults often have trouble determining whether something they experience on the ‘net has an impact on reality or not.

“We live in an age in which technology has allowed the line between reality and fantasy to become blurred,” Goldman says. “It’s taking a while for the adults to sit up and take notice of this.”

In the novel, Dillon, an insatiably curious teen, and his larger-than-life Grandpa, Harley, discover a way to enter Cyberia (a country in Cyberspace) from Dillon’s computer in the real world. Among other things, they encounter:

• The subjects of biographies, like Beethoven and Babe Ruth, who come alive in a virtual bookstore.
• Mild-mannered giant spiders, or web crawlers, who are always on the road searching out sites and gathering data throughout Cyberia. (“Some of our best friends are Arachnids.”)
• Arthur and Shirley, a retired couple, who spend six months of the year in Boca Raton, and the other six months in Cyberia to escape the Floridian heat.
• Voracious worms, viruses and Trojan Horses intent on destroying whole domains.
• And last, but certainly not least, the man who helps fight the viruses and worms, Morton McAfnee.

Morton enlists Dillon’s help in tackling a severe security threat that is expected to destroy all of Cyberia. Dillon and his Grandpa try to help all they can. But they are not at all prepared for the shocking discovery awaiting them.

The book can be viewed here >

Contact: Yitzchak Goldman
206.227.2071
info@neemanhouse.com