The meaning of a normal day is questioned in Typical Day by Gary Wolf. A charming novel, Typical Day is a book about gaming for anyone and everyone. Wolf infuses the concept of Gaming = life into every aspect of his novel and he takes it to new heights.
Every morning Joyce Williams plays a game called LifeMaster. In one hour, LifeMaster takes him through his day. Joyce then goes out and lives exactly the day he’s played.
Until the day his game cube gets destroyed. His life goes into default mode. LifeMaster plays the game. Joyce lives the life.
Joyce expects life will get worse. Instead it gets better. Way better.
He’s making more money than he can spend. He’s hanging out with his favorite sports hero. He has a gorgeous girlfriend. He partners up with Herculisa, a crime-fighting superheroine. He becomes Jayhawk, a superhero himself. Life is good! Life is perfect.
Then LifeMaster changes from a game of life to a game of life and death!
Wolf’s prose is unlike many I have read. While initially it seems simplistic, I found this to be what truly propelled the pace forward. This may be a new way of reading for the fantasy fan since not much detail is given to the surroundings of Joyce Williams. However, this very directed style of writing made Typical Day feel as if I was playing a game, I could see the surroundings but it was more important where my character was going.
My favorite character is introduced later in the book and goes by the name Austin. This impervious kid is pretty much the icing on the cake. He is the epitome of a moral ending wrapped up in one character. Not only is Austin bright and funny, but Wolf writes him in a way where readers find themselves thinking of their inner child as Austin. It’s Austin’s way at looking at the world which make a fantasy realistic.
Typical Day is a great piece of sci fi light reading. Without pomp or circumstance, Wolf shows us what happens when life truly is a game and you play your life before you live it. Typical Day does not try to be more than it is, in fact it reads like a short story. I was able to read the entire book in about an hour and was transported to the intriguing life of Joyce Williams. I found myself enjoying the fast pace and continued on until I was finished. Overall it was a satisfying read with an ending that was pleasantly realistic.
