{"product_id":"last-realityisbn-9781101939391","title":"Last Reality","description":"\u003cb\u003eReturn to the series \u003ci\u003eBuzzFeed\u003c\/i\u003e compared to \u003ci\u003eReady Player One\u003c\/i\u003e! The second book in the fast-paced trilogy from \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller is perfect for fans of HBO's \u003ci\u003eWestworld.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSimon would have done anything to save his best friend after a mysterious accident almost killed her--including follow her into a virtual world. And what he and Kat discovered there was more terrifying than anything they could have ever imagined. The world's largest tech corporation, the Company, is using unwitting hospital patients to test a device that lets VR be experienced with all five senses. The technology is so advanced that it's deadly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow the Company is hunting Simon and Kat while war rages in Otherworld, the virtual world it created. Determined to destroy the coporation, Simon and Kat must join forces with a hacker, a gangster, and a digital entity. But as they battle to save two worlds, they uncover an all-new threat to our world: the Company's latest creation, an augmented-reality game called OtherEarth. Not only does OtherEarth kill, it has the power to erase the line between what's real and what's fantasy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for the Last Reality series:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA potent commentary\u003c\/b\u003e on how much we're willing to give up to the lure of technology.\" --EW.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eFull of high stakes, thrillers, and fantastic twists and turns,\u003c\/b\u003e fans of \u003ci\u003eReady Player One\u003c\/i\u003e are sure to love this addictive read.\" --\u003ci\u003eBuzzFeed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An \u003cb\u003eengaging\u003c\/b\u003e VR cautionary tale.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe A.V. Club\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA fantastic journey \u003c\/b\u003efrom start to finish.\" --\u003ci\u003eHypable\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eOtherworld\u003c\/i\u003e, Book One in the Series:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Full of high stakes, thrillers, and fantastic twists and turns, fans of \u003ci\u003eReady Player One\u003c\/i\u003e are sure to love this addictive read.”—Buzzfeed\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“A potent commentary on how much we’re willing to give up to the lure of technology.” —EW.com\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eA fantastic journey from start to finish\u003c\/b\u003e, and will keep your attention, long after you’ve put the book down.\"\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eHypable.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “An \u003cb\u003eengaging \u003c\/b\u003eVR cautionary tale.” —The A.V. Club\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Authors \u003cb\u003eJason Segel and Kirsten Miller keep the action nonstop \u003c\/b\u003ewhile they convincingly ratchet up the tension…\u003cb\u003e[in] the high-stakes gaming and intrigue of [\u003ci\u003eOtherworld.\u003c\/i\u003e]\u003c\/b\u003e”\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\"\u003cb\u003e[A]\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003efast-paced adventure\u003c\/b\u003e.\"—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A CBC Teen Choice Book Award Nominee\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eJason Segel\u003c\/b\u003e is an actor and a writer. Segel wrote and starred in \u003ci\u003eForgetting Sarah Marshall\u003c\/i\u003e and cowrote Disney's \u003ci\u003eThe Muppets,\u003c\/i\u003e which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Segel's film credits include \u003ci\u003eThe End of the Tour; I Love You, Man; Jeff Who Lives at Home; Knocked Up;\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Five-Year Engagement, \u003c\/i\u003eamong others. On television, Segel starred on \u003ci\u003eHow I Met Your Mother,\u003c\/i\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eFreaks and Geeks.\u003c\/i\u003e He is the coauthor of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling Nightmares! series--\u003ci\u003eNightmares!; Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic; Nightmares! The Lost Lullaby;\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEverything You Need to Know About Nightmares! and How to Defeat Them. OtherEarth\u003c\/i\u003e is his second novel for young adults. To learn more about him, you can follow @jasonsegel on Twitter.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirsten Miller\u003c\/b\u003e lives and writes in New York City. She is the author of the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Eternal Ones,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow to Lead a Life of Crime. OtherEarth\u003c\/i\u003e is the sixth novel Kirsten has written with Jason Segel. You can visit Kirsten at kirstenmillerbooks.com or follow @bankstirregular on Twitter.\u003cp\u003eI zip my fly and look up from the weeds I’ve been watering. The sun has risen over the hills in the distance, and there’s nothing but sand and scrub as far as the eye can see. I could be anywhere. There’s no way to tell what century I’m in—-or what planet I’m on. If I’ve traveled back in time, I’d never know the difference. And though I’d rather not think about it, there’s a chance I’m being held captive in a capsule somewhere, with a disk attached to the back of my skull and my brain imprisoned in a computer--generated world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy eyes detect movement in a patch of dead brush. A scorpion emerges, and I watch it scuttle across the sand toward my shoe. The thing is a monster—-at least six inches long—-but I don’t even flinch. My startle reflex has been dialed down to zero. I’ve seen much worse in recent days. There’s one thing that worries me, though. It’s the color. I didn’t know real--world scorpions came in iridescent green. If I had a phone, I’d look it up. I’m starting to wonder if I’ll ever have a phone again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI send the creature flying with a kick and head back toward the car. Kat’s there soaking up some early--morning sun. The sight of her pulls my thoughts back from the darkness. She’s wearing a Budweiser T-shirt and a pair of hot--pink jogging pants with the word diva printed across the butt. She picked up the ensemble at a Walmart in West Virginia, and somehow she makes it look amazing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKat’s reading a large sheet of paper that’s spread out on the hood in front of her. “Is that a \u003ci\u003enewspaper\u003c\/i\u003e?” I ask as I approach.  I can’t even remember the last time I saw a print edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Nicked it from the hotel before we left,” she tells me. “Says here there’s a pig--picking in Darwin next week. And Charlie Jones was arrested for stealing three chickens and a pregnant goat. I guess that’s what passes for front--page news here in southwest Texas.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Nothing about Milo? Or the Company?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe looks up from the paper and snorts. “Are you kidding? Darwin, Texas, hasn’t made it out of the twentieth century,” she says.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA gust of wind sends Kat’s copper curls flying. I feel a twinge as she pulls her hair back and twists it into a bun. It suddenly occurs to me that the two of us may be alone. “Where’s Busara?”  I ask.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKat folds the newspaper and points to an identical stretch of desert on the other side of the road. There’s a tall, dark figure strolling through the brush. From a distance, she looks just like her Other-world avatar. I’m an idiot for never noticing the resemblance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Busara’s communing with nature, I grab Kat and draw her toward me. We’ve only had a few minutes to ourselves since we sped out of Brockenhurst two days ago. We were officially a couple by the time we hit I-95.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeing on the run would be so much more fun if we didn’t have a chaperone along for the ride. Instead I’ve had to make do with furtive kisses. When I slide my hand around the back of Kat’s neck, I feel the shaved patch at the base of her skull. Her hair is beginning to grow back in. She wraps her arms around me, and my head spins. I pull her closer and she loses her balance, sliding off the hood and landing on her injured leg.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Awwww, \u003ci\u003eman,\u003c\/i\u003e” she groans.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shit, I’m so sorry, Kat.” I pick her up and gently put her back on the hood. She tries to smile but her face is ashen. She says her leg is getting better, but it still can’t bear her full weight. She was injured in Otherworld right before we made our escape from the facility, and her real--world body suffered the effects. I’ve been trying to convince her to see a doctor, but she won’t run the risk. I suppose it’s a moot point anyway. We don’t have the money to pay one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s okay.” I know the pain must be fading when Kat plants a kiss on my lips. Then she gazes over my shoulder at the wasteland I was just contemplating. “What were you thinking about out there?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You were watching me urinate?” I lift an eyebrow. “I had no idea you were into that sort of thing.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKat rolls her eyes. “I was just making sure you didn’t step on a snake.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe green scorpion scuttles back through my thoughts. This time it’s my turn to wince. Since I returned from my last trip to Otherworld, I’ve been having trouble believing that everything I see here is real. This world and the other keep blending together. Maybe it’s just my way of avoiding reality. It’s still hard for me to accept the fact that, less than two days ago, I shot my girlfriend’s stepfather. And it wasn’t in a video game.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Do you think Wayne is dead?” I ask Kat. It’s the first time either of us have uttered her stepfather’s name since we left New Jersey. As I wait for Kat’s answer, I realize I honestly don’t know what I want it to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“No,” Kat replies with conviction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“How can you be so sure?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Because we’re not that lucky.” I was hoping for more of a medical opinion, but Kat’s definitely got a point there. Our luck hasn’t exactly been stellar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe shouldn’t be hanging out on the side of a road. It’s time to get going again. The paranoia hits us both, and we look for Busara. She’s headed back in our direction, as if the same alarm just went off in her head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“How many miles until we get to New Mexico?” Kat asks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hard to tell,” I say. “Three or four hundred, maybe? This is the first time I’ve ever used a fold--up, paper map. They don’t make it easy to judge distances.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“And you’re absolutely sure we’ll find Elvis when we get there?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI laugh—-and remind myself that Kat never had the pleasure  of meeting my former boarding school roommate. “Oh, that part’s going to be easy,” I tell her. “I doubt we’ll be able to miss him.”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ember","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303655395557,"sku":"NP9781101939391","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781101939390_55376199-cf3f-4cba-98cc-c6a5cf1cbe06.jpg?v=1730754938","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/last-realityisbn-9781101939391","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}