"Fortuna" by Michael R. Stevens, starts out as a cautionary tale about the effects getting overly involved in a virtual world can have on real life. By the end of part 2, the book shifts genres and goes from an after-school special to James Bond meets the Sopranos. Basically, what starts out as a timely and realistic story, becomes something fantastical and improbable. The story is still interesting and exciting; it just becomes disjointed and a bit contrived.

In an effort to add some excitement to his ordinary life, Jason Lind signs up for the virtual world of "Fortuna". An online role-playing game based on Renaissance Italy, Fortuna promises an escape that Jason can't refuse. As he becomes more immersed in the game, Jason turns his back on the real world and soon finds himself in debt, with no job and no idea how to get himself out of this distressing situation. It is at this point that the book changes gears. We learn the back story of the death of Jason's father and see what happens when real life and the virtual world intersect on a more personal and dangerous level.

Michael Stevens does an excellent job of painting the picture of Renaissance Italy and in particular, the city of Florence. His descriptions of the game and how it works are vivid and fascinating though sometimes a little technical for the novice computer user. Honestly, I didn't need to read about the underlying operation of the game but those who are into that sort of thing should really enjoy those parts of the story.

Overall, I would recommend this book for its imagery and timeliness as well as the unexpected turn of events that leads to an exciting climax.