Escape Room: Game Zero by Christopher Edge

Lol, idk why I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I first picked it up. I do think that this is one of those books that very much benefits from readers going in already knowing the rest of the lore, if you’re an adult. Younger readers who are more ready to accept things at face value may not mind as much (as I’ve certainly discovered when going back to read old favorites after the span of decades.)

Escape Room: Game Zero begins with Eden, a young girl who’s solved a series of online riddles and is now going in search of what’s been touted as the ultimate Escape Room. Eden loves puzzles and riddles, so is excited about getting a key to an online game known only as The Escape. Fortunately, the place she has to go to claim it in person is only a short walk away from her own home.

But the key she intends to pick up turns out to be something very different from the physical pass she expected. Instead, she’s drawn into a disorienting fantasy realm where she quickly discovers she can get badly hurt, both if she isn’t careful and if she doesn’t complete the quest to escape in time.

Both helping and hindering her is Ted, a deeply annoying kid who’s accessed The Escape via an expensive VR headset and is convinced that Eden is a mere NPC. As they explore this strange new world together, they encounter all manner of peril, even as they slowly discover that the game is much more dangerous than either of them had ever anticipated.

The puzzles in this are very satisfying, with a bunch of cute in-jokes for people who enjoy video games. Eden is delightful and Ted is appropriately obnoxious. There are also some unexpectedly poignant moments involving the other characters they meet.

I was impressed by the descriptiveness of Christopher Edge’s writing, tho felt that that stumbled somewhat towards the end of the book. I also wish that we’d been given more information about Ami, the friend who originally lures Eden into the game. I get the feeling that reading the first book would have helped a lot (and, after looking it up, that you should definitely read that volume first before diving into this one.) This one was a terrific read for puzzle game enthusiasts tho, and definitely helped temporarily scratch my itch for playing an immersive video game.

Escape Room: Game Zero by Christopher Edge was published February 10 2026 by Nosy Crow and is available from all good booksellers, including