Lazarus Game, The

Fifteen-year-old genius Carter Chance thinks he's the smartest person alive—until the Lazarus Game Shop opens in his sleepy town and kids start dying. Recruited by the enigmatic Geoffrey Chaucer, Carter learns the game is real: it drains players' lives to make an elite few immortal. With his idiot brother trapped inside the game and a mysterious axe-wielding assassin dogging his steps, Carter must confront what he truly values before it's too late. A fast, funny YA sci-fi adventure about fantasy, sacrifice, and what really lasts.

• A cocky boy genius meets a villain smarter than he is—and older than history itself
• Think Ender's Game meets Percy Jackson's snark, with an immortal Geoffrey Chaucer as the bad guy
• Perfect clean sci-fi for reluctant teen readers who love wit, action, and gadgets
• The dead geniuses of history—Newton, Edison, Darwin—are alive and feeding on the innocent

“I have the normal teenager problems: my brother is an idiot; the girl of my dreams ignores me; an ancient cult just invaded my town; the Russian mafia wants to kill me. Like I said, normal problems.”

Perfect for a teen (especially a reluctant male reader) who loves fast, funny sci-fi adventure in the vein of a wisecracking genius hero facing an immortal villain.