Posted to my Livejournal in August 2008, saved here for posterity:

The Traitor Game affected me quite a lot (I read a lot of books this summer that made me cry). It's a psychological drama/fantasy, and it follows Michael, who has PTSD over past severe bullying, and his friend Francis, who has a secret. The two boys develop a fantasy world called Evgard together, and the chapters switch between the real world and the fantasy one, where the story follows a slave boy and his tenuous friendship with the princely son of the king (duke?) who owns him. In the real world, Michael and Francis have a serious falling out over a misperceived betrayal, and then a real betrayal, and what happens in Evgard mirrors it and centers around a game the people in Evgard play called The Traitor Game. The Evgard stuff was so compelling and detailed and unique that I wished there was more of it, but I loved the way the two stories twined together around the themes of friendship and betrayal. ( )

A well written, good portrayal of peer pressure and bullying, through present day and fantasy.
Lies, perceptions, loyalty and friendship.
An excellent read.

There was a folded bit of A4 paper wedged into the locker. It said MICHAEL THOMPSON. Michael slid it out, and flipped it open. It said I KNOW WHERE ARCASTER IS. That was when the bottom dropped out of everything. Michael and Francis are best friends at school, drawn together by their common secret - a complete obsession with creating, crafting, adding to and poring over their joint fantasy world, Evgard. Their friendship is put to the severest test when Michael, thinking that Francis has betrayed their world, takes the cold, deliberate decision not to help Francis when Francis is the victim of a brutal attack. Michael then has to see the consequences of his mistake, and confront his own weaknesses. This absolutely compelling charting of the boys' friendship is reflected in the fantasy world, as the fantasy characters and their actions are a clear mirror of the boys' own actions in the real world. With one difference. In the fantasy world, one of the characters does not survive. Each world, both real and fantasy, is just as gripping as the other. The twofold narrative with alternate chapters is incredibly complex to construct, yet the talent of this writer is to create a fluid, completely unputdownable read. An extraordinarily and compelling novel that will attract many readers at many levels and within many genres.

http://kitsuchi.livejournal.com/183806.html ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Fantasy meets real life in this adventure by B. R. Collins. Role-playing fans of all ages will be intrigued with this intricately crafted tale.

Michael Thompson has been bullied while attending Comp. At the end of the school year, his mother finally pulls him out of that school and enrolls him at St. Anselm's. Prior to the start of the school year, Michael's mother asks around the church if anyone has a son that attends St. Anselm's. She figured that it would be easier for Michael to begin a new school already knowing someone.

With a knock on the door, Francis Harris enters Michael's life. Francis comes across as a cool kid and Michael can't begin to imagine why Francis would take the time to hang out with a tosser (loser) like himself. But surprisingly, Francis seems to enjoy Michael's company, and they become tentative friends. While nosing through Michael's room, Francis notices a detailed map that Michael has drawn. Embarrassed by his childish drawing of his fictionalized world of Evgard, the two soon work together creating an entire culture surrounding Evgard.

Of course, they both know that Evgard doesn't really exist, but one day, Michael finds a note in his locker stating "I know where Arcaster is." This isn't possible because Arcaster doesn't exist outside of Francis' and Michael's imaginations and they have never told anyone else about Evgard. At least, Michael has never told anyone about Evgard.

Michael immediately assumes Francis has secretly been laughing at him and telling his other friends about the silly things Michael is interested in. Michael never stops to consider that there may be another explanation to the note. Soon the two are at odds with each other and Michael is without friends. He withdraws into his imagination and the world of Evgard to get away from how miserable he is.

The story travels between real time and the imaginary world of Evgard. The author creates new words for the language spoken in Evgard to stand for common words we all know. The author moves the reader between the real and the imagined, drawing you easily into the castle world of Evgard. The story is creative and will surely delight those that enjoy the fantasy genre. ( )