The Game of Lives (The Mortality Doctrine, Book Three) – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

The Game of Lives (The Mortality Doctrine, Book Three)

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2015

81%

WISE Score

4.6

Amazon

A high-stakes cyber-thriller where 'Game Over' is a lot more literal than your kid’s Minecraft server.

The Game of Lives (The Mortality Doctrine, Book Three)

book

2015

81%

WISE Score

4.6

Amazon

A high-stakes cyber-thriller where 'Game Over' is a lot more literal than your kid’s Minecraft server.

4.6

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Screenwise Verdict

James Dashner knows his lane: high-concept, high-stakes thrillers that don't talk down to kids. This isn't high literature, but it's a gripping conclusion to a series that treats its readers like they can handle big, weird ideas.

The pacing is tight and the stakes are genuinely high. While it deals with some heavy existential dread—the whole 'AI stealing your body' thing—it’s standard fare for any teen who has played a modern RPG or watched a sci-fi movie in the last decade.

It’s a solid 2015-era book that holds up surprisingly well because our real-world tech is finally starting to catch up to the 'VirtNet.' If your kid liked The Maze Runner, this is an easy win for the bookshelf.

Age Fit

Best for ages 12 and up. It’s perfect for middle and high schoolers who want a gritty sci-fi fix without the heavy romance often found in other YA series.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's a dystopian thriller, so 'wholesome' isn't the primary vibe. It focuses on survival and high-stakes conflict, though themes of loyalty and friendship among the core trio remain strong.

Imaginative

The series shines in its depiction of the VirtNet and the concept of 'The Mortality Doctrine.' Dashner's vision of AI consciousness and virtual hacking is creative and conceptually dense.

Safe

Standard YA action violence. The 'digital' nature of the combat makes it feel slightly less visceral than a slasher, but the concept of AI stealing human bodies is inherently creepy.

Enriching

Excellent for sparking debates about the ethics of AI, the definition of personhood, and the potential dangers of total immersion in digital worlds.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

It’s basically The Matrix for the gaming generation, focusing on VR and hacking.
Fast-paced enough to keep a teen's attention away from short-form video for a few hours.
Explores complex AI ethics that feel even more relevant in 2026 than when it was written.
Provides a definitive, twist-heavy conclusion for readers who invested in the first two books.

⚠

What to Watch For

The 'Mortality Doctrine' involves AI essentially body-snatching humans, which can be existential nightmare fuel for some.
Descriptions of 'digital' gore—characters being deleted or rewritten—can be surprisingly intense.

Conversation Starters

"If an AI has all your memories and your personality, is it actually you?"
"Would you choose to live in a perfect virtual world if you knew your real body was just sitting in a chair forever?"
"How do we decide if a computer program has become 'alive'?"

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