Reamde

Neal Stephenson's 2011 novel follows a high-stakes race to rescue a young woman held hostage by a shifting array of international criminals, including Russian mobsters and Islamic terrorists. The narrative is driven by a diverse cast of characters, many of whom are connected through the virtual world of a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). As the physical pursuit spans the globe, the story intricately weaves together the mechanics of online economies, such as gold farming and currency exchange, with the gritty realities of transnational crime and cyber warfare.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.