Searching for the title of this book...

[CptKillaGunz]

I read this book in my teen years ages ago, and I'm now approaching 40.

It was a sci fi book about a man who created this "perfect" virtual world where practically everyone on Earth logged in daily to live their lives, conduct business, yada yada yada.

This man lost his wife previously while constructing this "perfect" world, which was so indistinguishable from the real world, killed herself, trying to prove that the "real world wasn't real".

This man had a virtual pet cat named God, in his virtual apartment, that talked.

Story is a bit fuzzy, but I believe it was that there were "activists" online that wanted to destroy this virtual world because the government wanted to use the virtual world for nefarious reasons.

Oh, and this man had a friend he only knew online, and near the end of the book, when he finally met him, he was totally opposite from his online avatar.

I know this story sounds very familiar to Ready Player One, but believe me, this book came out in the 90's, I believe mid.

Any help is surely appreciated.

Edit: For some Reason I keep thinking the author is Isaac Asimov. Not sure.

The science fantasy is pretty good, like, on par with current sci fi notions of how VR "should" be.

Also, to add more clues, the story starts how this man and his friend meet online at "The Red light District", when suddenly a terrorist attack happened at the location, online. And pretty much got the ball rolling in the story.

 

[tinkerdan]

I have not read this but perhaps look at this novel.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038097326X/?tag=id2100-20

 

[Matteo]

Possibly (though it doesn't click all the boxes) but possibly Vurt by Jeff Noons?

Vurt (novel)

 

[hitmouse]

Doesnt sound like Vurt from that description.

 

[tinkerdan]

This is weird enough to be a Rudy Rucker story ; another author whose work I haven't read that much of.

 

[CptKillaGunz]

Thanks for the tips but no, the book's name nor author is any mentioned so far. Even though it's science fiction, it really does a great job proposing the idea of how the future of the internet and virtual reality would be like (and how closely accurate it actually is with some embellishments here and there).

Just to clarify, the story suggests can virtual reality be too real, indistinguishable from reality, and the ramifications of such a future.

 

[nixie]

Ok it doesn't really fit the description, long time since I read it but could you be looking for Tad Williams Otherland series?

 

[CptKillaGunz]

Nope. Not Ted Williams either. Most of what's recommended is far fantasy, even going off world. No, this book is grounded in a quasi-reality.

If I can describe it, it's like Isaac Asimov and Dan Brown collaborated. Very cyberpunk-ish but with real rules.

The only element of fantasy is how majority of the population of Earth are logged into this world all virtual internet and when they log out, problems arises of people not being able to distinguish if they're still logged in to the net or not. And the main character, creater of this virtual phenomenon, being tasked to take down his prized creation.

 

[Danny McG]

I read this book in my teen years ages ago, and I'm now approaching 40.

So are we talking the mid nineties here?
Can you remember if it was a new book at the time?
Cheers

 

[Matteo]

Doesnt sound like Vurt from that description.

It was a long shot. It was early 90s, features VR and there's a "game cat". I thought maybe, just maybe, the OP might have been a bit off on some of the details.

 

[CptKillaGunz]

I remember receiving this book from my uncle who was avid D&D, Star Trek, Cyberpunk fan and got me into the same thing. I was I say late teens, so that's between 1994 to 99.