The Eye of Minds is a 2013 young adult science fiction novel written by American author James Dashner, and the first book in The Mortality Doctrine series. The book was first published on October 8, 2013 by Delacorte Press and is set in a futuristic world where a young gamer must help stop a rogue hacker named Kaine intent on causing mass destruction. Of the novel, Dashner has stated that he did not view it as a "dystopian or post-apocalyptic tale" akin to his Maze Runner series, but he did view it as having "similarities in tone and feel and spirit to The Maze Runner". Plot In the future, humankind has developed a new interpretation of gaming in the form of a virtual reality system known as the VirtNet, which contains various games, including "Lifeblood", a re-creation of real life. Michael and his two friends Bryson and Sarah are three talented hackers who can use the game code to manipulate items, and they are employed by VirtNet Security (VNS) to track down a cyber-terrorist known as Kaine, who has been trapping people inside the VirtNet. The gamers who are trapped often commit suicide in real life by coding out their Cores, the virtual objects that differentiate between their Auras, or their virtual bodies, and their real-life bodies. The VNS wants Michael and his friends to find out about the Mortality Doctrine, a program created by Kaine. Using information from Cutter, a barber in the game Lifeblood, Michael and his friends hack their way into the high-end Black and Blue club. They meet Ronika, the owner, who tells them that to get to Kaine's base in the Hallowed Ravine, they must get through The Path, which can be accessed through a weak spot in the code within the game Devils of Destruction. However, creatures programmed by Kaine known as KillSims, which suck the life out of VirtNet players' Auras and leave their real-life bodies brain-dead, attack and destroy Ronika. Michael begins to have serious but occasional headaches. Michael and his friends then manage to gain access to The Path through Devils of Destruction, which they find very difficult to beat, after hacking through the age restriction. Once they enter The Path, they find themselves on a massive stone disk with a riddle. After solving it, they enter an infinitely long corridor, from which the only exit is to go through a