Like a lot of kids, Zack Lightman — the main character of Ernest Cline’s second novel, Armada (hardcover, digital) — has dreamed about being a space pilot since he saw Star Wars. It’s one of many reasons he spends his free time playing a space dogfighting video game. But when the alien invaders from his favorite game invade Earth for real, Zack realizes he’s hasn’t been playing a game all these years, he’s been training.
