Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be
a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames
he's spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic,
world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and
whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.
But hey, there's nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack
tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows
that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don't get
chosen to save the universe.
And then he sees the flying saucer.