False Awakening by Arianna Fox - Young Adult Novel Becomes Personal Favorite For This Adult!

“To the world it will be a surprise How a smart man will succeed and rise And you must stop him at all cost Or hope will eternally be lost He wants a new world – his very own When his company has fully grown.”

Taryn Johnson was completely in shock. She kept opening her mouth to say something, but the truth is, she had no idea what to say. So, she just stared blankly at Chris. Chris exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry. I can’t help you. If you’re here to recruit me because of some secret that I have or know or something, you’re out of luck. I don’t even have this secret. And I’m not a good asset for you, Taryn. Certainly not because of some poem that my dad read to me when I was, like, 9 years old.”

 To say Taryn was disappointed would be an understatement. She looked around the room hastily, clearing her scratchy throat and trying to smile, although it didn’t turn out anything like a smile. “Is there anything I can get you?” Taryn asked. “Tickets back to the States? Coffee? Everyone loves coffee, right?” Taryn snorted a little. Chris just stared downward. “Nothing? Okay.” Taryn frowned as she sat back on her chair and looked at some papers on her desk. “Wait!” Chris finally raised his head and met her gaze. “What do you mean by ‘tickets back to the States’? Are we not in the U.S.?” Taryn smirked a little, swiveling in her chair to face the old, green wooden door. “Go outside and take a peek.” Chris’s gaze followed hers. He quickly stood up and opened the door. His pupils dilated; his heart rate and pulse quickened; his face paled. What he saw was something very few have seen in person before, except as photos in coffee table books or postcards. What he saw was completely breathtaking and almost … otherworldly. He’d seen those pictures and recognized the scene before him. Suddenly he became aware of how he’d been laboring to breathe in the thin air. “I’m in the Himalayas,” Chris whispered, his eyes widening at the familiar mountain peaks, snow-capped, graceful, and majestic. “I’m in the Himalayas!” he shouted as he turned toward Taryn. Taryn joined him on the front porch of the creaky old house. “We’re in the Himalayas,” she confirmed. “It’s where our base is. But there’s no way I’m telling you which mountain it’s on,” she laughed. “Unless you join us, of course. Which, apparently you won’t.” 

“I won’t because I can’t, Taryn,” Chris repeated, annoyed that he cared how she, a stranger, felt. “I don’t know any secret that you’re talking about. Okay?” Taryn looked down thoughtfully, thinking whether she really did believe him. After a few seconds, she slowly looked back up at him and nodded. “Okay, Chris. Okay.” Chris looked at Taryn, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion. He saw a fresh scar on the right side of her neck that he hadn’t seen before in his vision or any of the other times he saw her. He swallowed unsurely as his mind drifted to the fact that she was able to track him down and spy on him in all those dreams of his. He swallowed, ready to ask the question yet dreading the answer that would follow. “Taryn,” Chris asked. “How did you find me in all those dreams? I just don’t understand.” 

“What I am about to tell you is considered ‘CLASSIFIED’ in our logbooks,” Taryn explained, “but I don’t consider it exactly ‘classified’ anyway.” Taryn sighed. “We use our computers. We know what’s been happening to you. We know about the dreams. Your dream-inside-of-a-dream predicament is caused by Erik Kane and his subordinates. Every time I try as hard as I can to reach you, they try as hard as they can to stop me from reaching you and they ‘pull the plug’ in your brain, so to speak. The problem is, though, with every ounce of battery power we use to find you, the more they can track us down and find our base.” She shook her head as if denying the possibility. “I barely understand how they do it, so don’t ask for details. It’s sort of like if you get a phone call from the FBI or CIA or any police, and they’re able to track your call and location as long as you’re on the line. So, yeah, they’re basically everywhere.” She gave him a hard stare. “Those dreams are the key, but I can’t explain. You’ll have to figure it out.”

~~~

“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize Something was actually strange.” - Dom Cobb, Inception

Ok, Ok, it had to happen sooner or later, but I was very impressed when a writer who was 11 when she first published the book, created a character who most of us will recognize! You know, a man who is running for president of the United States and actually has the goal of taking over the entire world... Yeah that one! The characteristics of Eric Kane were so noticeable for me that I was all in on moving forward to the ending...which turned out to be an interesting twist... And an ending statement, "We will be the Coalition of Guardians" which I hope means that there will be at least one, or more, books following!

I'm giving a special shoutout of Kudos to this amazing young writer and highly recommend her book for those between the ages of 9 and 18...or, any book addict you know who reads anything and everything... Seriously any scifi or fantasy reader will enjoy the plot and characters...

Most of the main characters appear to be teens, but could clearly be intellectually and physically prepared for super-hero status, while others are older but as members of the group who had earlier been formed, again with special skills--each one slightly different.

Chris Coleman is the main character and by profession an engineer who enjoys participating in creating gadgets of all kinds such as a thermal jacket that could be regulated hot or cold... Chris was actually on his way to work when he suddenly braked, knowing that something physically was happening to him--everything was spinning. But, as he sat in he middle of the road he realized that his head wasn't spinning--the world was spinning around him! Actually, my first thought was Vertigo! But, it proved to be something much more complicated! 

He had been dreaming. a dream so real that he could hear the horns blaring and people screaming for him to get out of the way! But in that dream, there was a woman with piercing eyes watching him, seriously, but he just thought she was frustrated with the delay...

Shall we say that was his first encounter, of a different kind?

Because even while he got dressed and went outside, he was still groggy as he began to drive. Chris was fearful that he would be ok. And, almost immediately he remembered what his father would always tell him when he was afraid:

Do you remember what you do when you’re scared, or worried, or sad? You close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think to yourself, “I got this.” I believe in you, son.

But when he got to work and was interacting with his co-workers, he noticed a woman watching him--who later was gone. His friends teased him about his new imaginary friend... But he could see her in his mind, almost like a dream and she was telling him that she needed his help!

And, then, readers, you will be taken completely out of the plot as a journalist log book is thrown into the mix, as if, like we see on television, the journalist is attempting to record what is happening, but sometimes hasn't even a clue of what is going on... Then at other times, he will be providing new info to we readers... And, really, folks, isn't that the way we get our world news? This one concept, thrown in by the writer, reveals a level of creativity that is simply fascinating...

Readers will begin to be on edge as dreams are described and cries for help are heard, one of which seemed to be coming from a little baby in a crib! What is going on? And, soon, Chris was astounded when he woke up, looking around and could see mountains! Where was he? Later, he would remember that Eva, one of the other engineers with whom he's been friendly, had surprised him by giving him a shot. But he had been feeling woozy, blacking out, and waking up, not sure whether he was dreaming...or not...

But, at least, this time, there was somebody there to talk to. Taryn Johnson, a member of a group calling themselves The Rebellion... She then went on to tell him about the danger presented by Erik Kane who was head of a large corporation and who was now running to be president of the United States...

Chris nodded after a few moments of thinking. “Okay, fine! I’ll wait, but not for long.” He paused and sighed. “Erik Kane,” he murmured, “the billionaire businessman?” At her nod, he shook his head as if to clear it. This was getting weirder by the minute. Chris looked up at Taryn. “Now, why in the world do I need to stop Erik Kane of all people?” Taryn gave him a cold and serious stare. “Erik Kane is not just some hotshot businessman. His father … how do I put this? His father, Dominic Kane, is a murderer and a liar. He tricked us all into electing him President of the United States, but he really used that position to help him elevate himself. He wanted world dominance, but two terms in the White House wasn’t quite long enough to achieve it. He even started the process—don’t you remember that big nuclear scare? Yeah, that was Kane. So now that his son Erik is running for President, we need to make sure we defeat him before he begins Phase Two of his plan for ruling the world just like his father did.” “Consider your words marked, Taryn, but I’m still confused as to what he does, or did, that’s so evil that we have to stop him—him, the son of the former President, for crying out loud. And why me?” Chris tried at his old point again. “Didn’t his father do the evil things, not Erik himself?” “It’s not what he did, Chris,” Taryn said. “It’s what he wants.

I know this sounds corny or cheesy, like one of your favorite action movies, but Chris, please just listen to me. The rules he’ll put into play are wicked and cruel. And he’s a smart man, too smart for any of us to try to defeat him individually. Somehow he seems to know our every move; whenever we go on a special mission to try to track him and his base down, we lose several men. Good soldiers, too. Those that are gone are gone because of Erik Levi Kane.”

Sorry, folks, but that's about all I dare to share...You really have got to read the book to move into and out of the dreams, always wondering is this a False Awakening...or am I really in a lot of trouble?! The scenes are both intriguing and fun to consider as Chris little by little learns...the...secret...he...has!

GABixlerReviews

The Vault by Paul Nemeth - An Unbelievable, Extraordinary Mindblower!

My name is Owen Tipton, and this is a dream.

Owen recited the familiar words, and the world swam before him, like a television station not quite tuned in. He felt the familiar pull, an unseen hand threatening to pull him back from the rabbit hole, back to reality. As he'd done thousands of times before, Owen grabbed the nearest item, a tree branch, and held on, watching his knuckles grow white against the evergreen bark.

His roll was brought to a violent halt,
knocking the wind out of his lungs with an
almost comical paaaah sound. Dusting
himself off, he got to his feet, looking for
some kind of challenge.
"What?" he murmured, looking around.
This time, the question was for him alone;
he'd forgotten about his precious fans for
the moment.
No longer red, the sky was a pure, azure
blue. Owen had grown up under artificial
skies, but he knew without being told he was
looking at the real thing now...

After a moment, the light-headedness was gone, and Owen looked back around at the Default, knowing millions of eyes were following his every move...

"Well," he announced to his unseen audience, "what shall we dream today?"

It was for show, of course, he already knew the course today's 'cast would take. Scene change, he thought, and the pine-laden hillside was replaced by jagged rock formations under a red sky.

A throng of people stood around a fish-sized hole in the earth. They were dressed in black, Pilgrim-like, the men in suits, women in long black dresses. Some wore veils. Their bearing was so dark, so somber, that Owen, lost in unease, forgot he was dreaming.

He walked with slow, measured steps toward the gathering. At first he thought the sounds coming to his ears came from the wind, but then he realized it was weeping. Whatever this is, he thought, it's going to bring people down. Scene change!

His mind didn't cooperate. Damn. There were thousands of active channels in The City, and competition was fierce. If this show was an embarrassment, that could be the beginning of the end...

What the hell?

~~~

The Vault

By Paul Nemeth

Nothing seems unimaginable anymore,  and we've already seen, "The Dome." But as far as I'm aware, that's the only thing that I'd known about that is even close to the extraordinary part scifi, part horror, part mystery...and more...that you will find when you read The Vault. Oops, then I found the author's article on how he began to think about writing the book, and discovered that the "professional dreamer" was earlier conceived... but I still found the idea to be amazing. Normally my preference for SciFi is futuristic, having been a Trekkie since that show first appeared... But this book is quite different...and the emotional impact is far beyond most books I've read. It's a powerful statement, albeit, sadly, not a surprising one, for our future...

Our time period is after a second American Civil War when much of the west coast was destroyed...and rebuilt under a dome. Life has returned for the particular me-generation of that time and those under the dome are quite happily waiting for a final expansion which will allow more room to do all of the pleasurable things that are again available.

The main plot of the book is fairly basic...Owen, Jason and Jillian work as a team to produce Owen's dreams. Owen is able to control his dreams, so, with the addition of head gear created by Jason, his dreams are captured and televised. Within a genre of his or his fans' choices, Owen will dream an action movie, thriller or romance, although he's really not into the latter...

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
Beware the Jabberwock, My son!
The jaws that bite,
the claws that catch?...
!!!

Ryan looked back to his sketch
, pencil lightly shading up and down.
He'd already done the main figure
and was now touching it up. He felt
torn about it; the macabre shape
springing to life under his pencil
was the best thing he'd done, but
he wasn't quite sure where in his
head it came from. A dream perhaps?
Or a series of them?
...thinking of a poem he'd heard,
one that might explain the odd
creature his pencil had birthed.
~~~

Two things happen: Jillian's son falls asleep and he cannot be wakened... He is dreaming and has been seduced by a creature who is also known to Owen as his nemesis and is called Jack... a creature who Ryan had been doodling in school, on a rare scrap of paper, since paper was no longer used. When Ryan meets Jack in his dream, he is able to talk him into going home with him... 

Owen enters into a dreamscape, but before long, the scene has changed to one he didn't create and no matter what he tries, he is unable to regain control of the dream. As he wanders around, he happens to see a boy in the distance and later realizes it must have been Jillian's son.

Owen was getting bad feedback from his fans and boss--the scenes they were seeing were dark and unpleasant... Soooo, a PR genius decides to turn it around once they'd learn of Ryan's sleep...Owen would enter into a search and rescue for Ryan where he had glimpsed him...in his dream...

You may think you will be able to predict what will take place. You won't. I guarantee it! 

 You would think this is a page-turner, but it's not. Everything that is being discussed will be new to you, the reader. Being in somebody's else dream is not easy, even when you are reading it! While the rescue is going on, the type of head gear that Owen has been using, has been made available to the public. When many put them on and watch Owen's show, they enter a potentially dangerous situation...

Aside from the fascinating scifi, the horror part is extremely graphic yet is the crux of the book! Our future? Nothing much has changed... Yet, I'm certainly glad I had the chance to read the book, even with the hard parts! It's exciting, fresh, unique! With the surprises coming left and right toward the ending, readers will be astonished! And, by the way, there is a little romance evolving when Ryan's mother begs to enter the dream and search for her son...

This is a very cool book that any scifi fan won't want to miss. While the horror is hard to learn about, the overall concept cannot be matched. You've just got to check this one out!

GABixlerReviews

Paul Nemeth's first novel, Cataclysm Children, was released in February, 2015. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and son, dividing his time between writing and a busy music career.