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The Dream Metropolis
In dreams, anything is possible. It can be an escape from a tortured reality, no matter how ephemeral that may be, or it can be a horror that you can't run from.
A man who calls himself The Magistrate has created a dream world more encompassing than any virtual reality, through unseen hands in an unseen corporation. He preaches transcendence through dreams, another level of human evolution that separates the mind from the body entirely.
His zealotry has swept up multiple dreamers into his project, from drug addicts to assassins to innocent children. The Metropolis, the first dream, is a city whose shape and influence are manipulated and altered by the dreamers inside; at times, it's a nightmare, but also believable enough that reality itself becomes a memory.
The city kills those who try to push and expand its boundaries, for its dreaming existence is both limitless and constricted.
For Ash, a dying man spending his final moments in the Metropolis, dreaming forever doesn't sound so appealing.
**This series includes vulgar language; it is not intended for younger readers.
A man who calls himself The Magistrate has created a dream world more encompassing than any virtual reality, through unseen hands in an unseen corporation. He preaches transcendence through dreams, another level of human evolution that separates the mind from the body entirely.
His zealotry has swept up multiple dreamers into his project, from drug addicts to assassins to innocent children. The Metropolis, the first dream, is a city whose shape and influence are manipulated and altered by the dreamers inside; at times, it's a nightmare, but also believable enough that reality itself becomes a memory.
The city kills those who try to push and expand its boundaries, for its dreaming existence is both limitless and constricted.
For Ash, a dying man spending his final moments in the Metropolis, dreaming forever doesn't sound so appealing.
**This series includes vulgar language; it is not intended for younger readers.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 15, 2011
7 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 6, 2017
I finally finished this book last night. It was tough to get through because it has a disjointed feel to it. I felt like I had walked into someone else's dream and kept trying to make sense of it all. I don't believe I ever did understand the message but it had some interesting parts. I thought the premise of the book was good but I think it failed in the execution.
September 19, 2013
I received a copy of this book for my honest review:
If "What Dreams May Come" and "Inception" had a baby, and Andy Warhol and Minecraft had a baby, and those two babies grew up, got married and had a baby, then THAT baby grew up and moved to Colorado to live with Mary Jane; their life is what The Dream Metropolis is like.
Mr. Cressman weaves an intriguing tale with a great command of the English language. This is a beautifully written, highly descriptive novel that will immerse you into the dream world.
It is unlike any story I've ever read. This is both positive and negative. While the intrigue of something new and unpredictable lures the reader in, it's also missing some main ingredients that make the book fulfilling. The ending in particular left me frustrated. Mr. Cressman did tell me that might be an issue at the onset. Dream Metropolis is the first in a series of works that revolve around this dream construct, and there may not be closure until the last book (all are available on Amazon!).
Still, I enjoyed the world and the characters. He makes them very human, very real. I think the skill with which he constructs his characters actually lends to the disappointed feeling at the end. You really care about where they went!
There are also some punctuation mistakes and typos. If you are one to be overly dramatic about such things, I would suggest you take a deep breath and jump into Dream Metropolis anyway. You'll be missing out on one of the most original and poetically written works I've read in a while.
Overall, a thought provoking tale for adults only. There is some moderate language, and while there are some "love" scenes, they are tastefully and beautifully written.
If "What Dreams May Come" and "Inception" had a baby, and Andy Warhol and Minecraft had a baby, and those two babies grew up, got married and had a baby, then THAT baby grew up and moved to Colorado to live with Mary Jane; their life is what The Dream Metropolis is like.
Mr. Cressman weaves an intriguing tale with a great command of the English language. This is a beautifully written, highly descriptive novel that will immerse you into the dream world.
It is unlike any story I've ever read. This is both positive and negative. While the intrigue of something new and unpredictable lures the reader in, it's also missing some main ingredients that make the book fulfilling. The ending in particular left me frustrated. Mr. Cressman did tell me that might be an issue at the onset. Dream Metropolis is the first in a series of works that revolve around this dream construct, and there may not be closure until the last book (all are available on Amazon!).
Still, I enjoyed the world and the characters. He makes them very human, very real. I think the skill with which he constructs his characters actually lends to the disappointed feeling at the end. You really care about where they went!
There are also some punctuation mistakes and typos. If you are one to be overly dramatic about such things, I would suggest you take a deep breath and jump into Dream Metropolis anyway. You'll be missing out on one of the most original and poetically written works I've read in a while.
Overall, a thought provoking tale for adults only. There is some moderate language, and while there are some "love" scenes, they are tastefully and beautifully written.
March 5, 2012
Cressman’s novel is very well written and reads a lot like a dream, converging ideas within one another and connecting characters as an unseen corporation begins creating a world within the dreams of many. Honestly, I’m a little slow when it comes to complex ideas like these, and so I struggled to wrap my mind around much of what was happening within the novel, especially in the beginning, but Cressman does a great job keeping the reader on top of the story, and by the end I understood the whole premise of the novel. I have to admit, it reminded me of the intricacies of Inception, and though both The Dream Metropolis and Inception deal with dreams, they are completely different. While there is tampering of dreams in both, I actually liked this book’s premise more than that of Inception (I didn’t understand that movie at all). And yet, I think those who really enjoyed Inception will love this novel, especially as Cressman’s writing is superb, though complex...
To see my full review upon release:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
To see my full review upon release:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
September 13, 2020
Miles Cressman's debut is exemplary of the promising side of indie publishing, a solid and technical read that demands a certain caliber of reader to fully plumb its depths. The story is a heady affair that does not insult the reader's intelligence and allows for drawing one's own conclusions before tying up the ends on its own.
As a first novel it is not without its flaws. Speed bumps in the prose can interrupt the flow and some of the lingering plot threads will not pay off fully unless one is prepared to absorb the entire series. This is by design and while I've yet to launch into the other installments yet, I'm confident that Cressman's craft will come into its own as you follow him from one book to the next.
I feel that this first novel suffers from a somewhat schizophrenic presentation; the story itself would be found too complex by casual readers, while the prose isn't quite up to the heights of an M. John Harrison or similar mainstay of speculative fiction, thus perhaps losing the interest of more die-hard science fiction fans. A professional eye and a layer of polish would have done wonders, but this is a forgivable lament for an independent title.
Nonetheless I finished the book at a good fast clip and never found myself bored or overwhelmed. I look forward to moving onto the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend The Dream Metropolis to the open-minded reader.
As a first novel it is not without its flaws. Speed bumps in the prose can interrupt the flow and some of the lingering plot threads will not pay off fully unless one is prepared to absorb the entire series. This is by design and while I've yet to launch into the other installments yet, I'm confident that Cressman's craft will come into its own as you follow him from one book to the next.
I feel that this first novel suffers from a somewhat schizophrenic presentation; the story itself would be found too complex by casual readers, while the prose isn't quite up to the heights of an M. John Harrison or similar mainstay of speculative fiction, thus perhaps losing the interest of more die-hard science fiction fans. A professional eye and a layer of polish would have done wonders, but this is a forgivable lament for an independent title.
Nonetheless I finished the book at a good fast clip and never found myself bored or overwhelmed. I look forward to moving onto the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend The Dream Metropolis to the open-minded reader.
September 11, 2013
* Received copy for honest review *
My explanation of this book might be rubbish but let's go with it. It's a novel set in a dream. Everyone's dream. A company have created this city where people can dream basically it's set in a world where everyone in the city is really asleep and it is all a dream and while they all think they are just dreaming but being given a chance to dream forever they are actually dreaming of real people who are also dreaming along with them. They get kind of skips in dreams and most of them do kind of control the dreams with their thoughts.
It follows quite a lot of characters which at first I thought was It's downfall but as the book went along and you figured out who people really were and their relationships with one another in the dreams and in reality it really became one of the most interesting parts. All the characters that it followed were completely different and very interesting and some of their stories did make me cry a little, especially Abele and Caine :-\ .
I did feel like sometimes we didn't really get to know enough about the world or the characters until the last second. there are still some people that I have no idea what their meaning was in the grand scheme of things. I do have to give this book and author major props for the fact that while inception boggles my mind even after seeing it three or four times I understood all the ins and outs of this dream world as it doesn't try to explain the ins and outs of dreaming and stuff. It gives you the world as it is and doesn't try to make you understand why it is the way it is.
I loved the reasons why all these people decided that they wanted to dream forever. Like all their reasons for wanting to escape reality ranged from petty reasons that they could get over to big horrible issues that you can understand a person wanting to leave reality behind for. There were stories of people's dreams in the dream city that made me laugh and feel sad at the same time and they were basically really interesting.
Overall I gave this book 3 Stars because while I wasn't fully engaged in all the characters there were some that I really loved and with as many POVs as there was in this book, I can't blame myself for disliking some of them. but the city itself and all the world building was excellent and I would definitely recommend it!
My explanation of this book might be rubbish but let's go with it. It's a novel set in a dream. Everyone's dream. A company have created this city where people can dream basically it's set in a world where everyone in the city is really asleep and it is all a dream and while they all think they are just dreaming but being given a chance to dream forever they are actually dreaming of real people who are also dreaming along with them. They get kind of skips in dreams and most of them do kind of control the dreams with their thoughts.
It follows quite a lot of characters which at first I thought was It's downfall but as the book went along and you figured out who people really were and their relationships with one another in the dreams and in reality it really became one of the most interesting parts. All the characters that it followed were completely different and very interesting and some of their stories did make me cry a little, especially Abele and Caine :-\ .
I did feel like sometimes we didn't really get to know enough about the world or the characters until the last second. there are still some people that I have no idea what their meaning was in the grand scheme of things. I do have to give this book and author major props for the fact that while inception boggles my mind even after seeing it three or four times I understood all the ins and outs of this dream world as it doesn't try to explain the ins and outs of dreaming and stuff. It gives you the world as it is and doesn't try to make you understand why it is the way it is.
I loved the reasons why all these people decided that they wanted to dream forever. Like all their reasons for wanting to escape reality ranged from petty reasons that they could get over to big horrible issues that you can understand a person wanting to leave reality behind for. There were stories of people's dreams in the dream city that made me laugh and feel sad at the same time and they were basically really interesting.
Overall I gave this book 3 Stars because while I wasn't fully engaged in all the characters there were some that I really loved and with as many POVs as there was in this book, I can't blame myself for disliking some of them. but the city itself and all the world building was excellent and I would definitely recommend it!
November 30, 2013
Miles Cressman's debut is exemplary of the promising side of indie publishing, a solid and technical read that demands a certain caliber of reader to fully plumb its depths. The story is a heady affair that does not insult the reader's intelligence and allows for drawing one's own conclusions before tying up the ends on its own.
As a first novel it is not without its flaws. Speed bumps in the prose can interrupt the flow and some of the lingering plot threads will not pay off fully unless one is prepared to absorb the entire series. This is by design and while I've yet to launch into the other installments yet, I'm confident that Cressman's craft will come into its own as you follow him from one book to the next.
I feel that this first novel suffers from a somewhat schizophrenic presentation; the story itself would be found too complex by casual readers, while the prose isn't quite up to the heights of an M. John Harrison or similar mainstay of speculative fiction, thus perhaps losing the interest of more die-hard science fiction fans. A professional eye and a layer of polish would have done wonders, but this is a forgivable lament for an independent title.
Nonetheless I finished the book at a good fast clip and never found myself bored or overwhelmed. I look forward to moving onto the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend The Dream Metropolis to the open-minded reader.
As a first novel it is not without its flaws. Speed bumps in the prose can interrupt the flow and some of the lingering plot threads will not pay off fully unless one is prepared to absorb the entire series. This is by design and while I've yet to launch into the other installments yet, I'm confident that Cressman's craft will come into its own as you follow him from one book to the next.
I feel that this first novel suffers from a somewhat schizophrenic presentation; the story itself would be found too complex by casual readers, while the prose isn't quite up to the heights of an M. John Harrison or similar mainstay of speculative fiction, thus perhaps losing the interest of more die-hard science fiction fans. A professional eye and a layer of polish would have done wonders, but this is a forgivable lament for an independent title.
Nonetheless I finished the book at a good fast clip and never found myself bored or overwhelmed. I look forward to moving onto the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend The Dream Metropolis to the open-minded reader.
January 11, 2012
Miles Cressman is a writer of tremendous literary power. This book genuinely simulates a dreamlike state. I found this extremely challenging because of my overdependence upon traditional narrative for entertainment. It is very bold to eschew traditional narrative when seeking an audience, and because of his talent, I'd say he pulls it off as well as anyone possibly could. I recommend the book if you are seeking an unusual read or a challenge as Miles really writes very well. This Kindle All-Star is someone to watch for the future.
November 2, 2013
I wanted to like it, but just couldn't get into it. It's intriguing and well written, but disconnected, incoherent, and as illogical as a dream. I'm sure it builds up into something fascinating, but I wasn't prepared to keep going for more than a few chapters before deciding that I didn't care enough about any of the people I'd briefly met. Some people will love it. Not me, though.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews