The Divine Dream

by Christopher Schmitt

Apollo has a problem: he hates school. He has no desire to do anything with his life but waste the day away playing video games. Yet miraculously after his freshmen Introduction to Science class with the enigmatic Dr. Fernwood, Apollo is obsessed with becoming the greatest scientist who has ever lived. His impossible dream comes within reach when the mysterious science of the afterlife is taught to him by two refugee spirits in exchange for Apollo’s collaboration. After three years of backbreaking training within the fantastic world of his own soul, he can act as an ambassador between the real world and the hereafter.

Apollo’s mission is dire, the trillions of spirits that roam the afterlife have vanished. It is up to Apollo to figure out what the cunning CEO of a company whose name is known in every American home is doing with these lost souls. As Apollo observes and classifies this illustrious aspect of existence, everything he thought he knew about science is called into question, and he discovers that the shocking conspiracy behind all religion is far deeper than he ever imagined.

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Chris is the author of the contemporary fantasy novel The Divine Dream. He began his writing career writing for the magazine Otaku USA and blogging for Japanator and Anime Vice under the pen name ‘God Len’. Here he spent many sleepless nights writing passionately about tentacle monsters and ninjas. While spending all this time writing about other people’s stories, he in turn wanted to write one himself. So he did. Now he is hooked, like a drug, and can only be drawn away from creating spectacular worlds with gargantuan amounts of cheese.
Chris loves fiction of any type, the crazier the story the better, in his opinion. He currently lives in Chicago with his girlfriend.

Reviews

[Kimmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh My Gods. What a book! This was one amazing book. This book is so well-written and thought out. So much so it just flows this one was phenomenal.
This book is Apolo’s story and how he dies but is able to come back. After dying, Apollo finds himself in realm between life and death, where souls and spirits are in a waiting room after leaving the world of the living. This is where spirits find enlightenment. Her he meets a British soldier of the American Revolution who is with an American patriot of the same era. They inform him that he is not actually dead and that his soul was snagged at just the right time. They need his help as they are spirits and there is trouble in Purgatory. So they instruct him on the rules, about his soul and his spirit. He will help them because they are going to help him become the best scientist. But you will have to read to ee how it all turns out.
Now before I ruin this for you I will leave off here. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. If you do like this book, please consider leaving a review. The Authors really like it when you do; they value your opinions too.

[Julius Blitzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A phenomenal experience from start to finish and one of the best books of this year, no one should miss this piece of art.
There is so much to talk about and so little space to do it! Honestly, this book will make you think and consider things in your mind for hours, the plot is so engaging and every little detail just makes you feel part of the story, all links coordinated with such writing, this is a memorable book.
Apollo is dead, until he realizes he is not, but somehow he is trapped between the world of the living and the dead, when he and his masters sense something is wrong, what he find will threaten to change things in ways he could not imagine. A masterful journey between the lines of the impossible and beyond, what lies within us is the key to everything. Read the description, just by doing that you would be dragged to this amazing world to discover all its secrets, buy it, read it and enjoy it.

[Kate Brackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Divine Dream is a book about real life meeting the afterlife and everything in between. Stories like this fascinate me, and the discussion of purgatory, and lost souls feeds into the intrigue in this tale. At first, the book was hard to decipher and confused me a bit. Once I got into the story (after a few chapters of trying to figure out where, what, and why) - it does take off. This story is not only interesting but thought provoking. It makes you wonder what happens to people's souls when we.they perish. Overall, a fascinating story!

[Hudson Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beneath its sci-fi surface, this book is really an exploration of meaning, existence, and belief. Apollo’s mission to uncover what’s happening to the lost souls becomes a mirror for humanity’s search for truth. The author’s take on science, religion, and consciousness is daring and intellectually rich. It’s a story that asks hard questions and doesn’t give easy answers.

[Amanda Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friday evening I began the Divine Dream and I just finished it today, Tuesday morning. The author's imagination is vividly presented in a cast of almost believable characters, I just couldn’t put it down! I was a little confused with the concept of souls being their own worlds within all the characters, but by the end I was convinced it could be no any other way. It has that perfect mixture between fantasy and nitty gritty realism like Harry Potter that I love. And I totally wasn’t expecting the twits the author kept throwing at me near the end of the book. Great escapism, highly recommended.