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Beyond Dreams
College freshman Riley Moore stumbles into a fantasy world that feels far too real to be just a dream, which kinda freaks him out. The strange talking rabbit doesn't help either.
His mission?
Find a way to wake up. Easy.
The problem?
It's rumored that if you die in Rivendrift, you die in the real world.
Can Riley wake up before he gets tarred, feathered, or stabbed?
Probably not. But he's going to have one heck of a time trying.
Will the author stop using generic click-bait questions and sub-par humor to entice readers?
Not on your life.
Best-selling author Christopher Hopper takes a siesta from space opera and military sci-fi to bring you this stand-alone progression fantasy novel that, yes, could possibly become a series if readers demand it. It also might give you lock jaw and dysentery.
You decide.
His mission?
Find a way to wake up. Easy.
The problem?
It's rumored that if you die in Rivendrift, you die in the real world.
Can Riley wake up before he gets tarred, feathered, or stabbed?
Probably not. But he's going to have one heck of a time trying.
Will the author stop using generic click-bait questions and sub-par humor to entice readers?
Not on your life.
Best-selling author Christopher Hopper takes a siesta from space opera and military sci-fi to bring you this stand-alone progression fantasy novel that, yes, could possibly become a series if readers demand it. It also might give you lock jaw and dysentery.
You decide.
459 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2024
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Hopper
46 books231 followersChristopher Hopper is an American novelist, creator and co-author of the best-selling mil-scifi series Ruins of the Galaxy with J.N. Chaney.
His other series include Resonant Sun, The Sky Riders, The White Lion Chronicles, and The Berinfell Prophecies.
Christopher lives with his wife and four children in the 1000 Islands of northern New York. He loves flying FPV race wings and RC planes, performing music with his wife, and traveling to distant lands—physical and fictional.
He's had breakfast with Winnie Mandella, canoed with dolphins in Southern California, kite-surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived on 19th-century shipwrecks in the 1000 Islands, sailed a yacht in St. Martin, posed with white rhinos in the wilds of South Africa, spoken on national television in Mexico City, performed a concert on a Dutch beach, and climbed the Great Wall of China.
For more on Christopher, visit his blog at christopherhopper.com.
His other series include Resonant Sun, The Sky Riders, The White Lion Chronicles, and The Berinfell Prophecies.
Christopher lives with his wife and four children in the 1000 Islands of northern New York. He loves flying FPV race wings and RC planes, performing music with his wife, and traveling to distant lands—physical and fictional.
He's had breakfast with Winnie Mandella, canoed with dolphins in Southern California, kite-surfed in Hawaii, scuba-dived on 19th-century shipwrecks in the 1000 Islands, sailed a yacht in St. Martin, posed with white rhinos in the wilds of South Africa, spoken on national television in Mexico City, performed a concert on a Dutch beach, and climbed the Great Wall of China.
For more on Christopher, visit his blog at christopherhopper.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 5, 2024
Rivendrift is a fascinating dive into a dreamscape fantasy world. Young Riley Moore is on his way to college with his parents, having spent most of his schooling pushing himself to succeed, but never really taking any chances in life. He has a Mum who is very conservative, and a Dad who is the polar opposite. This has made Riley a person who sits and judges every decision he makes, weighing up the pros and cons, but generally taking the safer option.
He is thinking about his path in life, when there is a terrible accident. Riley awakens to find himself in a strange place, not the one where he was. Not that he can really remember where he was?
Everything is different, and Riley feels that he must be in a dream, having been knocked out in the accident, it is the only explanation. He starts to stumble through this new dreamworld, when he is accosted by a talking rabbit with a British accent. Because that happens all the time, right?
As Riley moves through this strange world, which he discovers is called Rivendrift (Surprise!), he learns from the incredibly sarcastic rabbit (who is named Archie), that if you die here, that you apparently die back in the real world.
Riley initially doesn’t believe the snarky bunny (because, like – talking rabbit??), but when he is nearly killed by something large, ugly, and not seen on earth, Riley starts to understand that the rabbit may not be entirely wrong.
It does help that he is saved by the incredibly beautiful Eleanor, a young warrior woman, who is even more sarcastic than Archie. Between the two of them, they manage to keep Riley alive until he starts to acclimate to this strange fantasy realm. And then he meets the creatures who come to literally suck your souls and life energy from your body, and well, you can imagine the puking that takes place from there.
This is a mix of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the Princess Bride, the movie Dreamscape, and the Never-Ending Story, all blended into a modern Dreamscape Fantasy with several other genres (that I won’t give away spoilers for), blended into as well.
I have to admit, that initially, I was a bit unsure about Riley Moore’s character as he can be incessantly whiny during aspects of the story. But this was offset by the hilarious quips and comments, not only from Archie but also from Eleanor and some other characters who Riley meets along the way. I don’t want to give spoilers, but there are some wonderful characters he encounters, one of my favourites (Gilpid), is later in the story.
I will add that Riley does grow as the story evolves, coming to understand aspects of his personality, and this character development adds a lot to the story. His relationship with Archie is hilarious. The rabbit is brilliant as his ‘guide’ to Rivendrift, think Ford Prefect from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, meets ‘Archie’ from a Fish Called Wanda, and you have this narcissistic, self-important, sarcastic guide, who spends more time giving Riley grief than actually guiding him. This of course, leaves us laughing hysterically at the hapless Riley. You can’t help but love Archie, he has several of the best lines of the book. Alongside Archie, is Eleanor, the beautiful, and skillful swordswoman. She initially saves Riley, but then takes pity on him. They form a bit of a bond, but she also loves to give him grief, about the many crazy decisions he makes. She has a wicked sense of humour, and along with Archie, has some brilliant lines. Eleanor though, has a soft side, and is one of my favourite characters in the book (Second only to GIlpid – who I will let you discover for yourself!)
One of the best parts of this book though, is the world building, which is stunning. Hopper has created this incredibly beautiful world for Riley to fumble around in, with several races, some that we know, some we don’t, and a unique system in which the characters have to generate their characters, gain skills, and level. Whilst this is not a traditional ‘LitRPG’ book, there are a few minor aspects of that genre in the story, adding some additional depth to the world-building. It makes for a multi-faceted story, that once you start, you just can’t put down.
If you are a fan of any sort of Fantasy, especially one with a clever storyline, and exceptional characters, as well as a great humorous streak to keep it light, one that blends several genres into the story as well, then this will definitely be one you can’t miss. Beyond Dreams – Rivendrift is a world that is waiting to be discovered!
He is thinking about his path in life, when there is a terrible accident. Riley awakens to find himself in a strange place, not the one where he was. Not that he can really remember where he was?
Everything is different, and Riley feels that he must be in a dream, having been knocked out in the accident, it is the only explanation. He starts to stumble through this new dreamworld, when he is accosted by a talking rabbit with a British accent. Because that happens all the time, right?
As Riley moves through this strange world, which he discovers is called Rivendrift (Surprise!), he learns from the incredibly sarcastic rabbit (who is named Archie), that if you die here, that you apparently die back in the real world.
Riley initially doesn’t believe the snarky bunny (because, like – talking rabbit??), but when he is nearly killed by something large, ugly, and not seen on earth, Riley starts to understand that the rabbit may not be entirely wrong.
It does help that he is saved by the incredibly beautiful Eleanor, a young warrior woman, who is even more sarcastic than Archie. Between the two of them, they manage to keep Riley alive until he starts to acclimate to this strange fantasy realm. And then he meets the creatures who come to literally suck your souls and life energy from your body, and well, you can imagine the puking that takes place from there.
This is a mix of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the Princess Bride, the movie Dreamscape, and the Never-Ending Story, all blended into a modern Dreamscape Fantasy with several other genres (that I won’t give away spoilers for), blended into as well.
I have to admit, that initially, I was a bit unsure about Riley Moore’s character as he can be incessantly whiny during aspects of the story. But this was offset by the hilarious quips and comments, not only from Archie but also from Eleanor and some other characters who Riley meets along the way. I don’t want to give spoilers, but there are some wonderful characters he encounters, one of my favourites (Gilpid), is later in the story.
I will add that Riley does grow as the story evolves, coming to understand aspects of his personality, and this character development adds a lot to the story. His relationship with Archie is hilarious. The rabbit is brilliant as his ‘guide’ to Rivendrift, think Ford Prefect from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, meets ‘Archie’ from a Fish Called Wanda, and you have this narcissistic, self-important, sarcastic guide, who spends more time giving Riley grief than actually guiding him. This of course, leaves us laughing hysterically at the hapless Riley. You can’t help but love Archie, he has several of the best lines of the book. Alongside Archie, is Eleanor, the beautiful, and skillful swordswoman. She initially saves Riley, but then takes pity on him. They form a bit of a bond, but she also loves to give him grief, about the many crazy decisions he makes. She has a wicked sense of humour, and along with Archie, has some brilliant lines. Eleanor though, has a soft side, and is one of my favourite characters in the book (Second only to GIlpid – who I will let you discover for yourself!)
One of the best parts of this book though, is the world building, which is stunning. Hopper has created this incredibly beautiful world for Riley to fumble around in, with several races, some that we know, some we don’t, and a unique system in which the characters have to generate their characters, gain skills, and level. Whilst this is not a traditional ‘LitRPG’ book, there are a few minor aspects of that genre in the story, adding some additional depth to the world-building. It makes for a multi-faceted story, that once you start, you just can’t put down.
If you are a fan of any sort of Fantasy, especially one with a clever storyline, and exceptional characters, as well as a great humorous streak to keep it light, one that blends several genres into the story as well, then this will definitely be one you can’t miss. Beyond Dreams – Rivendrift is a world that is waiting to be discovered!
August 28, 2024
Well, first of all, I'm confused. I thought the writer was Christian and so I expected Christian worldviews and behaviours. None of that, much.
There were a lot of secular views, no life after death, cheat and lie to survive, that sort of thing. However, the language was mostly clean and there were no sex/nudity scenes.
The writing itself is really very good. I personally don't like a lot of internal monologues so I just skipped those whenever they popped up. And I was a bit frustrated with the main character. He never seemed to listen to himself or his instincts, but he is 19 so I suppose that's normal.
I did find it strange that he would receive so much help from others, because that's not very realistic, but the ending did explain some of it.
The end itself... in my opinion, nicely done.
There were a lot of secular views, no life after death, cheat and lie to survive, that sort of thing. However, the language was mostly clean and there were no sex/nudity scenes.
The writing itself is really very good. I personally don't like a lot of internal monologues so I just skipped those whenever they popped up. And I was a bit frustrated with the main character. He never seemed to listen to himself or his instincts, but he is 19 so I suppose that's normal.
I did find it strange that he would receive so much help from others, because that's not very realistic, but the ending did explain some of it.
The end itself... in my opinion, nicely done.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2024
excellent read.
I enjoyed this very much! Not my usual genre but a wonderful story, I strongly recommend giving this one a read you’ll smile, think a little, and surely laugh out loud
I enjoyed this very much! Not my usual genre but a wonderful story, I strongly recommend giving this one a read you’ll smile, think a little, and surely laugh out loud
April 9, 2024
Brilliant
Christopher Hoppers first book of this genre and he gets it spot on! This might be a book for YA, but it should appeal to readers of most ages. If you enjoy fantasy, mixed with a pinch of Warcraft or D&D then you’ll love this. I can’t wait for book2
Christopher Hoppers first book of this genre and he gets it spot on! This might be a book for YA, but it should appeal to readers of most ages. If you enjoy fantasy, mixed with a pinch of Warcraft or D&D then you’ll love this. I can’t wait for book2
January 6, 2025
This is a great book. While different from most of the books I have read by Christopher Hopper I really enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews