Dream State: A Josh Holland Sci-Fi Thriller

by Fin Friday

An unexpected discovery in a university lab gives graduate student Josh Holland the chance to change the destiny of mankind, but an unknown adversary has seen what he can do and will stop at nothing to obtain his secret. Josh and his friends must navigate unforeseen danger and obstacles to make their dreams of the future a reality.

Josh Holland is just an ordinary graduate student studying nano-scale semiconductor devices when he discovers a secret so powerful that it transcends the known limits of physics. What will he do with this secret? How will it impact the future of mankind? How will he manage the moral dilemma that arises? All questions he must answer, but at least he's not alone. His two close friends Yoshi Nakamura and Rebecca Stevens have been with him since the start. Soon, new people start entering his world. Are they friend or foe? Josh must decide.

The discovery has national security implications that attract the attention of the world's great superpowers and other dangerous people. To turn his vision into reality, Josh and friends must take radical steps to ensure their safety and success, all while sparring with an unknown, violent adversary.

From the bustling streets of Manhattan to the remote Arizona desert and the deep waters of the Pacific near the Galapagos Islands, the cadre of friends pursue their dream, even as they are threatened by arcane international laws and pursued by the FBI. Who will prevail? Delve into the adventures of Josh Holland to find out!

459 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 17, 2024

About the author

I was a strange child growing up, pacing the floor daydreaming of the machines I would build to change the world. That fascination with the future and what's possible convinced me to become an engineer, but after only a few years working in industry, I learned it can take a lot to turn something from vision to reality, let alone something big enough to change the world. Those childhood dreams quickly receded into the background.

Retirement gave me the chance to let those dreams loose again, this time onto paper. Here I can compress time and conjure up big things with just a handful of people. I love to weave a fantastic fictional future with the present, allowing the reader to see a tomorrow that is just beyond today, not 200 years into the future. My goal is to put the reader in the shoes of the main characters with all the emotion and conflict that go along with it, encouraging the reader to think about how they would create the path to move forward.

In addition to dreaming about the future, I also love outdoor activities, especially hiking in national parks and visiting exotic places.

Reviews

[Sing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have finished reading a free ARC copy of Dream State. This is an edited version of the feedback that I sent to the author:
1.) This book has some common themes with the book ‘Mindweb’ by Scott Thomas that was published around 2009. Mindweb is book one in the Darkmatter trilogy. If you liked the Darkmatter series, you will probably like this book.
2.) The book’s level of writing appears to be aimed at the young adult demographic.
3.) Logic point: (Hopefully not a spoiler) The main character is somewhat unbelievable in that he can do and invent anything. At 23 years of age no less. It would help if this character was older and had completed more life experiences. He would need more education as well in order to invent the items that he produces.
4.) The book has been well edited, nothing negative to report on that front.
5.) One area of the book that seemed to stand out to me was the pacing of the story. In some places it moved along quickly and in other places it seemed to drag. No doubt the stories pacing is intentional. I have to admit that at my age (mid 70's) this pacing has more to do with me than the story itself. I have a much reduced interest in the emotional interaction between characters. At my age, a character's inter-personal relationships/emotional internal dialogue no longer interests me to the extent it did when I was younger. However, for the intended audience, the author may have just the right amount of these types of interactions. This point ties in with point #2 above.

That is about all I have to offer. The book read very well and flow from the pages to my mind was easy and unencumbered. This is the author's first book and I would say very well done indeed. We can look forward to more great stories from him.

[Sharon White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a big sci-fi reader but did enjoy this book. It is set in current time on earth and the characters are real people. I cared about them. Josh, I assume, is a child prodigy. The story was interesting and I completed the book in three days because of this. My only issue was the very long description of the science behind the inventions. Not having a physics background I felt at a disadvantage.
If there are sequels I will definitely read them.
Sharon White