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The Blackwell Files #18
Lucid: A Mind-Bending Thriller
"Eighteen books into the Blackwell Files series, and Steven F Freeman still manages to come up with unique plots that are futuristic and awe-inspiring. There are red herrings galore, and the reader will keep switching between who they think the villain is until the final, unexpected reveal." - Readers' Favorite
When reality isn’t enough…
Lucid Nightscapes, Inc. has introduced the most immersive entertainment experience in lucid dreaming. Clients pick the time and place—a space station, medieval Europe, or a battlefield—and Lucid creates dreamscapes impossible to discern from reality.
But some dreams come at a price…
A secret CIA program to track terrorists in the dreamscape has been disabled, and the deaths of lucid dreamers are starting to pile up. To save the company from ruin, CEO Andy Crenshaw reaches out to government contacts for help.
Assigned to the case, NSA special agents Alton and Mallory Blackwell fight to untangle the truth amidst the twisted realities of Lucid’s imaginary worlds…while being plunged into dreamscapes depicting horrific events from their past. Can the husband-and-wife investigators uncover the truth before perishing in the dreamscape themselves?
When reality isn’t enough…
Lucid Nightscapes, Inc. has introduced the most immersive entertainment experience in lucid dreaming. Clients pick the time and place—a space station, medieval Europe, or a battlefield—and Lucid creates dreamscapes impossible to discern from reality.
But some dreams come at a price…
A secret CIA program to track terrorists in the dreamscape has been disabled, and the deaths of lucid dreamers are starting to pile up. To save the company from ruin, CEO Andy Crenshaw reaches out to government contacts for help.
Assigned to the case, NSA special agents Alton and Mallory Blackwell fight to untangle the truth amidst the twisted realities of Lucid’s imaginary worlds…while being plunged into dreamscapes depicting horrific events from their past. Can the husband-and-wife investigators uncover the truth before perishing in the dreamscape themselves?
- GenresScience Fiction
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 17, 2025
About the author
Steven F. Freeman
82 books81 followersThriller/mystery author Steve Freeman is a former member of the US Army's Signal Corps, a thirty-four-year employee of a large American technology company, and an avid traveler who has visited every continent but Antarctica. His novels draw from firsthand knowledge of military service, the tech industry, and the diverse cultures of our world.
He currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, daughter, and four dogs.
He currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, daughter, and four dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 12, 2026
Imagine stepping into a dreamscape of your choice where you can't feel pain. That's exactly the premise of Steven F. Freeman's Lucid.
Lucid Nightscapes, Inc. has introduced the most immersive entertainment experience in history: lucid dreaming. Clients pick the time and place, like a space station, medieval Europe, or a battlefield, and Lucid creates dreamscapes impossible to discern from reality.
The story follows NSA special operatives Alton and Mallory as they investigate twin murders within Lucid’s dreamscape environment.
The book is gripping and fast-paced. The writing is crisp, and the mechanics of lucid dreaming are well explained.
I was fascinated by the idea of stepping into a dream, and this book delivers on it.
I loved the different scenarios and features of the dreamscape, which made the story feel cinematic. It also features famous personalities and historical figures that the characters interact with.
The murder mystery leans more toward a procedural investigation than a high-octane thriller. The whodunnit element of the book keeps the reader hooked.
The investigation involves many suspects. I appreciated how the author periodically summarises key developments seamlessly into the narrative. This made it easy to keep track of the case without having to flip back through previous chapters. The ending had an unexpected twist and is one of the book's strongest points.
I found the author's note at the end particularly exciting, as it revealed that research into concepts like this is already underway in the real world.
Lucid is a light and interesting read. Anyone who enjoys sci-fi with thriller and mystery tropes will enjoy this book.
This book is a part of The Blackwell Series, but it reads well as a standalone. This was my first book from this author and I am looking forward to reading more of his works!
(I thank the author for sending me a copy of the book. All views expressed are my own)
Lucid Nightscapes, Inc. has introduced the most immersive entertainment experience in history: lucid dreaming. Clients pick the time and place, like a space station, medieval Europe, or a battlefield, and Lucid creates dreamscapes impossible to discern from reality.
The story follows NSA special operatives Alton and Mallory as they investigate twin murders within Lucid’s dreamscape environment.
The book is gripping and fast-paced. The writing is crisp, and the mechanics of lucid dreaming are well explained.
I was fascinated by the idea of stepping into a dream, and this book delivers on it.
I loved the different scenarios and features of the dreamscape, which made the story feel cinematic. It also features famous personalities and historical figures that the characters interact with.
The murder mystery leans more toward a procedural investigation than a high-octane thriller. The whodunnit element of the book keeps the reader hooked.
The investigation involves many suspects. I appreciated how the author periodically summarises key developments seamlessly into the narrative. This made it easy to keep track of the case without having to flip back through previous chapters. The ending had an unexpected twist and is one of the book's strongest points.
I found the author's note at the end particularly exciting, as it revealed that research into concepts like this is already underway in the real world.
Lucid is a light and interesting read. Anyone who enjoys sci-fi with thriller and mystery tropes will enjoy this book.
This book is a part of The Blackwell Series, but it reads well as a standalone. This was my first book from this author and I am looking forward to reading more of his works!
(I thank the author for sending me a copy of the book. All views expressed are my own)
October 6, 2026
Alton and Mallory are asked to investigate the suspicious deaths of twin on the same day in different parts of the country, both while in lucid dreamscapes.
The president of the company gives them full access to the dream world and his VP explains how it works and how AI assistants are used to help navigate the dream world.
A diazepam injection is needed to get people to sleep, and they wear helmets and leap where and when they want to. Their AI helper is great at tracking suspects they need to speak with and helping them find out who changed the coding to block the CIA, who were looking at a group that’s against government interference.
They learn that diazepam can create a heart attack if too much is given, and link one twin to two other deaths, one long ago and one recently. They learn that one guy in marketing has a side hustle to creep in ads where they’re not meant to be, but he’s not their killer.
Another guy who’s an expert coder is also shady but they believe him when he claims innocence. They finally figure out who the killer is and how they erased the killings, but the murderer becomes a victim of his own coding.
This was a clever idea that involves lucid dreaming, a phenomenon that happens without any technology for some people, and marrying it with AI and virtual reality elements.
I love the different places they travel to and the descriptions of how they experience them. The AIs are depicted as helpful and human like in a non-threatening way. I would have liked more of Mallory’s involvement, but she did contribute to the investigation which Alton was leading.
This is my first Blackwell book so I want to read another to see if I’m going to read the full series.
The president of the company gives them full access to the dream world and his VP explains how it works and how AI assistants are used to help navigate the dream world.
A diazepam injection is needed to get people to sleep, and they wear helmets and leap where and when they want to. Their AI helper is great at tracking suspects they need to speak with and helping them find out who changed the coding to block the CIA, who were looking at a group that’s against government interference.
They learn that diazepam can create a heart attack if too much is given, and link one twin to two other deaths, one long ago and one recently. They learn that one guy in marketing has a side hustle to creep in ads where they’re not meant to be, but he’s not their killer.
Another guy who’s an expert coder is also shady but they believe him when he claims innocence. They finally figure out who the killer is and how they erased the killings, but the murderer becomes a victim of his own coding.
This was a clever idea that involves lucid dreaming, a phenomenon that happens without any technology for some people, and marrying it with AI and virtual reality elements.
I love the different places they travel to and the descriptions of how they experience them. The AIs are depicted as helpful and human like in a non-threatening way. I would have liked more of Mallory’s involvement, but she did contribute to the investigation which Alton was leading.
This is my first Blackwell book so I want to read another to see if I’m going to read the full series.
October 7, 2026
Alternate universes in a dream world and a police procedural thrown in with AI "spirit guides". What more could you want?
October 17, 2026
A little too sci-fi for me....
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews