From a USA Today bestselling author comes a novelette in the Mind Dimensions series. This short story does not require you to have read the other books in the series.
I can stop time, but I can’t change anything.
I can access memories, but not far enough.
My name is Mira, and my life is about finding the Russian mobster who killed my family.
Dima Zales is a full-time science fiction and fantasy author residing in Palm Coast, Florida. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked in the software development industry in New York as both a programmer and an executive. From high-frequency trading software for big banks to mobile apps for popular magazines, Dima has done it all. In 2013, he left the software industry in order to concentrate on his writing career.
Dima holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from NYU and a dual undergraduate degree in Computer Science / Psychology from Brooklyn College. He also has a number of hobbies and interests, the most unusual of which might be professional-level mentalism. He simulates mind-reading on stage and close-up, and has done shows for corporations, wealthy individuals, and friends.
He is also into healthy eating and fitness, so he should live long enough to finish all the book projects he starts. In fact, he very much hopes to catch the technological advancements that might let him live forever (biologically or otherwise). Aside from that, he also enjoys learning about current and future technologies that might enhance our lives, including artificial intelligence, biofeedback, brain-to-computer interfaces, and brain-enhancing implants.
In addition to his own works, Dima has collaborated on a number of romance novels with his wife, Anna Zaires. The Krinar Chronicles, an erotic science fiction series, has been a bestseller in its categories and has been recognized by the likes of Marie Claire and Woman’s Day. If you like erotic romance with a unique plot, please feel free to check it out, especially since the first book in the series (Close Liaisons) is available for free everywhere. Keep in mind, though, Dima Zales's books are going to be much more PG 13 . . . at least that’s the plan for now.
Anna Zaires is the love of his life and a huge inspiration in every aspect of his writing. She definitely adds her magic touch to anything Dima creates, and the books would not be the same without her. Dima’s fans are strongly encouraged to learn more about Anna and her work at http://www.annazaires.com/
Original read: March 13th, 2015 Re-read: February 7th, 2016 --- 3.5 stars (review edited with some quotes) ***
The fucker who put the explosive under my family's car might be in this very room right now. I take a deep breath, finding comfort in anger and the violent fantasies of what I plan to do to him. "It's time," I say out loud--though, of course, the frozen people can't hear it. "Let's see if any of you fuckers are thinking of explosions."
"A wish. All of a sudden, I feel an ache in my chest. None of my wishes are happy. None are normal. A normal girl would wish to meet a nice guy, someone who's fun and good-looking. But not me. I wish I could find my parents' killers and the person who sent them, and then find the will and fortitude to kill them. "
"I Split and get back to real time with a whirling kick to Shkillet's balls, a move I've done many times since starting my investigation. Nothing stops a man as quickly as a hit in that vulnerable place, and no man has ever deserved it more than Shkillet. As my foot connects, Shkillet squeals loudly and grabs his damaged family jewels. " ---- A fun and interesting novella about Mira.. a girl who can stop Time and access memories. She's on the hunt for the mobster who murdered her family.
Her powers reminded me of a sort of but not really combination of astral projection and telepathy. Her powers aren't limitless though and she can only so so much but she's good at it:).
Loved her brother Eugene:) It didn't seem like he had abilities of his own but since this was Mira's story I can understand her not touching on that.
Victor was an interesting mobster, he knows something is off about Mira but lets it go for now.
A good glimpse into the world of Mind Dimensions, wish it was longer so we could spend more time with Mira, love this girl:).
The Time Stopper is #0.5 in the Mind Dimensions series and can be picked up for free at an eBook realtor.
I ended up DNFing after chapter one. I could not get into the story or writing style. The ability that Mira has is odd and it’s weird how it’s used and described. Mira the heroine was not interesting enough. Just did not work for me.
If you enjoy ScFi Time Travel Paranormal Romance then you might enjoy trying this short introduction to the Mind Dimensions series.
The Time Stopper was not the book for me. If the blurb intrigues you, I urge you to give it a shot. Just because it did not work for me does not mean it won’t for you.
Aus Miras Sicht, die erst später noch Darren kennenlernt.
Diese Kurzgeschichte geht schon sehr ins erotische über. Mira ‘liest’ die Gedanken von Männern, die ganz schön deutliche Vorstellungen und Phantasien haben.
I love all of the books in the Mind Dimensions Series by Dima Zales.
This book, The Time Stopper is a great prequel to the series and you get an intimate look at Mira.
Mira is a Russian girl who moved to New York City with her brother Eugene after a Russian mobster killed her parents in a car bomb. Mira has a special gift. She can stop time and move throughout while others are frozen. While she can't change anything, she is able to see into the mind of other's and experience their thoughts and feelings.
While this is a short read, it is very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to all book reader's of all ages.
I was greatly intrigued by the premise, enough so that I was able to get easily past a few clunky'ish spots (normally ANY clunkiness makes me put a book down and move on to something else). When I finished it, I immediately went and found the next book in the series, and I'm hopelessly hooked now.
“Colei che ferma il tempo” è il prequel del libro “I lettori di pensieri” di Dima Zales, ed è un racconto breve della serie “Le dimensioni della mente”. Un libro incentrato sulla figura di Mirochka, ovvero Mira, che ritroveremo poi negli altri volumi. In questa novella si ha la possibilità di conoscere molto di più la ragazza russa. Come ha perso i genitori? Perché cerca vendetta?
Mira è una ragazza russa bellissima, con occhioni blu, lunghe ciglia e capelli scuri ondulati. Pelle delicata, e gambe lunghe e affusolate, completano il quadro di questa Lettrice che compie diciotto anni.
Eugene è il fratello. Un ragazzo sempre in camice da laboratorio che continua a portare avanti gli studi del padre sui Lettori di pensieri.
“Ah-ha!” Mi fa l’occhiolino e mi mostra le mani che teneva nascoste dietro alla schiena. Stanno sorreggendo un cupcake con una candelina accesa, il cupcake vaniglia e fragola della pasticceria italiana che mi piace. È un miracolo che non si sia bruciato i vestiti, tenendolo in quella posizione.”
Questo volume permette al lettore di conoscere in poche pagine non soltanto la storia di Mira, prima che incontri Darren nel prossimo volume, ma anche tutta la terminologia legata ai Lettori di pensieri.
“Quando sono nella Dimensione della Mente, ogni cosa si ferma in un singolo istante e non importa ciò che faccio in questo mondo alternativo, quando torno al mio corpo reale, il corpo che è seduto al tavolo, sarò ancora nella stessa situazione in cui mi trovavo prima che mi Sdoppiassi.”
Bloccare il tempo non sembra così importante per lei, perché si sente Impotente poiché non può cambiare nulla nel mondo reale.
In questo racconto attorno a lei danzano dei criminali russi, i cui pensieri non sono certo angelici. Mafia che incontreremo ancora nei prossimi libri.
Trama breve per un libro che fa da apripista alla serie. Siete pronti a entrare a far parte di questo mondo a sé? A scoprire chi sono i Lettori Illuminati? Allora non vi resta che tuffarvi fra queste pagine. Io vi consiglio solo di leggerli in ordine, per non perdervi nemmeno un retroscena!
Questo è un piccolo libro composto da pochissimi capitoli che mostra il punto di vista di Mira ancora prima che potesse conoscere Darren. Si dovrebbe leggere prima di I Manipolatori di Pensieri, ovvero il secondo libro, poiché aiuta la comprensione di alcuni avvenimenti. Questo prequel è davvero molto breve e spiega particolari episodi nel dettaglio che suppongo centrino con il quinto e ultimo libro della saga per come ho avuto modo di notare con Gli Illuminati verso la fine; tuttavia non è essenziale acquistarlo a mio parere poiché la storia la puoi continuare tranquillamente senza intoppi e senza rischiare di non capire bene qualcosa.
Ho premesso questo perché non sapendo e spuntando solo successivamente alla fine del secondo libro non l'ho letto prima anche se per quello che so ora si sarebbe potuto evitare ma preferisco aspettare di finire il quinto libro per dare una qualche opinione definitiva al riguardo.
Sto cominciando a capire cosa gli ho fatto. Attirandolo nella Dimensione della Mente, ho fatto in modo che potesse vedersi morire in quella macchina. Che potesse avere il tempo di pensarci, di soffermarcisi.
Come ho detto prima, il prequel riguarda il punto di vista di Mira. La sua storia. Il suo inizio. Il perché è diventata quello che è ora, perché non ha potuto farne a meno e perché non può continuare la sua vita come una normale ragazza finché non avrà ottenuto ciò che più desidera. La vendetta.
Una bambina trasportata in un mondo non suo ancora prima che avesse la possibilità di crescere e decidere di farlo.
Questi pochi capitoli magari non saranno essenziali al corso della lettura ma aiutano a non classificare Mira come la sxxxxxx di turno, o la bambina che gioca in cose più grandi di lei. È il passato a formarci perché la nostra capacità di reazione è tutto, e chi può davvero giudicare la scelta di Mira?
“Colei che ferma il tempo” è un romanzo breve, prequel de “I lettori di pensieri”, ma l’autore consiglia di leggerlo dopo “I lettori di pensieri” e prima del secondo volume.
Narra la storia di Mira, la prima persona che Darren incontra ad avere le stesse sue capacità. Al contrario di Darren, Mira sa di non essere l’unica e di avere dei nemici.
Il racconto di Mira è molto più coinvolgente di quello di Darren, Mira ha un passato doloroso, e nonostante la sua giovanissima età si è già scontrata con la morte in troppi sensi.
La sua storia completa la narrazione da profano di Darren e ci trascina senza pietà dentro una guerra che prosegue da sempre tra Lettori e Manipolatori, ma anche nella crudele rigidità della società dei Lettori.
Mira attira la comprensione del lettore con la forza che cela fragilità e nello stesso tempo ci spiega meglio come funzionano le abilità dei Lettori, con anche un po’ d’ironia venata di amarezza, con il tocco di una ragazza di diciotto anni a malapena, ma già ben consapevole della durezza della vita, così come dei suoi talenti non solo mentali.
Ma non vi preoccupate, la narrazione non si dimentica di azione e adrenalina, perché Mira è molto brava a ficcarsi nei guai!
La lettura di questo romanzo breve sicuramente aumenta ancora la curiosità di sapere come le vicende proseguiranno nei successivi volumi e dà completezza a un personaggio che credo diventerà molto più importante nei seguiti.
Editing recensione a cura di Lilith per Feel The Book
Mira est une jeune femme étonnante, a la personnalité dure et froide, voire impitoyable, qui a le don de figer le temps très brièvement (30 mn). Elle peut alors évoluer dans cet environnement à sa guise, sans en pouvoir y changer quoi que ce soit malgré tout.
Dans cette nouvelle/préquel, elle explique comment elle procède et le drame qui est à l'origine de ce qu'elle fait actuellement...
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J'ai eu le tort de lire le Prequel "la Figeuse de temps" après le tome 1 "les Lecteurs de Pensée". J'ai eu vraiment du mal a suivre l'évolution de Mira par rapport à Darren, le héros du tome 1. Mira, par sa froideur et sa dureté, m'a parue immédiatement un personnage très antipathique. J'ai eu du mal à poursuivre la lecture de la nouvelle. Heureusement, j'ai enchaîné avec le tome 2 "les Pousseurs de pensée" où j'ai retrouvé avec plaisir Darren dans ses aventures...
L'univers de "la Figeuse de temps" est le même que celui de "les Lecteurs de Pensée" : un univers de science fiction plutôt original et captivant "à la Matrix" où l'écriture de l'auteur nous plonge dans cet univers déroutant où tout se fige, se découpe en tranches... Fascinant !
La série "les Dimensions de l'esprit" : 1) tome 0/prequel : "la Figeuse du temps" 2) tome 1 : "les Lecteurs de pensée" 3) tome 2 : "les Pousseurs de pensée" 4) tome 3 : "les Initiés" 5) tome 4 : "les Anciens".
The Mind Dimensions Series (Book 0-4...meant to be read Book 1, then 0, then 2-4) -- Dima Zales
Happened upon this series as I was looking for books for my son to read. Everyone was absolutely raving about them and it's a bit sci-fi so thought he would be interested. However, I decided to read them first to ensure the content was appropriate. Good thing I did, because though most of it is very appropriate, there are a few scenes that get a bit graphic and we decided he is not quite ready for them. That being said...I can't wait until he is because they are superb!!! Couldn't put them down!!!
Ok...I have to be perfectly honest. The writing style really sucks at times. By this I mean that you feel like it was written by a high school student sometimes. However, if you can get past that, the story is amazing!! I couldn't get enough and was sad when it was over.
The basic premise is that there are two classes of humans in this world that us everyday people don't know about. They have special powers where they can stop time and live in what is called the Mind Dimension. How long they can do this depends upon their Depth or power limits. One class is called Readers. While in the Mind Dimension, they can read the minds of normal humans. Can you imagine the things you could do with this power??
Mind Dimensions prequel to The Thought Readers. Mira can stop time, leave her body, examine her surroundings, and read the thoughts of others in the area. She saw her parents murdered in a car bomb explosion. She has been trying to get close to Russian thugs and read their minds to see if they were involved. Mira's thought reading only goes back to what the person has been thinking in the last fifteen maybe thirty minutes. She can't directly access memories that happened years ago.
This novella shows her at one of the underground poker games run by Russian mobsters. She reads one of the players. He is going to attack her so she makes preparations to escape. There is a followup scene, and ends with the lead in to The Thought Readers.
Fast, fun read. Just a couple of scenes the first includes a flashback to her parents' deaths. Having read The Thought Readers was a bit of a spoiler, so you may want to read this first.
The Mind Dimension series by author Dima Zales, is quite a unique slant on what the human mind may be capable of. What if? What if the mind can stop time? What if the mind can then "read" the thoughts of somebody else present...your choice. And what if your name is Mira and you are capable of doing such and you witnessed your parents getting killed in a car explosion. And what if you want to know who did it! This novel, The Time Stopper, is very immersive introduction to a world that seems to grab ahold of your attention and never letting go. Enjoy
This is a short story that can apparently be read apart from the main series & most of it works like that but the ending is either a cliffhanger or only makes sense if you know more about the character from other books
I love this series. It is perfect sci-fi for an adult, and I am so happy for this. I have been looking, but it was not forthcoming. Well, this young lady is bad ass if I do say so myself. A bit reckless as well, but that helps to make her intriguing.
Interesting idea, that some gifted people can stop time for limited lengths. Mira is one of these and uses her talent well, in search of the murderers of her parents. She wasn’t very likeable here but maybe later?
I was greatly intrigued by the premise, enough so that I was able to get easily past a few clunky'ish spots (normally ANY clunkiness makes me put a book down and move on to something else). When I finished it, I immediately went and found the next book in the series, and I'm hopelessly hooked now.
When I first started this book, I stopped half way because the craft got sloppy. I later picked it back up and read all the way through. Not finding the same issues.
here are moments in life that we may wish we could stop, but that skill has a different use and some limits in The Time Stopper (A Mind Dimensions Story) by Dima Zales.
Mira can stop time and read the recent memories of other people when she's in the Mind Dimension. But this doesn't provide her the ability to change anything that will happen once time starts back up again and her time within the Mind Dimension is limited, forcing her to be judicious with her actions while in the Mind Dimension. Driven by a desire to uncover the identity of the men who killed her parents, Mira places herself in potentially dangerous situations in an attempt to gather valuable information in her pursuit for revenge.
A short story that moves quickly, the reader is introduced to intriguing concepts surrounding the possibilities that the Mind Dimension presents for supernatural abilities. As a character Mira is both interesting and difficult to believe as she's strong and clever, though her youth seems out of place with the dark, dangerous world she's infiltrating for information. As a prequel story for a larger series, it stands alone relatively well if you haven't read others in the series (like me), though there are many world building and character development elements that felt as though they were underdeveloped but likely make more sense and are more satisfying for those that have read other stories in the series.
It was painfully average and a huge waste of time. It takes five chapters just to tell the story of how the main character's parents were assassinated. It is quite an emotional moment for her, which explains her bitterness regarding all things that concern her parents. Everything in this short story is simply a rehash of events that were far more interesting in the first novel. The choice to have the character's history be explored is amicable, but not having the criminal boss character not be Anton from the first novel is a baffling choice. That way, this short story would've actually had some connection to the main series. Instead, the entire story is wasted on stuff that's basically a repeat of what's already been included in the first novel. Everything except the section of the parents' assassination could be removed, and absolutely nothing would change regarding both the lore and the entertainment this magic system provides, as well as any character growth or revelations.
The lack of interactions with established characters makes this story hinge on just this one character, and she painfully can't keep even these five chapters interesting. This story's being set after the parents' deaths works against it strongly, as it is already known that this character makes absolutely no progress between then and the events of the first novel. Therefore, whatever this short story tries to tell, readers already know the character's life hasn't changed in a noteworthy manner. Therefore, why are we here? No new lore was added beyond how the assassination takes place, no new character interactions, no character progression or fleshing out, no even slightly inventive applications of the usage of the magic system... so useless.
2,5 stars. As Georg Rockall-Schmidt so eloquently put it, "If you know you can't make a good [story], at least make it short." And that is the sole reason this story manages to salvage even this rating.
“It’s so smoky in here; it’s like someone set off a bomb,” this is one of the lines I like the most throughout the story. It awakened my imagination and started going into the extraordinary scenes. It made me experience the so called “Mind Dimension”!
Miri’s gift of mind dimension made the whole story interesting. Through this gift, she was able to examine herself from all angles and can even magnify her life’s insecurities which made her able to stop time. However, the moment she stops time, she is becoming powerless since she can’t change anything in the real world. Also, it made her access memories even of other people but cannot go far enough. Nevertheless, this gift made her replay the incident of her life that made her indifferent. She turned out to be a girl who doesn’t believe in soul, God and goodness in life. And this even get worse every time she remembers the minute her parent’s car explode where she find herself hopeless as she did nothing but go into mind dimension and watched how her parents died! And this is where her life evolves, finding the Russian mobster who killed her family.
On the first chapter, I got very emotional. I saw the love between father and daughter. They were both into mind dimension, seizing the last 30 minutes of her father’s power of mind dimension. I can never forget her father’s passage, “To live even a few more minutes, to see you, is a treasure”.
I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars! The writing is very evocative that made even the most mundane details fascinating. Yet, I do not recommend this to teenagers because of the vulgar words about sex, rape and some intense actions. But I strongly suggest this to adults since it is indeed a fascinating short story which is worth paying a penny.
** I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**
Mira is a young, beautiful woman, who watched her parents die by a bomb planted on their car.
Now she is angry. Very angry. And she has a secret that will help her have her revenge.
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This novella is a prequel to a publicly acclaimed Mind Dimensions series. As I haven't read any of the previous novels I was a bit afraid that I won't be able to understand what this series is all about. I didn't need to worry, though - this novella can be read on its own, explaining basic concepts of a mind dimension, and giving us an insight into the life of the characters that will show up later in the series.
What intrigued me most was the decision not to have numerous battles with many splits to a mind dimension. On the contrary, instead of an action-packed, fast-paced thriller, this was more like a drama - drama that happens in the head of a young girl after watching her parents die. How she copes with it, how she uses her unique ability to delay that final moment as long as she can, how she deals with the fact that she will have to kill someone to have her revenge.
Do not think there won't be some action though. We will see how the main protagonist uses her ability to fight Russian mobsters. We will also feel the frustration she has about the limits of her ability - she can stop the time, she can read someone's thoughts for a couple of minutes, but she cannot change anything in the real world.
I would recommend this book to any young reader who is interested in the concept of mind-reading, coupled with some action. Although I think it was primarily targeted at female readers, male readers will equally enjoy reading it. And if you are an adult - give it a shot. You might be surprised with what you will find.