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Flicker World
Big things are happening for Mark Scottsdale. He has just graduated from college and is looking forward to starting a new life with his childhood friend and longtime girlfriend, Lisa. So when an old classmate of his offers him a high-paying job working for a new research facility, Mark jumps at the opportunity.
However, all of his dreams come to an abrupt end when Lisa is taken from him by a drunk driver. Distraught and devoid of a reason to live, Mark contemplates suicide. However, before following through on his dark thoughts, Mark has an if he could gain access to his company's secret Flicker World project, he just might be able to see his beloved Lisa again after all.
However, all of his dreams come to an abrupt end when Lisa is taken from him by a drunk driver. Distraught and devoid of a reason to live, Mark contemplates suicide. However, before following through on his dark thoughts, Mark has an if he could gain access to his company's secret Flicker World project, he just might be able to see his beloved Lisa again after all.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 14, 2016
1 person is currently reading
348 people want to read
About the author
Brian Cramer
6 books12 followersBrian Cramer was born in New Jersey. Because of several failed attempts to escape the mysterious pull of the Garden State, he still lives there. He works for a custom cable assembly manufacturer and enjoys nature, technology, anime, the universe, and a hot cup of tea.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 26, 2018
If I were to write this book, I would have never had the imagination needed to come up with this story line. That's why I liked it so much. Very entertaining and very interesting. Kudos to the author!!
September 5, 2021
Brian Cramer’s Flicker World is a light, humorous science fiction novel following Mark Scottsdale as he navigates a new job at a research facility. Life is looking up as he marries his childhood sweetheart Lisa and finds success in his project at work. However, after an argument on her birthday, he loses Lisa in a car accident. His life is aimless without her until he realizes that he can take advantage of the technology being explored by his coworkers on another project, which allows one to explore alternate dimensions running almost parallel to our own. Sneaking around after hours, Mark is able to visit an alternate reality version of Lisa, who he spends time with for a while until he is caught by his employer. Mark is tortured and questioned, and as he is about to commit suicide, a coworker/friend destroys the building, presumably killing everyone inside. In the alternate dimension, Lisa also kills herself when Mark stops appearing.
Throughout reading this novel, the things I found myself most interested in were world-building moments and exploration of the science fiction-y elements of the story. I loved the concept of “flickering”, the limitations of the technology that start to decrease, and especially the way things start to tie together in other dimensions. As I read further, there were lots of moments that struck me as loaded with potential (for example, I thought it would be really fun if Mark was the one to explore more of the alternate dimensions, or if we could see more of (-1) Brad). The ending was also interesting to me. Personally, I appreciate neat wrap-ups in stories with lots of paths, and the glimpses into other worlds beyond (0) were cool and gratifying to see. The final, final paragraph was an especially good touch.
Unfortunately, the neat science fiction moments weren’t backed up by realistic characters or emotional storytelling, which I find to be just as important when your novel is very character-focused. Lisa’s death felt like it was given almost no room to breathe. Mark’s grief did not come through as genuine at any point, and neither did his joy at seeing Lisa again. Many moments throughout this novel could’ve benefited from the old advice of “show, don’t tell”. The biggest issue for me, though, was the way that the female characters were written. Not one of them felt relatable to me, and not one of them seemed to have a real personality. They were all defined by their relationship to the men in their lives, and especially defined by their attractiveness. The mothers are caricatures, the women who aren’t romantically interested in Mark are lesbians, and his other coworkers are either stupid or flirtatiously villainous. That leaves Lisa. (+1) Lisa was interesting to me in the first part of the novel because she had some defining traits – inquisitive, playful, a little naïve – but by the end she was just as bland as (0) Lisa, who is “perfect” by being nothing at all. In the end, she kills herself because she has nothing except for Mark, which I find pretty ridiculous. Another major problem was that I found Mark to be extremely boring. His character was middle-of-the-road, basic, and unemotional. He makes no real discoveries. Even the most obvious connections are realized and spelled out by someone else. By comparison, his coworker Brad and his friend Pryb both have more depth to their personalities and are also more intelligent. He also has a very annoying habit of soapboxing to others and sounding like the hero from one of those insanely ridiculous “then everyone clapped” stories you’d read online.
Overall, due to the unrealistic writing of the emotions and the lacking characters, I have to give this novel 1 star. If the scenes that should’ve involve heavy feelings were depicted in a more realistic way, then I think I would find myself feeling more attached to what was happening. It would’ve also been nice to see women written more like people than stereotypes.
I think that the audience for this novel would skew younger, due to the immaturity of a lot of the humor and the simplicity of the language. An interest in science isn’t really required, but some basic knowledge would help to understand some of the ideas developed. I also think that this novel is specifically not aimed at women, since the female characters are not written realistically.
Throughout reading this novel, the things I found myself most interested in were world-building moments and exploration of the science fiction-y elements of the story. I loved the concept of “flickering”, the limitations of the technology that start to decrease, and especially the way things start to tie together in other dimensions. As I read further, there were lots of moments that struck me as loaded with potential (for example, I thought it would be really fun if Mark was the one to explore more of the alternate dimensions, or if we could see more of (-1) Brad). The ending was also interesting to me. Personally, I appreciate neat wrap-ups in stories with lots of paths, and the glimpses into other worlds beyond (0) were cool and gratifying to see. The final, final paragraph was an especially good touch.
Unfortunately, the neat science fiction moments weren’t backed up by realistic characters or emotional storytelling, which I find to be just as important when your novel is very character-focused. Lisa’s death felt like it was given almost no room to breathe. Mark’s grief did not come through as genuine at any point, and neither did his joy at seeing Lisa again. Many moments throughout this novel could’ve benefited from the old advice of “show, don’t tell”. The biggest issue for me, though, was the way that the female characters were written. Not one of them felt relatable to me, and not one of them seemed to have a real personality. They were all defined by their relationship to the men in their lives, and especially defined by their attractiveness. The mothers are caricatures, the women who aren’t romantically interested in Mark are lesbians, and his other coworkers are either stupid or flirtatiously villainous. That leaves Lisa. (+1) Lisa was interesting to me in the first part of the novel because she had some defining traits – inquisitive, playful, a little naïve – but by the end she was just as bland as (0) Lisa, who is “perfect” by being nothing at all. In the end, she kills herself because she has nothing except for Mark, which I find pretty ridiculous. Another major problem was that I found Mark to be extremely boring. His character was middle-of-the-road, basic, and unemotional. He makes no real discoveries. Even the most obvious connections are realized and spelled out by someone else. By comparison, his coworker Brad and his friend Pryb both have more depth to their personalities and are also more intelligent. He also has a very annoying habit of soapboxing to others and sounding like the hero from one of those insanely ridiculous “then everyone clapped” stories you’d read online.
Overall, due to the unrealistic writing of the emotions and the lacking characters, I have to give this novel 1 star. If the scenes that should’ve involve heavy feelings were depicted in a more realistic way, then I think I would find myself feeling more attached to what was happening. It would’ve also been nice to see women written more like people than stereotypes.
I think that the audience for this novel would skew younger, due to the immaturity of a lot of the humor and the simplicity of the language. An interest in science isn’t really required, but some basic knowledge would help to understand some of the ideas developed. I also think that this novel is specifically not aimed at women, since the female characters are not written realistically.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2018
Interesting storyline and great read
May 3, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended.
January 26, 2021
I'm definitely not a science fiction fan but it was entertaining even if I had some trouble following the different realities.
September 12, 2019
Interesting premise, crisp writing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews