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Virtual Heaven
Alex Cutler accepts a job working on the world's first Virtual Reality hub and feels blessed. What starts out as fun turns dark when a close friend and company founder dies while connected, unearthing bizarre and unnatural side-effects.
This captivating story of one man's dream to entertain and comfort soon becomes a provocative thriller, raising questions about technology's impact on morality, religion, and the limits of human potential.
Alternate cover of ISBN13 9781370068418 can be found here.
This captivating story of one man's dream to entertain and comfort soon becomes a provocative thriller, raising questions about technology's impact on morality, religion, and the limits of human potential.
Alternate cover of ISBN13 9781370068418 can be found here.
- GenresScience Fiction
384 pages, Paperback
Published December 29, 2017
76 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 24, 2017
Oh, what a fantastic sci-fi thriller! I absolutely did not expect this book to be so well drafted with an easy-to-understand writing style.
I started this book with trepidation as a lot of sci-fi thrillers, that I have read in the recent past, had neither sci-fi nor thriller. But this book surpassed all my expectations, and I had an absolute wonderful time reading it. The story was great; it dealt with Virtual Reality and its repercussions on life and religion.
The protagonist, Alex, joins the company city, Eridu, as a Comprehensive Software Designer, where the perk of the job is the virtual reality world called the Lobby. The worlds of the Lobby soon grow, so does its actions, and one day while enjoying in the the Lobby, Alex's close friend dies of a heart attack in real world but is soon found to be alive in the virtual world of the Lobby with his consciousness intact. And chaos reigns on Earth....
I loved the way Taylor Kole has described the worlds in the Lobby, each is wonderful and unique. The Lobby which initially has a single entry at Eridu for the uber rich to enjoy, soon goes global with multiple access areas in every major city of Earth. No physical disability of the real world is reflected in the virtual worlds of the Lobby. There are no limits in achievement here. The worlds are endless and the people inside boundless. Sounds like a gamer's utopia which, with the death of the friend, soon becomes an entry to immortality in the virtual world.
The author, Taylor Kole, has written the novel in a realistic manner, dealing sensitively with the problems which technology brings. Addiction to technology, mortality of technology, conflicts of religion to technology, and beliefs of the leaders to technology. Every technology which makes life easy or different has its effect on morality and religion, and the author has expressed the consequences of such a virtual world captivatingly.
I was riveted to the book the whole time when the death and transfer of consciousness or soul, leads to pandemonium amongst the people and governments, with suicides, terrorism, global struggle. And with only Alex having the key to overturn the turmoil of Virtual Reality.
Taylor has etched his protagonist Alex, very well from a next-door, cute, young boy to debonair, suave yet likable man, who develops the virtual world further for fun, yet it leads to addiction with devastating effects. His disbelief and helplessness at the consequences are so genuine. His relationships to the other characters are very charming and kind. The love story between him and his wife, Rosa is beautiful and deep. I loved Alex totally.
The first half of the book was devoted to the development of all the characters and the worlds, and the second half to the impact and reactions of death with transfer of 'soul'. I wanted the story to move a bit faster, more suspense, more thrill. But in saying this, I would add that every chapter flowed well on to the next, even the preaching and the actions of the zealous lot were well understood. And the entire credit for a tight well-paced novel goes to the author.
And the finale was mind blowing. Throughout the book, I tried to figure out how the author would end such a story seeped in dilemma, and believe me, he shocked me. The ending was definitely unexpected.
The book left me thinking for a long time as to what would I prefer: finite life on Earth with problems or infinite limitless life on the Lobby...
I started this book with trepidation as a lot of sci-fi thrillers, that I have read in the recent past, had neither sci-fi nor thriller. But this book surpassed all my expectations, and I had an absolute wonderful time reading it. The story was great; it dealt with Virtual Reality and its repercussions on life and religion.
The protagonist, Alex, joins the company city, Eridu, as a Comprehensive Software Designer, where the perk of the job is the virtual reality world called the Lobby. The worlds of the Lobby soon grow, so does its actions, and one day while enjoying in the the Lobby, Alex's close friend dies of a heart attack in real world but is soon found to be alive in the virtual world of the Lobby with his consciousness intact. And chaos reigns on Earth....
I loved the way Taylor Kole has described the worlds in the Lobby, each is wonderful and unique. The Lobby which initially has a single entry at Eridu for the uber rich to enjoy, soon goes global with multiple access areas in every major city of Earth. No physical disability of the real world is reflected in the virtual worlds of the Lobby. There are no limits in achievement here. The worlds are endless and the people inside boundless. Sounds like a gamer's utopia which, with the death of the friend, soon becomes an entry to immortality in the virtual world.
The author, Taylor Kole, has written the novel in a realistic manner, dealing sensitively with the problems which technology brings. Addiction to technology, mortality of technology, conflicts of religion to technology, and beliefs of the leaders to technology. Every technology which makes life easy or different has its effect on morality and religion, and the author has expressed the consequences of such a virtual world captivatingly.
I was riveted to the book the whole time when the death and transfer of consciousness or soul, leads to pandemonium amongst the people and governments, with suicides, terrorism, global struggle. And with only Alex having the key to overturn the turmoil of Virtual Reality.
Taylor has etched his protagonist Alex, very well from a next-door, cute, young boy to debonair, suave yet likable man, who develops the virtual world further for fun, yet it leads to addiction with devastating effects. His disbelief and helplessness at the consequences are so genuine. His relationships to the other characters are very charming and kind. The love story between him and his wife, Rosa is beautiful and deep. I loved Alex totally.
The first half of the book was devoted to the development of all the characters and the worlds, and the second half to the impact and reactions of death with transfer of 'soul'. I wanted the story to move a bit faster, more suspense, more thrill. But in saying this, I would add that every chapter flowed well on to the next, even the preaching and the actions of the zealous lot were well understood. And the entire credit for a tight well-paced novel goes to the author.
And the finale was mind blowing. Throughout the book, I tried to figure out how the author would end such a story seeped in dilemma, and believe me, he shocked me. The ending was definitely unexpected.
The book left me thinking for a long time as to what would I prefer: finite life on Earth with problems or infinite limitless life on the Lobby...
March 11, 2018
Great book
I have to say this is the first book I have read from this author. I guarantee it will not be the last. I was a huge fan of Star Trek, and I had dreamed of things like the holodeck. Something like the lobby appears to be light years ahead, the idea of such a powerful thing is exciting but very frightening. Things that have always been produced to make things easier for us, or bring us joy have become things of power over us. We have just for example casinos and some people spend more time there than they do in their own homes. But video games, computers even our cell phones, we spend more time looking at them, then we do Out loved ones. Can you answer what you spouse left the house wearing this morning? Or how many of us even cuddle at night anymore because were too busy looking at our cell phones? But anyways the book was a pleasure to read thanks.
I have to say this is the first book I have read from this author. I guarantee it will not be the last. I was a huge fan of Star Trek, and I had dreamed of things like the holodeck. Something like the lobby appears to be light years ahead, the idea of such a powerful thing is exciting but very frightening. Things that have always been produced to make things easier for us, or bring us joy have become things of power over us. We have just for example casinos and some people spend more time there than they do in their own homes. But video games, computers even our cell phones, we spend more time looking at them, then we do Out loved ones. Can you answer what you spouse left the house wearing this morning? Or how many of us even cuddle at night anymore because were too busy looking at our cell phones? But anyways the book was a pleasure to read thanks.
May 7, 2018
The book could (and should) be shorter. I love the idea of virtual universe and the plot is great. But there are so many parts of the story that are going nowhere. Taylor can write, there's no doubt about it, but sometimes he wants to tell too much. And there's no need for that. All in all interesting book that will find its fans.
January 6, 2018
This book was surprisingly amazing!! Not my usual genre of interest, but after referred by a friend to read, I found myself unable to put it down! It was a unique and well-thought out idea that Kole delivered. I highly recommend this to any and all readers!!
March 1, 2018
Good story along the lines of Black Mirror's San Junipero
Really enjoyed reading the book, but lots of spelling and proof reading errors prevented the fifth star. This book raises many moral questions, and the characters are easy to engage with.
Really enjoyed reading the book, but lots of spelling and proof reading errors prevented the fifth star. This book raises many moral questions, and the characters are easy to engage with.
November 27, 2018
An intriguing story about how virtual vacation choices lead to the choice of suicide while immersed. A kind of afterlife, but with consequences. Soon countries are threatening violence when religious beliefs are ignored, and civilisation as we know is about to change forever.
I found the premise for this story interesting and I needed to know how it would work out. A clever tale, well thought out. Definitely worth reading!
I found the premise for this story interesting and I needed to know how it would work out. A clever tale, well thought out. Definitely worth reading!
February 6, 2018
This is a science fiction novel taking place in what appears to be the near future. I would almost consider it apocalyptic.
The book is about a software specialist named Alex Cutler who is given a high-ranking, well-paid job working for a company called Broumguard, the actual purpose of which is known only to the elite. Alex discovers that Broumguard has developed a technology that is unlike anything the world had ever seen before... a four-dimensional virtual reality in which you could visit a plethora of virtual worlds, where you can taste, smell, see, hear, and feel your surroundings. You can take a walk through Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, become an elf in a LOTR-type world, or play football in a virtual Super Ball. The options are limitless. However, when a bizarre side-effect emerges, Broumguard is threatened. And so is all of mankind...
On at least one website that this book is sold on, it is advertised under the genre of "Christian" books. This is false; the book is as much Buddhist, Muslim, humanist, statist, atheist, and agnostic as it is "Christian". As a matter of fact, all but one of the professing "Christians" in this novel (of which there were many) are insane psychopaths intent on "killing the heathens" before they killed themselves... The one "good Christian" in this book is a devout Catholic who is portrayed as being sweet but confused.
This book had a lot of political and religious messages mixed into it, so it was not the light and fluffy read that I was expecting and kind of hoping for. Science fiction's main purpose is, in my mind, to provide an entertaining escape from reality. Ironically, this book is entirely about people seeking mindless escapes from reality. Also ironically, this book did not provide me with one because at every turn I was being bombarded with subliminal and not-so-subliminal messages.
I gave this book three stars, however, because it was creative, kept your attention, never had a dull moment, and I liked the author's writing style. I liked the colorful way in which this book was written, and the interesting choices of words that Taylor Kole used. For example, I will end my review with one of my favorite lines from the book:
"The previous week’s stress had sapped Alex and Rosa’s mood as effectively as if a psychic vampire haunted the condo, feeding off their comfort. And this, dressing up, going somewhere exclusive, preparing for important news, acted as a life-loofa, scrubbing away the past week’s grime."
The book is about a software specialist named Alex Cutler who is given a high-ranking, well-paid job working for a company called Broumguard, the actual purpose of which is known only to the elite. Alex discovers that Broumguard has developed a technology that is unlike anything the world had ever seen before... a four-dimensional virtual reality in which you could visit a plethora of virtual worlds, where you can taste, smell, see, hear, and feel your surroundings. You can take a walk through Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, become an elf in a LOTR-type world, or play football in a virtual Super Ball. The options are limitless. However, when a bizarre side-effect emerges, Broumguard is threatened. And so is all of mankind...
On at least one website that this book is sold on, it is advertised under the genre of "Christian" books. This is false; the book is as much Buddhist, Muslim, humanist, statist, atheist, and agnostic as it is "Christian". As a matter of fact, all but one of the professing "Christians" in this novel (of which there were many) are insane psychopaths intent on "killing the heathens" before they killed themselves... The one "good Christian" in this book is a devout Catholic who is portrayed as being sweet but confused.
This book had a lot of political and religious messages mixed into it, so it was not the light and fluffy read that I was expecting and kind of hoping for. Science fiction's main purpose is, in my mind, to provide an entertaining escape from reality. Ironically, this book is entirely about people seeking mindless escapes from reality. Also ironically, this book did not provide me with one because at every turn I was being bombarded with subliminal and not-so-subliminal messages.
I gave this book three stars, however, because it was creative, kept your attention, never had a dull moment, and I liked the author's writing style. I liked the colorful way in which this book was written, and the interesting choices of words that Taylor Kole used. For example, I will end my review with one of my favorite lines from the book:
"The previous week’s stress had sapped Alex and Rosa’s mood as effectively as if a psychic vampire haunted the condo, feeding off their comfort. And this, dressing up, going somewhere exclusive, preparing for important news, acted as a life-loofa, scrubbing away the past week’s grime."
July 1, 2018
Intriguing story
This is one of those books that catch your attention. The cover tells a story itself, and the contents fill in the rest. The story was pretty well put together, and there is more than just one major plot going on. The premise is interesting and keeps the attention of the reader, though there were some parts that were a bit confusing, it soon was able to set it straight. The author left some clues within the story and some are pretty subtle. It's a good futuristic journey story into a new reality, or virtual reality, I should say.
This is one of those books that catch your attention. The cover tells a story itself, and the contents fill in the rest. The story was pretty well put together, and there is more than just one major plot going on. The premise is interesting and keeps the attention of the reader, though there were some parts that were a bit confusing, it soon was able to set it straight. The author left some clues within the story and some are pretty subtle. It's a good futuristic journey story into a new reality, or virtual reality, I should say.
February 16, 2022
I absolutely loved this book! Fiction at its very best. Taylor Kole did an amazing job depicting a future that is completely believable and makes your mind whirl. I cannot wait to read more from this author! Bravo!
September 16, 2018
kept me on my toes :)
May 1, 2023
I enjoyed this novel and it continually held my interest.
June 19, 2021
I got this one for free and was interested in it because of the plot summary on Amazon. But I could not finish. Read 8% and lost interest.
A computer programmer leaves his successful big city job and goes to an impossible place in Montana where there is a company making virtual computer worlds that you get totally immersed in. I didn't get immersed.
The story seemed to go nowhere. And word choice was often odd-- distracting to the point that I was unsure what was meant.
Sorry.
A computer programmer leaves his successful big city job and goes to an impossible place in Montana where there is a company making virtual computer worlds that you get totally immersed in. I didn't get immersed.
The story seemed to go nowhere. And word choice was often odd-- distracting to the point that I was unsure what was meant.
Sorry.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews