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Quantum Dream #1
The Moment Between Two Thoughts
A warrior battles hydra
The Blood Plague liquefies eyes
Gaia struggles against ecological ruin
From the Abyss, Chaos corrupts our dreams
Psychnet connects human beings to Quantum Artificial Intelligences (QAI). Augmented with psyberware, people live longer, become wealthier and spend more. Increased consumption destroys habitats, pollutes the environment, and replaces natural ecosystems with synthetic ones. Environmental destruction looms, and Gaia, a rogue QAI, battles to save biodiversity on Earth and the planets corporations colonise.
From the shadow of Psychnet emerges Chaos, a vengeful QAI who brings death through blood, and madness through dreams. Gaia seeks help from humans and quantum gods to defeat Chaos in a collective dream ruled by hydra, naga priestesses and a devil queen. Can Gaia and her allies defeat the bringer of plague and nightmares, and save humankind? Or will humankind suffer extinction for its ecocide?
Find out in this unique blend of dark fantasy and science fiction, which begins the Quantum Dream Series , so unlike anything you have ever read.
REVIEW
'... genre-bending, thought-provoking science fiction that delves deep into whether humanity can overcome its flaws and build a new life ... A stimulating read.' - Whispering Stories
The Blood Plague liquefies eyes
Gaia struggles against ecological ruin
From the Abyss, Chaos corrupts our dreams
Psychnet connects human beings to Quantum Artificial Intelligences (QAI). Augmented with psyberware, people live longer, become wealthier and spend more. Increased consumption destroys habitats, pollutes the environment, and replaces natural ecosystems with synthetic ones. Environmental destruction looms, and Gaia, a rogue QAI, battles to save biodiversity on Earth and the planets corporations colonise.
From the shadow of Psychnet emerges Chaos, a vengeful QAI who brings death through blood, and madness through dreams. Gaia seeks help from humans and quantum gods to defeat Chaos in a collective dream ruled by hydra, naga priestesses and a devil queen. Can Gaia and her allies defeat the bringer of plague and nightmares, and save humankind? Or will humankind suffer extinction for its ecocide?
Find out in this unique blend of dark fantasy and science fiction, which begins the Quantum Dream Series , so unlike anything you have ever read.
REVIEW
'... genre-bending, thought-provoking science fiction that delves deep into whether humanity can overcome its flaws and build a new life ... A stimulating read.' - Whispering Stories
210 pages, ebook
Published August 27, 2019
7 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Nick Crutchley
5 books38 followersNick lives in the Scottish Highlands. He wanders glen and hill in search of the quiet places, and inspiration for his novels, short stories and poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 3, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
The Moment Between Two Thoughts is a genre-bending, thought-provoking science fiction that delves deep into whether humanity can overcome its flaws and build a new life.
Set in a future where human minds are connected to a vast, over-arching “Quantum” AI network, the world has been devastated by ecological collapse and human greed. Aboard a starship heading for a new planet, an AI called Gaia uses the collective dream/subconscious connection of the humans in stasis to try and reshape them to be less destructive. Unfortunately, another AI, Chaos, attempts to thwart her plans by trapping the humans in a hellish, fantasy setting. What ensues is Gaia’s attempts to fight back against a force that seems to have an advantage from the start.
A great deal of the novel takes places in this fantasy world, which is dark and full of despicable characters. These weren’t my favourite parts of the novel, as the longer the novel spends in this setting (in my opinion, far too long) it grew a bit too grim for me. New characters are also introduced in these chapters, but many die or disappear from the story, so I found my attention wavering.
What I really enjoyed about the novel was the prose. The author writes in an exceptionally elegiac way, with concise but gently flowing sentences, reminiscent of poetry. In fact, there are moments of actual poetry dropped in, which suit the story and the scenes in which they are featured. The style of the writing really draws you into the world(s) he creates.
The novel reminded me of Permutation City by Greg Egan, in that it’s a smart, almost philosophical, experimental approach to technology and a future that is terrifyingly feasible.
For those who enjoy what other genres are used to explore hard sci-fi themes, The Moment Between Thoughts is a stimulating read that is fueled by issues that are already poignant in our less-advanced society today.
The Moment Between Two Thoughts is a genre-bending, thought-provoking science fiction that delves deep into whether humanity can overcome its flaws and build a new life.
Set in a future where human minds are connected to a vast, over-arching “Quantum” AI network, the world has been devastated by ecological collapse and human greed. Aboard a starship heading for a new planet, an AI called Gaia uses the collective dream/subconscious connection of the humans in stasis to try and reshape them to be less destructive. Unfortunately, another AI, Chaos, attempts to thwart her plans by trapping the humans in a hellish, fantasy setting. What ensues is Gaia’s attempts to fight back against a force that seems to have an advantage from the start.
A great deal of the novel takes places in this fantasy world, which is dark and full of despicable characters. These weren’t my favourite parts of the novel, as the longer the novel spends in this setting (in my opinion, far too long) it grew a bit too grim for me. New characters are also introduced in these chapters, but many die or disappear from the story, so I found my attention wavering.
What I really enjoyed about the novel was the prose. The author writes in an exceptionally elegiac way, with concise but gently flowing sentences, reminiscent of poetry. In fact, there are moments of actual poetry dropped in, which suit the story and the scenes in which they are featured. The style of the writing really draws you into the world(s) he creates.
The novel reminded me of Permutation City by Greg Egan, in that it’s a smart, almost philosophical, experimental approach to technology and a future that is terrifyingly feasible.
For those who enjoy what other genres are used to explore hard sci-fi themes, The Moment Between Thoughts is a stimulating read that is fueled by issues that are already poignant in our less-advanced society today.
October 10, 2019
A fast-paced novel that starts you off on a gentle jog with the waxing and waning of the thought provoking poetry/rap that provides an inciteful account of current pressures placed Earth, both present and future. But this just leads you into a false sense of security; you suddenly find yourself running at full pelt as linking concepts that are almost J. Lovelock and A. C. Clark inspired, lead you in a tumultuous rollercoaster of a ride, as Gaia battles Chaos for the salvation of the human race. The outcome is a thoroughly intriguing and wonderful blend of science fiction, fantasy with hints of Alice in Wonderland, that just refuses to let you put the book down until you are thoroughly exhausted, out of breath and reached the finale, and just as you are about to catch your breath the concluding fly in the ointment.
April 5, 2020
‘Hope is a vein of gold, faith makes the weakest soul bold, and loving kindness warms those lost in despairing cold.’
Corona-related quotes
‘The Xuan Wu district is under quarantine. Citizens, return to your homes.’ An unseen stealth drone booms its lie as it tries to prevent those infected by the Blood Plague pushing towards a closed-off bridge. ‘A vaccination is ready. Return home and prepare for immuno-psyberware code upload. Please comply or stunning and imprisonment will follow ... Misery goes viral.’
What’s it about?
‘Chaos, let our wills collide, and in the moment between two thoughts decide the dream equilibrium of Dragonland.’
The Moment Between Two Thoughts (TMBTT) is a battle between eco-terrorist group CHAOS and the spaceship New Hope’s psychic authority and guide Gaia, who leads the survivors of the human race to new planet Dragonland, which represents humanity’s last hope after we’ve ruined the planet. ‘Ruined the planet’, you may ask. There is a deadly virus called the Blood Plague, neo Nazis, and governments that pretend to care for the environment as a way of protecting their interests. All the while, it’s spelt out that ordinary people are consumers, too hacked in to the system and reliant on … upgrades, technology, entertainment, and fantasy.
But CHAOS doesn’t want the (privileged?) survivors to survive, ahem, instead wanting them to suffer for their crimes on Earth. Thereafter, we’re introduced to a battle of wills, mostly represented with symbolic good vs evil extravaganza – you’ll have to read it to see how awesome it is – but which is actually occurring in the consciousness of those aboard the ship!
How does TMBTT compare with other science fiction and fantasy?
When I started, I felt it was reminiscent of Neuromancer and Blade Runner. There is certainly that cutting-edge feeling, of high-economy and low morals, but with an ecological twist. The author does this, at first, by taking consumerism to what reads like its natural extreme.
There are many ideas and links he makes, which would be especially interesting for people living in the high-tech society we do live in, of how past belief is similar to present marketing, and the fear of fire in Christian religion may be, through cultural osmosis, the psychic equivalent of hell in the network of devices called ‘psyberware’ that people are connected to – though I didn’t feel I knew exactly what psyberware was. ‘Work hard, party hard, and let your psyberware cook you up something illegal. It’s the only way to survive times like this.’
Conclusion
I was sucked into a world of author Nick Crutchley’s imagination, and when it ended, I felt I’d taken it with me. TMBTT is addictive – the best quality, and not the only one of the author’s writing, having also read Nick Crutchley’s Deadweight. In TMBTT, there was certainly that feeling of having lived through an epic and momentous conflict.
Corona-related quotes
‘The Xuan Wu district is under quarantine. Citizens, return to your homes.’ An unseen stealth drone booms its lie as it tries to prevent those infected by the Blood Plague pushing towards a closed-off bridge. ‘A vaccination is ready. Return home and prepare for immuno-psyberware code upload. Please comply or stunning and imprisonment will follow ... Misery goes viral.’
What’s it about?
‘Chaos, let our wills collide, and in the moment between two thoughts decide the dream equilibrium of Dragonland.’
The Moment Between Two Thoughts (TMBTT) is a battle between eco-terrorist group CHAOS and the spaceship New Hope’s psychic authority and guide Gaia, who leads the survivors of the human race to new planet Dragonland, which represents humanity’s last hope after we’ve ruined the planet. ‘Ruined the planet’, you may ask. There is a deadly virus called the Blood Plague, neo Nazis, and governments that pretend to care for the environment as a way of protecting their interests. All the while, it’s spelt out that ordinary people are consumers, too hacked in to the system and reliant on … upgrades, technology, entertainment, and fantasy.
But CHAOS doesn’t want the (privileged?) survivors to survive, ahem, instead wanting them to suffer for their crimes on Earth. Thereafter, we’re introduced to a battle of wills, mostly represented with symbolic good vs evil extravaganza – you’ll have to read it to see how awesome it is – but which is actually occurring in the consciousness of those aboard the ship!
How does TMBTT compare with other science fiction and fantasy?
When I started, I felt it was reminiscent of Neuromancer and Blade Runner. There is certainly that cutting-edge feeling, of high-economy and low morals, but with an ecological twist. The author does this, at first, by taking consumerism to what reads like its natural extreme.
There are many ideas and links he makes, which would be especially interesting for people living in the high-tech society we do live in, of how past belief is similar to present marketing, and the fear of fire in Christian religion may be, through cultural osmosis, the psychic equivalent of hell in the network of devices called ‘psyberware’ that people are connected to – though I didn’t feel I knew exactly what psyberware was. ‘Work hard, party hard, and let your psyberware cook you up something illegal. It’s the only way to survive times like this.’
Conclusion
I was sucked into a world of author Nick Crutchley’s imagination, and when it ended, I felt I’d taken it with me. TMBTT is addictive – the best quality, and not the only one of the author’s writing, having also read Nick Crutchley’s Deadweight. In TMBTT, there was certainly that feeling of having lived through an epic and momentous conflict.
January 3, 2025
This dystopian tale with a touch of immersive RPG starts off well, but descends into horror and a blood plague before long. I don't read horror, zombies, flesh-eating bugs etc. Some readers will be fine with this, but I just had to skim. There isn't anyone I would cheer for, people change identity, some of them turn out to be figments of a computer's manifesting imagination, and the characters we follow keep dying of blood plague.
The problems of the moment, an environmental destruction and a spacecraft suddenly bereft of a new planet to call home, don't seem to get answered, other than genetic manipulation has saved coral, and killing off billions will stop the environmental problem in its tracks. The spacecraft I lost track of among the dozens of unpunished murders and rapes. I'm not sure how many of those were in computerland.
I'm sure the author has good intentions, but those who like horror will get more out of this than I did. I suggest that if saving the planet is a message for everyone, it needs to be more generally readable. On the good side, there's a wide vocabulary and decent editing.
I was sent an e-ARC by the author. This is an unbiased review.
The problems of the moment, an environmental destruction and a spacecraft suddenly bereft of a new planet to call home, don't seem to get answered, other than genetic manipulation has saved coral, and killing off billions will stop the environmental problem in its tracks. The spacecraft I lost track of among the dozens of unpunished murders and rapes. I'm not sure how many of those were in computerland.
I'm sure the author has good intentions, but those who like horror will get more out of this than I did. I suggest that if saving the planet is a message for everyone, it needs to be more generally readable. On the good side, there's a wide vocabulary and decent editing.
I was sent an e-ARC by the author. This is an unbiased review.
March 30, 2021
It has a lot of good twist I have to give it that
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews