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Babylon Dreams
"You tore the edge between heaven and earth and oh the worlds that beckoned--Gunter, what happened?"
" . . . a challenging but compelling vision of a privatized, synthetic heaven slowly eaten away by ungodly capitalism, cupidity, and the sins of its founder. . . A keen and absorbing what-if tale about VR and a digital afterlife." -Kirkus Reviews
In 2182, death is not inevitable.
Gunter Holden, CEO of Virtual Enterprises, Inc. resides in Bali Hai, an after-death VR Eden. An old program, Bali Hai’s sun is often in the wrong place; strange fish swim in its seas. Gunter fears the memories he is forced to relive as his files fragment, while rumors of a merger threaten his control of Bali Hai. A new patch may help. Miranda, the AI advises him to recount his past to Tom, another virtual resident. Gunter’s past is unsavory, especially the hidden murders. He discarded those who loved him. Why would Tom help? But Tom has his own secrets.
Buried, deep in his past, Gunter discovers a terrible secret. And Babylon Dreams waits for him.
Any reviews/feedback are welcome. And please check out my author's page and book trailer.
" . . . a challenging but compelling vision of a privatized, synthetic heaven slowly eaten away by ungodly capitalism, cupidity, and the sins of its founder. . . A keen and absorbing what-if tale about VR and a digital afterlife." -Kirkus Reviews
In 2182, death is not inevitable.
Gunter Holden, CEO of Virtual Enterprises, Inc. resides in Bali Hai, an after-death VR Eden. An old program, Bali Hai’s sun is often in the wrong place; strange fish swim in its seas. Gunter fears the memories he is forced to relive as his files fragment, while rumors of a merger threaten his control of Bali Hai. A new patch may help. Miranda, the AI advises him to recount his past to Tom, another virtual resident. Gunter’s past is unsavory, especially the hidden murders. He discarded those who loved him. Why would Tom help? But Tom has his own secrets.
Buried, deep in his past, Gunter discovers a terrible secret. And Babylon Dreams waits for him.
Any reviews/feedback are welcome. And please check out my author's page and book trailer.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 18, 2022
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5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 6, 2022
Babylon Dreams by M.K. Noble, is a story that takes place in the future, when virtual reality becomes an existential fact; where the experiences and memories of "bio" life are transferred through a nano-process to a virtual reality system, where one can live, eternally in simulated environments, choosing different ages and forms, yet fully aware that one is conscious. It's not experimental, it's a life choice that is protected by laws. The story follows a rather convoluted narration as the main character searches out answers to episodes in his bio life, by tapping into the virtual recorded memories of others, trying to answer the mysteries that haunt him. Mostly dialogue, between bio and virtual players, it presents a rather dystopian concept of the future; the "what-if" human memories and consciousness could be preserved, the very essence of our identity, in some virtual dimension where our existence continues, not as a living form, but a digital one. It's both creepy and novel as a concept. This is sci-fi on a speculative fiction level.
November 6, 2022
Imagine creating a world to live in that is comprised of a digital folder. Your past and memories are within these folders and the place is Bali Hai where Gunter Holden lived in this world after death VR or virtual reality after VR Eden. He time is the 22nd century and some cheated of death by escaping inti virtual reality. In 2183 Gunter was the CEO of Virtual Enterprises, Inc., and his role is to oversee its creation. In 2183 he exists in a folder stored in Bali Hai. His memory files are the murders of his wife Laura and his brother Jacob the brother hated. His victims Laura and Joseph escaped to Bali Hai, and Gunter shoots himself to follow them there.
You hear many voices interacting with Gunter as he makes many transitions to unlock yet save his past.
Meet Byron private investigator for Trammell & Connell Law Offices hoping to gain access to memory files related to Shemathra’s Realm. They are frozen. These residents are unable to communicate with the bio world. The bio relatives of these victuals are upset. The reason being reassured of resident virtual, Seini claims that those under the Goddess Shemathra’s eye exist in a state of ecstasy. He tells him he can review any related Bali Hai records and the narrator relates his grandfather's self - deleted and that brings us to Gunter his companion. They are sending Holden’s memories of meeting with Thomas Bucklin and knowledge; mergers were negotiated and would soon develop Gunter’s company. Bucklin’s family refuses to access his memories rest more ad you get to meet Gunter and Thomas.
Gunter must uncover his past and what happens when he is losing his power with the VEI Board. He must delve into the issues and is desperate to stop the fragmenting and put it all back in order.
There are several voices heard that of the narrator from the Library of Congress, the private investigator, Byron, Miranda from his company, Gunter himself and he must deal with each one as he tries to confront his past and realizes that there are many betrayals and deceptions. Babylon Dreams occur on the night of the virtual carnival. How can he focus and deal with it alone as Laura and Jacob escaped he is all alone. As the old program, Bali Hai’s sun is not always in the right place. What about the strange fish that sim in the virtual seas. how will he learn more about his file to garment, facing him to relive times he’s rather forget?
Gunter and Thomas meet and the conversation if one sided as he tells Thomas of his past, tell his to practice his age shifting, I think everyone would like to do that and pick an age that they want at any time. Miranda is the one who he contacts ad imprints the code for age shifted and how to transfer to other locations. He imparts about the death of his brother, how he reacted to it, and you can tell that Gunter, as Miranda interacts with him prefers to handle his own timeline but when a breach threatens it they have to take over. There are many more interacts as we learn about the solution to a problems of memory interactions called Past Perfect a patch in development that Gunter needs to run his company. Thomas is referred to him by Miranda as someone he can talk to and tell his memories to. Yet Byron who is Thomas’s grandson wants to learn more and he receives Holden’s files even those that continue to fragment.
Each interaction between Gunter and Thomas is quite remarkable as it is as if Gunter is two people giving the information, trying to help him adjust and then answering his own questions. Inviting him to his location where he lives, learning where he wants to live it’s an odd way for two people aka virtual to interact. You wonder where this is going and what Thomas is really thinking and why he was the one that Miranda suggested he link up with. Then there is Bryon who is reading the files and trying to piece it all together.
The investigations focus on Gunter and each interaction seems one-sided when presented Byron is investigating but there are murders, riots, and religious issues plus suicide and financial status inequalities. The sceneries are breathtaking as Gunter change’s locations and it's like a guided tour into different worlds. Tells we what brought him to Bali Hai and explains about VEI his company then he continues about the murder of his brother never found. He explained why he hated him and at times justified his feelings and actions only flashbacks to his relationship with his father and his many relationships and wives. Talks a story about a virtual couple it's as if he was creating a chapter in each day or part of his virtual and bio-real life combining them into one. Memories are precious but his sound like episodes of moments he wanted to spotlight in his life, and it just seemed he wanted acceptance, friendship, and replaying and changing outcomes to negative situations. He becomes concerned about the memory breaches he asks Thomas to not reveal this for the sake of Bali Hai.
Each event is a different dream and each focus on his accomplishments and his failures, but he takes full credit for creating VEI with the help of Marcia and he elaborates.
The power shift is to Tom and what is revealed in his voice about computer technology and there is much more to come.
The sessions change and the author brings in many more that interacted with his business and his personal.
The amount of memory breaches is extensive and related to different parts and years of both of his lives. The danger of the power shift to an evangelical Christian sect, 10,000 virtual deletions and the heart of what we could expect if this ever comes to pass. Human faults, human consciousness, and a virtual system hold it together.
Different virtual worlds, different ages and decisions were made in unique and unconventional ways. The Holden family tree plus the others that he encountered that impact his visions, memories, and hidden perception, Babylon Dreams lives up to its title as it takes readers on endless journeys into the virtual world created giving readers an entirely a different perspective on life past, present, and future.
Some endings take you into another realm in this case Shemathra ‘s. The author concludes with information about the goddess if this realm and her goals. Donovan Hosseini is the star of this section and planned to transition to run this group. His dream shook him up and has his second assistant research more about Shemathra. So many involved and the Everest Summit and Tom whom he thanks for his friendship and a revelation about him, his voice, and his files on pages457- 463 and you will be shocked at what is revealed by Tom and his link to Gunter and more. The final pages allow some close to him to reveal more about his past that you won't expect to read on pages 490-492 and the final message from Byron to Desmond from the Library of Congress. What awaits him, Tom, and the others? Is there more to come? An original novel which gives you much pause for thought as author M.K. Noble allows readers to wonder what if Bali Hai was real? What about the Shemathra group? What about your bio life? In the end which would you choose?
Fran Lewis just reviews
You hear many voices interacting with Gunter as he makes many transitions to unlock yet save his past.
Meet Byron private investigator for Trammell & Connell Law Offices hoping to gain access to memory files related to Shemathra’s Realm. They are frozen. These residents are unable to communicate with the bio world. The bio relatives of these victuals are upset. The reason being reassured of resident virtual, Seini claims that those under the Goddess Shemathra’s eye exist in a state of ecstasy. He tells him he can review any related Bali Hai records and the narrator relates his grandfather's self - deleted and that brings us to Gunter his companion. They are sending Holden’s memories of meeting with Thomas Bucklin and knowledge; mergers were negotiated and would soon develop Gunter’s company. Bucklin’s family refuses to access his memories rest more ad you get to meet Gunter and Thomas.
Gunter must uncover his past and what happens when he is losing his power with the VEI Board. He must delve into the issues and is desperate to stop the fragmenting and put it all back in order.
There are several voices heard that of the narrator from the Library of Congress, the private investigator, Byron, Miranda from his company, Gunter himself and he must deal with each one as he tries to confront his past and realizes that there are many betrayals and deceptions. Babylon Dreams occur on the night of the virtual carnival. How can he focus and deal with it alone as Laura and Jacob escaped he is all alone. As the old program, Bali Hai’s sun is not always in the right place. What about the strange fish that sim in the virtual seas. how will he learn more about his file to garment, facing him to relive times he’s rather forget?
Gunter and Thomas meet and the conversation if one sided as he tells Thomas of his past, tell his to practice his age shifting, I think everyone would like to do that and pick an age that they want at any time. Miranda is the one who he contacts ad imprints the code for age shifted and how to transfer to other locations. He imparts about the death of his brother, how he reacted to it, and you can tell that Gunter, as Miranda interacts with him prefers to handle his own timeline but when a breach threatens it they have to take over. There are many more interacts as we learn about the solution to a problems of memory interactions called Past Perfect a patch in development that Gunter needs to run his company. Thomas is referred to him by Miranda as someone he can talk to and tell his memories to. Yet Byron who is Thomas’s grandson wants to learn more and he receives Holden’s files even those that continue to fragment.
Each interaction between Gunter and Thomas is quite remarkable as it is as if Gunter is two people giving the information, trying to help him adjust and then answering his own questions. Inviting him to his location where he lives, learning where he wants to live it’s an odd way for two people aka virtual to interact. You wonder where this is going and what Thomas is really thinking and why he was the one that Miranda suggested he link up with. Then there is Bryon who is reading the files and trying to piece it all together.
The investigations focus on Gunter and each interaction seems one-sided when presented Byron is investigating but there are murders, riots, and religious issues plus suicide and financial status inequalities. The sceneries are breathtaking as Gunter change’s locations and it's like a guided tour into different worlds. Tells we what brought him to Bali Hai and explains about VEI his company then he continues about the murder of his brother never found. He explained why he hated him and at times justified his feelings and actions only flashbacks to his relationship with his father and his many relationships and wives. Talks a story about a virtual couple it's as if he was creating a chapter in each day or part of his virtual and bio-real life combining them into one. Memories are precious but his sound like episodes of moments he wanted to spotlight in his life, and it just seemed he wanted acceptance, friendship, and replaying and changing outcomes to negative situations. He becomes concerned about the memory breaches he asks Thomas to not reveal this for the sake of Bali Hai.
Each event is a different dream and each focus on his accomplishments and his failures, but he takes full credit for creating VEI with the help of Marcia and he elaborates.
The power shift is to Tom and what is revealed in his voice about computer technology and there is much more to come.
The sessions change and the author brings in many more that interacted with his business and his personal.
The amount of memory breaches is extensive and related to different parts and years of both of his lives. The danger of the power shift to an evangelical Christian sect, 10,000 virtual deletions and the heart of what we could expect if this ever comes to pass. Human faults, human consciousness, and a virtual system hold it together.
Different virtual worlds, different ages and decisions were made in unique and unconventional ways. The Holden family tree plus the others that he encountered that impact his visions, memories, and hidden perception, Babylon Dreams lives up to its title as it takes readers on endless journeys into the virtual world created giving readers an entirely a different perspective on life past, present, and future.
Some endings take you into another realm in this case Shemathra ‘s. The author concludes with information about the goddess if this realm and her goals. Donovan Hosseini is the star of this section and planned to transition to run this group. His dream shook him up and has his second assistant research more about Shemathra. So many involved and the Everest Summit and Tom whom he thanks for his friendship and a revelation about him, his voice, and his files on pages457- 463 and you will be shocked at what is revealed by Tom and his link to Gunter and more. The final pages allow some close to him to reveal more about his past that you won't expect to read on pages 490-492 and the final message from Byron to Desmond from the Library of Congress. What awaits him, Tom, and the others? Is there more to come? An original novel which gives you much pause for thought as author M.K. Noble allows readers to wonder what if Bali Hai was real? What about the Shemathra group? What about your bio life? In the end which would you choose?
Fran Lewis just reviews
February 13, 2025
We are in the 22nd century. Imagine an after-life VR Eden called Bali Hai and living there as a digital folder. Welcome to Gunter Holden’s “existence” and the Virtual Eden he created when he was the CEO of Virtual Enterprises Inc. in his “bio” life. But living in a digital folder has its perils. Memories of his “bio” life which are haunting him have been stored in that folder and that folder is fragmenting. He lives in fear and searches for answers. An exchange of dialogues ensues – dialogues that are reminiscent of a stage play – that can be challenging to follow yet which are quite effective in this particular genre. Kudos to M.K. Noble for her rich imagination! I’m left with a question: “What if” your vision isn’t far from the truth?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews