Book 2 in the continuing award-winning Dream Phaze series. Imagination won Gold in the 2022 Global Ebook Awards in the science fiction category. Introduction is by Dr Keith Hearne (father of lucid dream research).
The ultimate uncharted frontier is the human mind. Dream Phaze - Imagination explores these extreme boundaries through engineered dreams as mainstream entertainment. We all dream…but what are the psychological consequences of creating an immersive environment indistinguishable from reality where everything is possible? Dream Phaze has been characterised as Black Mirror meets Westworld.
As in the first book in the series, Dream Phaze: Germination, Watters takes readers on lavish virtual reality adventures in the DI world, where users can set up luxurious virtual homes and businesses in an experience called Joyville or participate in (or bet on) organized DI sporting events like the World Obelisk League and Exoskeletal Combat. Of course, the endless possibilities bring with them a dark side. The DI rape occurs during what’s deemed a “white experience,” meant to be the safest of DI events, and Watters’s plot quickly pits issues user privacy against victim safety. Alongside the security issues compromising the program, Saxon and Margo struggle with her father’s failing health and outside pressure to buy large amounts of company shares.
Return readers will note this recent installment leaves behind some likable characters as Saxon and his wife have now become shrewd business people hell-bent on preserving their wealth–a choice that exposes how money can corrupt, particularly when the couple minimizes the assault while debating its possible impact on their privacy clause. Watters includes a glossary of technical terms, as well as a chart illustrating how the virtual experiences are set up. Sci-fi fans fond of virtual reality will be fascinated by both the technology and the issues it raises.
Takeaway: A virtual reality immersion program is threatened by unexpected violence in this intriguing thriller.
Great for fans of: D. Rus’s AlterWorld Vivian Vande Velde’s Heir Apparent.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
5-Stars
"A stylish head trip Dream Phaze - imagination succeeds in teasing the brain and touching the heart to remind us why originality and authenticity make for great reads.
Watters isn't an author who trades in gloss, storytelling clichés and plot concessions. He knows his narrative subject inside out and the Dream Phaze series has been conceived and written with a knowledge of computers and code but we don't have to turn pages with long, boring explanations of it and this makes Watters' plot a whole lot of fun and easily graspable.
Delivering action and ideas in equal measure Dream Phaze - imagination proves an uncompromising and top-notch read, It is recommended without reservation." Bookviralreviews.com, March 2022
5-Stars
"A dazzling fusion of revelry, foresight and contemplation, Dream Phaze - Imagination is the embodiment of circumspect, stimulating science fiction. Consistent with the first book in the series, this second volume bears all the same weight of societal and moral considerations. The writing is textured and lifelike, helping readers taste just how realistic these engineered dream experiences are. To create such intelligent and forward-thinking fiction, it is clear that the author is both passionate and knowledgeable about cutting-edge technologies that involve the grand puzzle of the mind. Tense and suspenseful, with the harrowing plot turns of a thriller, this exciting sci-fi novel is fully built into an ultra-realistic story that will leave you dizzy from the heights of the author's imagination." RC Gibson for Indies Today, June 2022.
5-Stars
"Matt Watters has prophetic visions that are well dressed in the guise of fiction. This is where our flirtation with virtual reality may lead, and Watters delivers it well with his natural propensity for presenting jargon in a non-intimidating way. The book is written not just for entertainment, but to solidify concepts. At less than 300 pages, the plot is rich, packed with profound issues on futurism that cannot wait to be addressed. Rarely do you get to read a novel that ventures deep into the mysterious and eerie realms of the human mind. Watters does so like an insatiable voyager, returning from the journey with an enriched vision and experience - an effect that you will also experience when reading Dream Phaze." Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite, June 2022.
Dream Phaze - Imagination has won a Gold Award in the 2022 Global Ebook Awards in the science fiction category. This is the second award for the Dream Phaze series, with the first book in the series, Germination, garnering a Bronze Award in the 2021 Global Ebook Awards in the science fiction category. Fascination is the next book in the series.
