Here’s my review of the first book in the trilogy:
This is an urban science fiction story, about a man named Daniel, who works in a memory modification adventure agency, kind of like in Total Recall, but cooler—because Daniel’s gay. Yes, gayness makes everything cooler.
The plot revolves around a glitch Daniel’s experiencing in one of his “love programs”—there are many hilarious moments concerning this plotline. I don’t get to read a lot of humorous MM, but JCP is a master of the dry wit.
The story takes on an interesting dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream quality, reminding me of Inception. In some moments I wasn’t quite sure if Daniel had lost his marbles or not. I like having a slightly unreliable narrator. It keeps me on my toes.
The love interest is unique, as in something I don’t see often in fiction, and the problems the two of them face, though seemingly steeped in science fiction, are of the present day and are very, very real. I know a few people who are similar. I’d like to say that it’s easy to be with these types of people, because love should be easy.
Memory isn’t all that it’s cracked to be, especially regret. Sometimes memory is a bitter reminder of every dark deed we’ve ever done, trapping us in the past. Maybe it’s the people who cannot love and regret, who are maybe a tad neural atypical, who are truly free.
I am tempted to buy the rest of the series, but I may read some more standalones first. Don’t get me wrong, the story was amazing—I gave it five stars on Goodreads. I’m just not a big fan of series. Time wears memory down, even of love and regret and stories, but if it still nags at me. . . .
. . .
Well, I decided to finish the Mnevermind books (of course). I guess I’ve started reading series again and have mostly recovered from The Wheel of Time and The Dresden Files. Mostly.
I loved this series! I delighted in Elijah’s directness, his uniqueness, and found his quirks charming. Yes, reading in his POV hurt me a bit. There were some parts where I had to put the book down and walk away. However, to have experienced similar joy and heartbreak made the experience more impactful. Along with his uniqueness, I also liked how Elijah was in his late thirties, and Daniel was in his forties. It grounded me in the world.
Even though this work is science fiction, the world is almost a mirror of our current reality, and it was comfortable. Daniel was a steady character, and even though he lost his cool a few times, it was in situations where I wouldn’t have done much better. He was pretty chill considering what he was going through, and I am a little envious of that.
Big Dan is also pretty chill, and he also handled his situation well. For the amount of crap that all of these characters went through, they did superbly. Gold stars.
Maybe that’s what happens when life is awesome.
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24953666-life-is-awesome
Beth Brock is a reviewer for DSP and QSF. She enjoys reading, writing, running, family and food, and fills her life with bent bunk. She especially loves to discuss LGBTQ+ literature.
Her website is http://www.bethbrockbooks.com
You can find her on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/BethBrockBooks.
Dreamspinner Press – Where Dreams Come True… International publishers of quality gay romantic fiction since 2007. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
DSP Publications – Off the Beaten Path. Worth the Journey. http://www.dsppublications.com
Harmony Ink Press – LGBTQ+ Young Adult Fiction. http://www.harmonyinkpress.com