Samuel Jack walked into an amusement park built to give people the adventure they always wanted. Then the gates locked, and the park started keeping score.
That is not a marketing line. It is the single most common thing readers say about this book, and they say it without being asked.
Four different reviewers opened with some version of the same sentence. "This is not my typical genre, but." "Not the genre of book I would ordinarily pick up." "I had no expectation of really liking it since I am not a reader of science fiction or dark fantasies."
Every one of them finished it. Most of them finished it faster than they meant to.
So if you have been told this kind of story is not for you, or you tried a fantasy series once and bounced off the map at the front, start here anyway. The people who like this book least on paper are the ones who keep writing the longest reviews.
DreamLand was built to be the ultimate escape. Six themed lands, engineered down to the dust, where an ordinary person could finally live the adventure they had only ever imagined. For Samuel Jack, that meant one thing: he could be the gunslinger.
Then the park locked down.
Now the same machinery that made the fantasy is running it, and the man who built the place, Rutherford D. Soros, says he is shaping a new world through trials of fire and blood. The lands stretch from Medieval castles to the shadow-drenched streets of HorrorLand, each one ruled by its own brand of danger. Outlaws. Lifebots. Cybernetic hybrids that used to be people.
Sam's revolver is not a prop anymore. To get out he has to move through all of it, and work out which of the things wearing a human face is actually on his side.
Every step forward uncovers a deeper scheme. Every choice costs something. And slowly one truth surfaces: the park is not a prison. It is a proving ground.
And Soros is watching.
Two editions, two covers. The hardcover carries the gunslinger and the wheel of six lands; the paperback opens on the park itself.
It will force you to read it whether you want to or not. It will lurk in your mind if you put it down and do chores. Avid Reader, Amazon
Reminiscent of the dystopian worlds of Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 or Orwell's 1984, the author created a dystopian world that sends chills down your spine. The compelling story is fast-paced and makes you constantly wonder what could possibly be around the corner.
Kindle Customer, verified purchaseYou'll never see the ending coming, no matter how much you let your imagination run wild. The journey of Samuel Jack kept me glued to the pages, never wanting to put the book down because I had to know what would happen next.
Davis, verified purchaseThis book completely blew me away. The world-building is phenomenal, detailed without being overwhelming, and the author has a way of making surreal strange concepts feel believable. Easily one of the best books I've read in a long time.
Nina, verified purchaseI had no expectation of really liking it since I am not a reader of science fiction or dark fantasies but I found myself caught up in the story quickly. It makes you wonder if we, as a people, really know what we are getting into with robotics and AI.
Karen S. WolfordIf you're looking for a book that makes you say "I'll just read one more chapter" over and over again, then this is the book for you. The author makes you feel like you're right there with Samuel Jack. Has me anxiously awaiting the next book.
Maria MathewsBlends imaginative world-building, moral complexity and suspenseful storytelling. The characters are developed with depth and emotional complexity. Narrator Bolton Marsh delivers a strong and immersive performance that enhances the atmosphere throughout.
AudioBookReviewer, on the audiobookPhil names Westworld, The Dark Tower and The Lord of the Rings as the bones of it. Readers keep adding Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 on their own. That is the shelf.
A built world where the attractions stopped following the script, and the people running it are the real problem.
A gunslinger walking through a landscape that keeps changing the rules on him, toward something that wants to be reached.
Uneasy allies from places that should not mix, bound together because none of them gets out alone.
A system that decides what you are allowed to be, sold to you as the thing you always wanted. Readers reached for this one themselves.
Sam's story is not finished, and the people on this list are the ones who will hear about the next one first. Cover reveal, release date, early chapters, and the occasional piece of the park that never made it into Book One.
No spam, nothing sold on, and one click gets you off it for good.
The DreamLand booth at Cincycon.
345 pages. Book One of The DreamLand Saga.
Already read it? A review does more for an independent author than anything else you could do. It takes two minutes and it is the whole ballgame for a book like this.