The Dreamachine - Softcover

Dickerson, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0985188650 ISBN 13: 9780985188658

Publisher: Kettle of Letters Press, 2018

Synopsis

Jasper Keepnews thinks his life is as normal as can be. That is until he becomes obsessed with The Dreamachine, a hypnotic 60s-era device popular with The Beat Generation. As it lures Jasper into the shadows of his mind, he discovers his own sordid past, as well as visions of a shocking future that involves a mysterious woman's death. That is when Jasper's reality begins to unravel while he races to find this woman, the government races to find him. Their most dangerous sleeper assassin is awake and they want their property back.

In the era of "fake news" and the unending 24-hour news cycle, this sci-fi thriller pierces the heart of modern America. The clandestine practice of mind control is the driving force behind a near-future landscape that s unnervingly similar to our own. The brainwashing techniques first developed by the CIA in the 1950s have evolved at light speed for the 21st century. This nightmarish funhouse of a novel harkens back to the drug-fueled paranoia and failed promises of The Beat Generation. The Dreamachine, once meant to replace the television in living rooms all over the world, serves as the prototype for the most effective brainwashing technique a modern government has ever used against its citizens.

***

William Dickerson is an award-winning filmmaker and author. His debut feature film Detour, which he wrote and directed, was hailed as an "Underground Hit" by The Village Voice, an "emotional and psychological roller-coaster ride" by The Examiner, and nothing short of "authentic" by The New York Times. His first novel, No Alternative, was declared, "a sympathetic coming-of-age story deeply embedded in '90s music" by Kirkus Reviews. He recently adapted No Alternative into a motion picture starring Michaela Cavazos, Conor Proft, Chloe Levine, Kathryn Erbe and Harry Hamlin.

About this title

Review

What gives the book its power is its incorporation of many astute details. Plenty of sci-fi action scenes reference Koga-ryu but how many delve into the relationship of Beat writers and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring? As the death toll mounts, there is still much for readers to learn. -Kirkus Reviews

A gripping sci-fi novel that blends reality and fiction for a disturbing look at the future. -Independent Publisher

Ripped from the headlines and dripping with menace, The Dreamachine offers up a lethal cocktail of great writing, brilliant ideas, and almost flawless execution. To read Dickerson is to gain an understanding as to what makes indie fiction so cool. -Anderson O'Donnell, author of "Kingdom"

The writing in The Dreamachine is vivid and dynamic...the story progresses logically throughout and ends with just enough temptation to lure interested readers into a sequel. -Indie Reader.

Edition details

• Publisher: Kettle of Letters Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0985188650
• ISBN 13: 9780985188658
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 220