Death Dream

by Ben Bova

Overview

It's the ultimate adult playground. Cyber World  will use the latest technology in computer produced  virtual reality to provide thrills and chills  beyond any ever experienced at a theme park. Here  children of all ages will live out their wildest  fantasies: fly jet fighters in combat, take part in a  gunfight in the OK Corral, play in the World  Series, or take a walk on the moon or a trip inside the  human body.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553762105
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/1995
Pages:	576
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ben Bova has been a presence in science fiction for more than four decades. He is past president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and a recipient of the Hugo and other awards. His novels include Brothers, Moonrise, Mars, and Return to Mars, all available from Brilliance Audio. He lives in Naples, Florida with his wife and literary agent, Barbara.

Editorial Reviews

Mayhem is afoot at Cyber World, the futuristic setting of this ambitious but not entirely satisfying thriller by SF stalwart Bova ( Voyagers ). While computer programmers Damon Santorini and Jason Lowrey are in Florida creating a virtual reality (VR) park that will simulate a walk on the moon, combat in a jet fighter and other exotic adventures, users of a VR flight simulator they developed for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are suffering inexplicable strokes. Santorini agrees to investigate, tugging the story line into several curious twists--and nearly as many false starts and blind alleys. Bova concocts a complicated melange of high government and Air Force officials, old love affairs and possible identity changes, but he fails to deal fully with several plot fragments. Although each major adult character here is sexually dysfunctional, their peccadilloes--one of which leads to a significant subplot--are rendered in the same subdued voice as the rest of the novel. Also, descriptions of the VR programs in strictly workmanlike prose prove disappointing--as does the book's incredible denouement. Though Bova's attempt to combine SF and high-tech thrills occasionally engrosses, it ultimately fails to slip into high gear. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This novel by the popular sf author (e.g., Empire Builders, Audio Reviews, LJ 2/15/94) is a mainstream thriller based on evolving computer technology that may one day make "virtual reality" a household term. Dan Santorini, a programming expert, teams with Jace, a former colleague and volatile genius, in creating a virtual reality theme park in which customers can do such things as pitch against a computer-generated Babe Ruth, engage in old-time gunfights, and visit other worlds. While one might argue that the technology to make all this possible is still years away, Bova's technical explanations-while not up to the standards of, say, Michael Crichton-are convincing and thought-provoking. What is not convincing is Bova's subplot involving an ambitious political insider who attempts to use virtual reality to manipulate the U.S. President. Nonetheless, an intriguing thriller, which benefits from Dick Hill's fine reading. For popular collections.-Mark Annichiarico, "Library Journal"

Library Journal

YA-This novel of ``technology gone too far'' could easily take place today. At Para-Reality, a company that hopes to get a leg up on Disney in the entertainment industry, Dan Santorini has been hired to develop the ultimate virtual-reality simulation game. He moves to Florida only to find that something is very wrong. First his daughter has some disturbing encounters in the games that the company provides for her school, and then a colleague is killed while practicing one of his VR programs. As Dan races against time to find the answers and to save his family, he is hampered at every turn by greedy investors, a desperate boss, and government investigators. A well-researched and timely book that will appeal to YAs interested in cyberspace as well as those who love a good story.-Susan McFaden, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

School Library Journal