Cover Image: I Dream in Color: A New Weird, Dystopian Sci Fi

I Dream in Color: A New Weird, Dystopian Sci Fi

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Member Reviews

"I Dream in Colour" is a book that elicits mixed reactions from readers. The story revolves around Alex Johannson, who awakens from a pod that was meant to keep him in a dreamlike state. The book is well-written, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

The initial part of the book, which follows Alex's awakening and his return to the real world, is described as brilliant and engaging. It captures the reader's attention and sets the stage for a promising story. However, some readers find that the book's direction changes and becomes more intense, addressing themes such as drug addiction, homelessness, poverty, and societal chaos. The story takes on a bleak tone, and the narrative doesn't shy away from addressing these harsh realities.

The world created in the book, set on an alien moon of Saturn, is simultaneously awe-inspiring and terrifying. It successfully portrays a dystopian society filled with unrest and injustice. The author's vivid descriptions evoke strong emotions and a sense of fear about what is to come. The book elicits a range of feelings, from fear and intensity to thoughtfulness, sympathy, and emotion.

However, some readers find the book to be alarming, disturbing, and depressing, which might not be suitable for everyone. It deals with challenging and dark themes, and it doesn't hold back in depicting the harsh realities of the society it portrays.

The book is not without its drawbacks, including a lack of clear world-building and a lack of focus on the promised sci-fi elements. Instead, it reads more like a contemporary novel with elements of mental health issues and social injustices.

Ultimately, "I Dream in Colour" is a book that offers a complex and intense reading experience. Whether it resonates with readers depends on their preferences for the themes and tone explored in the story. It's a thought-provoking and vividly written work that addresses challenging issues within a dystopian setting.

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I absolutely loved this book! It was such a captivating read! I couldn’t stop reading! I loved the characters and the story! Highly recommend!

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I really enjoyed the concept behind the book and the author executed it really well. My only real complaint about this book is that it moved a little slowly in the beginning. I also felt so out of the loop as a reader in the beginning that it was a little hard to latch onto the story itself, but after I did, I couldn't stop reading.

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So, although I have this book 3 stars, it is very well written but it just wasn't for me.
The first part of this book, dealing with Alex from his awakening in the pod, to him going back was brilliant. Loved it.
But after that I kind of lost my footing with it.
It's mind ending reality/unreality gave me feelings of films such as requiem for a dream and Jacobs Ladder. the drug use and addictions in this book don't hold back, the homelessness and poverty isn't skimmed over.bita bleak with a capital B!
We're in a future, on another planet that is able to give people changes to give up and help society - I mean that you're put in stasis to dream and science will donate your blood and organs for you while you get "clean" so you can give back to society as it were. But Alex wakes up and becomes a bit of an anomaly so meets new friends but quickly descends into addiction once more before he can't cope with the reality of this world where police brutality, civil unrest and general choas of a class system exists and goes back to ask to go back in his pod.
Alex suffers with himself through this half of the book and it's beautifully written and so well done that I wished it stayed that way.
Although it was well written, I don't think I will be continuing with the "dreamers" sequels.

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I was not expecting that!! First of all, i wish it was longer, i have so many questions!!!

What a quick and very strange book!!! I love a good dystopian novel and this one is very very strange, but so interesting to read!

I worked out one thing straight away, but i didn't see the end coming. I thought the beginning was super interesting and wish we had more scenes in that moment. I just loved how far paced it was!

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I picked this up because it struck a chord in my brain, especially the cover but it didn't resonate with me. This book left me confused and feeling very disconnected from the main character and the world. I'm still confused as to why exactly there are dreamers and why people are supposed to stay in those pod thingies, and the end got even more confusing. I also didn't enjoy the writing style a lot - too many adverbs and adjectives that were not needed.
Not my cup of tea, I guess.

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Quite good. I like the author's imagination. This kept me engaged with an interesting plot, great characters, and it seemed pretty realistic. Recommended for sci-fi fans.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

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Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this story as I love stories set in space. The magic system and characters were well developed.

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4.5 stars - cleverly constructed, dystopian Sci-Fi

This is a very cleverly constructed story in which we follow Alex, an addict who has agreed to become a Dreamer. He is sent to sleep in a pod, dreaming pleasant dreams instead of having to face reality and in exchange blood plasma, stem cells and organs are harvested from his body to be used for the greater good. Dreamers are not supposed to wake up but this is just what happens and Alex has to has to deal with the world out there all over again.

The narration always stays very close to Alex, we experience the world as he wakes up to through his confused perspective and slowly follow him out of the facility where he woke up and into the Capitol. This is when we realize that all of this is happening not on Earth but on a colony on a Saturn moon. We also realize that the society and reality Alex ran from gave him plenty of reasons. He has been profoundly traumatized in his childhood which left him so scarred that he is unable to feel love, hope or any joy really. Being then faced with making a living on the bottom of society with a grueling job and no perspective of ever getting out of it ... well it is not hard to imagine that many would seek any escape, even a temporary one by substance abuse.
We also learn more and more about this colony and that there is a war with the indigenous of the moon, who have the audacity to not want to share their resources with the newcomers.

There is always this sense of foreboding, things adding not quite up, that something is profoundly wrong with the world and how Alex sees it. And there are perfectly paced twists that just keep you turning the pages.

I also absolutely loved the many colours of this world - the cover is a perfect representation of their richness woven into the narration. Absolutely gorgeous.

One aspect that I found not quite so easy to handle was Alex' suffering. He just suffered SO MUCH, every second of his existence seems to be agony. I do not have experience with substance abuse (or know anyone who does), but I guess this is an accurate depiction of the addict's mind. It's just not easy to stomach.

Still, I very much recommend this one to all fans of dystopic science fiction and cannot wait to find out how the story continues.

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Had to DNF this one at 50%. This isn't a bad or offensive book by any means (hence the 2 stars and not just a 1), but it wasn't for me. I was drawn in by the sci-fi aspects promised in the synopsis, but in reality it's a contemporary set on a moon of Saturn with brief mentions of advanced technology and alien vegetation. If you like books that deal with mental health (addiction and PTSD are the main ones in this case), poverty, and social injustices (ex. homophobia), then you may enjoy this book. The world building is minimal at best, so, even if you feel overwhelmed by sci-fi worlds, this shouldn't impact your reading experience.

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Let me start by saying that I have never read a book like this one.
I am not one to go for sci fi normally but I will from now on. This book has opened my eyes.

I Dream In Colors takes you on a journey through Alex’s eyes; not a pleasant one.
Alex’s past and traumas weigh too heavy on him.

Humans are living on one of Saturn’s moons. Their lives are controlled by the government and there is no middle class.

The last 20% of book was crazy but in a good way.

I can’t wait to read the next one.

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I DREAM IN COLOR by Sarah Mazza

What a sad, depressing book. It's full of addictions, fighting, rioters, and police brutality. Trigger warning for homosexual relationships and trasvestite prostitution. I would never have requested this title if I had been forwarned by a trigger warning.

If you want to feel bad or worse, then this is the book for you. Highly disappointed.

The story opens with Alex Johannson waking up from the vat he voluntarily had himself placed into, after a sad, depressing life that he could not deal with any longer. The vats, called pods hold one person in each one and they are hooked up to mechanical support, so your soul is there with your body, but your mind is free to dream. It's no kind of existence to have, but it was what Alex wanted. He wasn't supposed to wake up, but he did. Now, he has to try to make some sense of his newly awakened status and figure out what is next.

Alex is informed that his body may not function as it seems like it should, for the Institute of Wellness and Research has been experimenting upon his body, since he gave the scientists permission to use whatever parts of him that they wanted to, as long as he was still asleep.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the book, I quit reading when I got to the trigger warning areas. I received a complimentary copy of #idreamincoloranewweirddystopianscifi from #netgalley I was under no obligation to post a review.

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