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The End of Athens
In the year 2091, humans have lost the ability to dream. After decades of financial and social depression, dreams and aspirations have become a recessive gene—an impossibility of the modern mind.
Greece is one of the worst social and economic disaster zones, and all hope of a better future has been lost. One young man, Nikos, discovers that he is not like everybody else—there is something different about him.
Believing that he may be going crazy, he soon discovers that he is the only person in Greece who has inherited the ability to dream. Time is running out as the government continues its tirade of corruption and suppression against the people, and Nikos must find a way to teach others how to dream so that once more society can free itself from the shackles of mental slavery.
Greece is one of the worst social and economic disaster zones, and all hope of a better future has been lost. One young man, Nikos, discovers that he is not like everybody else—there is something different about him.
Believing that he may be going crazy, he soon discovers that he is the only person in Greece who has inherited the ability to dream. Time is running out as the government continues its tirade of corruption and suppression against the people, and Nikos must find a way to teach others how to dream so that once more society can free itself from the shackles of mental slavery.
- GenresFantasy
300 pages, ebook
First published April 30, 2013
27 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Karakai
3 books14 followersAnthony Michael Karakai was born in Melbourne, Australia.
His father is Hungarian and mother French-Italian. Holding an International Business degree, he is also a qualified percussionist and music producer, having studied music extensively since the age of eight. His articles have been published internationally in various magazines and sites, which is cited as a favourite past time of his.
With an insatiable appetite for travel and an eagerness to explore off the beaten path, Karakai travels at every opportunity- his travels and ongoing commitment to exploring the world are what inspires him to write.
He is signed to New York City's Trident Media Group, with whom he has released three novels. Vagabond, The End of Athens, and The Black Lion: Satan's Kingdom.
To visit his official website, please go to http://www.anthonykarakai.com or http://www.akarakai.com.
His father is Hungarian and mother French-Italian. Holding an International Business degree, he is also a qualified percussionist and music producer, having studied music extensively since the age of eight. His articles have been published internationally in various magazines and sites, which is cited as a favourite past time of his.
With an insatiable appetite for travel and an eagerness to explore off the beaten path, Karakai travels at every opportunity- his travels and ongoing commitment to exploring the world are what inspires him to write.
He is signed to New York City's Trident Media Group, with whom he has released three novels. Vagabond, The End of Athens, and The Black Lion: Satan's Kingdom.
To visit his official website, please go to http://www.anthonykarakai.com or http://www.akarakai.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 6, 2013
The Cover:
Awesome! Really caught my eyes! An eye looking at you right from the center of the book, creepy in such a good way!
First Impression:
Awesome concept! Sounds like a great book!
Once I really started to read this book I lost track of the story so many times. I would be very surprised if this book becomes a favorite to many teenagers, its quite flat and I honestly was quite bored numerous times. There is very little action and the plot did not jump out at me like so many of my favorite books. All of the information about dreams was very interesting, and kept my interest.
Final Thoughts:
I was not a big fan of this book. Honestly I was so bored with it the first 3/4 that I wanted to quit numerous times. It was interesting enough for me to keep going but the plot just had me so lost. The characters were quite flat and boring as well, not ones I felt connected to in any way.
You can also find this review at Paperback Lass my blog...
Awesome! Really caught my eyes! An eye looking at you right from the center of the book, creepy in such a good way!
First Impression:
Awesome concept! Sounds like a great book!
Once I really started to read this book I lost track of the story so many times. I would be very surprised if this book becomes a favorite to many teenagers, its quite flat and I honestly was quite bored numerous times. There is very little action and the plot did not jump out at me like so many of my favorite books. All of the information about dreams was very interesting, and kept my interest.
Final Thoughts:
I was not a big fan of this book. Honestly I was so bored with it the first 3/4 that I wanted to quit numerous times. It was interesting enough for me to keep going but the plot just had me so lost. The characters were quite flat and boring as well, not ones I felt connected to in any way.
You can also find this review at Paperback Lass my blog...
July 13, 2013
I was given a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
I'm not going to lie, the concept sucked me in. Imagine a world with no dreams-something most of us take for granted. Having said that, the book didn't hold my attention. This is due to the fact that I am not someone who has an interest in Greek culture and mythology and this particular book places heavy emphasis on that.
I also lost track of the point of the story along the way and found myself reading but not retaining any of the storyline. This novel would be perfect for someone who enjoys intricate details about cultures and myths. It's definitely not for someone who just wants a easy, simple dystopian read. Fantastic concept though!
I'm not going to lie, the concept sucked me in. Imagine a world with no dreams-something most of us take for granted. Having said that, the book didn't hold my attention. This is due to the fact that I am not someone who has an interest in Greek culture and mythology and this particular book places heavy emphasis on that.
I also lost track of the point of the story along the way and found myself reading but not retaining any of the storyline. This novel would be perfect for someone who enjoys intricate details about cultures and myths. It's definitely not for someone who just wants a easy, simple dystopian read. Fantastic concept though!
July 10, 2013
This book is a must read for people seeking spiritual enlightenment and motivation. It's a very interesting look at where our society may be heading if we don't take a step back to "smell the roses" so to speak. Although a fictional premise, the author does a great job at making the story come to life and have real world application. The main premise of the book may not have been to motivate you to live a more fulfilling life, but it definitely got the thoughts rolling around in my head.
July 13, 2013
Dreams are very important in our daily life. It affect us physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically. Of course, dreams can either be what we experience when we sleep or what we want to achieve. At first, I thought End of Athens was only pointing out to the ability of people to dream while asleep. Then as the story went on, I realized it has a deeper thought, and that is, people have lost the hope of dreaming for their present and their future.
As much as I love the premise of End of Athens, I just find it hard to believe that people cannot dream anymore when they were asleep. Even if you tell me a million times that it was an effect of the great depression. No can do. Maybe I just didn't find that clear line between the meaning of dreams here. At first, it was about the human ability to dream while asleep. I just didn't buy the idea of needing to have the recessive gene to be able to do that. Because really, dreams are part of the system of our brain and mind. So whether we like it or not, we dream. I just can't really buy that dreams are part of a recessive gene. It's like, since the people of Athens cannot dream for hope, they lost the ability to dream while asleep too. It's just so, I don't know. Weird for me.
Although I don't buy the recessive gene part, I enjoyed Nikos' journey in figuring out how he can help other people to dream. That's where the inspirational meaning of dreaming comes in. Nikos was the only one who have the recessive gene so he was able to dream while asleep. His grandfather's journal help him figure things out. Then he realized that dreaming is also about having hope for the present and future. It was such a gracious moment to think about people having dreams of hope again after being trapped in their body. That was how it felt like for me. The people of Athens were like robots who can think for their selves but they cannot dream for hope.
The ending of the book is quite controversial for me. It's like it hit a self-destructive button for itself. It was both the beginning and the end. I'm just hoping for the best for the people of Athens, okay.
On a side note, it's just so weird that Nikos didn't know Hades. I don't know. Given that Hades is a big part of their history. So it was a bit confusing for me. Also, I've said 'dream while asleep' for a couple of times. Sorry for the repetition.
End of Athens is a nice fantasy novel about dreams. Despite the fact that this is fantasy, I had the feeling that it was more of an inspirational one. It'll give you the creeps of the thought of not being able to dream while asleep. and even not being able to have dreams of hope. This is surely a nice novel for realizing some things.
Originally posted at The Bookish Confections
As much as I love the premise of End of Athens, I just find it hard to believe that people cannot dream anymore when they were asleep. Even if you tell me a million times that it was an effect of the great depression. No can do. Maybe I just didn't find that clear line between the meaning of dreams here. At first, it was about the human ability to dream while asleep. I just didn't buy the idea of needing to have the recessive gene to be able to do that. Because really, dreams are part of the system of our brain and mind. So whether we like it or not, we dream. I just can't really buy that dreams are part of a recessive gene. It's like, since the people of Athens cannot dream for hope, they lost the ability to dream while asleep too. It's just so, I don't know. Weird for me.
Although I don't buy the recessive gene part, I enjoyed Nikos' journey in figuring out how he can help other people to dream. That's where the inspirational meaning of dreaming comes in. Nikos was the only one who have the recessive gene so he was able to dream while asleep. His grandfather's journal help him figure things out. Then he realized that dreaming is also about having hope for the present and future. It was such a gracious moment to think about people having dreams of hope again after being trapped in their body. That was how it felt like for me. The people of Athens were like robots who can think for their selves but they cannot dream for hope.
The ending of the book is quite controversial for me. It's like it hit a self-destructive button for itself. It was both the beginning and the end. I'm just hoping for the best for the people of Athens, okay.
On a side note, it's just so weird that Nikos didn't know Hades. I don't know. Given that Hades is a big part of their history. So it was a bit confusing for me. Also, I've said 'dream while asleep' for a couple of times. Sorry for the repetition.
End of Athens is a nice fantasy novel about dreams. Despite the fact that this is fantasy, I had the feeling that it was more of an inspirational one. It'll give you the creeps of the thought of not being able to dream while asleep. and even not being able to have dreams of hope. This is surely a nice novel for realizing some things.
Originally posted at The Bookish Confections
August 12, 2013
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Nikos is 27 years old and lives in a world where humans have lost the ability to dream. They have lost their way. Humans have given up they longer care about their lives and what they want to do with them. No one has a career or dreams anymore. They look for jobs that will pay the bills not one that will make them happy. The government is no longer help to take care of the elderly or the homeless. All the government cares about is how much money they can put in their own pockets and they don't care whose money it is either.
Nikos wakes up one morning with a girl from his college class standing over him. Nikos doesn't know or understand why she is there. When he asks her she tells him he was dreaming. Nikos doesn't know what she is talking about but when it happens again he starts to wonder so he starts to do research, to try and find out what is happening to him and if he is going crazy. He wonders why he is the only one that can dream, why can't others dream as well? Nikos realizes that he must teach others to dream as well before it is too late.
Everyone has given up all of their hope; they no longer have any reason to live. They are sending all the wrong energy out into the world and it is causing the world to collapse. Nikos starts to teach everyone how to dream again and everything starts to change. The people have hope; once again and they also have a reason to live. The people want Nikos to teach them to dream and after he starts teaching them how to dream again people start to disappear. No one knows for sure what is happening to the people. They don't know if they are alive or dead. But they have their suspicions as to what is happening to everyone and why they are disappearing.
The End of Athens was a very good read with a lot of twist and turns that you never see coming. I like the concept or idea behind The End of Athens. If everybody gives up their dreams and hopes and becomes depressed and sends all of their bad energy out into the world then the world and the people in it will be no more. The people have to stand up for what they believe in and fight for what is rightfully theirs and not let anyone take away their hopes and dreams. The End of Athens is one book that everybody needs to read.
Nikos is 27 years old and lives in a world where humans have lost the ability to dream. They have lost their way. Humans have given up they longer care about their lives and what they want to do with them. No one has a career or dreams anymore. They look for jobs that will pay the bills not one that will make them happy. The government is no longer help to take care of the elderly or the homeless. All the government cares about is how much money they can put in their own pockets and they don't care whose money it is either.
Nikos wakes up one morning with a girl from his college class standing over him. Nikos doesn't know or understand why she is there. When he asks her she tells him he was dreaming. Nikos doesn't know what she is talking about but when it happens again he starts to wonder so he starts to do research, to try and find out what is happening to him and if he is going crazy. He wonders why he is the only one that can dream, why can't others dream as well? Nikos realizes that he must teach others to dream as well before it is too late.
Everyone has given up all of their hope; they no longer have any reason to live. They are sending all the wrong energy out into the world and it is causing the world to collapse. Nikos starts to teach everyone how to dream again and everything starts to change. The people have hope; once again and they also have a reason to live. The people want Nikos to teach them to dream and after he starts teaching them how to dream again people start to disappear. No one knows for sure what is happening to the people. They don't know if they are alive or dead. But they have their suspicions as to what is happening to everyone and why they are disappearing.
The End of Athens was a very good read with a lot of twist and turns that you never see coming. I like the concept or idea behind The End of Athens. If everybody gives up their dreams and hopes and becomes depressed and sends all of their bad energy out into the world then the world and the people in it will be no more. The people have to stand up for what they believe in and fight for what is rightfully theirs and not let anyone take away their hopes and dreams. The End of Athens is one book that everybody needs to read.
July 11, 2013
*I was provided with a free copy of this book for the blog tour. Thank you!*
I wanna start this review by saying that I live in Greece. I know the situation here, I know the people, I know the places. So when I received an e-mail for this blog tour, I immediately wanted to read it. Especially because the action takes place in the future. I was curious to see how did Anthony imagine Greece’s future.
I’m very impressed with this book. Though it scared me. I love Greece, but I know that I won’t live here forever. But still, I don’t want to imagine Greece as a gray, lifeless country. Right now, Greece is too bright and I can’t imagine it as Anthony imagined it in the future.
‘The End of Athens’is a great book. I read it in one day because the idea of it couldn’t let me put it down. This is the kind of book that has an impact on the reader. After I finished, I needed a few minutes to put myself together.
This book also raises some question: what’s our futere? Will we stop dreaming? Will our lifes be gray, lifeless? I think we all wondered, even if only once, what our future holds for us. Well, Anthony tells us that if we continue acting like this, destroing our Planet and telling people to ‘stop dreaming’, everything from ‘The End of Athens’ will happen.
You can tell that Anthony Karakai is a fan of philosophy. There’s a lot of philosophy about life and its importance. Sometimes it bored me a little, but most of the times it was really interesting to see Karakai’s phiolosphy.
The book is sometimes fast-paced, sometimes it felt a little dragged, but in the end, I found myself too hooked up to be able to do something else. I read the book very quick, in a day. I’m in a reading mood actually, but the book helped a lot.
The persepctive of this book and the story are very different from any other books I’ve read until now.I’ll definitely re-read the book soon.
‘The End of Athens’ is a book that I recommend! It will captivate you and won’t leave you until the last page. Definitely worth reading!
I wanna start this review by saying that I live in Greece. I know the situation here, I know the people, I know the places. So when I received an e-mail for this blog tour, I immediately wanted to read it. Especially because the action takes place in the future. I was curious to see how did Anthony imagine Greece’s future.
I’m very impressed with this book. Though it scared me. I love Greece, but I know that I won’t live here forever. But still, I don’t want to imagine Greece as a gray, lifeless country. Right now, Greece is too bright and I can’t imagine it as Anthony imagined it in the future.
‘The End of Athens’is a great book. I read it in one day because the idea of it couldn’t let me put it down. This is the kind of book that has an impact on the reader. After I finished, I needed a few minutes to put myself together.
This book also raises some question: what’s our futere? Will we stop dreaming? Will our lifes be gray, lifeless? I think we all wondered, even if only once, what our future holds for us. Well, Anthony tells us that if we continue acting like this, destroing our Planet and telling people to ‘stop dreaming’, everything from ‘The End of Athens’ will happen.
You can tell that Anthony Karakai is a fan of philosophy. There’s a lot of philosophy about life and its importance. Sometimes it bored me a little, but most of the times it was really interesting to see Karakai’s phiolosphy.
The book is sometimes fast-paced, sometimes it felt a little dragged, but in the end, I found myself too hooked up to be able to do something else. I read the book very quick, in a day. I’m in a reading mood actually, but the book helped a lot.
The persepctive of this book and the story are very different from any other books I’ve read until now.I’ll definitely re-read the book soon.
‘The End of Athens’ is a book that I recommend! It will captivate you and won’t leave you until the last page. Definitely worth reading!
August 9, 2013
"That which the dream shows is the shadow of such wisdom as exists in man, even if during his waking state he may know nothing about it...." - Paracelsus
the world has not progressed much in 2091. humanity is still waging war against poverty, hunger, greed and corruption but all that is about to change. in the city of Athens, it begins with one man and his unique ability to dream....
set in the distant future, author Anthony Karakai's dystopian novel looks at one man's quest to find his purpose in life and to explore the means to fulfill it.
the story is really quite simple but it is Mr. Karakai's storytelling prowess that elevates the book to a different level. although it takes place in Greece, the events related could happen or are happening right now across the globe. economic inequity, political malfeasance and heroism are some issues that are discussed heavily. they are not fanciful ramblings nor exaggerated perceptions by the author. just tune in to your local news and you will agree that they all ring true. this makes the story thought-provoking, realistic and disturbing at times.
the main protagonist's forays into the world of dreams and the way they are described is impressive. the worldbuilding is also noteworthy.
overall, i loved the story. it might have been depressing because of its realism but it also has enough entertainment value to sustain my interest until the very last page.
the world has not progressed much in 2091. humanity is still waging war against poverty, hunger, greed and corruption but all that is about to change. in the city of Athens, it begins with one man and his unique ability to dream....
set in the distant future, author Anthony Karakai's dystopian novel looks at one man's quest to find his purpose in life and to explore the means to fulfill it.
the story is really quite simple but it is Mr. Karakai's storytelling prowess that elevates the book to a different level. although it takes place in Greece, the events related could happen or are happening right now across the globe. economic inequity, political malfeasance and heroism are some issues that are discussed heavily. they are not fanciful ramblings nor exaggerated perceptions by the author. just tune in to your local news and you will agree that they all ring true. this makes the story thought-provoking, realistic and disturbing at times.
the main protagonist's forays into the world of dreams and the way they are described is impressive. the worldbuilding is also noteworthy.
overall, i loved the story. it might have been depressing because of its realism but it also has enough entertainment value to sustain my interest until the very last page.
July 3, 2013
I loved this book (but then again, I like books that make you think)! The plot was complex and the characters developed with a heavy reference to ancient Greek culture- I think unless you know your history, you wouldn't catch on. While it might be classified a thriller, it also encompasses a deeper story line than constant gun battles and gasps. I think the point of the finale which some readers missed was that this isn't an action book- I found the final scene surprising, and can see an immediate sequel coming up.
I recommend this to readers who are into deep thinking prose, rather than fly by entertainment. It grabs you from the first page and forces you to ask some deep questions about life and the way things are going. Set in 2091, I think it's more relevant than ever.
If you like symbolism and magical realizm, this is a book you should definitely check out. All in all, I'd say it's a serious book which asks serious questions, and does much more than simply entertain the reader.
5 Stars.
I recommend this to readers who are into deep thinking prose, rather than fly by entertainment. It grabs you from the first page and forces you to ask some deep questions about life and the way things are going. Set in 2091, I think it's more relevant than ever.
If you like symbolism and magical realizm, this is a book you should definitely check out. All in all, I'd say it's a serious book which asks serious questions, and does much more than simply entertain the reader.
5 Stars.
July 2, 2013
Anthony pens "The End of Athens" in a realistic and complex plot that will keep you thinking for some time. His characters are very well developed, believable and at times a bit magickal. This book captivated me from the very beginning and would not let me go, even days after I finished reading it. Highly recommended for all mystery, thriller and suspense fans.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
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August 8, 2013Review to come.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews