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From the Torment of Dreams
Lan Agstaff joins the Terran Army to escape the memories of his ex-lover, but en route to his posting on the planet of Neotra his suspended animation chamber malfunctions leaving him to dream without end. Revived in the midst of a war of secession Lan has to fight for his life all the while tormented by dreams of his lost love.
- GenresScience Fiction
282 pages, Unknown Binding
First published May 30, 2013
1 person is currently reading
30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 25, 2013
I was asked by the author to take a look at his latest work and having read Remains of the Dead a while back I had no doubt I was interested in reading more of Mr. McKinnon's work. His work in the zombie genre has been traditional with some added elements of his own design, I love that. So, of course, I said I would love to review it, but I made it known it might be a while...fast forward to me reading From the Torment of Dreams, wait, huh, it's not a zombie book? It's a sci-fi, military space drama. (Okay, okay, I'll admit I didn't read the blurb)
Ok, shock over now onto reading and thus this review.
First let me start by saying that this is a story that can easily be told from various locations and in various time periods. It is a story of us, of who we are and the battles we fight with each other and with ourselves. The battle waged in From the Torment of Dreams just happens to be fought in the future and in space.
One talent I really enjoyed in the author's previous work was his attention to detail and the ability to describe a person, location or what have you without dragging the reader through a lengthy boring description. I was not disappointed in his ability to continue with this style of writing. Great attention to detail is given and nary a plot or subplot gets dropped as things work towards getting tied together and all wrapped up at the end.
Sci-fi and military lovers alike should be very pleased with this piece. From the Torment of Dreams is excellently paced with intense action and adventure of the sci-fi variety, but with the knowledge and know how of someone who has either seen battle or someone who pays attention and knows what they are talking about. I'm sure if I looked hard I could find some flaws, but the storyline, in general, kept me so focused that if there were any inconsistencies I did not pick them out.
Ultimately, if you enjoy Sci-fi and military themed stories, then this is a book you should add to your collection without hesitation. It is a great ready with characters you either love or love to hate and in my book, that's a good thing!
Ok, shock over now onto reading and thus this review.
First let me start by saying that this is a story that can easily be told from various locations and in various time periods. It is a story of us, of who we are and the battles we fight with each other and with ourselves. The battle waged in From the Torment of Dreams just happens to be fought in the future and in space.
One talent I really enjoyed in the author's previous work was his attention to detail and the ability to describe a person, location or what have you without dragging the reader through a lengthy boring description. I was not disappointed in his ability to continue with this style of writing. Great attention to detail is given and nary a plot or subplot gets dropped as things work towards getting tied together and all wrapped up at the end.
Sci-fi and military lovers alike should be very pleased with this piece. From the Torment of Dreams is excellently paced with intense action and adventure of the sci-fi variety, but with the knowledge and know how of someone who has either seen battle or someone who pays attention and knows what they are talking about. I'm sure if I looked hard I could find some flaws, but the storyline, in general, kept me so focused that if there were any inconsistencies I did not pick them out.
Ultimately, if you enjoy Sci-fi and military themed stories, then this is a book you should add to your collection without hesitation. It is a great ready with characters you either love or love to hate and in my book, that's a good thing!
December 29, 2013
Known for apocalyptic zombie novels, Iain McKinnon delivers a fun sci-fi tale from the depths of space.
The pace seemed slow while the story line was being set up, and it took me some time to get into the plot. But once the action started—in the midst of a battle in deep space—it didn’t stop. After that point, the plot is well paced with heaps of action and adventure. The subplots meander off the main plot, but like a pair of lovers strolling through a garden, they return to the main path when the time is right.
Iain McKinnon’s style of writing with the ability to describe characters and locations is phenomenal. His characters are complex and well developed, and because they have different backgrounds and histories, are all interesting in their own ways. Their background is rick with details, but not so much to be overwhelming.
The science fiction is plausible without smothering the pages with too many technical terms. However, because this is a tale of humans and the wars they wage, the story could easily take place anywhere or at any time##past, present, or future.
I gave this book a four-star rating for its well written plot and character development. Sci-fi fans, as well as fans of the military genre, should be pleased with this book.
The pace seemed slow while the story line was being set up, and it took me some time to get into the plot. But once the action started—in the midst of a battle in deep space—it didn’t stop. After that point, the plot is well paced with heaps of action and adventure. The subplots meander off the main plot, but like a pair of lovers strolling through a garden, they return to the main path when the time is right.
Iain McKinnon’s style of writing with the ability to describe characters and locations is phenomenal. His characters are complex and well developed, and because they have different backgrounds and histories, are all interesting in their own ways. Their background is rick with details, but not so much to be overwhelming.
The science fiction is plausible without smothering the pages with too many technical terms. However, because this is a tale of humans and the wars they wage, the story could easily take place anywhere or at any time##past, present, or future.
I gave this book a four-star rating for its well written plot and character development. Sci-fi fans, as well as fans of the military genre, should be pleased with this book.
June 17, 2013
Excellent book. Iain McKinnon is a talented horror author and now we see that he is a talented science fiction author as well. He writes complex characters that are interesting to read about. Here we are introduced to people thrown together in war for all different reasons and from all different backgrounds. One is suffering from hallucinations due to faulty medical equipment. If you enjoy military fiction, you should enjoy this. If you enjoy science fiction, you should enjoy this.
September 27, 2013
LOVE this book!! If you want a fantastic, engaging and totally amazing scifi read, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!! It was so good from cover to cover, I wanted to just sit and read til I was finished. The storyline is deep and personal, you feel like you are living it with each character. Its got all the makings of what a great scifi novel should be. I promise, its well worth the buy.
June 21, 2013
I don't usually read sci fi books but this has changed my mind. A very exciting read from start to finish. You could connect with the characters and think what would I do? Loved this book, hope there are more like this from Iain
June 11, 2013
A surprisingly good read from a renowned Zombie writer, If your a fan of Classic Sci-Fi, Mass Effect & Riddick Books your onto a winner with this.
May 21, 2020
What a ride this book was, i have to say Mr. McKinnon, i love how you write characters they are so nuanced and deep and damn the characters arcs are good, my favorite character on this one is by far Lan, i thought he was going to be a one shot character and that we would never see him again at first, but you knocked it out of the park, i loved the world building, especially, the more esoteric aspect with Nasim, and then there is the bavashee they are grade-a badasses.
Now after fanboying a bit, lets get to the review, the story is written very proficiently and the characters are truly the stars of the show but the world is built enough for us to have a notion of the political landscape of this world and why things are happening, one thing i have to praise here is how there is no deviation to useless facts that even if they deepen the lore they don't have a deep impact on the overarching narrative and after coming from Pandora's Star, that although a very good book, have this problem it really felt like a breath of fresh air, so to end the review, this is a must read for fans of science fiction and those that like character driven books what earns it the amazing 5-star rating.
Now after fanboying a bit, lets get to the review, the story is written very proficiently and the characters are truly the stars of the show but the world is built enough for us to have a notion of the political landscape of this world and why things are happening, one thing i have to praise here is how there is no deviation to useless facts that even if they deepen the lore they don't have a deep impact on the overarching narrative and after coming from Pandora's Star, that although a very good book, have this problem it really felt like a breath of fresh air, so to end the review, this is a must read for fans of science fiction and those that like character driven books what earns it the amazing 5-star rating.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews