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Lost in a Dream
If dreaming is a drug, then I'm a junkie.
For most people, sleeping is an obstacle; something to get out of the way so they can get back to their day. For others, it’s an escape to nothing; a blissful break from the wears of life.
It’s the opposite for me.
I live so that I can dream. I trudge through work so that I can go home and close my eyes, awakening in the real world—one where dreams really do come true. A place where I can fight a king instead of my ever-disappointed boss, where I’m a warrior instead of a glorified telemarketer. A place where I matter.
Tigers instead of taxes. Monsters instead of men with too much power.
Reality is just the word we came up with to accept a boring life; a birthing place for grander ideas we so desperately wish could come true.
I choose to live in a world where they do.
For most people, sleeping is an obstacle; something to get out of the way so they can get back to their day. For others, it’s an escape to nothing; a blissful break from the wears of life.
It’s the opposite for me.
I live so that I can dream. I trudge through work so that I can go home and close my eyes, awakening in the real world—one where dreams really do come true. A place where I can fight a king instead of my ever-disappointed boss, where I’m a warrior instead of a glorified telemarketer. A place where I matter.
Tigers instead of taxes. Monsters instead of men with too much power.
Reality is just the word we came up with to accept a boring life; a birthing place for grander ideas we so desperately wish could come true.
I choose to live in a world where they do.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2020
49 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
R.E. Fury
1 book12 followersR. E. Fury (he/him) is the upcoming author of Lost in a Dream; he runs several communities dedicated to his own short stories and flash fiction.
He received a degree in computer science and has been working in the public sector for several years as a contractor to agencies such as DHS and the VA.
He currently lives in sunny Texas with his lovely fiancée, and loves nothing more than writing about himself in third person.
He received a degree in computer science and has been working in the public sector for several years as a contractor to agencies such as DHS and the VA.
He currently lives in sunny Texas with his lovely fiancée, and loves nothing more than writing about himself in third person.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
spfbo7
September 22, 2021Read this as a guest judge (With FanFiAddict) for SPFBO 7.
October 22, 2020
I'm not exaggerating when I say this book has changed my life.
R.E. Fury is such a talented author; they have made effective use of amazing literary devices and metaphors, the descriptions are beautiful but never too much, and clearly a lot of thought has gone into the world-building. Reading it made me smile, made me cry.
I really don't know what else to say except that. With BookSirens I had the privilege of reading it for free on my phone, but I'm going to go and buy a paperback anyway because I want to have it to read again, and again, and again.
The mix of fantasy and reality is so amazing, and the final message the book conveys is so heart-warming and inspiring.
Read. It.
You'll thank me later :)
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
R.E. Fury is such a talented author; they have made effective use of amazing literary devices and metaphors, the descriptions are beautiful but never too much, and clearly a lot of thought has gone into the world-building. Reading it made me smile, made me cry.
I really don't know what else to say except that. With BookSirens I had the privilege of reading it for free on my phone, but I'm going to go and buy a paperback anyway because I want to have it to read again, and again, and again.
The mix of fantasy and reality is so amazing, and the final message the book conveys is so heart-warming and inspiring.
Read. It.
You'll thank me later :)
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
November 3, 2020
I was so happy that I was able to get an advanced reader copy of this book for free. The juxtaposition of the two worlds blend perfectly into an interesting and descriptive narrative. It's extremely unique in style and setting. While the dream world and the "real" world are two distinct characters and settings in their own right they compliment and highlight one another. The characters are interesting, multidimensional and believable with a necessary and beautiful message serving as the backbone of the story. Would read again and would recommend to anyone who is struggling with the world right now, which is everyone I feel. I loved the book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 12, 2020
I heard about this novel because I follow the r/WritingPrompts sub, and this story sprang from the author responding to a prompt. I think that's super neat.
So first of all, huge kudos to Fury for coming up with a neat story idea and committing to it and making a book out of it. As someone who has worked on novel manuscripts before, I understand how much effort and dedication it takes.
This is, unfortunately, a very unfinished piece.
On a line by line level, there are mispellings/typos, incomplete and run on sentences, and baffling or stale turns of phrase. Zox is introduced as a bear and later described as a dog. With plot, the novel overall lacks a constant driving force - there will be problems on a chapter by chapter level, but there's no Big Problem that our hero has to deal with. The characters in general lack dimension; Jackson works with cardboard cutouts of people, and the only nuance he has is that he is bored/depressed with his real life and wants to stay in the dream world. His apathy and his seeming contempt for everyone around him apart from the woman he's attracted to make him difficult to sympathize with, and his philosophical observations on the nature of the world and the meaning of life are not as insightful or striking as the novel tries to present them.
There are multiple questions we are still left with at the end of the novel.
A final note: I found it kind of bizarre to not only name a character Alduin, but to reference Skyrim by name in this novel. It doesn't violate copyright from a legal perspective but it's baffling to me. If the character had deliberately taken on that name, it needed to be stated.
So first of all, huge kudos to Fury for coming up with a neat story idea and committing to it and making a book out of it. As someone who has worked on novel manuscripts before, I understand how much effort and dedication it takes.
This is, unfortunately, a very unfinished piece.
On a line by line level, there are mispellings/typos, incomplete and run on sentences, and baffling or stale turns of phrase. Zox is introduced as a bear and later described as a dog. With plot, the novel overall lacks a constant driving force - there will be problems on a chapter by chapter level, but there's no Big Problem that our hero has to deal with. The characters in general lack dimension; Jackson works with cardboard cutouts of people, and the only nuance he has is that he is bored/depressed with his real life and wants to stay in the dream world. His apathy and his seeming contempt for everyone around him apart from the woman he's attracted to make him difficult to sympathize with, and his philosophical observations on the nature of the world and the meaning of life are not as insightful or striking as the novel tries to present them.
There are multiple questions we are still left with at the end of the novel.
A final note: I found it kind of bizarre to not only name a character Alduin, but to reference Skyrim by name in this novel. It doesn't violate copyright from a legal perspective but it's baffling to me. If the character had deliberately taken on that name, it needed to be stated.
March 25, 2021
Interesting if often vague
The story revolves around a young college grad (no specific major mentioned) who works a dead end job in telemarketing - which his company insists is a media company. He has a small, messy apartment, a few friends he sort of lets in, once in a bkue moon he'll go out but he hates crowds and feels awkward and doesn't stay, his dad left him and his mom when he was very young, and then he got estranged somehow from her (aging, no details on how it happened). Things seem to have rather piled up on him. A female friend from work has a brother that everyone liked...he was popular but he always had time for everyone, not just the popular crowd. He had cancer, beat it once, then relapsed. His chemo fails. The protagonist goes with her to the funeral, and he starts writing a poem that could be insightful, but he can't finish it. He has a notebook of things he's invented on paper but has done nothing with. Even though his female friend looks at it and says she thinks he should take some of it further, he pushes it aside and distracts her.
What he lives for is nighttime. Two sleeping pills put him into a dream world where he is a strong, courageous warrior with a hot female partner who happens to forge excellent weapons and armor. They live in a castle they took over. It has a force field when they're not there. Everything seems to be going well until an ice wizard shows up and throws a monkey wrench into everything. Reality and dream world become blurred as the wizard makes promises he can't keep, one that the protagonist desperately wants to believe. He has to make a choice, both in the dream world and his own. The book shows the processes going on in both worlds and how he reaches his decision. They claim this si like "Ready Player One,"but honestly, I can't see a lot of sinilarities between the 2.
The story revolves around a young college grad (no specific major mentioned) who works a dead end job in telemarketing - which his company insists is a media company. He has a small, messy apartment, a few friends he sort of lets in, once in a bkue moon he'll go out but he hates crowds and feels awkward and doesn't stay, his dad left him and his mom when he was very young, and then he got estranged somehow from her (aging, no details on how it happened). Things seem to have rather piled up on him. A female friend from work has a brother that everyone liked...he was popular but he always had time for everyone, not just the popular crowd. He had cancer, beat it once, then relapsed. His chemo fails. The protagonist goes with her to the funeral, and he starts writing a poem that could be insightful, but he can't finish it. He has a notebook of things he's invented on paper but has done nothing with. Even though his female friend looks at it and says she thinks he should take some of it further, he pushes it aside and distracts her.
What he lives for is nighttime. Two sleeping pills put him into a dream world where he is a strong, courageous warrior with a hot female partner who happens to forge excellent weapons and armor. They live in a castle they took over. It has a force field when they're not there. Everything seems to be going well until an ice wizard shows up and throws a monkey wrench into everything. Reality and dream world become blurred as the wizard makes promises he can't keep, one that the protagonist desperately wants to believe. He has to make a choice, both in the dream world and his own. The book shows the processes going on in both worlds and how he reaches his decision. They claim this si like "Ready Player One,"but honestly, I can't see a lot of sinilarities between the 2.
July 9, 2024
Fantasy readers, myself included, often turn to the genre for an escape from reality, and this story provides that opportunity beautifully. Personally, I’ve never imagined what my dream escape would look like (pun intended), but this book inspired me to explore that for myself and what that means about who I am. I always prefer and appreciate stories that make me ponder deeply about my life and the world around me.
I’m hesitant to say too much, because I want each reader to fully experience it for themselves - but you should read this book!
Fury excels at portraying the main character's internal dialogue and thought process, capturing how he debates with himself while remaining authentic, even when the character doesn’t fully understand who he is himself. It's a compelling narrative that keeps you engaged from start to finish.
I hope to read more from Fury in the future!
“If you don’t chase things, you’ll never catch them. Sometimes it’s a decent start just to chase yourself and catch your fall.” Pg 322
I’m hesitant to say too much, because I want each reader to fully experience it for themselves - but you should read this book!
Fury excels at portraying the main character's internal dialogue and thought process, capturing how he debates with himself while remaining authentic, even when the character doesn’t fully understand who he is himself. It's a compelling narrative that keeps you engaged from start to finish.
I hope to read more from Fury in the future!
“If you don’t chase things, you’ll never catch them. Sometimes it’s a decent start just to chase yourself and catch your fall.” Pg 322
February 8, 2021
Wow! I don’t know where to begin. This is the perfect book for our time addressing the struggle of what many feel may be a mundane existence juxtaposed with a dream world packed with adventure.
Characters are compelling, relatable, and well developed. It took me a bit to get started but once I did, I didn’t want to put the book down.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Characters are compelling, relatable, and well developed. It took me a bit to get started but once I did, I didn’t want to put the book down.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 2, 2025
i must have read this back in 2020 or something when i was just getting back into reading, and i can't recall much about it except that it wasn't very good. and my standards were low back then so i can't imagine my opinion will have changed much by now
but i do highly respect the author for going from short stories on instagram (where i found them) to a full-on novel, and i remember getting a lot of joy from their short stories when i used to read them! so nothing but kudos, really
but i do highly respect the author for going from short stories on instagram (where i found them) to a full-on novel, and i remember getting a lot of joy from their short stories when i used to read them! so nothing but kudos, really
March 17, 2023
While there are some grammar and consistency issues in this book, the actual story is more than enough to make up for that. It is a story of self-discovery and inspiration, and if it went through a couple passes by an editor, it would be a 5* book.
December 18, 2024
Bought this book like 3 years ago because an Instagram account advertised it and I only just read it and enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews