The Barsoom Project [Paperback]

Larry Niven (Author), Steven Barnes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1989

Welcome to Dream Park-an amusement park where nothing is what it seems-except murder.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It is seven years later in the history of Dream Park, a theme park for role-playing games in an environment created by high-tech holograms. The current game is based on Inuit mythology, but the park is also hosting the Barsoom Project, testing the concept of a space elevator on Mars. Enter on one side a young woman who has been in a mental hospital after shooting a non-holographic opponent in her last game. Enter on the other side Muslim terrorists out to overturn the project. The result is fast-paced action, a rather large but well-drawn cast, even better-handled high tech, and a great deal of humor, some of it dark, some of it zany. Certain to be enjoyed by fans of the original Dream Park (1981), this sequel, first published in 1989, may demand and will certainly repay more than one reading. --Roland Green --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

Illusions are played so much for dangerously real as to be almost indistinguishable from the real thing. (The Times, London) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace Books (August 1989)
• ISBN-10: 9994944037
• ISBN-13: 978-9994944033
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,528,753 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lacks "Dream Park's" magic, but well worth the ride, October 21, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Alvin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barsoom Project (Dream Park series, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Although missing some of the wonder that made the first novel in this on-going series a unique and highly satisfying work, "The Barsoom Project" remains, nonetheless, a very good read. Like its predecessor, the story has several dimensions, managing to succeed as an excellent fantasia on the rarely-studied, yet fascinating Eskimo mythos and magic, a provocative portrait of the likely future of the entertainment industry, and an abosrbing and convoluted murder mystery. Even if Barnes's and Niven's second "Dream Park" effort lacks the magic of their first, it is nonetheless a well-crafted book allowing the eager reader to check in on a few old friends, and live, if only for a moment, in a wonderland of entertainment that makes Disneyland<tm> look like an oversized swingset. Also in the same series by the same authors are:"Dream Park"and"The California Voodoo Game"--Dalin T. Error ([e-mail])Alvin, Texas

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Return to Dream Park for those who want a little less, October 26, 2007

By 

Dave Deubler (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barsoom Project (Dream Park series, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

This return to Dream Park (the role-playing theme park of the future) is workman-like enough and avoids the pitfalls of the earlier novel, but ultimately there isn't much real meat here. This time through, the game is a "Fat-Ripper Special", which means that the players are paying their hard-earned dollars to lose weight, get plenty of exercise, and change the way they think about food. This certainly makes sense from a Dream Park perspective - people always seem to have money for weight loss - and this at least makes it distinct from the original Dream Park novel, but it doesn't make for an especially interesting story. Once again, the best part of the book is the Game itself, which this time is based on Inuit mythology. And once again, the back-story (a ruthless industrialist attempts to sabotage the visionary Barsoom Project) is where most of the science fiction is, even though it gets very few pages, and isn't really all that interesting. So like the original Dream Park novel, this book is recommended for gamers more than for sci-fi readers. Those uncertain if they really want to return to Dream Park would be better off skipping to the third installment, The California Voodoo Game, which is a substantially better book than this one.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A return to Dream Park - this time with Inuit mythology, July 20, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Barsoom Project (Dream Park series, Book 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

Returning to the ever-fascinating Dream Park, where a bodyguard assignment also reopens a decade-old in-park murder. The game this time involves Eskimo/Inuit mythology - a little more helter-skelter and a LOT more metaphysical than "Dream Park's" New Guinea. But I'll come back to the park anytime