Customer Reviews

The Houses of Time

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been faithfully waiting for another of Mr. Nasir's imaginative books for years! He is one of the few authors that satisfy my need for more stories as fine as P. K. Dick's were. This book satisfies 100%! It is the story of a lawyer, David Grant, who has lucid dreams, and what happens when he goes to a researcher (Dr. Tutmose - love the name). As David learns to control his dreaming, he discovers that the world, universe is more complicated than he imagined, and the true nature of his dreams is revealed to him. I don't want to spoil this wonderful book by saying too much more, other than 1) buy this book if you love wonderful writing, well constructed plot, and a satisfying end, and 2) Mr. Nasir, please work harder and publish more frequently!!

I'm very demanding regarding what I read for entertainment. I can't stomach Steven King, John Grisham, and all the other schlocky hacks who may know how to plot but cannot write an interesting sentence. Jamil Nasir is not your run of the mill genre writer; he writes beautifully and constructs plots that make you keep reading. There is also much to chew on intellectually in his books. It's like eating a great tasting, healthy meal. Tower of Dreams and Houses of Time are two of the most entertaining books I've read in years.

The Houses of Time had some really great ideas for a story, but Nasir didn't seem to have the storytelling skills to pull it off. The misogynistic protagonist who doesn't seem to change much throughout the story is impossible to like, and the other characters are frankly unbelievable as characters (Kat) or have no personality at all (everyone else). Characters that are not the protagonist act only in ways that advance the plot, which makes them hard to connect to, while the plot itself moves at a glacial pace. The writing itself is decent, though there were spots of poor grammatical choices that could have used a better editor. At times, it was quick and interesting to read, but the majority of the book was just slow and tedious.

I thought this was a very interesting and readable book by sci-fi writer Jamil Nasir. I could hardly put it down! Very intellectually stimulating and thought provoking ideas! Highly recommended.

Attorney David Grant has spent much of his adult life chasing women, but as he turns middle aged he finds chasing skirts becoming tedious and wonders if that's all there is in life while recently thinking of his paragon of the perfect female. He signs with the Trans-Humanist Institute where he hopes Dr. Thotmoses can guide him to fantasize about the perfect woman in a dream state as he has given up ever finding his ideal in real flesh.

However, Grant is shocked when he falls in love for the first time with Thotmoses' daughter Kat. He pursues her in a variety of dream realms as he learns to control his fantasies. Thotmoses persuades him to defend him and his family to God. As he begins to believe he has lost his mind, Grant questions with his womanizing history whether he is worthy to present a defense when God is the judge, jury and executioner.

This is a fascinating New Age look at God through the mind of a person who feels inadequate due to his cavalier treatment of women. David can live his life as the supreme being of his dreams or the reality of a failed maniac in an aging body wondering what if. Although too much time is spent on his doubting Thomas belief that surpasses in length Wayne and Garth making them seem worthy of Alice Cooper, THE HOUSES OF TIME is an interesting look at what is God in the information age.

Harriet Klausner

The author is living in a dream world if he thinks this book will sell enough copies to pay the rent. The story wandered in and out of reality and dreams. You couldn't tell which was real and which was a dream. The main character lacked any common sense. The ending fell flat and the last page didn't haven any connection to the story. What a waste of time and space.