Tower of Dreams [Mass Market Paperback]

Jamil Nasir (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1999

In advertising, image is everything.

Blaine Ramsey has an unusual occupation.  He travels to foreign countries and lives like a native.  He drinks in the culture with his mind, body, and soul.  And he does it all in the name of American capitalism.  For Blaine is an Image digger, one of an elite few blessed with the power to "dream" authentic images from the deep unconscious of foreign lands that  are turned into alluring, computer-animated packages used by advertisers to sell their products.

But in a dusty Middle Eastern villa, something goes terribly wrong.  Blaine is haunted by the recurring Image of a young Arab beauty suffering a brutal attack.  For Blaine, her Image becomes the seductive source of romantic obsession--and a nightmare from which he cannot escape.  And as Blaine is about to discover, her appearance in his dreams foretells tragedy--a disaster the likes of which the world has never seen....

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the near-future SF novel Tower of Dreams, Blaine Ramsey is an Image digger. He can tap the collective unconscious of a people in his dreams, uncovering "Images"--potent archetypes--for the international advertising industry to exploit. Because he is part-Arab, Blaine works and lives in a Middle Eastern village, where he dreams of a beautiful woman's violent fate. As the nightmare recurs, Blaine discovers, against all the laws of neuropsychology and reason, that his dream woman, an Image, is real--a famous Egyptian actress called Aida. He travels to restless, earthquake-shaken Cairo, seeking to escape the nightmare by resolving the mystery, only to find he may be trapped in a disaster more terrible than anything even an Image digger can imagine. --Cynthia Ward

From Library Journal

American Blaine Ramsey works as a dream-digger, discovering cultural icons for use in corporate advertising. When a powerful image of an exotic Egyptian woman captures not only his sleeping but also his waking hours, Ramsey pursues his vision deep into the heart of a dying 21st-century Cairo. Nasir's (Quasar, Spectra, 1995) latest novel combines the heady surrealism of his hero's dreamquest with the stark fatalism of his future version of the Middle East. Suitable for most sf collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (January 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553580892
• ISBN-13: 978-0553580891
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,779,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jamil Nasir was born in Chicago, Illinois, but spent much of his childhood in the Middle East, surviving two major wars. He returned to the U.S. in 1970, and started college at age 14, studying hard science, philosophy, psychology, history, and so many other things that he finally graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelors of General Studies degree. He also attended the University of Michigan Law School, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1983. Between stints at school he hitchhiked extensively around North America, working as a carpenter, fruit picker, warehouseman, gardener, shop clerk, and paralegal, among others. He currently works on large regulatory and litigation matters at a Washington, D.C. law firm, and lives in a suburb of Washington with his two daughters. He collects art, holds a Black Belt, 2nd Dan in Tae Kwon Do, and is a devotee of many subjects. His hobbies are photography and rampant metaphysical speculation. He is the winner of the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire, France's top science fiction award, and the Special Citation of the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award for best science fiction paperback published in the U.S. His website is www.jamilnasir.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating journey into a future Middle Eastern culture, February 18, 1999

By 

"bearkeep" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tower of Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

Jamil Nasir takes the reader on a fascinating journey into a future Middle Eastern culture where the images crafted by the master writer are both disturbing and compelling. The protagonist is Blaine Ramsey, an Arab American, on assignment in the Jordan Valley as an "image digger." His job involves immersing himself in the culture of the area, tapping into the collective unconsciousness, and dreaming culturally provocative images for sale to Western advertisers. While there, he dreams of a beautiful and seductive Arab girl who is brutally beaten as the dream turns to nightmare. His obsessive pursuit of this mysterious girl takes him into the dangers of a future Cairo where earthquakes rumble daily, traffic jams dictate travel after midnight, and murderous riots are commonplace.

Nasir has produced a tense drama that keeps the reader immersed in his own gritty, seductive image of a near-future world where computers, religion, and unbridled capitalism clash to form a backdrop for his character's chivalrous pursuit of elusive beauty and romanace.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful journey into the psyche of the dreamer, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tower of Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

Tower of Dreams is about what makes a dream; or moreaccurately, what happens to the dream-maker when his powers ofconstruction are subsumed by a near-jungian super dream? This is the narrative fate of Blaine Ramsey when he goes to jordan to research and construct atmosphere for his Madison Avenue Ad company, an outfit which packages dreams as so much subliminal sense-data for consumers.

Tower of Dreams is so much more than that, however; ToD represents a daring journey into the Arab culture and the dangers of cross-over when an Egyptian movie star loses her grip on reality and fame at the turn of the millennium. All the forces of anti-Western sentiment come into sharp focus as sterile, rational thought gets challenged by emotional and psychological populist forces like eroticism and faith. All in all, a compelling story, a vibrant profile of a rapidly changing segment of the world, and a good character novel, to boot.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!, November 15, 2002

By 

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tower of Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

We loved this book. The whole concept of the protagonist being a market researcher who could see architypes was so Philip K. Dickian! And as a side, we enjoyed learning more from the perspective of a person of middle-eastern heritage. This was a great read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction or urban fantasy.