When Dreams Collide [Paperback]

Wm. Mark Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1992

Programworld is up and running again, but those who were trapped in the malfunctioning computer net are now acting strangely. Daggoth the Dark must re-enter the matrix--only this time death in the fantasy world equals death in the real one.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (February 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446361542
• ISBN-13: 978-0446361545
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,009,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Before he turned his attention to Science Fiction, (William) Mark Simmons was winning awards for his writing, first as a newspaper journalist and later as a broadcast copywriter. His first book was a finalist for the Compton Crook Award and made the LOCUS Best List in 1991. When he isn't writing, Mark is in front of the camera or microphone having worked in television and now radio where his is the morning voice for Radio Kansas and can be heard throughout half of the Sunflower State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The middle book is always darker, May 10, 2001

By 

Dennis E. Smirl (Topeka, KS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Dreams Collide (Paperback)

Wm. Mark Simmons has a winner with When Dreams Collide, the second novel in his trilogy of In the Net of Dreams, When Dreams Collide, and The Woman of His Dreams. In the first novel, Simmons sets up a fantasy within a science fiction framework and fills a medieval landscape with a cast of fascinating characters. In the second novel, When Dreams Collide, Simmons begins to delve into the hearts of his characters, revealing both the saint and the sinner that resides in us all. His main character, Ripley, is trying to understand the Anamoly and fix it. If he doesn't, anyone whose avatar dies in the Dreamworld dies in the suspension tank back at Cephtronics, as well. It makes the game a bit more serious. The problem is, Ripley has been copied by the computer that runs the Dreamworld, and so he gets to die several times. Those Ripleys who are stil alive get to worry if the real Ripley got killed--which means that Ripley back at Cephtronics is dead and the Ripley who is doing the wondering is just a back-up copy, or is he...? And then Ripley also has problems with women (too many)and enemies (way too many)and not quite knowing whether he's real or Memorex. Finally, the novel is a bit darker than In the Net of Dreams, because it's a middle novel, and it's supposed to be darker. His third novel in the series, The Woman of His Dreams, will be published sometime this year (according to his website--check it out. It's hilarious) and will wrap the series up, answer all the questions, and, if the first two novels are any indication--be filled with obscure literary references, outrageous jokes, horrid puns, and more fun per page than most writers manage to pack in an entire novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars move over matrix!, February 11, 2001

By 

"juggla025" (monroe, la USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Dreams Collide (Paperback)

An fan of VR would love to include this book in their library. The dangers of an unstable computer world seem uncannily real in this novel that takes rpg to the extreme. The main character, Ripley, is so deep you can truly feel his joys and sorrows. If you like cyberpunk, you'll really like When Dreams Collide!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars different fantasy, December 10, 1999

By 

a European (Europa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Dreams Collide (Paperback)

The nice thing about this series is that it's fantasy with a big touch of realism. It is computer rpg to the extreme. But what really sets it apart is the humor, the witty and fast storytelling, twists in the story, all with a well dosed pace. Reading the first book "In the net of dreams" is not necessary, but would let you better enjoy this story more.