Dream Park (Paperback)

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Unadulterated wish fulfillment. -- Locus

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Ace (March 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441167306
• ISBN-13: 978-0441167302
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #362,879 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #8 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Barnes, Steven
  #69 in	Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( N ) > Niven, Larry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The One That Started it All, July 24, 2003

By	Patrick Burnett "penngos" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I was a young'n, I discovered "Dream Park" and was utterly enthralled. Gaming was, at the time, in its infancy. Video games consisted of Missile Attack, PacMan and Centipede. The world was at the brink of the first major technological revolution since the sixties and the possibilities were endless. Authors Larry Niven and Steven Barnes took all that information and expanded it, suggesting the marriage of imagination and technology in a way that was new and exciting.

The story is relatively simple. A group of pretend adventurers suit up for a campaign called "The South Seas Treasure Game". As in the early Role Playing Games, there are Dungeon Masters, warriors, magicians and thieves. But the difference here is that they play in an artificial enclosure that has been enhanced with special effects, holograms, actors and a clever storyline. The players get as close as possible to truly living their adventure.

The plot thickens when a security guard inside the park is murdered and the main suspects are those playing the game. The park's head of security, Alex Griffin, joins the game to find the killer, but finds new meaning in the games he helps keep alive.

In my youth, this was all fascinating, thrilling stuff. I wanted nothing more than for Dream Park to become reality. The game was deftly plotted and there was a good deal of humor throughout. The characters, except for Griffin, were not rendered well, but I didn't care. They did their jobs as fodder for the game master's trickery and that was all I needed. The authors' real genius lie in the descriptions of the workings of the park and of the game.

I recently reread Dream Park. At the age of 40, the adventure still stands strong. It's not exactly an adult's book, but neither is it strictly for young adults. The ideas and concepts that were once fresh and startling are now old hat to readers of Neal Stephenson, Bruce Sterling and William Gibson, but the archaic ideas about what was possible add a sense of nostalgia, a glimpse of what the world was like when it stood on the rim of the present. For this reason, Dream Park might be enjoyable to new readers, adults and teens alike.

Sadly, much of what was predicted has not yet come to pass. Real-time gaming has not gone much further than seedy laser-tag parlors on the outskirts of town. But I know it's possible. It's going to happen. I just need to be patient.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great One From Niven, July 24, 2002

By	Richard R. Carlton (Ada, MI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

First of all, it's OK to read this review without spoiling the story for you (I really hate when people do that).

If you read the other reviews you will quickly see that there are many of us who have read Dream Park numerous times and consider it among that small band of visionary science fiction tales. Niven has several books on my short list (Mote In Gods Eye is at the top).

Although gamers will love the story, it is a well written science fiction piece, and also works well as a murder mystery. Some of the technical innovations are now showing their age (fan fold computer paper, etc.) but with the incredible growth of both e-gaming and the huge multi-million dollar amusement/game/fantasy complexes in Orlando, there is a natural symbiosis just waiting to happen. This is not Jurrasic Park or anything like that....this is a classic science fiction approach to what could become.....and as Niven is one of the great SciFi writers of all time.....as well articulated as you will find in any great literary work.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An old favorite, August 5, 2001

By	Evan Waters (Kansas City, MO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

DREAM PARK is a favorite book of mine- though it's hardly a true literary classic, it's a remarkable achievement in the "pop" fiction world. Here is a high-tech thriller that's not just exciting but thoughtful, detailed, empathetic and charming. It's a little epic that's more rewarding than it looks.

The setting is Dream Park, a futuristic fantasy theme park full of holographic attractions and the latest in VR technology. A team of players enters the South Seas Treasure Game, one of the Park's frequent live-action high-endurance fantasy role-playing spectaculars, facing off against the diabolical designs of Gamemaster Richard Lopez. All's fun and games until a Park security guard is murdered, a valuable research property stolen, and all evidence points to someone inside the game. Security chief Alex Griffin goes undercover into the game to unmask the culprit. Unfortunately for him, Lopez believes in fair play, and if the Griffin wants to stay in the game long enough to catch the criminal he'll have to overcome the same obstacles as the rest of the team.

Dream Park is in and of itself a fantastic setting, with enough combination of whimsy and high-tech that I wished I could go (and I'm probably not the only one.) What makes the plot work so well is the combination of the mystery-thriller element with the high fantasy adventure of the Game. The players in this game are just as serious about winning as Griffin is about solving his case- there are no prizes at stake, no salaries paid, it's a matter of them doing their best. Their dedication is actually quite touching, and the descriptions of the adventure are so vivid that they're impossible to separate from the "reality" of the Park. It's not a fearful "has technology gone too far" attitude that prevails here (unlike the similar film WESTWORLD), but an appreciation of fantasy and imagination. It helps that the game's plot is in itself intriguing and original, centering around the magic of the Melanesian "cargo cults", and the recovery of a powerful WWII artifact at stake. There are monsters, zombies, and even a riddle contest with a Melanesian god. There's a lot to digest, but it all moves at a brisk and absorbing pace.

On top of it all, though, what makes this book so much fun is its characters. Niven and Barnes have filled the story with people who are real, vibrant, sympathetic, complicated, and compelling. There's veteran gaming couple Ollie Norliss and Gwen Ryder, the diminuitive, quirky but tough and lovable Mary Martha Corbett (Mary-Em for short, pardon the pun), bewildered novice Tony McWhirter, "game groupie" Janet who appears in the game as a maiden in distress, dedicated second-stringer Holly Frost, and the near-obsessed team leader Chester Henderson. And that's just skimming the surface- almost every character is fascinating.

Is it a perfect book? I suppose not, but it's practically perfect for what it is. It's a sophisticated page turner, and Niven and Barnes could teach Crichton or Clancy a thing or two.