Nick Sagan

I'd forgotten entirely whatever I'd read about this book when I finally started it, which made the disorienting opening surprisingly effective. A person wakes up, in pain and somewhat to be surprised to be alive, with complete amnesia. He slowly pieces together who and where he is, or so he thinks, but unexpected layer after layer of reality reveals itself. I haven't read any science fiction in quite some time, and this was a good reintroduction. Author Nick Sagan is the son of Carl Sagan, show more so I imagine I can expect his science, at least, to be convincing! show less

I listened to Idlewild (Book 1) in 2008, and had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. In this book, it was easier for me to connect the characters, and I thought a lot of the ideas explored were more interesting than the ones explored in the first book. In both books, I didn't find the inner monologs believable, but it's hard to tell if the writing is at fault or the readers when you're listening. I wasn't crazy about the ending, but I see now that there's a third, so perhaps, show more I'll feel differently if I ever get around to it. show less

Halloween wakes up disoriented, confused, with no memory, and is temporarily paralyzed. All he knows is someone (something?) is trying to kill him via electrocution, but he has no idea how to even begin to investigate.

Slowly but surely, our protagonist reunites with his friends and his environment, the pieces of the puzzle slowly clicking into place as time moves forward. Plagued by intermittent holes in his memory, Halloween re-integrates himself back into the land of the ... living?

Sort show more of.

Quickly we learn that Halloween and his quirky and enigmatic friends are living in a inter-conscious virtual reality termed IVR (Immersive Virtual Reality) where they are receiving an education unlike anything they'd find in the "outside" world. With virtual nannies, instructors, vampires, and the ability to travel anywhere in the world instantaneously, what could be better? What could go wrong?

Pesky time to interrupt and remind the reader of the paralyzing electrocution - a failed, yet very much attempted assassination.

Through searching for simply his own memory, Halloween uncovers an epic reality nobody could have imagined. Peeling back multiple layers (a la Inception) bring the reader to a shocking and haunting realization, and hurl our cast of characters into a sobering pit of responsibility that they won't all survive.

Nick Sagan's Idlewild is disorienting at first, and fairly so given the state of our protagonist. I am confused as much as Halloween is. As the light of understanding brightens slowly upon him, so do I gain my bearings and try to make sense of this world around me. As the story progresses and the intensity increases, I find myself enlightened and darkened at the same time. What a wonderful thing to gain understanding, but when what you're understanding is fraught with danger and the threat of being buried alive? You long for a sense of normalcy. My emotions were highly charged while reading this book, and I am already well into book #2. I look around and appreciate the world around me, all the while wondering if what I'm perceiving is what really IS. show less

When I started reading this, I had a distinct mental image of the exact setting described in the first few pages. And that mental image kept going through the whole novel.

The story, a mix of sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, and loss of innocence is good for YA and adult readers alike. As I was reading, I couldn't decide which it section it fit best in...before I gave up. A good book is a good book so who really cares?

Halloween is our main character and immediately, he's not exactly the best show more narrator, considering he can't remember anything. I thought this would irk me, and it did at first but soon I was just as curious as he was to figure out what was going on.

The interludes with the characters in italics slowly clues you in on what's going on and soon you'll have an idea at the same time Halloween does. I enjoyed the twist, though I figured it out before I think I was supposed to.

The second twist, however, took me by surprise. Though the ending, in my opinion, was a bit anti-climactic, I will still read the second book in the series. I think it'll be a good one! show less