Scan barcode
domydoo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
swalk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
‘Everything alive on this planet exists in its current form due to mutations’
During a mission, Bricker discovers his inability to die when an instinct prevents him from deploying his parachute. This revelation unveils his superior species status, an evolutionary leap for humanity. Dr. Gordon aims to study Bricker, but authorities consider him deceased. However, Bricker's consciousness resides in the multiverse, where he explores various lives. Each visit uncovers a frightening journey.
‘The Creeps’ and ‘The Brute’ were truly nightmarish, they made me feel incredibly uncomfortable and slightly queasy, I have no doubt this was the intention but it was very visceral. This took more of a horrific gore and rape twist than the other books, which was hard to endure. (CW Episode name Channel 14)
The storyline takes on a peculiar trajectory, becoming challenging to follow midway through, and I ended up quite confused. Whilst I love Pauley as an author, overall this one was not for me I’m afraid.
The narrator was great as usual and has a fantastic range of character voices.
During a mission, Bricker discovers his inability to die when an instinct prevents him from deploying his parachute. This revelation unveils his superior species status, an evolutionary leap for humanity. Dr. Gordon aims to study Bricker, but authorities consider him deceased. However, Bricker's consciousness resides in the multiverse, where he explores various lives. Each visit uncovers a frightening journey.
‘The Creeps’ and ‘The Brute’ were truly nightmarish, they made me feel incredibly uncomfortable and slightly queasy, I have no doubt this was the intention but it was very visceral. This took more of a horrific gore and rape twist than the other books, which was hard to endure. (CW Episode name Channel 14)
The storyline takes on a peculiar trajectory, becoming challenging to follow midway through, and I ended up quite confused. Whilst I love Pauley as an author, overall this one was not for me I’m afraid.
The narrator was great as usual and has a fantastic range of character voices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Gore
swilson4995's review against another edition
1.0
A horrific experiment. An individual - a cyborg, really - living simultaneous lives. The megalomanic behind it all. As a scifi fan, the premise of "Automated Daydreaming" drew me in. It's unfortunate, then, that the book did not live up to its promise.
I'll begin with the positive: having listened to the audiobook version, I found the performance to be absolutely stellar.
As for the content: Feeling like a mix between Kafka's subversive tales and the most violent parts of Ghost in the Shell, this book did indeed require a content warning. Even that may not have prepared me for the brutality of the narrative - especially the dream sequences. But I can put aside any personal distaste I may have for descriptions of violence if it serves either the narrative or to subvert established power structures in our real lives. It could be argued that art does not bear that burden - but I do not agree.
Unlike Kafka, there is no deeper meaning here. There is no subversion - no truth spoken to power. The narrative - with its overblown language that still someone places the reader at a distance from the story - serves only to re-establish the power structures within which we live. I see here nothing of value: I read into it only self-indulgence, as if these are entries in a journal of nightmares rather than dreams.
I'll begin with the positive: having listened to the audiobook version, I found the performance to be absolutely stellar.
As for the content: Feeling like a mix between Kafka's subversive tales and the most violent parts of Ghost in the Shell, this book did indeed require a content warning. Even that may not have prepared me for the brutality of the narrative - especially the dream sequences. But I can put aside any personal distaste I may have for descriptions of violence if it serves either the narrative or to subvert established power structures in our real lives. It could be argued that art does not bear that burden - but I do not agree.
Unlike Kafka, there is no deeper meaning here. There is no subversion - no truth spoken to power. The narrative - with its overblown language that still someone places the reader at a distance from the story - serves only to re-establish the power structures within which we live. I see here nothing of value: I read into it only self-indulgence, as if these are entries in a journal of nightmares rather than dreams.
nezimmer's review against another edition
2.0
Automated Daydreaming is a haunting novel about the dark side of immortality. There are several VERY uncomfortable sections and the general feeling of the book shifts halfway through. The addition of the gratuitous rape scenes that start at this point are the reason why. I ended up speeding up during those sections because they added nothing to the experience for me.
The concept was very fascinating but the execution was just off for me. I spread through because it is written well and I wanted to know how it was going to all wrap-up but, but I found myself caring very little about the middle and then let down by the ending. There is one section that is FANTASTIC and after that everything fell flat.
Connor Brannigan also does a fantastic job of narrating this novel. He captures the vibe of this book perfectly and channels both the format of the narrative and also the emotion of the characters which saved the experience for me.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free ARC copy of the audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The concept was very fascinating but the execution was just off for me. I spread through because it is written well and I wanted to know how it was going to all wrap-up but, but I found myself caring very little about the middle and then let down by the ending. There is one section that is FANTASTIC and after that everything fell flat.
Connor Brannigan also does a fantastic job of narrating this novel. He captures the vibe of this book perfectly and channels both the format of the narrative and also the emotion of the characters which saved the experience for me.
Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a free ARC copy of the audiobook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
sheska_meroba's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this ebook in a Goodreads giveaway. I don’t know that horror is for me, if I was rating solely on personal enjoyment (which I usually do) this would have gotten a 3 star, but I felt like this was so well written and I loved how all the story threads were woven together, so I bumped it up to a 4 star, which I think it deserves.
nelli_lakatos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Automated Daydreaming was a truly excellent read, full of action, weirdness and excitement! As always the narration was phenomenal by Connor Brannigan, just like the story. William Pauley III is an absolutely incredible author so far this was my favorite by him!
I highly recommend reading this brilliant book and also all of Pauley’s works, every single book he writes is honestly just perfect!
Thank you @netgalley and @doomfiction for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I highly recommend reading this brilliant book and also all of Pauley’s works, every single book he writes is honestly just perfect!
Thank you @netgalley and @doomfiction for an AudioARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
avalinda's review against another edition
3.0
Automated Nightmaring might be a more accurate, if less melodic, title for this novel. Don't be fooled by the cool cover and poetic summary - this is an extremely disturbing book. Two particular scenes were twisted, gratuitous, and pornographic, which I daresay will turn the stomach of even seasoned horror and true-crime fans. It certainly did for me. (In short, if you prefer books to have trigger warnings on them, do not attempt to read this or be prepared to DNF around the 30% mark. There's no table of contents on the Kindle edition, so I don't have an exact page number, nor do I want to go back and find it.)
The rest of the story was intriguing, and the level of morbidly fascinating that I expected. I enjoyed the premise of an immortal man's consciousness uploaded to the cloud, allowing him to live five lives at once. There is a psychedelic quality to some of the characters' experiences, and figuring out how the storylines fit together kept me going. Unfortunately, I had several gripes with the writing style, mostly in the 2nd half of the book. Spoiler alerts to follow.
Plot:
I liked the overall structure of the book, even though jumping between timelines confused me at points, until I realized each chapter number was one of the 5 channels (lives) on Bricker's brain-switch. Adam/Lazarus and Flynn's storylines were my least favorite (due to the graphic rape scenes presented in each one), though the disjointed nature of Adam's narration was a nice touch indicating his descent into madness. My favorite was the unnamed woman of channel 23 - I might have forgotten her name, but it was the most emotionally charged POV and the most surreal. I never expected mermaids to appear in a novel that reads like hard sci-fi, but it was an interesting addition. I wonder if the mermaids' deaths, and the fact that they numbered 13 in all, had any special significance for the story - if so, I might have missed the symbolism.
Gordon and Bricker are the common elements between the storylines, and it later becomes clear that Gordon has experimented on and dismembered all 5 immortals, irreversibly connecting their minds in the ether. The ending is trippy, sending us back to the beginning for an eternal loop which constitutes the "automatic daydreaming." Though the mad-scientist-playing-God concept isn't new, I liked the spin put on it - where Gordon believes immortality is the next phase in human evolution, and that he can add to it by separating consciousness from the body. But he never gets past the simulation stage. He's addicted to his power over other minds, proof of the darkness that emerges time and again in the human race and which we'll likely never shed no matter how fast we think we're evolving. And maybe we've never really moved forward in the first place; our primal, violent tendencies are simply repressed to conform to social standards, and there's no telling when they might awaken.
Writing Style:
The first third of the book was engaging and well written, with some emotional and philosophical musings that made me sympathize with the different characters. 23's story particularly tugged at my heartstrings. But I was jolted out of the immersion by several things - the graphic scenes (which I won't re-discuss), Bricker's over-narration, and the gradual decrease in writing quality.
First, the writing style doesn't match that of the summary, which was what drew me to the book in the first place, so I felt a little disappointed and misled. From the ~40% mark onward, I also started seeing grammatical/syntax errors here and there, along with excessive wordiness, as if the editing job had suddenly stopped there. Plus, Bricker tends to preface or end every other chapter with lines like "the following visions came..." or "memories swirl..." or "static and then I was seeing visions again..." which started to get on my nerves - I was already well aware that he was changing channels from the first few chapters and didn't need constant reminders. I ended up skimming for the rest of the book so I wouldn't have to reread every other sentence twice, and didn't feel like I missed much unfortunately.
Some examples of subpar writing (not comprehensive):
Call me picky, but things like this distract from the text's purpose, and no reader should have to stop to reread a sentence and sift through typos and stylistic gaffes. It reduces any positive impact the book might otherwise have.
In the spirit of fairness, however, I'll qualify my complaints with several passages I really enjoyed for their poetic structure and emotional punch. It's a shame that there wasn't more of this throughout the story.
The occasional good moments such as the above, and the strength of the premise, were among this book's redeeming qualities. I just wish the execution had been more consistent in terms of content and writing style. I can't say I hated this book, though I strongly disliked parts of it, so it gets a 3 star from me.
The rest of the story was intriguing, and the level of morbidly fascinating that I expected. I enjoyed the premise of an immortal man's consciousness uploaded to the cloud, allowing him to live five lives at once. There is a psychedelic quality to some of the characters' experiences, and figuring out how the storylines fit together kept me going. Unfortunately, I had several gripes with the writing style, mostly in the 2nd half of the book. Spoiler alerts to follow.
Plot:
I liked the overall structure of the book, even though jumping between timelines confused me at points, until I realized each chapter number was one of the 5 channels (lives) on Bricker's brain-switch. Adam/Lazarus and Flynn's storylines were my least favorite (due to the graphic rape scenes presented in each one), though the disjointed nature of Adam's narration was a nice touch indicating his descent into madness. My favorite was the unnamed woman of channel 23 - I might have forgotten her name, but it was the most emotionally charged POV and the most surreal. I never expected mermaids to appear in a novel that reads like hard sci-fi, but it was an interesting addition. I wonder if the mermaids' deaths, and the fact that they numbered 13 in all, had any special significance for the story - if so, I might have missed the symbolism.
Gordon and Bricker are the common elements between the storylines, and it later becomes clear that Gordon has experimented on and dismembered all 5 immortals, irreversibly connecting their minds in the ether. The ending is trippy, sending us back to the beginning for an eternal loop which constitutes the "automatic daydreaming." Though the mad-scientist-playing-God concept isn't new, I liked the spin put on it - where Gordon believes immortality is the next phase in human evolution, and that he can add to it by separating consciousness from the body. But he never gets past the simulation stage. He's addicted to his power over other minds, proof of the darkness that emerges time and again in the human race and which we'll likely never shed no matter how fast we think we're evolving. And maybe we've never really moved forward in the first place; our primal, violent tendencies are simply repressed to conform to social standards, and there's no telling when they might awaken.
Writing Style:
The first third of the book was engaging and well written, with some emotional and philosophical musings that made me sympathize with the different characters. 23's story particularly tugged at my heartstrings. But I was jolted out of the immersion by several things - the graphic scenes (which I won't re-discuss), Bricker's over-narration, and the gradual decrease in writing quality.
First, the writing style doesn't match that of the summary, which was what drew me to the book in the first place, so I felt a little disappointed and misled. From the ~40% mark onward, I also started seeing grammatical/syntax errors here and there, along with excessive wordiness, as if the editing job had suddenly stopped there. Plus, Bricker tends to preface or end every other chapter with lines like "the following visions came..." or "memories swirl..." or "static and then I was seeing visions again..." which started to get on my nerves - I was already well aware that he was changing channels from the first few chapters and didn't need constant reminders. I ended up skimming for the rest of the book so I wouldn't have to reread every other sentence twice, and didn't feel like I missed much unfortunately.
Some examples of subpar writing (not comprehensive):
"xxxxxx would have to have been much older than this man. xxxxxx would have surely been dead by now. No way in all of Hell that the man on the street was one in the same. In all of Hell. No way." (One in the same and one and the same are not the same...)
"... I noticed the white v-neck t-shirt I was wearing was stained with a concoction that looked to be two parts blood, one part motor oil. Who's blood? I wasn't sure..." (Who's vs whose should have been easily caught.)
"The topside of the gloves sported a patch of mirrored metal studs that shined like a fist of diamonds under the sun." (Shined and shone have very different usages.)
"The waitress sighed and smashed it [the cricket] violently against the countertop with a spoon. Yellow insect guts spurted out from beneath the utensil as its armored skin popped and split apart from the weight crushing down upon it." (This one was just hard to get through with all the inserted words, plus "utensil" sounded awkward.)
"The man with the knife clinched his jaw and punched Scarface square in the nose with his knife-packed fist." (Wait, he was holding a knife? And don't get me started on clinched vs clenched...)
"The shattered glass glitter-sparkled on the ground outside the phone booth as if the dirt was fertile with imperfect diamonds." (Glitter-sparkled? Why use 2 words that mean exactly the same thing?)
Call me picky, but things like this distract from the text's purpose, and no reader should have to stop to reread a sentence and sift through typos and stylistic gaffes. It reduces any positive impact the book might otherwise have.
In the spirit of fairness, however, I'll qualify my complaints with several passages I really enjoyed for their poetic structure and emotional punch. It's a shame that there wasn't more of this throughout the story.
"A song played on the stereo called 'Your Funeral, My Trial' and I stared at the sky, my face basking in the pale moonlight, as the man on the radio sang about his guilt, his shame, and I looked at the moon as he sang about her, how her beauty was worthless, and I felt the same. We listened to the song on repeat until we caught up to the end of the world: the ocean, the salty sea. I hadn’t seen it in so long. So many years wasted on other things— other loves, other feelings, other beauties—but nothing compared to this, this moment here with her at the edge of the earth. Nothing ever came close."
"... I knew better than to believe in peace, but in that moment I was feeling something that felt close enough to it to call it that. The night felt electric. My feet felt rooted inside a mechanical earth. I was part of the machine, part of its strange nature, a human somehow evolving and de-evolving all at once. I felt closeness, I heard the heartbeat of god in the soil."
"You and all the lives you know exist only in my creation, this simulation within a simulation. You are the product. You are the experiment. You are the subject. Your life has already been lived, spent, and now you are forever dreaming. Day after day the dreams return. They are cyclical and automatic. Automated daydreaming. All my creation. You are a lie. Nothing is real.”
The occasional good moments such as the above, and the strength of the premise, were among this book's redeeming qualities. I just wish the execution had been more consistent in terms of content and writing style. I can't say I hated this book, though I strongly disliked parts of it, so it gets a 3 star from me.
henrickl's review against another edition
3.0
An avid dreamer myself, though not as intensely as the character, I found this book portraying what happens when dreams and reality contort within each other. The beginning felt loosely written, yet I’m so glad I continued to read past the first 10 pages.
This was my first Doom Fiction novel, and while it’s not my most favorite genre, it definitely was captivating and suspenseful all on its own. There were a few times where the novel made me uncomfortable as a reader, the imagery was so intense, but I also found myself not wanting to skip through that part out of fear of what I might miss.
The concept of the story, switching between “channels” and therefore dreams that were also part of reality, was a well thought out adaptation to the novel. It added a secret depth that made the novel.
After reading Automated Daydreaming, I can honestly say that I might read another novel of this genre in the future.
This was my first Doom Fiction novel, and while it’s not my most favorite genre, it definitely was captivating and suspenseful all on its own. There were a few times where the novel made me uncomfortable as a reader, the imagery was so intense, but I also found myself not wanting to skip through that part out of fear of what I might miss.
The concept of the story, switching between “channels” and therefore dreams that were also part of reality, was a well thought out adaptation to the novel. It added a secret depth that made the novel.
After reading Automated Daydreaming, I can honestly say that I might read another novel of this genre in the future.
theplaguedoctorreads's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
eggyirl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Rape