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A review by briewoodfiction
The Dream Metropolis by Miles Cressman, David Mellor
4.0
Miles Cressman's debut is exemplary of the promising side of indie publishing, a solid and technical read that demands a certain caliber of reader to fully plumb its depths. The story is a heady affair that does not insult the reader's intelligence and allows for drawing one's own conclusions before tying up the ends on its own.
As a first novel it is not without its flaws. Speed bumps in the prose can interrupt the flow and some of the lingering plot threads will not pay off fully unless one is prepared to absorb the entire series. This is by design and while I've yet to launch into the other installments yet, I'm confident that Cressman's craft will come into its own as you follow him from one book to the next.
I feel that this first novel suffers from a somewhat schizophrenic presentation; the story itself would be found too complex by casual readers, while the prose isn't quite up to the heights of an M. John Harrison or similar mainstay of speculative fiction, thus perhaps losing the interest of more die-hard science fiction fans. A professional eye and a layer of polish would have done wonders, but this is a forgivable lament for an independent title.
Nonetheless I finished the book at a good fast clip and never found myself bored or overwhelmed. I look forward to moving onto the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend The Dream Metropolis to the open-minded reader.
As a first novel it is not without its flaws. Speed bumps in the prose can interrupt the flow and some of the lingering plot threads will not pay off fully unless one is prepared to absorb the entire series. This is by design and while I've yet to launch into the other installments yet, I'm confident that Cressman's craft will come into its own as you follow him from one book to the next.
I feel that this first novel suffers from a somewhat schizophrenic presentation; the story itself would be found too complex by casual readers, while the prose isn't quite up to the heights of an M. John Harrison or similar mainstay of speculative fiction, thus perhaps losing the interest of more die-hard science fiction fans. A professional eye and a layer of polish would have done wonders, but this is a forgivable lament for an independent title.
Nonetheless I finished the book at a good fast clip and never found myself bored or overwhelmed. I look forward to moving onto the next book in the series and would absolutely recommend The Dream Metropolis to the open-minded reader.