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Dream Park cover art

Dream Park

By: Larry Niven, Steven Barnes
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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Summary

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. The difference? At Dream Park, a futuristic fantasy theme park full of holographic attractions and the latest in VR technology, they play in an artificial enclosure that has been enhanced with special effects, holograms, actors, and a clever story line. The players get as close as possible to truly living their adventure.

All's fun and games until a park security guard is murdered, a valuable research property is stolen, and all evidence points to someone inside 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.

©2017 Larry Niven and Steven Barnes (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

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Absolutly terrible.

For 40 years i counted myslef as the biggest fan of Larry Nivens work. I read dozens of his ''Known Space'' books not long after they originally came out, and i remember having multiple shelves full of his books more than anyone elses. When it comes to mankinds future history and technology, alien races and civilizations, and the possible history of our galaxy, then Nivens vision and scope is usually right up there with Arthur C. Clarke.
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But i have just finished this audiobook. I know that this is supposed to be a loving dig at the role-playing-game community, but there seems to be only two types of women here. 99% of them are are breathy nymphomaniacs described by Niven (and portrayed by Grover Gardner) like Dr Goodnsexy from Futurama. And the rest of the women are (of course) the frumpy old maid type.
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And it's not just his description of women that feels overly simple AND overly sexual. It feels like almost every conversation is forplay of some kind. Pretty early on i began to wonder if i was listen to something by Benny Hill by mistake. Or perhaps an audio version of one of the ''Carry On'' films. This constantly reminded me of that awkward feeling of being a child in the 70's when i could sense everything else in the world was so sexual, but i just wanted to skateboard or whatever. By the fifth or tenth time that a couple are described by what the male does, and by the females hair, lips, and body, then i just kind of mentally checked out.
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But even everything else about this book was just a big ''so what?''. Maybe it didn't help that the forward by Niven was so self congratulatory that i was expecting his ultimate masterpiece. But combined with the few extra words at the end this now feels more like Alan Partridge patting himself on the back when he dosn't realise what an egotistical idiot he is.
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Yes, i played this audiobook all the way to the end, but i don't know why as i'd stopped caring about 15 hours beforehand, and it was all just academic. Maybe i was hoping it would suddenly grab me. Because no book by Larry Niven, in fact no sci-fi book ever, has left me thinking ''who cares?'' at the end, until now.
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3 people found this helpful

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loved it.

I loved it.
But I did find the technical descriptiveness a bit laboured.
I think if you press thru to the story you'll enjoy it.

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1 person found this helpful

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Great story

I first read this years ago. Hearing the audible version was great- very well read and presented.

Very imaginative and prescient re modern gaming.


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Read the original

Always liked Larry Niven, liked this reading of what is still a good story, plan to get the rest

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