What are goals? Alternate realities, glimpses into ‘one other place’, the place our minds go free, or our brains attempting to make sense of the earlier wakened hours?
No matter they’re, they’ve been a science fiction and fantasy staple for many years, from Roger Zelazny’s Amber sequence to Elric’s Moonbeam Roads connecting the Multiverse, to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and recently Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive sequence and Richard Swan’s Empire of the Wolf books.
Maybe I also needs to point out the ever present Stephen King’s ebook and movie Dreamcatcher or the film Inception.
I’m certain that there are a whole bunch of different examples, each out and in of style. Desires are clearly one thing which fascinate us – a connection between the true and unreal, as they maintain prospects someplace between hope and despair. They might appear actual, however are simply our creativeness. As Roy Orbison as soon as sang,
“In goals I stroll with you.
In goals I speak to you.
In goals you’re mine, the entire time.
We’re collectively in goals, in goals.”
The relevance of this? Properly, right here now we have Lucid, the debut novel from younger creator Oraine Johnson. It’s a narrative set in a near-future Birmingham (within the UK), a story of city fantasy with a contact of an action-adventure thrown in. However most of all, it’s a detective thriller mixed with these somnambulistic archetypes.
Joe Jacobs is a typical teenager residing in a near-future Birmingham. (For non-UK readers, that’s the second-biggest metropolis in England.) He lives along with his adopted Mum, detective Elizabeth Jacobs, however can be at current going to College, attending lectures by Professor Gray.
In his leisure time he hangs out along with his lifelong buddy Sam West, who, like his different buddy Aleyah is a geeky outsider. Bonded by their widespread pursuits, the three of them take care of the entire pursuits and tribulations of life put upon youngsters – skateboarding, coursework, vogue, movies, pc video games, music, to not point out racism, sexism, bullies, gangs and doable romantic relationships. It made me somewhat consider Spiderman’s Peter Parker to some extent – or maybe extra Miles Morales, as Joe is an individual of color, however with a Birmingham (Brummie) accent.
Joe has his personal private points as effectively. He’s an orphan, which has brought on him trauma from childhood and for which he has been till lately having counselling. He additionally takes remedy for panic assaults.
All of those challenges imply that when he begins having blackouts and experiencing hallucinogenic visions it’s initially unclear whether or not this can be a new problem or simply one thing that could be a consequence of this. Is Joe is having episodes created by stress and scuffling with being a young person, or may they simply be him badly reacting to his remedy?
When Joe’s mum (ex-detective however nonetheless concerned with the police pressure) turns into concerned in a homicide case close to to the place they dwell, this creates extra rigidity, not simply because she has to reluctantly work with ex-colleague Detective Kukadia, however as a result of Joe sees issues in his goals.
It could be related to a wierd present arrives on Joe’s birthday: a dreamcatcher that hums with otherworldly power. There’s no sender, and no rationalization, simply an eerie inscription: ‘We Are Such Stuff As Desires Are Made On’.
As issues progress Joe, his family and friends turn into not solely dragged into occasions, however are additionally put in peril – one thing that maybe solely Joe can kind out.
It is likely to be value mentioning that there are points within the novel that could be triggering for youthful readers – the ebook offers with psychological well being, hospitals and establishments, to not point out neurological problems which can be problematic for some readers.
My first thought on ending this ebook is that it’s surprisingly visible. Johnson spends plenty of time relating in prose issues that might work effectively on a tv or cinema display screen or graphic novel – emojis, transcripts of speech and telephone/text-speak, the language of youngsters at present. As you may count on! This grounds the ebook in a level of actuality, essential for what occurs subsequent.
Oraine additionally provides in noises and sound results in prose to the textual content, to visualise this additional –‘boof’, ‘bzzzggggrrrrr’ and ’bang-bang’, amongst others.
I assume in a world the place a lot is communicated by way of visible means, from movies on Tik Tok and YouTube to programmes streamed on Netflix and the like, that it shouldn’t be that a lot of a shock, but it surely is likely to be to some readers. I’ve seen this earlier than – L E Modesitt Jr’s Recluse novels do the identical.
Curiously, it was so filmic that as I learn I discovered I used to be allocating essential characters to particular actors – I noticed Professor Gray as Morgan Freeman and Detective Kukadia as Luther, a personality performed by Edris Elba, for instance.
We additionally get, within the best traditions of Netflix and the like, a cliffhanger ending.
This visuality additionally meant that there was a fluidity to the prose. The tempo of the ebook is quick, which signifies that you don’t have to consider issues an excessive amount of, as they transfer alongside swiftly. The draw back of that is that among the minor characters are skimpy of their particulars as we concentrate on the actions of Joe, his associates and his mom. Most crime books do that, I believe – you must fear much less concerning the background particulars as they’re recognisable from any police procedural you will have seen or learn.
It was pleasing to learn an city fantasy not set in a significant American metropolis and even London, like Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London sequence; This has some properly developed native color, which makes locations recognisable and but barely totally different. Consider it as a modern-day Peaky Blinders however extra style components.
This works up to a degree right here; gunfights within the hospitals of Birmingham and fights in Birmingham throughout the gangland metropolis centre pushed credulity somewhat, though once more I’m conscious that there are even weirder issues additionally occurring within the ebook on the time!
Briefly, Lucid is an efficient debut novel – a fast-paced and likable debut, with sufficient to make it totally different from many comparable novels. Its readable prose, agreeable characters and fast supply will maintain these pages turning, notably for youthful readers who I believe will discover this very interesting.
© 2025 Mark Yon
Hardback | Gollancz
LUCID by Oraine Johnson
August 2025 | 432 pages
ISBN: 978 1399 610 155
Leave a Reply