Review: Totally Captivating and Thought Provoking
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 3, 2013
I can't say I wasn't warned.  The preface asked all the HARD philosophical questions about life. What is a dream? What is reality? Where do our thoughts come from? Where do WE come from?  After a short warning that your choice will affect yourself, others and the very world, the reader is invited to choose whether or not to continue.I am an adventurous sort, so already intrigued by the thought provoking questions, I read on and started learning Swahili.The story starts with Angie and her grandfather Gork who are decorating a Christmas tree. Finding her grandfather slipping deep into thought, Angie asks him to share his thoughts and memories.  So begins the story of Gork who travels to an archeological site in California, to discover the origins of man and the meaning of life.He meets his local guide Charlie who advises him that, "You need only look within yourself." Charlie becomes his guide not only to the archeological site but to a world of dreams, time travel and the origins of man.Gork dreams of Armani, the love of his life, past present and future. He sets out to find Armani in his dreams and ends up finding her in the real world.The author Thomas Stafford weaves a captivating tale that plunges us into a world of Sci-Fi and dream time and asks us to consider the nature of reality.  I am a fan of Sci-Fi and fantasy fiction, but most fiction doesn't ask us to think. This book asks us to contemplate philosophical questions about the nature of our existence.  It is also an excellent story that involves a host of interesting characters,  elements of romance, ancient history, dreams within dreams, and a smattering of Swahili.It is a TOTALLY captivating and thought provoking read!