The prologue begins with Norma, the President of the United States trapped inside the Demi-Monde and running for her life. Norma, the daughter of the president of the United States, was lured into the computer simulation. Like other players in the Demi-Monde, Norma’s physical body is left behind and vulnerable, similar to the movie Inception. In a more Dreamscape-ish twist, if she dies in the virtual game, she actually dies, instead of just waking. In an effort to save the President’s daughter, a young jazz singer, Ella Thomas, is made an offer she can’t refuse. Ella soon discovers though, that this virtual world is much more dangerous than she or anyone else imagined.
The Demi-Monde: Winter borrows heavily from established science fiction premises but never feels as derivative as it could. There is enough different and fresh to distinguish the journey from the huge number of stories it deftly borrows from. Stylistically, the 528 pages read freshly and easily and the tale rarely gets bogged down. Where, it really shines is the authenticity of the fantastic character that could easily come off as campy, particularly in an over the top steam punk world.
Overall, Demi-Monde is more than a good book, and once the series is completed will probably have to be re-evaluated. What keeps it from ascending to more now is there is little in it you haven’t read or seen before in books, movies, TV shows and video games. Though if the individual components are recycled, the formula itself isn’t. That being said, fans of the cancelled Caprica TV series should definitely give this book a read. As one that misses it terribly myself, it’s certainly my type of science fiction.
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