WELCOME TO MAKE-BELIEVE. YOU CREATE THE FANTASY, THEY CONTROL YOUR MIND. Cassie worked at Imagen, the tech giant behind the cutting-edge virtual reality experience Make-BelieveTM, and she got to know the product well. Too well. But Cassie has been barred from her escape from the real world, and legally gagged by the company. Her dream job now seems to be part of a larger nightmare, and Imagen is not done with her yet. With Imagen holding all the cards, and personal and public freedoms at stake, how far will Cassie go to end the deception?

Immerse yourself in a near-future world akin to Black Mirror and Vox with an all-too plausible slant on reality and fantasy for our ‘connected’ times.

My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the opportunity to join the blog tour and to publisher Allison and Busby for sending me a review copy of the book.

Welcome to a world where virtual reality is real. Where people can escape the humdrum of their lives for short periods to live out a fantasy. They can fly, act how they wish, own flash cars or see the far flung corners of the world.  Escapism at the cutting-edge of technology.  The gift of another life is offered by Imagen – they have huge influence and are one of the most upwardly mobile companies in the world. By offering a subscription service to users they ensure repeat customers and a steadily growing client base – people can’t get enough of Make-Believe.

But people CAN get enough of Make-Believe.  Too much.  As it becomes addictive for some people, the limited time they are allowed isn’t enough for them and they want to use it more and more.  The most determined find a way but invariably they are caught – so it is for Cassie.  She worked for Imagen but when she got caught abusing her position she lost her job and lost access to the Make-Believe network.  As the system captures and records a user’s DNA there is no way Cassie can forge a new identity and re-join Make-Believe.  When we first meet her she is at a support group, mixing with drug users and alcohol dependents she chooses to sit in the group sessions but not to share details of her addiction (or of her suspension from the system).

At one meeting Cassie meets a kindred spirit.  A young man who has also been abusing the system and spending too much time in Make-Believe. He too was caught and banned and now the couple are, against Cassie’s better judgement, a couple and together they are trying to work out why Imagen is showing a drop-off in income.  Could the couple just be the tip of the iceberg and are there hundreds of users being kicked off Make-Believe for becoming addicted?  If this was the case then how could it have been hushed up?  If Imagen’s downturn is NOT due to addicts being removed from the service then why would their financial performance be dropping off? The company have explanations but Cassie isn’t buying it and she sets out to uncover the truth.

Pitting herself against big business is dangerous and Cassie is not the most stable of people.  Her addiction has cost her the trust of family and friends and there are few with the skills or the inclination to help her get behind the scenes of Imagen.  Jane Alexander sets up the situation perfectly.  Cassie has weaknesses and vulnerabilities which she must overcome.  Her reliance upon Make-Believe and what she begins to uncover about the product Imagen are so efficiently promoting to its subscribers is actually quite chilling.  When we consider the rapid development of computers and the speed at which they have taken over our lives it is quite easy to believe there are improper and alarming decisions being taken behind the doors of corporate boardrooms.

This is a thought-provoking adventure. Not too far removed from reality but heavily influenced by the potential of virtual reality.  Engaging reading and the story holds together well.  Enjoyed this – a departure from my usual reads but a very welcome change.

A User’s Guide to Make-Believe is currently available in hardback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0749025107/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0