Tuesday Tickle

Tuesday Tickle is a meme inspired by Should Be Reading's Teaser Tuesday. It goes a little deeper by adding character introductions, setting history, blurbs, or videos of author interviews and the like. In other words, it gives you a more in depth look at the book.

This week's teaser is plucked from Disemblance by Shanae Branham:

Jason Tanner’s life has always been different from the ordinary citizen’s. It started when he was an infant and his parents were only teenagers. A computer science prodigy, Lloyd attended MIT but left a pariah in the eyes of the school’s dean—but a computer physics genius in the eyes of his primary investor. Then his theories and ideas created a holographic machine and their world shrunk as contact with the outside world became less and less frequent. A computer prodigy now himself, Jason is about to learn that the world never waits for you if you have the ability to change it: it will come for you.

Detective Bruce Durante has been handed the case of the Comfort Killer, a serial killer so named because he appears to abduct terminally ill patients before returning their corpses to their families in refrigerated coffins. When he picks up the trail, it leads straight to the home of Lloyd Tanner.

Jason has been living life through the world of Lloyd’s invention and wishing he could carry on a relationship with Boston, the beautiful girl next door. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, he is brought back to reality in a hurry. He is forced to destroy all of the planted evidence—and finds he is being targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. But the secrets of his father’s invention run deep and Jason, his brother Isaac,Boston, the Comfort Killer, and Detective Durante hurtle towards one another on a deadly collision course that leaves everyone’s life hanging in the balance.

Jason a little bit of a loner. Not that it was ever his choice ~ his dad forced this lifestyle onto his kids to protect his invention ~ the holodeck. That's right Star Treck fans, I said holodeck :). Not that Jason minds; he's quite content in his lifestyle (mostly), but, then again, there's this girl...

"His heart raced at the prospect of speaking with her. As they crossed onto the street between their homes, she stopped and stared at him His face flushed, and his hands perspired. The thought of speaking with her was too much for him to handle right now. He bolted for home."

Ah, the girls always change everything. But Jason is more comfortable with the machines he has grown up working on. Now, I'm not a Star Trek fan, so I was a little ~ ignorant ~ when it came to the function of a holodeck. Thank goodness for Wikipedia... Turns out ~ I want one!

The holodeck is depicted as an enclosed room in which objects and people are simulated by a combination of transported matter, replicated matter, tractor beams, and shaped force fields onto which holographic images are projected. Sounds and smells are simulated by speakers and fragranced fluid atomizers, respectively. The feel of a large environment is simulated by suspending the participants on force fields which move with their feet, keeping them from reaching the walls of the room (a virtual treadmill). (Wikipedia)

Sounds like it could be addicting.. Experiencing an environment where you control all the factors and elements around you? Sounds safe, easy, and beautiful.. on the other hand, very predictable...

I wouldn't say Jason is afraid of the real world, I think he just sees it as an unnecessary with his little close-knit family and a machine that can take him anywhere he wants to go... and with his mother gone, I think he feels the need to stay away from the pain relationships can bring... the holodeck fulfills his needs...

"Life was bliss inside this machine. Here Jason controlled his feelings because he controlled his relationships. He chose only those programs that brought him joy."

hmmm... didn't I say addicting?

Well, there's a look for ya ~ hope you get the urge to read this book. I'm whippin' right through it! Can't put it down...


Happy Reading Everyone :)


~ Keely ~