Freedom – Just Another Word

"Loved it! 😍Mystical mixes with physical in this adventure tale. I would recommend it most for people who yearn for an escape from reality. -Jessica Lucci, Reedsy Discovery

SYNOPSIS

In wilds of Alaska, the land of misfits, would you believe the crazy stories of a pot-stirring survivalist? Jake Barnes didn't often wear a gun, but he would be now. His freedom is in danger when psychological afflictions come knocking. 

Jake is building a homestead when he opens the door to lucid dreaming. He wanted the thrill of flying, instead he's grounded when his fiancé, Kat, announces her pregnancy. Everyone has advice as he teeters on the brink of psychosis. The line between dreams and reality blur and Jake's decisions may cost him everything he cares about, including his infant son. 

Half way around the globe, the Punan Dyaks of Borneo are manifesting their Dream Messiah when a plane crash heralds the end of their world. While more than one person wants Jake Barnes to burn in hell, another hand is guiding him to a baptism by fire and water as these two worlds converge. 

How far into the shadowworld will Jake go in this first book of the Dream Messiah Series? Adventure and magical realism make keep you turning the pages. How will you judge Jake Barns? This dark adventure story will change your life forever. Get it today!

""Freedom-Just Another Word"" by Randy L Scott is a different sort of supernatural novel. 

Jake Barnes is sick of his factory-town life. Abuse and belittlement, religious fanatics, and a distrust of authority coax the young man away from everything he knows. He seeks adventure, and finds it in Alaska, the land of misfits. 

He feels right at home in the wilderness. Homesteading is the all-encompassing task he has sought for his body, mind, and spirit. His fiancee, infant son, and fellow homesteaders support the greenhorn as he scrapes his new way of life together.

In the darkest nights when he is most tired from his grueling days, Jake discovers a new way to relax. Lucid dreaming; dreams in which the sleeper is aware of the fantasy and can control the actions and events within the dream; become a further escape from reality. They help him cope as he learns the hardest lessons of living in the wilderness. 

Across the world, a group of another religious zealots, far different from the ones he grew up with, seek the Dream Messiah. Mystical connections bring Jake to this community, and he begins to fear for his sanity. As his dream life interferes with his physical life, he doubts what is true, and the lines between fantasy and fact are blurred.

I found this book a bit confusing regarding the timeline, especially in the beginning. I didn't feel much empathy for the characters, but the homesteading neighbours had some hilarious dialogue. The descriptions of wild Alaska, the attempts to tame it just enough to live as a human, and the continuous fear associated with the unknown made this story exciting. My favourite part was when Jake helped his neighbours skin a bear. It was a fascinating process, and the author's careful explanations made it a vivid scene.

Mystical mixes with physical in this adventure tale. I would recommend it most for people who yearn for an escape from reality, while keeping their feet on the ground.

REVIEWED BY

Jessica Lucci"