Fear of Dreaming

Orphaned seventeen-year old Miro has found his life's purpose as a mixed martial artist. His world revolves around his dreams of becoming an MMA world champion one day. To succeed, he trains day and night, pushing his body to the limits while scraping to get by on a meager income. Just a few months away from the biggest fight of his career, he now must face the single toughest opponent anyone has ever met inside a cage - an opponent that has turned his ambitious dreams to recurring nightmares. Looming large before him is the question of his origin. Miro knows next to nothing about the circumstances of his birth. What happened to his mother after he was born? Who is his father? Can he track down clues long lost in the fog of history? The defining fight of his career dominates every second of his day, yet he finds himself increasingly obsessed and distracted from his training by a quest for the truth about himself. A truth that he must unearth before it destroys him. Who is he? Set in the year 2045, the tale is a blunt portrayal of a dystopian future that increasingly muddles reality with simulation and bots with humans. In this world, the question isn't whether one's dreams are worth dreaming. The question is, how does one cope when the day's dreams become nightly terrors?San Francisco Book Review"In Fear of Dreaming, Ashwin Sunder tackles a variety of relevant issues. DNA and ancestry technology are expanding, and the idea of a young man exploring his identity through this medium is worth exploring.... Another issue that Sunder explores is virtual reality. Characters in this novel go "day-tripping." Although some characters seem to enjoy "day-tripping," others resist it and criticize it. Much like today, we enjoy technology's benefits but also experience its effect on relationships between us. Sunder's use of technology requires the reader to grapple with the idea that our world is headed in this direction... I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to sci-fi and dystopia lovers. I would also recommend it to those who like masculine characters with relatable stories. Ultimately, Miro is just a kid who wants to live his dreams... 4/5 Stars!" -- Johnna Rocker-Clinton, San Francisco Book Review