A new tech-thriller novel released last week as part of Amazon’s new Kindle Press publishing division features the Beatles in a primary role.The new novel eDream by author James Duffy focuses on the development of a new device that allows users to program their own lucid, hyper-realistic dreams each night. But use of the cutting-edge technology takes a bad turn when eDream becomes a national addiction. To make matters worse, an international regime bent on cyberterrorism works to turn the device into a lethal weapon of mass destruction.
In the story, one of the first program titles available for the system is called Rock Legend. It allows sleepers to perform as members of some of the greatest rock bands in history. One of the characters followed throughout the story is Kevin Davis, a guitarist and Beatles fanatic. He chooses the role of John Lennon in his dreams and spends his nights performing with Paul, George and Ringo, and playing a key role in some of the band’s biggest moments. The group’s first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show is especially powerful, allowing Kevin—and readers—to experience the excitement of the moment from the unique perspective of being on stage with the band before and during one of music’s defining moments.
Other Beatles scenes the character experiences as Lennon include filming A Hard Day’s Night, the ’65 Shea Stadium concert, recording sessions at Abbey Road, and other key events. Each scene provides a fascinating first-person perspective on what it would have been like to be a Beatle.
The book’s unique plot and fast-paced storytelling led Amazon administrators to select it for their Kindle Scout program, a competition where readers voted on which books they liked best. eDream received exceedingly high marks and was selected by Amazon as one of the first ten novels to launch the company’s new Kindle Press publishing arm.
eDream is the third novel by author Jim Duffy, a drummer, guitarist and avid Beatlemaniac since the mid-‘60s. “This was a fun book to write,” Duffy says. “The first thought each reader has once they understand what an eDream device can do is: What dream would I program for myself? For me, it was no contest: I’d become a Beatle. But that also led me to think that I’d have a very hard time each morning shutting down my eDream and going to work. That’s where the concept of mass public addiction came from during story development.”
The book is currently available at Amazon here: Apple Records' Amazon Store