Book Review: The Nightmare Virus

I finally finished another YA Science Fiction book! This one, The Nightmare Virus, by Nadine Brandes, is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, and Christian allegory. Lots of my favorite categories (yay!) so I had to read it!

The premise had me hooked from the start, though I was a bit skeptical about reading a book with a male protagonist. I don't usually relate to the main character as much, but I really enjoyed this story told from the perspective of teenager, Cain. I wasn't distracted at all from his "voice" telling the story, and actually blazed through it! It is full of action and kept me wanting to read! Take a look at the gorgeous cover first, and then I'll tell you more about it!

image courtesy of goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205180538-the-nightmare-virus

Cain lives in a dystopian future, where the world has been ravaged by what they call the Nightmare Virus. Years before, a scientific breakthrough using something called ImagiSerum gave people the ability to escape the real world and become plunged into a virtual reality called a Dream Scape. Dream Scapes were beautiful, fantastic, and expensive. But people became addicted and did whatever they had to in order to escape reality.

Years later, everyone injected with ImagiSerum is now becoming sick with this Nightmare Virus. Once someone in infected, they have 22 days to live, before they fall into a permanent sleep state and never wake up in the real world. But Cain is determined to find a cure.

Nole, his brother, initially took on the task of developing a cure for the virus. He pursued a college education to become a Draftsman, capable of designing his own Dream Scapes. However, when he also becomes infected, the responsibility falls on Cain to complete the mission. Unfortunately, Cain gets infected too. He is thrust into the Dream Scape, starting in a dark tunnel but eventually navigating his way into a different world.

This world Cain finds himself in is like ancient Rome and he is a gladiator; there is even an Emperor named Luc who wants Cain to do his special biddings. Luc only wants Cain to serve him after everyone witnesses something amazing; Cain is thrown into a gladiator ring to fight to the death, and discovers he has an amazing ability. He can create things out of something called "nightmist." Now, he is famous in the Nightmare Dream Scape. Luc takes him under his care, trusting him with secrets. But, something about Emperor Luc just doesn't seem quite right.

Another group of people, called Spores, fight the Emperor, and seem to have the ability to leave the Dream Scape at will, unaffected by the virus. Do they have the cure? Cain doesn't know who he can trust yet. He has to navigate two worlds, and turn to His Creator, God, for the answer.

This story had so much going on! My brief description doesn't even give all the details. I will try to paint the picture more for you: in the Dream Scape world, Emperor Luc and Cain have an uncanny ability to create things from nightmist. They mostly create monsters, real and fictional, like saber-tooth tigers and dragons. This is where the fantasy aspect of the story comes in.

The world Cain finds himself in has a lot more fantasy elements, though it feels like he has stepped into ancient Rome. This is also where some allegory comes into play; it becomes apparent that the Spores represent Christians, or those who believe in God, and they wield powerful swords that defeat the enemy (the swords representing the Bible).

As you read the story, you see how Emperor Luc could be compared to the Emperor Nero, who persecuted the Christians hundreds of years ago. The Spores represent the Christians, as they also live in the catacombs of this fictional world, just as the Christians did back then. You also see the similarities with the fights in the arena and the wild animals the Spores are forced to fight against, just as they did in Rome so many years ago.

There are other Christian elements that are woven into the story. At the beginning, Cain knows about God but does not necessarily believe in God or have a relationship with him. You can see throughout the story, how Cain realizes he is lukewarm, and he must make a decision on what he believes.

Emperor Luc also tries to argue that he can be a creator too, just like Draftsmen in the real world, only more powerful. You can see how that represents pride and the devil, who wanted to make himself equal to God, but God is the only Creator (as Cain points out in the story).

Cain begins this story wanting a cure, but by the end, he realizes he has to defeat Luc and set everyone in the Dream Scape free. Not only that, but everyone must be told the truth about God, the real Creator, and given the chance to know Him. That need is so urgent because if someone dies in the Dream Scape, they also die in the real world, if they don't know God.

There is also just the slightest bit of romance between Cain and another main character. I don't want to spoil it in case you read it, but I loved the sparks between him and this character (I won't reveal the name, so you can be surprised. It isn't obvious at first)! It was not a typical mushy-gushy romance; they don't even hold hands or kiss, but you can tell the characters care deeply for each other. And they are brought closer together by God, so I really liked how their relationship developed throughout the book.

I feel like there is so much more to tell, but I don't want to give away the entire story. I will say, the ending left me wanting for more. I can see how it wraps up the story, but at the same time, there could be a sequel. I really do hope there is a sequel, because we didn't get all the answers. So some things may feel like a plot hole to you, but you've just got to accept it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! It felt more fantasy than science fiction, because the Dream Scape felt like a video game, but I liked the action, the characters, and Christian elements. I'd recommend to young adults/adults ages 14 and up. I think this would be a great one for guys who have to read but maybe don't like to; I think the Dream Scape world would remind them of video games and pull them in!

But I still think everyone should give it a chance! As always, happy reading!