Nirvana-The redrafted version-JR Stewart

I was privileged to be invited to read the redrafted book Nirvana by JR Stewart after the author took the sage advice of a number of advance readers, originally offered by Netgalley.

In a world dominated by big corporation Hexagon, life is run in a controlled manner. For a little rest and relaxation, and if they can afford it, people get to escape their lives for a few minutes in virtual reality. A place where all your dreams can be fulfilled. Our heroine Larissa works in the VR lab, as well as being an animal rights activist and musician in a punk band, and is engaged to Andrew, one of Hexagon's key VR programmers. Andrew is becoming more and more secretive about his work, and in their world constantly under surveillance, he cannot share his concerns with Larissa. His dealings with Hexagon's bosses and their desires for the VR world has led him to uncover secrets regarding the extinction.  The terrible period in history when animals and crops were destroyed, to be replaced with synthetically grown food for the masses. Now Andrew has disappeared and Hexagon insists he is dead. Larissa refuses to accept this-even with a body being produced. She still sees Andrew in her VR time and it feels like the real him. Can she track down the evidence to prove that he still lives and that Hexagon is not as benign as they would like people to believe? And who can she trust to help her-if anyone?

The rewrite was amazing. It's a 180 degree change in writing style and accessibility to the characters. The previous concerns about personalities not being fleshed out enough were addressed, and a number of changes in the story were made. The author has created a world of nanobots and VR and the very real threat about what would happen if all the bees were exterminated. The concepts are clear and well explained and ensure that the reader doesn't need to jump back and forth in the book for clarity. A few issues with spelling and continuity didn't allow for a 5 star rating, but it certainly came close.

A very clever lead into book 2 allows you to finish the story without feeling as though you are abruptly left hanging, but very curious as to where the story is going next. A very well written redraft-highly recommended.