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Roy, a physicist, and his girlfriend, Renee, have moved to Prague after being ousted by their lab at home in the United States. Roy's research on dark energy has been deemed too dangerous to continue. His superiors claim Roy's findings will threaten the world order and in particular the dependence on fossil fuels. As Roy and Renee continue to study the dreams of "sleepers," they begin to wonder if the visions they are seeing are actually scenes from the sleeper's past life. One of the dreams takes Roy back to ancient times inside a sealed temple in Alexandria. There, Samia and Agrippa enter into "The Isis Rite of Eternal Bond," a ritual that will bond them for eternity as each other's spiritual guides. After witnessing this dream, Roy will have to consider if the trauma produced in bridging the conscious with the subconscious might be too much for the human mind to experience.
Part erotic, part dystopia and part science fiction, Ness' book delivers a wealth of storytelling from ancient civilizations to future societies. His characters are simultaneously unique and convincing. The concept of playing dreams back to the conscious dreamer forces both the characters in the book, and the readers to grapple with the moral ethics of interfering with the subconscious mind. Blurred prophesies, dream sequences, and reincarnation are a few of the topics that this highly imaginative author brings to his reader. Although the content is intense, Ness' writing flows easily and succeeds in keeping the reader's interest throughout. This is an enjoyable and fascinating read.