Luminarium, Alex Shakar
Luminarium, Alex Shakar
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Luminarium

Author: Alex Shakar

Narrator: Charles Carroll

Unabridged: 17 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/01/2011


Synopsis

Fred Brounian and his twin brother, George, were once co-CEOs of a New York City software company devoted to the creation of utopian virtual worlds. Now, in 2006, as two wars rage and the fifth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, George is in a coma, control of the company has been wrenched away by a military contracting conglomerate, and Fred is broke. Near despair, he's led by an attractive woman, Mira, to a neurological study promising "peak" experiences and a newfound spiritual outlook on life. As the study progresses, lines between subject and experimenter blur, and reality becomes increasingly porous. Meanwhile, Fred finds himself caught up in what seems at first a cruel prank: a series of bizarre emails and texts that purport to be from his comatose brother. Moving between the research hospitals of Manhattan, the streets of a meticulously planned Florida city, the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, and the uncanny world of urban disaster simulation; threading through military listserv geek-speak, Hindu cosmology, the maxims of outmoded self-help books, and the latest neuro-scientific breakthroughs, Luminarium is a brilliant exploration of the way we live now, a novel that's as much about the role technology and spirituality play in shaping our reality as it is about the undying bond between brothers, and the redemptive possibilities of love.

About Alex Shakar

Alex Shakar’s novel The Savage Girl was selected as a New York Times Notable Book and a Book Sense 76 Pick. His story collection City in Love was selected as an Independent Presses Editors Pick of the Year. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he currently lives in Chicago with his wife, the composer Olivia Block.

About Charles Carroll

Charles Carroll is an actor and voice-over artist residing in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He is an avid film buff and stays active in the local film community.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Randy on April 13, 2012

It seems fitting that Alex Shakar would open his novel, Luminarium, with an invitation. Not your garden variety party invitation, mind you. Something a bit more oblique, less straightforward. But an invitation nonetheless. Picture yourself stepping into a small, cuboid room. In the center squats an......more

Goodreads review by Jason on November 30, 2011

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.) So before anything else, let me caution my fellow New Weird fans that Chicagoan Alex Shakar's Luminarium is......more

Goodreads review by Vonia on December 21, 2015

Not sure why I only liked, but not loved Luminarium. The concept was certainly novel. Fusing obviously well-researched neurosciences information with magical realism, we are told the story of one Fred Brounian, doing his best to keep his twin brother George, currently in a coma, alive, while living......more

Goodreads review by Jill on January 24, 2016

Doubt is pervasive. So we delude ourselves into certainty. Am I good at my job? Yes, you just got a raise and your performance evaluation was fine. But how does that person know? They've got experience in the field. If someone else had done it, how would I have done? Fine; there are standards to be u......more

Goodreads review by Janet on May 24, 2013

I love a big book that just unfolds and unfolds and I can lose myself in it. Luminarium is one of those books that I kept looking up and saying 'God this is great." A mind-altering sparkle-shelled football helmet descends on an ex-dotcom golden boy whose twin brother (the true genius) lies in a NYC......more


Awards

  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize
  • Washington Post Notable Book
  • Book Sense Pick
  • Publishers Weekly Best Book
  • Booklist Best Book
  • Kansas City Star Top 100 Book