‘Wilson Indeed!’ by Steve Walsh is The Wi-Fi of Dreams Book One. I fancied reading this just because of how off the wall the synopsis was. I haven’t read anything by Steve Walsh before so thought this would be a good introduction. Let’s see what it’s about first.
Wilson Armitage was just five years old when he started speaking French. Unusual, because at primary school Wilson was still on the foothills of the ABCs. An ascent of Mont Blanc should have been unthinkable, given that he’d never had a French lesson in his life.
His astonished parents looked to Foreign Language Syndrome as an explanation – a rare phenomenon resulting from a head injury. Playground rough and tumble perhaps? Unfortunately, that wouldn’t explain the other incidents.
The fact is, no rational explanation could ever account for Wilson’s talents, because Wilson was able to acquire expertise and knowledge during his nightlife. He was a Number Eleven, one of a small number of remarkable people who learn through their dreams.
When he meets Daisy Meadowcroft in a dream and then arranges to meet her the next day, in Starbucks, in Manchester, in real life, his cover is blown. Enthralled by their shared gift, an ability to bridge the gap between dreams and reality, they strike up a close friendship and encourage each other to seek a rational explanation for their unique talents.
As Wilson and Daisy investigate the boundaries of the ‘evening classes’, Wilson’s best friend, Teaps, is struggling to come to terms with his alcoholic father and a mother who disappeared seventeen years earlier. Convinced she’ll return one day, Teaps sparks a desire in Wilson and Daisy to use their talents for a greater purpose, to find the missing mum. In the quest for answers, however, they discover a darker side to their dreamscapes.
A novel that is fact interwoven with fiction and with themes blended in such as life, humour, love and fantasy, science and mystery too. I enjoyed it because it’s places around Manchester as well and that’s familiar to me so it made it all the more readable.
The story throws you straight into the action and you realise it’s a really different and amazing adventure that you are on with Wilson. In his dreams, he can go to school and be fluent in various languages, as well as know things that are not normal to know at his age. In his dreams, he meets Daisy and they plan to meet in real life. This is the point that things take a darker turn.
The mix of everything creates a captivating and exhilarating journey through the dream world of Wilson and Daisy and we see all the possibilities of what can happen when the two worlds collide. This is a fantasy story that I got so invested in I read it so fast it was over far too soon. If you love a mix up of genre’s and enjoy fantasy stories, I recommend this book.
Thanks to ZooLoo’s Book Tours and Steve Walsh for my gifted copy of the book.
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