Matthew Curry

Virtual Reality Matthew Curry

A journey of fantasy and sci-fi virtual reality through three parts - The Tower, The River and The City, corresponding to both Dante's Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, as well as the modern Id, Ego, and Higher Self. In this way the book's religious themes can equally well be read as philosophical themes of the self and identity. Each chapter is a corona of sonnets, giving the whole thing a cyclical, periodic feel. Written in the first person, it is a filmic, provisional, partial, imperfect view. It is in various places high brow, low brow, serious and silly, earthy and ethereal. The narrative bowls along - as Mr Alighieri himself chips in at one point: 'We must keep up the pace, it's a long haulTo get to where we need to get by nightfall'Neil Bowen: 'I'm stunned and electrified by it'