It is the year 2039. Shelby Hutchinson is 27 and is in charge of the Information Systems Department at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She lives a boring life and is considered reliable by her friends and coworkers, a reputation that she both likes and dislikes. Her only recreation is a video game about the cold war in 1985 Berlin that she plays with Jake, her best friend. Jake realizes that Shelby is tired and overworked and recommends she take a virtual vacation. Head Trip, a virtual travel service, promises a vacation that lasts only a few hours in real time, but which the vacationer’s brain believes lasts a full week.
Intrigued and excited, Shelby decides to reenact her video game adventures and takes a virtual vacation to Berlin in 1985. In the process of smuggling a prototype grenade launcher from West Berlin into Russia, Shelby meets a beautiful Russian spy named Tasha. Together they survive sewers, trains, and a roll in the hay until they finally arrive in Russia. Something goes terribly wrong and Shelby is jolted back to reality in Head Trip’s office.
Shelby begins to experience seizures and blackouts. After one episode in a coffee shop, Shelby and Jake meet Trish Aronoff, a journalist who helps them investigate the cause of Shelby’s health problems. Shelby has to step outside her comfort zone to find the solution to her problem.
Head Trip is published by the Matinee Books imprint of Bold Strokes Books, which is their romance imprint. The novel is just as much an action/adventure story however, and the time travel and virtual reality themes qualify Head Trip to be classified in the science fiction genre. The premise of Head Trip is similar to Philip K. Dick’s novelette We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, which was adapted into the film Total Recall.
At 187 pages, Head Trip is a fast-paced enjoyable read, perfect for a day or two at the beach. The romantic scenes are somewhat explicit. It is recommended for fiction collections at libraries in lesbian friendly areas and college and university collections.
Head Trip is also available in Kindle and Nook editions and in various electronic formats from the publisher.
Reviewed by, Paul Hubbard
Retired Public Reference Librarian
