Lucid

A Novel

De: Michael S. Milano

Narrado por: Adriel Brandt

A mind-altering regime. Unity and loyalty dictated. Can one man resist the machine and rip away the veil to reveal the truth?

Seattle, 2084. Antony Sartori hides his grief. Struggling to find a sense of purpose after losing his wife to a deadly pandemic, the former engineer silently suffers while surviving on welfare payments. Out past curfew after a long night of drinking, the devoted citizen is detained, put on trial, and assaulted by the authority he once served.

Plagued by flashbacks that feel more real than the world around him, the fifty-four-year-old begins to question whether his mind or reality itself is unraveling. And though bombarded by reminders to leave the past behind and to live for his fellow man, the seeds of defiance take root in his heart.

With every move watched and judged, can Antony wake up before all is lost?

Lucid is a thought-provoking dystopian thriller. If you like dangerous truths and high-tech Orwellian futures grounded in hard science, then you’ll love Michael S. Milano’s chilling cautionary tale.

©2024 Michael S. Milano (P)2025 Michael S. Milano

interesting theme

I love sci-fi; it's a good way to see the world in a different reality. This is a long listen to get ready to enjoy it. The creepy background music makes things more interesting and gets you in the moment.

Dystopian Taken a Step Further

Lucid was disturbing, which is exactly the point. Having it set in 2084 made it even creepier, as did references to Smart and block chain technologies. Living through the Pandemic fueled its emotional impact. Without a decent grip on physiology, I think listeners might be frustrated by the text. That's my only reservation against giving it the highest recommendation. The narrator did a great job with the different voices. The music also added an ominous quality separating chapters.

Super intense!

This book will have your attention bright from the start and it won’t let go! It’s action packed and intense. The writing and narration is really good as well, which I think it’s important to enjoy a book like this!

I loved this scifi

This scifi was awesome. The character and setting was well defined and I loved the story line in which the character needed to decide to go with the norm or stand out and say something different.

Overall Good

Lucid treads very familiar ground, but it feels a little fresh thanks to its strong writing and well-researched scientific portions. The author clearly put effort into grounding the story in hard science, though at times the technical depth felt a little heavier than the plot required. As a result, I felt that the pacing was a little off, but the story overall was still pretty good.
The production quality is solid overall, too, and the narrator’s performance is fantastic. However, one element consistently pulled me out of the experience: a shrill, high-pitched tune that played before and after every flashback. It was distracting enough that I found myself wishing I had read the book instead of listening to it.
But if you enjoy dystopian thrillers with a scientific edge and themes of resistance against oppressive systems, Lucid might be worth your time.

Perfect For My Commute

I started listening to this audiobook on my morning commute, and it instantly hooked me with its eerie vision of Seattle in 2084. Antony Sartori’s struggle between grief and awakening felt unsettlingly real as the story unfolded through Adriel Brandt’s grounded, emotionally charged narration. The Storyline progressed perfectly across my drives, mixing sharp philosophical undertones with bursts of tension that made traffic melt away. Milano’s world feels both futuristic and uncomfortably close to where society might be headed. Im still thinking about this audiobook it felt so real.

A rare find!

This novel, set in the year 2084 invites readers to walk in the shoes of the main character, Antony, during a global pandemic.

Antony is someone you could consider your next door neighbor, friend, cousin.. a warm, familiar yet flawed character that we can all relate to, in some degree. As you read what he experiences through this book, you ask yourself the question, what would I do if I were in these situations?

The chilling similarities to the recent pandemic brings an awareness to this book akin to having lightly experienced it.

Lucid draws you in and artfully connects you with the characters in the book.

Thoroughly thought provoking and delightful! I couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end!

Free to Be Safe… Safe to Be Free

What begins as Antony’s slow unraveling of grief and routine becomes a descent into a world where control, conformity, and quiet hyper-surveillance are so naturally woven into daily life that you end up questioning reality right alongside him. Milano’s world-building is genuinely fun to fall into, mostly because you can feel how much love and care he put into every piece of it. The detail is incredible. Everything feels tech-heavy, believable, and fully lived-in, and you start noticing how the smallest habits, policies, and pieces of technology connect. It all fits together in a way that feels logical and deeply intentional!

A lot of futuristic worlds lean on flash, exaggeration, and feel a bit reductionistic, but Milano’s hyper precision, and the way he shows both the inner workings of a tightly engineered society and every emotional turn in Antony’s mind as suspicion sets in, makes everything feel realistically panoptical, eerie, and quietly terrifying. That sense of dread never really leaves. His writing style is also so unique and distinct. There is a kind of technical precision to it that gives Lucid a very strong voice and personality.
Listening on Audible was honestly a treat. The narrator is absolutely phenomenal and brings so much nuance to every emotional shift.

And that ending… I am still gagged!!

WOW!

I love a good dystopian audiobook, but I don't like when they drag on. Lucid did NOT do that. The plot was great, with action packed scenes and flashbacks. I loved this book!

Great audio

This is a great audiobook that will keep you entertained for hours! The narrator did a phenomenal job as well. I highly recommend this audiobook.