1984. Brave New World. Dodendal, Valley of Dreams takes a bold, new look into the future. Yes, greed, hate, control and revenge are all forces in this speculative novel. But also present are needs for love, purpose, atonement and redemption, adding human dimensions to the characters and complexity to their decisions and actions. It's 2076, the eve of the Tricentennial. Historian and teacher Ian Vanderkill's complacent life will forever be changed by an item he decides must never fall into the hands of the "corpos". Later in the evening he meets Siobhan Carlson and is captivated by her subtle grace and distinctive beauty. The next day they travel down the Hudson River to the magic seclusion of Dodendal, where Siobhan convinces Ian to help with her mission - a mission that borders on conspiracy against The Corporation. But he knows there is more she isn't telling him. He wants to trust her, but can he? Michael Chan is determined to redeem himself in his first big case since finally making the grade of chief inspector. He's a natural and is ambitious. But he's also disturbingly independent. And he's haunted by a recurring dream that threatens to take everything from him. Michael's progress in his case, and Siobhan's and Ian's decisions during the course of the story, lead to their paths racing on a collision course to the end. The far-reaching impact of what happens during the Tricentennial week is not fully understood till many years later during one man's journey of discovery to the Valley of Dreams. Dodendal, Valley of Dreams is set in the scenic Mid-Hudson Valley of New York and draws heavily on its long and rich history. To learn more, please visit HolmgrenBooks.com
About the Author: Jim Holmgren has a broad work and life experience from which he draws in his writing. His background in teaching, law enforcement and an extensive professional experience in a large, international corporation, and living in various locations in the US, Europe and Africa, put him in a unique position to craft the story in Dodendal, Valley of Dreams. But there were specific events in his life that played a great part in his decision to write this novel. While performing in the International Youth Orchestra in Berlin as a teenager, he visited East Berlin and saw the stark contrast of life under communism. Jim was teaching at a college in Uganda, East Africa, when Idi Amin overthrew the government and set up his regime of repression through unrestrained brutality. While living and working in West Germany, Jim and his family took a "learning vacation" in Eastern Europe. They visited Gdansk, Poland, the epicenter of the reform-focused Solidarity movement during the height of the movement's struggles. A year later, the Berlin Wall fell. Jim experienced firsthand the extremes of totalitarian governments. But more importantly, he witnessed brave, defiant acts by those living under the boot of these regimes. The Makerere University students who defiantly stood outside the building where their graduation was taking place, silently protesting Amin presiding over the ceremony inside. The brave Solidarity Union dock workers on strike in Gdansk, until their demands for greater freedoms were met. This is a story of living under a totalitarian regime in an American future, where freedoms have been relinquished in order to gain false feelings of security. In this book the totalitarian government comes in the form of state capitalism, similar to the one under Hitler in Nazi Germany. But it is also a story of the human spirit. Like the university students and union workers, the characters in Dodendal, Valley of Dreams find the courage to take actions that they hope will make their world a better place. Jim Holmgren and his wife, Alste, make their home in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York.