When We Were Real

""Daryl Gregory takes a classic ""what if?"" thought experiment--the same one that undergirds The Matrix and other high-concept sci-fi extravaganzas--and treats it with groundedness, nuance and literary sophistication. The result is a deeply absorbing novel of cross-country adventure about real, recognizable people...the irony being that they're not real people at all. What absolute fun.""--Ben H. Winters, Edgar-award winning author of The Last Policeman Trilogy ""When We Were Real goes far beyond the usual SF novels of living in a simulation. Its poignant, appealing, boisterous characters know they are simulations, and as they get on with their complicated digital lives, they--and we--explore what it means to be real, to be human, to be alive. A must-read by one of science fiction's most versatile and talented authors.""--Nancy Kress, winner of six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award ""A novel filled with characters so heartfelt and true to life that you forget they are products of a simulation... even if they can't. When We Were Real sets a new gold standard for big-idea science fiction.""--Jack Skillingstead, author of The Chaos Function ""The best thing Daryl Gregory has ever written. A riveting page-turner that delves into the biggest questions of the universe and still tackles the mysteries of the human heart.""--Christopher Farnsworth, author of Flashmob and Buried Secrets ""Daryl Gregory dispatches a captivating cast of characters on a pilgrimage through a vivid landscape, and you keep turning the pages to see where they'll go. He's managed a remarkable feat--When We Were Real is spirited, fun to read, with plenty of dark humor, yet asks big existential questions that keep you thinking long after you've finished the book.""--Mark Tompkins, author of The Last Days of Magic