The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk    by David Ambrose Order:  USA  Can Warner, 2003 (2002) Hardcover, Paperback Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk begins with a 500 BC quote from Chuang Tzu's dream, 'I dreamed I was a butterfly, and didn't know when I awoke if I was a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly or a butterfly who now dreamed he was a man', a quote that is also a succinct summary of the story. The novel opens on Dr. Susan Flemyng, who is trying to reassure a patient with a rare viral infection. It has affected Brian's memory, so that he is 'trapped in eternal present'. Susan has in mind the seeds of a research project that might help. The story then segues into a sequence reminiscent of The Bourne Identity, starring Charlie Monk, artist and superspy, on a covert op to a luxury yacht. We meet Dr. Flemyng again, with a small son and a husband who has just died, as she is pulled into a global conspiracy and blackmailed into assisting it. When Charlie resists his controllers, he is quickly captured, in a surrealistic series of events reminiscent of The Prisoner and The Matrix, and involving virtual reality, a 'Demon Machine' and animal experimentation. Susan enlists Charlie's aid, answering Chuang Tzu's questions with 'all reality is virtual reality. It's the only kind of reality there is.' There's a betrayal, thrilling action sequences and a happy resolution. Or is it? The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk presents the reader with a very clever construct of dreams within dreams, and leaves it up to us to decide what is reality; totally fascinating. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews