High Times, An Alien Paradise

Book excerpt: From author Mark Russell Viliborghi’s exceptionally vivid dream comes this fascinating work of fiction that takes you into the interesting place called High Times. As you delve deep into High Times, An Alien Paradise, you’ll find satisfaction, intrigue, romance, revelation, humor, mystery, good times, and insight into the future of humankind. Meet an ensemble of charming characters who will show you the beauty and delight of living and working in High Times. Follow Horn, who narrates this story, as he tells you of how he enjoys waking up everyday to work as a saxophone player in a band at High Times. So what makes High Times that interesting? It is an unusual restaurant-nightclub-bar-dance hall. High Times or HT, as fondly called by its employees, is not the typical place for entertainment and eating. It even has a romantic heated indoor-basement heart-shaped swimming pool. The founders of High Times has built HT mostly to get friends together, especially those who have common interests, in an environment of intimacy where the best of conversation, dance, music, and most of all, good warm feelings can be cultivated and expressed. But is this all there is to it – or is there some mystery and intrigue behind the façade of High Times? Find out in author Mark Russell Viliborghi’s High Times, An Alien Paradise Book Reviews A topsy-turvy psychedelic science-fiction tale—starring an eclectic array of beings, human and otherwise—based on an “exceptionally lucid dream” experienced by author Viliborghi. Viliborghi’s hero is Horn, a musician at a small nightclub called High Times. For Horn, “life is so exciting that [he] can’t wait to see what comes next.” He lives to play music, loves his band mates, is well paid and maintains a nice flat in a nearby post-war apartment building. “Actually,” he explains, “I have accidentally found myself in a million-dollar lifestyle without the responsibilities or stresses. We who work at [High Times] are all riding a train through Shangri-La. I hope it never ends, and I just knew life could be this good.” But not all is how it appears. As Horn soon discovers, there is a mysterious presence in the basement of the apartment complex. “The place gives me that funny feeling,” he says, “the one where you walk backwards out so that you don’t turn your back on whatever is there.” High Times is comprised of two narratives, each carefully intertwined by Viliborghi. The first is the more straightforward—Horn recruits a new female lead singer for his band, and promptly falls in love. The band plays gigs, and earns the respect of the community. Meanwhile, the author delves into the stories of the other denizens of the apartment complex, including a young couple named Jack and Jill. But the book is also a sci-fi adventure, and much of the book is concerned with Horn’s search for life in the basement. High Times appears to be a kind of portal, which connects the nightclub and the apartment complex to a powerful alien being. Viliborghi’s writing often falls flat, but his plotting is solid and the book moves from the early scenes to the surprising, exciting ending with a good deal of ballast. Extraterrestrial happenings make this an intriguing ride. -Kirkus Discoveries