Customer Reviews

The Dreamland Chronicles Book One

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Dreamland Chronicles: Book One is a fun and entertaining all-ages tale that posits the existence of a magical world of fantastic creatures, visited by children in their dreams. Alexander Carter used to visit every night as a child, and upon waking, would tell his twin brother, Dan, of his adventures, who would write them down and eventually be inspired to become a writer. Now college roommates, Alexander returns to Dreamland after nearly eight years of not dreaming, only to discover he is destined to play a part in the upcoming war between Dreamland and the Nightmare Realm.

Scott Christian Sava has once again created an excellent cast of characters -- Paddington Rumblebottom III, the adorable dancing rock giant, is my favorite -- and deftly balances the two worlds by crafting a realistic relationship between the two brothers that is equal in dramatic weight to the more fantastic elements of Dreamland. As the story reeled me in, I warmed up to the CGI artwork and was eventually able to appreciate its dexterity, as the impressive team of computer artists Sava assembled not only offer distinctive character designs and settings, but manage to communicate emotion surprisingly well. Sava helps by taking full advantage of his nearly 300 pages, pacing the story in a way that allows it to breathe without feeling decompressed. The extras include a look at some of his original painted pages as well as an assortment of character models and page layouts that give the book the feel of a big-budget CGI movie.

Highly recommended for fantasy fans young and old!

This is more than a comic. The characters are three dimensional; we watch them grow up. The art is astounding, and the plot is rich. This is a comic the whole family will love.

I have never been a huge fan of comics, but this one has changed my mind. Not only are the characters dynamic and fun, but the graphic quality is amazing. This story is good for young and old, and I can't wait to share it in print with friends. If you love epic stories don't miss out on this one!

[...]This volume collects the first part of the story.

The Dreamland Chronicles focuses on the existence of a "real" land of dreams, populated by many standard, even stereotypical, creatures (little flying sparkly faeries, gruff underground dwarves, noble aloof elves, rock-people out of the Neverending Story, etc.) but to which humans can travel in their dreams. (It's not clear whether most humans do or only some, however it's clear that it's a fairly widespread (but, apparently, not universal) phenomenon). The action of the story switches back and forth between the waking "normal" world and Dreamland, which has some serious problems behind its sparkly almost-Disney facade.

The way in which Sava USES these elements is impressive; he leads us into this familiar Family Production world and then lets Tolkien do the backstory, so to speak, with a touch of Nightmare on Elm Street in subtle implications that there may be a link to the Real World from this Dreamland.

The art style is unusual; Sava has chosen to do 3-d rendered animation models as the art. I've never seen that before in a comic, and these are well done overall. The loss of one star comes from the fact that in the beginning it just doesn't feel like it works as smoothly as later volumes in the series, as though he was still working out which approaches gave him the best results.

I recommend The Dreamland Chronicles very highly. The only REAL drawback is that the story's NOT FINISHED YET!

I love Dreamland Chronicals. I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. Not much else to say. It's imaginative escapism for all ages, from children to adults. Read it. Now.

I've given this as a gift to a few people I know.

Style: The artist has said that he thinks of his work in terms of a movie script, and it shows. There's a bit of a "Reboot" feel to the character art, mostly because of the rendering style for hair. The sets have that modern movie wow factor, and comic medium adaptations like multiple beat zoom-ins as a page, etc. give it a slightly different pacing. One that's closer to watching sequential still frames of a TV show or movie than a regular comic. If they ever turn this into a movie, they'll have an excellent set of storyboards to keep them on track - though they still managed to ruin "Stardust" despite similar advantages, so who who knows

Substance: The storyline is imaginative, interesting, and avoids cliche and predictability. A number of secondary characters are compelling and memorable in their own right (always an excellent test). The material is "all ages," but still has wit and doesn't become banal. The add-ons at the end with "Princess Bride" lines dubbed in by fans at key moments is a nice added touch, and quite amusing for fans of the movie.

Overall, if you were a fan of "The Princess Bride," odds are excellent that you'll really like this comic.

I first read this series online. I have been hooked nearly from the beginning! Scott Sava has created tales that will no doubt join the ranks of such children classics as Peter Pan, The Jungle Book, and Wind in the Willows! This is a great introduction for young readers and will touch those of us who have some years behind us.
A must get for anyone who loves to dream!
Immediately, you are brought into a world that is both fantastic and familiar. The characters are exciting and the message is clear and fun!
I know my own children will be sharing this with their kids the way I am sharing it with them.
Thank you Scott!

The Dreamland Chronicles, though written first for his children, are wonderfully fun for both kids & adults. With a nice mixture of slapstick humor, clever dialogue and genuine character development the story drew me in with no effort at all. The 3D rendering is novel, but well-done. Its a joy to read and something I hope to pass on to friends & family alike.

I've thoroughly enjoyed watching this story unfold. What's more, Sava's humble kindness and reliability have made this a daily stop for me. I have since collected the first two books for my daughter.

I will be filling out my Christmas shopping list this year by gifting these books to the children in my life: cousins, nephews and nieces, and neighbors. I find nothing objectionable at all in this divine tale and have no qualms about sharing it with everyone, both young and old.

I first discovered The Dreamland Chronicles online, read through the archives, and was captivated. This series has the holy trinity of graphic novels: wonderful art work, engaging characters, and a solid story. The book does a good job of putting pages designed on a computer screen into print. If I have one complaint, it's that I'd like it in a larger size. On the other hand, it's portable and I don't have to wait for pages to download when I read through it.

I haven't run across anything quite like this anywhere else, and I highly recommend it. I only hope Scott Christian Sava can survive the success he so dearly deserves for this effort.