Customer Reviews

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A title like "Glass Books of the Dream Eaters" sounds a long-lost Flaming Lips song. At the best, a wonderfully weird title for a mediocre book.

But fortunately, it actually has something to do with Gordon Dahlquist's bizarre, intricate debut novel -- a steampunky Victorian fantasy that slowly takes its three protagonists into the heart of a deadly conspiracy. "The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One" gets through the first half of the story -- but have the second half on hand before reading.

After being dumped by her fiancee Roger via letter, Miss Celestial Temple follows him through town to a masked party at a country estate. But the creepy party turns deadly when she witnesses drugged sexual demonstrations and a dying man with burns around his eyes. She barely manages to escape this bizarre cabal, unsure of what to do next.
Then she encounters two strange men -- "Cardinal Chang," an assassin hired to kill her until he discovered that the cabal was experimenting on the prostitute he loves, and Dr. Svenson, a nervous ducal doctor whose Prince has become ensnared in their brainwashing. They compare notes over the cabal, the Process that seems to transform them, Roger's sudden lordhood, snatches of conversation, ghastly machines and a series of shocking paintings.

Most importantly, Svenson reveals cards made out of blue glass -- which somehow have memories imprinted in them. The search for the cabal's goals and the secret of the blue glass leads all three onto parallel, intertwined paths. Chang sets out on a search for the red-clad woman and a scarred ex-prostitute, while Svenson's journey takes him into the heart of a religious cult centering on the books made of blue glass...

"The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters" is one of those rare debut novels that rarely misses a beat. Its main flaw is that Dahlquist -- in sticking to the dignified, intricately detailed Victorian style -- gets a bit long-winded in some parts. But he does have a special knack for spinning up a believable sense of dread, without revealing too much of the haunting, bizarre mysteries.

And from the very first chapter (admittedly there are only a handful, and they're huge) Dahlquist wraps the whole book in steampunky technology, odd fantastical twists, and some guns'n'knives action from Chang. The story starts off slowly and sedately (much like Miss Temple's life) but begins twisting in on its own mysteries as soon as she gets into the masked party.

And while the extra-detailed descriptions slow the book down at times, he also has a knack for the horrific (people who die with glass in their veins) and with conjuring vivid images ("... half smothered in ivy whose leaves looked to Svenson, under the insidious moonlight, like the scales of a reptile's skin").

And while the three characters are totally dissimilar (an heiress, a doctor and an assassin), Dahlquist takes the time to flesh them out and show how their intertwined battles against the Cabal change them. The strong-willed, clever Miss Temple has to leave respectability behind with her compromised safety, the nervy Svenson has to deal with some nasty intrigues, and Chang (who is not actually Chinese) is more a steady, cool-headed guy-who-kills than an assassinating maniac.

It's worth noting that "Volume One" is merely the first half of the full-length novel, not the whole novel itself. It stops after the "Quarry" chapter on a major cliffhanger for poor Svenson, with virtually all of the questions unanswered and Miss Temple MIA for two vast chapters.

"The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters Volume One" draws you into a hazy, murky world of bizarre technology, malignant cults and unanswered mysteries, with more strange things yet to come.

The only reason why this book doesn't get 5 stars is because it really is part one - as in cliffhanger - and you have to read the other book so this is not a stand-alone novel. Also, I don't know that this book is *epic* in scope as to need two books to tell the story. But, it met most of criteria for a really good book:

Transcends the genre - can't be easily categorized
Has character development *and* action
Has some struggle of good versus evil or protagonist who is on a heroic quest
Has outsider characters - not popular or in the mainstream
Sci-fi or supernatural element and the rationale just *works* in the context of the story
Totally engrossing/absorbing
Creates a world that I want to visit
A strong woman or women characters

(That said, I'm not going to say anything else as I wouldn't want to spoil the fun.)

Gordon Dahlquist's first novel is a huge concoction of relentless plot, colloquial and intelligent dialog, and deep characterization that is at times superb in its ability to seem familiar and foreign on many levels. The story is about 3 very different characters: Miss Celeste Temple, Cardinal Chang, and Doctor Abelard Svenson who fatefully come together and form an alliance to foil a plot to enslave the masses by a huge conspiracy of powerful members of society.

The story explores and borrows themes and characterizations from many sources, inlcluding Sherlock Holmes stories, H.G. Wells books, A Brave New World, and the Wizard of Oz (thus the Title of this review:-). At times, the book almost reminds you of listening to an old time adventure story on the radio, where dialog and sound effects made the "visuals" of the story. If this seems like a motley stew for book influences, the story works because you care about the characters, and you care what happens to them. Set in a make believe land and time, that is meant to be reminiscent of Victorian England and a British Empire going sour, the dialog crackles with wit, insight, and descriptions. The descriptions outside of the dialog are detailed to the extreme, but add to the overall atmosphere of time and place that is familiar, yet alien in very creepy ways. In the 3 main characters, you simply cannot read this book without playing the game of deciding who would be the perfect actor or actress, as Dahlquist paints exquisite pictures of what they feel, and how they act and react to the mounting pressure to confront an evil conspiracy.

Miss Temple is drawn into the adventure as a woman scorned, her hurt feelings leading her to follow her fiance and his trail into the evil cabal. She is an innocent, a wealthy, imperious unmarried lady that combines steely nerves with a razor wit and a touching naivete. With Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson, you have 2 reluctant heroes that form a bond with Miss Temple and watch her grow to be every bit their equal and a leader in their quest. Doctor Svenson is an honorable man, at once decisive and paralyzed with doubt, and Cardinal Chang lives by a warrior code that hides sophistication and true human feelings driven deep by experiencing the worst of human nature.In Miss Celeste Temple and the leader of the Cabal, the Contessa Rosamond Lacquer-Sforza, you have two awesome female characters, full of intelligence, determination, and feminine charms and wiles used for good and evil. Indeed the story is laced with sex, dream explicit and innuendo. During their very first encounter in which the Contessa has snared Miss Temple and brought her to a room for an interrogation, the Contessa hisses..."Sit down or I will find something else for you to sit on.....repeatedly" The sexual tension works perfectly in this and numerous other scenes as a way to fully realize the characters and to understand the visceral and evocative loss of control from addiction, sexual or otherwise, and the dark powers of persuasion and subservience at the heart of the conspiracy centered around "the Glass Books".

I loved this book as a page turner that defied description and made me want to stay up all night and read what happens next. There are many incredibly well written sections, with bright use of language to evoke action and emotion. It is safe to say that you have not read a book like it. This is Book 1, so be prepared to want to get Book 2 right away. At 750+ pages, these 2 books and the one story is very long and a commitment to, at times, get through detailed slow passages. But you will be rewarded with an experience of immersing yourself in a book that evokes classic literature and movies with a contemporary story of how evil happens when we totally succumb to our own desires, and good men do nothing.

Well, my title says it all. Or you can view some Hieronymus Bosch paintings, any one of which will tell you a lot about this atmospheric novel--a ravaging, breathtaking, original tale splendidly realized and thunderously paced (Vol. 2 is somewhat slower). Besides being a decidedly twisted pseudo-Victorian rework of the myths of Persephone, of the labyrinth and its Minotaur, and of the Fall, this novel also explores, via extended metaphor, the dangerous, sometimes all-consuming, symbiotic relation of (1) an author to his work and (2) a reader to same.

The "heroes" are well fleshed (some down to the bones), quirky, and engaging; the villains are liberated in varying degrees from clichés. Names are always portents, and definitely so in this work.

Don't enquire too closely about the "science" that moves the action in this work; remember, we're dealing with metaphor here, not SF.

The first part, detailing the heroine's descent, by turbulent degrees, into the lurid depravity of Harshmort's (what a name!) world-within-a-world is disturbing but riveting, compelling the reader to travel with her from the moment she passes her "coin" (the railway ticket) to the modern Charon (a.k.a. the conductor).

I will say no more, lest I give anything away from this cornucopia of sensation and incident.

I loved this book! I could not put it down; found myself staying up and reading to 2 am and finally closing the book because I couldn't see straight any longer and had to go to sleep. Go ahead and buy the two together as you will not want to wait for the 2nd book to arrive once you have finished the first. There is a lot of action (non-stop action) with good guys, bad guys, and good bad guys. The story is set in the Victorian era. It was enchanting to experience steam locomotives and dirigibles. Just an amazing story! I will be looking for more from Gordon Dahlquist.

I read the original, hardcover edition of this book. The story grabbed me and would not let go. Another reviewer wrote that they found the second half of the book (so Volume 2) to be slow and dull as the three characters race down countless hallways and up endless spiral staircases, but I disagree. The second part was even more thrilling than the first, as Svensen and Chang make their way to the mansion (a converted prison, hence the reason it's so large) to stop the cabal and save Miss Temple.

Another reviewer wrote that this book is not for everyone, and I guess I would agree that it just depends on the reader, because to me the entire book (Volumes 1 & 2) was like getting injected with adrenaline and then going white water rafting, only on a river of volcanic lava. Or something like that! It was exciting!!

Look, for full disclosure -- I am actually friends with Gordon Dahlquist. I go fencing with him on weekends (with swords! Here's him kicking my butt: [...]. So I'll cop to being slightly biased, but I DID really love The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, and found it very hard to put down.

I really enjoyed this novel and am eagerly awaiting the release of The Dark Volume. I read the hardback edition which is 760 pages long and contains both volumes one and two in the paperback editions. Understandably this seems to have caused a bit of confusion with some of the reviewers. Dahlquist's style is unconventional and the first dozen pages was a bit challenging but once I got into the story I found that I had difficulty putting it down. I can understand the negative reviews. This is not a book for everyone. First of all it is dark and erotic. Secondly it takes place in the 19th century in an unidentified location populated by characters with strange and exotic names :Comte d'Orkancz, Francis Xonck, and Contessa Lacquer-Sforza to name a few who come from countries like Macklenburg that do not exist. Thirdly the story revolves around The Process from which the title derives. Think erotic Victorian sci-fi fantasy!! It is filled with unusual and unforgettable characters caught in a real spider-web of a conspiracy. If you like a simple straight forward story, that is easily understood and offers a predictable plot line then stay away!! In some ways it is like an old-fashioned serial with the heros escaping the villains just when all hope is lost. The best comparison I can make is Anne Rice's vampire chronicles. This is Dahlquist's first novel and I am predicting he will write many more. I, for one, am looking forward to the ride!

[Note: I am reviewing volume one and two together, because they shouldn't have been split in the first place (they weren't in the hard cover version). Do not read volume one unless you commit to volume two; volume one doesn't answer anything.]

When the prudish but confident Miss Temple receives an unexpected "dear Jane" letter from her fiance, she sets out to find out why she was unceremoniously dumped. So begins this mystery/adventure/steampunk story set in Victorian times in a loosely fictitious England. The number of unpronounceable villains stacks up (The Comte d'Orkancz and the Contessa di Lacquer-Sforza just for starters); while Miss Temple befriends an unlikely pair of confidants, including the hilariously named Cardinal Chang. The three set out to thwart a plot by a massively powerful Cabal that includes sci-fi-like Alchemy and more.

Volume One is a true page-turner, with a lot of action and excitement, and left me quite on the edge of my seat. Dahlquist introduces the reader to a rapid-fire series characters (with more absurd names), but I still couldn't wait to buy volume two to see how the story ended.

It is a pity Gordon Dahlquist couldn't have ended the story in volume one, because volume two was a chore. Where volume one was an adventure spanning several cities, hotels, mansions, trains, carriages and airships, about 90% of volume two takes place in one mansion. And what a mansion it must be, because there are about 250 pages of our heroes running down hallways, trying doors, finding spiral staircases, running down more hallways, finding more spiral staircases....repeat 50 or so times and you have the picture; and all while a party is going on in other areas of the house; must be bigger than the Pentagon. It got incredibly dull.

Dahlquist also struggled to get his arms around the steampunk elements of the story. Between the Indigo Clay, the Glass Books, the Mini-Glass Books, the Process, the other versions of the Process, and the blue and orange liquids, I wasn't sure how they tied together...and I don't think Dahlquist was either.

I sadly cannot recommend The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. In order to find out what happens after the riveting volume one, you have to punish yourself by reading volume two, and based on the outcome, I don't think it is worth it.

First, my copy was only 480 pages long, unlike the other reviewer who somehow managed to get a 700 page version! Therefore, I didn't have the troubles with editing that they seem to have expressed. That said, I found that the book read quickly, was full of what I would deem "daring escapes."

If you're looking for the next great American novel, this may not be it, but it certainly was enjoyable story. He's got a good mixture of steampunk aesthetic (taking place in what seems to be an alternate England at an indeterminate point in the past), nefarious deeds, interesting characters, and enough villains to shake a stick at. I'd recommend it.

If this had just been a movie--
I read this years ago as an advance reader copy when I worked at Borders.
It was too good a piece of fiction to pass up, and please don't let the length intimidate you. I read the original, which was over 700 pages (now I read it's been broken into two volumes.) I am so glad the sequel has been published, actually it is really *The Dark Volume*, and I will be devouring it as soon as I get it.
I was drawn into the story from the first page. The sustained eldritch atmosphere, the bizarre plot of the evil cabal, and the shrieking Process machine operating on unsuspecting characters added to the dark and unsettling undercurrent. Oooooh! Some of the reviewers make note of the difficult language of the Victorian writing, but for me it just builds the painting of the chilling mystery surrounding the story. For me, it was all about the ambiance, the descriptive winding of the narrative around a core of increasingly shivery morsels of the plot puzzle.

Read it. It's all here...sci-fi, political intrigue, mystery, erotica, in one skillfully wrought package. I'm SO glad the sequel is available. Pay attention to the other reviews when they say you must read these books in order, and I'll add my caution, too. You'll be lost otherwise. It's fun the way a horror movie can sometimes be: scary and otherworldly, creepy, but a thoroughly engaging read. The color turquoise never appeared eerie to me but it will to you after reading this one!