The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two [Paperback]

Gordon Dahlquist (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2009

A mystery as dazziling as a hall of mirrors.
A seductive, terrifying, all-too-real world.
A beguiling, erotic literary adventure.

Discover why readers everywhere are enthralled by this “marvelous confection of a book.”*

In which the astonishing adventure to end all adventures continues—and the excitement doubles.

Like every other honest man, an assassin has his reputation to consider. So it is with Cardinal Chang. A brutal killer with the heart of a poet, Chang is no longer able to trust those who hired him. Disconcerted, he sets out on the trail of a mystery like no other, in a city few have traveled to—featuring three unlikely heroes with a most intriguing bond.


*Philadelphia Inquirer

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fantastic…I was in seventh heaven.” —Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth

“Carr[ies] the reader on a mind-twisting odyssey…sweeping, highly original and absorbing.” —Dallas Morning News

“Studded with treats…beautifully written.”—Entertainment Weekly

“As flat-out fun, engaging and funny as any tale of mystery and imagination I can recall.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A remarkable achievement of imagination and stellar writing.” —Tampa Tribune

“An erotically charged, rip-roaring adventure for adults with scarcely a dull moment to be had, which defies its great length to keep the reader on the edge of his seat.” —Daily Mail

About the Author

Gordon Dahlquist is a native of the Pacific Northwest, where he worked for several years writing and directing plays. Since 1988 he has lived in New York. He has been a member of New Dramatists, is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, and a founding member of the CiNE. His works include Messalina (Evidence Room, Los Angeles: SPF, New York), text for Babylon Is Everywhere: A Court Masque (CiNE, Schaeberle Theatre; Theatre Magazine), Delirium Palace (Evidence Room, Los Angeles; published in Breaking Ground), The Secret Machine (Twilight Theatre Company at Solo Rep), Vortex du Plaisir (Ice Factory ’99 Festival at the Ohio Theatre, WKCR’S Manhattan Theatre of the Air), Island of Dogs (4th Street Theatre), Severity’s Mistress (Soho Rep Theatre, New York University; winner of Primary stages’ Bug &Bub award), Mission Byzantium! (American Globe Theatre, NYTW’s Just Add Water Festival), and Reitcence (Horace Mann Theatre).

He has written and directed several experimental films, that have been selected for the San Francisco International Film Festival, the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Northwest Film and Video Film Festival. He is a graduate of Reed College and Columbia University’s School of the Arts. He has received two Garland Playwriting Awards for Messalina and Delirium Palace.

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters is his first novel.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Reprint edition (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553385860
• ISBN-13: 978-0553385861
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this if you read the original 800 page version!, February 21, 2009

By 

Michael Pollak (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two (Paperback)

I loved the 800 page book with this title, and when I heard there was a volume 2, I was eager to read more. But unfortunately "Vol 2" is merely the 2nd half of the book I already read. It seems they've retro-actively cut that book into 2 halves and called them volumes 1 and 2, with the first volume ending with a cliff hanger (or more precisely dirigible hanger) rather than being sufficient in itself.

If you've never read the books, I highly recommend them. In their own weird way, vols. 1 and 2 combine to be one of the most absorbing books I've ever read, a complete escape. But if you read the 800 page original when it came out a couple of years ago, stay away from this and wait for vol 3, which hopefully actually will be something new.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The sublime to the ridiculaous, April 25, 2009

By 

Joanne E. Wilson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two (Paperback)

This sci-fi adventure takes place in Victorian England. Volume 2 is a continuation of Volume 1 (no kidding?), which ended in an unsatisfying way. I read Volume 2 in hopes of closure, but that did not happen, nor did it occur with the third installment, The Dark Volume. The "story" goes on, and if there is a last volume planned, they are keeping it secret. The writing here is wonderful -- this man can turn a phrase. I continually wished I could put my thoughts into words half as well. The characterizations, especially of the three central characters, are quite compelling. The sci-fi concept is also interesting. But the story is convoluted (I speak of all three books) and seems to consist of one escape from sure death after another, all of them painful and bloody. Rather than stress/pain/danger alternating with (at least short) periods of relief/satisfaction/gratification, there is nearly continual stress. The worst thing about the books, however, is that they don't appear to end, and the adventure is not enjoyable enough to go an ad infinitum.

2.0 out of 5 stars I had a hard time staying interested, August 2, 2010

By 

Joo-stahn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two (Paperback)

I read the first volume and enjoyed the first 3/4 of the novel and somewhat lost interest in the last few chapters. When I bought the second volume, I was hoping that I could get interested again but I was not that lucky. The book seemed to be a series of near death experiences that would have been better as a sitcom. I could see this guy writing for '24'.