Customer Reviews

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two

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

 

 

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.

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.

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'.

Needs to be read with Volume 1 or just buy the book that isn't separated into two volumes.

How can books with an unusual premise and full of chases, murders and sex be dull and frustrating? I wonder if any editor managed to read the whole of these odd books. They are heavy on confusing action and light on interesting dialogue and tight plotting. And the heroes and villains alike are shallow.

I counted 20 consecutive pages with no dialogue. Out of another six pages with no dialogue, two pages are devoted to a character taking tea.

The heroes spend most of their time moving through buildings, trains, rooftops, fields, etc. They are either stalking, investigating or being chased. It taxes the reader's imagination to follow all of this action but there is no commensurate payback for your effort, just a few lines of confusing dialogue to break the relentlessly detailed but uninteresting movements through space.

The heroes seem compelled by inadequate motivations considering that they return to danger like lemmings.

There are tiny glimpses of some evolution in their characters as they become more ruthless in killing various peons, while never choosing to kill the main villains when they have a chance. I guess discovering that they can commit murder is supposed to make us cheer for these superficial characters.

We are also treated to the clunky device of knowing the heroes' thoughts in the form of interminable questions that they have time to ask themselves in the midst of all of this fighting, escaping and killing. I counted 11 questions in a row posed by one character. It seems like the author was trying to keep track of all of his plot strands with this boring device.

The villains are so uninteresting that I barely distinguish between them.

The plot is simplistic: Corrupt people want to take over the world through a mysterious process that makes puppets of those who they physically altered in some way that isn't clearly explained. Women reveal how they have been converted by passively tolerating sexual molestation and violence. Men reveal their conversion by becoming political pawns.

It's almost like the author is writing stream-of-consciousness, which keeps you feeling that something pivotal and fascinating is going to unfold. But the story just dribbles on with more close calls befalling the determined heroes. I'm starting to feel strung-along. I think I'll give up after I've finished skimming through this book.