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What Dreams May Come Mass Market Paperback – October 15, 1998

by Richard Matheson (Author)

399 customer reviews

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What happens to us after we die? Chris Nielsen had no idea, until an unexpected accident cut his life short, separating him abruptly from his beloved wife, Annie. Now Chris must discover the true nature of life after death.

But even Heaven is not complete without Annie, and when tragedy threatens to divide them forever, Chris risks his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair.

Can love bring together what Heaven and Hell have torn asunder?

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A classic novel of love after death, from one our greatest fantasy writers. The premise is deceptively simple: Chris Neilson has died in a car accident, but his life-force--his spirit--is still conscious of this plane of reality. And he is still too in love with his wife, Ann, to completely let go. She in turn does not want to go on living without him, as each regards the other as their soul mate. What Chris will do to get back with Ann after she dies makes for one of the most unusual love stories ever told. Even though the story can be enjoyed as pure fantasy, what makes What Dreams May Come unique is how the author spent years researching the subject of life after death. (An exhaustive bibliography is included to verify this.) And while Matheson admits that the characters are of course fictional, he also states that "With few exceptions, every other detail is derived exclusively from research." Whether, after reading this novel, one believes in life after death is of course a matter of opinion. At least you'll entertain the possibility that, even though we may not live forever, true love can be eternal. --Stanley Wiater

About the Author

Richard Matheson is The New York Times bestselling author of I Am Legend, Hell House, Somewhere in Time, The Incredible Shrinking Man, A Stir of Echoes, The Beardless Warriors, The Path, Seven Steps to Midnight, Now You See It . . . , and What Dreams May Come. A Grand Master of Horror and past winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, he has also won the Edgar, the Hugo, the Spur, and the Writer's Guild awards.

He lives in Calabasas, California.

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812570944
ISBN-13: 978-0812570946
Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.7 x 6.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
Average Customer Review: 399 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,134,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4017 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Ghosts
- #5319 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > TV, Movie, Video Game Adaptations
- #15203 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Romantic

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Stephen ArvidsonTop Contributor: Graphic Novels

A Gripping Story of Undying Love and Devotion

November 20, 2016

Format: Mass Market PaperbackVerified Purchase

“We are part of a plan, never doubt that. A plan to bring each one of us to the highest level of which we are capable. The way will be dark at times but it leads, assuredly, to light” (p. 265)

In this gripping story of undying love and devotion, Chris Nielsen’s life is cut short by an untimely car crash, separating him from his beloved wife, Ann. As Chris learns the true nature of survival after death, he also realizes that Heaven itself isn’t complete without Ann. Will these two soul-mates manage to reunite against seemingly impossible odds? This frame tale comes to us in the form of a manuscript communicated by the narrator's deceased brother, providing his personal account of the great beyond.

While I can’t claim to have read extensively on the subject, this vibrant novel is a surprisingly convincing depiction of the afterlife. And Richard Matheson's vision of the hereafter truly comes alive on every page.

In the metaphysics of What Dreams May Come, death involves the shedding of one’s physical body and entering a cerebral environment shaped entirely by thought. One’s fate in such an environment is largely self-imposed. Everyone makes their own existence in the afterlife, and only those who’ve improved themselves and become better individuals can move on to an even higher realm. With expert prose and a style that is welcoming to a broad audience, Matheson employs Earth-like scenery as the basis for the imagery of the afterlife, which helps pave the way for some resplendent concepts, including ethereal architects who use only their minds to create buildings and landscapes, and a library housing historical books far more objective than anything on Earth. The depiction of Summerland (one of the heavenly planes and the story’s central setting) is so reassuring and familiar, complete with dogs and comfortable clothing.

Matheson applies a rather scientific approach to the supernatural—a method that failed to serve his previous novel, Hell House, but works astonishingly well here—making Heaven and Hell seem like a wholly logical and natural process. One of the pleasures of this touching masterpiece is fathoming all the complex "laws" governing life and death. The lengthy bibliography at the end of the book underscores the extensive research Matheson conducted, taking elements from many religions to bring together what he perceives to be an accurate depiction of reality. The legendary author makes numerous unpretentious statements on such existential topics as the meaning of life and morality, contending that compassion and empathy are evolutionary traits of the ascending soul—whose purpose exists as a unique and subjective truth that is transcendent of life itself.

What Dreams May Come urges readers to carefully reflect on their lives and the people in their respective lives whom they love and, perhaps, take for granted. If Matheson’s version of the afterlife proves correct, then death is not to be feared and there is tremendous hope for us all. Ultimately, though, it's each of us that holds ourselves back. Readers of all walks of life, regardless of their beliefs, can find enjoyment and inspiration from this tale, this thought-provoking journey into the human experience as both physical and spiritual beings.

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Richard York

Genius Story, the Ending Not So Much

May 24, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is an exquisite, genius blend of metaphysical knowledge into what we're told is a fiction story. I'm not ashamed to admit that I wept with joy and sorrow through much of the first third of the book, especially Chris's death at the very beginning.

I thought the entire book resonated quite well with my own belief system, which has been aquired from many books on mysticism, spiritualism, and metaphysics in general.

While I speak about the ending in the sentences that follow, I will attempt to not put out any spoilers and try to speak about things in broad, general terms. I was very disappointed and upset by the ending of this book. More than disappointed, angry, enraged. Upon reflection I felt that the ending was a complete contradiction of the principles established in the first third of the book. It felt like an immoral and contradictory conclusion to an otherwise flawless masterpiece. The ending for me was nothing more than dogma. Having read it, I understand now why the movie's creators were so conflicted about how the story should end, but I believe that the movie got it right here and the book, wrong. I prefer the book to the movie's everything else for the most part though.

And the following paragraphs DO CONTAIN SPOILERS...

As a hopeless, head over heals romantic, I more than identified with the story. It felt like I was reading a real account of the afterlife from a real person.

The ending felt as hollow as Ann did in hell. It felt like a punishment, not like a balancing of the scales. And I do not accept the idea of karma as described by the author. The idea of karma ends when a soul realizes, learns, accepts, and repents the wrong of their actions, no further action is required. Why would there be? If the requisite knowledge becomes a part of the soul, it does not need to be learned again through some forced action of retribution. There is no karma as retribution. Karma is a tool to teach, empathy, compassion, patience, and so on. Not a tool of punishment. I do not believe that a soul would ever be forced to be reborn, first, without their own choice in the matter, and, second, with any handicap or ailment that soul hasn't specifically selected for itself for it's personal growth, no matter what its past life deeds. And I do not accept that any person so brought to the pit of despair to commit suicide will have any conclusion forced on them as a result of leaving the earthly plane before their scheduled departure. As the book establishes, reality for any soul is a result of that soul's thoughts, this is as true for a soul that has been taken naturally or one that takes itself through suicide.

It is also unacceptable that the hall of records would not have known about this potential suicide. Each thought is a chain, one leads to the next, the examiners there would have certainly known of Ann's plan to take her own life, especially at that moment of her intense suffering and despair on earth. She would have been surrounded by guides and helpers to help her at the moment of her crossing to attempt to prevent her from sinking into the turmoil of hell.

The ending was completely unacceptable to me. So much so that I feel that every single copy of this book should be recalled and the ending rewritten completely. Keeping two souls, who love and are devoted to each other so completly, apart from each other after so much anguish and despair and toiling just feels cruel and way over the top. Even if they were eventually brought together in a new life. What about their children? Wouldn't they like to see their parents in the great hereafter after /their/ heartache? It makes no sense. I do not accept (at least in the context of this story) that rebirth could possibly take place so quickly.

Furthermore, if a soul's thoughts and will create their own reality, how can it be said that Ann must be reborn immediately? No one would possibly choose such a path after that experience.

I have other issues with the story here and there. The concept of a soul's ultimate goal being to be reunited with God is written about an awful lot. Personally, I believe we all already reunited with God since we all contain the essence of God already, as does everything around us. So, what would be the point? I can imagine no greater boredom than becoming little more than a fixture. Perhaps there is more to it that my tiny, feeble mind does not yet understand. But this thought goes to my greater point, life, afterlife, whatever, is what God does to keep eternity interesting.

The book was so much more detailed, expansive. I hated that the movie dumbed down so much, introduced unnecessary characters, and added far more drama and grief to a story that already had more than enough grief. This is just Hollywood making things more dramatic than necessary.

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Mary

A beautiful, magical story

November 3, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a beautifully written story that delivers a though provoking picture of the afterlife. I loved that the author based it on extensive research on accounts from near-death experiences. It really makes you think. Different from the movie - not as tear jerking, but just as good. Highly recommended, especially for people who have lost a loved one. It's comforting to think that there's more to this life than we'll ever know.

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Kuehnau

A good book, but not 'amazing'.

July 13, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Everyone I always talk to claim that the book is far superior then the movie which stars Robbin Williams. In many cases, books often outshine their movie counterparts.

'What Dreams May Come' may be different, when compared to the theatrical release, the over all writing and feel of the book, the plot, is fairly spot on. The changes made to the movie, not only made it a wonderful movie, but it made it a slightly different experience for the fans of the book. The changes are mostly superficial.

The big difference when compared to the book and movie is, the book explains on much more technical terms how the after life works and attempts to explain to the readers how and why the events happened to begin with.

On the down side, the book occasionally suffers from from clunky writing or even over describing details.

It's a good book and I can easily recommend it, but if you've already seen the movie, don't be surprised if it's a very similar experience.

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Alex Zakharenko

Better watch the movie!

July 14, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Grabbed this book after watching movie several times, actually this is one of my favorite movies. Was surprised to find that book lacked a lot of color and expression compared to the movie, and the plot is much simpler. I know it is rarely the case with screen adaptations, but don’t waste time and money on the book, better watch the movie.

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What Dreams May Come Mass Market Paperback – October 15, 1998

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