Stories by Caitlin R. Kiernan, Christa Faust, Bev Vincent, Jane Gwaltney, James S. Dorr, Amy J. Benesch, Gary McMahon, Gill Ainsworth, Larisa Walk, Louise Bohmer, Lisa Mantchev, and AC Wise
Simian Publishing
Have you ever been curious what it would be like to wander through the minds of other sleepers; to taste their dreams and live their nightmares, even for just a moment? Into the Dreamlands is otherworldly, surreal, nightmarish, sorrowful, and disturbing. Each story takes you into a winding path that is like the circuitry of a brain.
To examine the entire book would be like a schizophrenic trying to explain exactly why the Halloween witches and creatures like Bigfoot are after them. It just cannot be done. The pacing was well done, a comfortable pace that I enjoyed at the end of a busy day. Getting lost inside someone else's idea of dreams and nightmares is very well worth the escape Into the Dreamlands. If you are a 'gore-hound" you may look elsewhere. But if you are the kind of person who enjoys a bit of the bizarre, a splash of the dramatic, and a taste of the beyond, even the slightly ethereal, then I would suggest this collection of stories.
Another chalk-mark on the 'pro-side': editors Jason Andrews and Michael Dyer have hand picked some wonderful women writers, and not to be entirely one-sided, they have hand-picked some excellent authors, period. But I must give my kudos to the editors. I am impressed, and I enjoyed the read very much. I have to point out my favorites, though this does not mean that I did not enjoy the other stories. It just seemed that these few stories touched me more than the others.
I have been a long time fan of Bev Vincent, ever since I read one of his stories on another website called, 'A harrowing obsession". That isn't in this collection but if you ever come across it, it will stick with you every time you hear the words 'trick or treat" for sure. Anyway, Before the fall by Bev Vincent is a teetering tale that is a mish-mash of dreams strung together on paper. Eerie and often times off-balance, Bev leads us through what fear really is: am I dreaming? Or is this for real? You know that old mantra, 'It's only a dream. It's only a dream...Yeah. Before the fall captures that quite skillfully.
Gill Ainsworth's tale, Lala Salama is a heart-wrenching tale about a couple, Michael and Ess, who are trying to have a child their own. After many failed attempts they decide to adopt an AIDS orphan. Soon after their decision, a wrench is thrown into the works, Ess becomes pregnant. This is good news but the hired help and the townspeople are skeptical, since Ess touched a chameleon (which is 'bad magic') shortly before discovering that she is pregnant. The story could not end on a more chilling and sorrowful note. I really like chameleons too...
Roadkill by Christina Faust had me glued to each page as I tried to figure out alongside her, just exactly what it was she hit with her car on the road. Is it moving? Is it real? What exactly is 'it'? You must read to find out. Oh, and stay in the damn car!
Dreams, wholesale by A.C. Wise is vivid, bizarre, and original. I will never get the image of people wrapped in cocoons having their dreams harvested like crops out of my head. Damn insomnia anyway... order up!
boyfriend.com by Amy J.Benesch is a peculiar contemporary piece in all respects. She uses the internet along with the mysterious abilities of the mind to create a piece that will have you looking at 'dating-dot-coms' in a whole new light. Lonesome, anyone?
And how can I exclude one of my recent favorites (as if you all did not know! gasp!) Louise Bohmer. Book of dreams is a dark-fantasy piece that reaches way back into folklore to changelings and fae to expose modern eyes to an ancient world with a dramatic flair. A much enjoyed dark-fantasy!
All the writers are talented in their own right, each tale offering something to the proverbial table, and each one with meat for the mind. A feast fit for the most voracious of readers! You are certain to find, at the very least, one favorite in this collection. Would I lead you astray? Well, I may...my English teacher did use to always say to me, 'Goff, quit leading everyone off the path of righteousness!'
