The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One
by Gordon Dahlquist
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gordon DahlquistEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-12-30
ISBN: 0553385852
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Bantam
Book Reviews of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One
Book Review: Plot, Dialogue, and Characterization....Oh My!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One
Here begins an extraordinary alliance?and a brutal and tender, shocking, and electrifying adventure to end all adventures.
It starts with a simple note. Roger Bascombe regretfully wishes to inform Celeste Temple that their engagement is forthwith terminated. Determined to find out why, Miss Temple takes the first step in a journey that will propel her into a dizzyingly seductive, utterly shocking world beyond her imagining?and set her on a collision course with a killer and a spy?in a bodice-ripping, action-packed roller-coaster ride of suspense, betrayal, and richly fevered dreams.
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