Dreams and Shadows
Ratings8
Average rating3.3
15
Ratings8
Average rating3.3
A brilliantly crafted modern tale from acclaimed film critic and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill—part Neil Gaiman, part Guillermo Del Toro, part William S. Burroughs—that charts the lives of two boys from their star-crossed childhood in the realm of magic and mystery to their anguished adulthoods There is another world than our own—one no closer than a kiss and one no further than our nightmares—where all the stuff of which dreams are made is real and magic is just a step away. But once you see that world, you will never be the same. Dreams and Shadows takes us beyond this veil. Once bold explorers and youthful denizens of this magical realm, Ewan is now an Austin musician who just met his dream girl, and Colby, meanwhile, cannot escape the consequences of an innocent wish. But while Ewan and Colby left the Limestone Kingdom as children, it has never forgotten them. And in a world where angels relax on rooftops, whiskey-swilling genies argue metaphysics with foul-mouthed wizards, and monsters in the shadows feed on fear, you can never outrun your fate. Dreams and Shadows is a stunning and evocative debut about the magic and monsters in our world and in our self.
Series
2 primary booksDreams & Shadows is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2013 with contributions by C. Robert Cargill.
Reviews with the most likes.
I decided my three stars was lenient and made it two stars instead. I wish I could do a half star, but such is life. It was too sophomoric to give three stars.
Very mild spoilers.
Because I liked ‘Sinister' so much, I was pumped about this book. Sadly, my three-star review is probably lenient. It was enjoyable enough, but not great. I liked the interruptions of the ‘scholarly' chapters about the fae, but I'm into that kind of thing. And the book had a strong enough beginning. But it quickly becomes a light, mildly gory novel with fairly trite relationships and events. Even the death of the heroine is something I've seen a million times. If you've seen ‘Dogma' and read Neil or Mieville, you'll probably already be familiar with this stuff. The anti-hero hero, the betrayal of a comrade, the loyal woman–they're all here. The most intriguing plot elements are Ewan's transformation into a specific type of faerie, and the fact that he is constantly Colby's damsel in distress.
So it's mildly entertaining, but not terribly original. Mostly, it reads like how I read when I was in junior high and trying to write like Tamora Pierce or Melanie Rawn. He feels like he's trying to emulate Neil or China Meiville, but without the cleverness of language. And that's a pity, because I was excited about this book, and I still really like ‘Sinister.'
