Title: A Prisoner of Dreamland and Other Oneiric Terrors

Author: Garrett Boatman

Release date: Unsure – though up for Preorder on Weird House Press’ website

*Huge thank to Garrett for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

I’m a huge fan of everything that Weird House Press releases; phenomenal books with amazing art to a rabid fanbase of readers. It is very cool to see them stay the course, with limited signed editions and all that jazz. Saying that, much like Severed Press, I’ve found them to be frustrating for readers in that you never really know an actual release date, nor does the book get loaded onto Goodreads in advance, etc. etc. The stuff readers long to know, are rarely delivered well in advance, or in a timely manner, and I’ve often wondered if that shoots these releases in the foot.

I digress.

What I will say, is that hot off the heels of devouring Jason Parent’s fantastic collection from Weird Press last year, when Garrett reached out to me about this one, I jumped all over it. For those who don’t know, Garrett is the author of ‘Stage Fright,’ a prominent Paperback From Hell, and the ‘Floaters’ zombie novel, which I’ve seen people rave about.

Wanting to dive into this, I waited until I was flying out to a convention, where I devoured it (and coincidentally, a new Jason Parent collection) on the flight there.

What I liked: With every story within jumping off from dreams and how they play a pivotal role within, I was worried that the stories would begin to feel far too similar, too repetitive over and over, but thankfully, Boatman gives us enough variation to make the order of them flow smoothly and enjoyably.

No matter the length, some ranging from a dozen pages, up to a full on novella length, Boatman does a wonderful job of setting the stage, introducing the characters and then delivering some truly frightful chills.

Highlights for me were;

‘A Cure for Insomnia’ – in this story, a sister struggles with the death of her own sister. Because of this, she can’t sleep, that is, until she procures a mysterious powder from the local Apothecary, and her dreams begin to feel all too real.

‘Somniphobia’ – perhaps the shortest story in the collection is also one of the most terrifying short stories you’ll ever read. We arrive to find a woman, on a bus, in Bolivia. Suddenly, the bus crashes and goes into a ravine. Those who survive soon wish they hadn’t, as soul eaters descend and begin to devour.

‘Every Kid in Town’ – in this one, Boatman has us listen in, as a cop interviews an old man about events that happened when he was a kid. Mysteriously, all the kids in town begin to have the same dream, see their own Doppelgangers, and with those, some go missing, only to return not as themselves. This one was tight, unnerving, and begging to become a feature-length movie.

‘Mad Art’ – in this quick slab of terror, heinous murders have begun, and surprisingly, each scene has been painted – before even happening – by a man in an institution. The detective assigned to the case, tries to figure out how it happens, and soon we see the demonic beast that awakens each night in the artist’s dreams.

Over and over again, Boatman deftly gives us a solid story that infuses it with dreams directly forcing the stories narrative into new and exciting places.

What I didn’t like: While the repetition of dreams as a theme didn’t become tiresome, I would say that knowing dreams would play a role some how kind of dulled the impact of those dreams by the last few stories. I think I was able to limit my potential frustration by reading a novel and another collection at the same time, but I’m not totally sure if it would be smart to plow through these stories all in a singular, uninterrupted sitting.

Why you should buy this: Currently the signed and lettered deluxe hardcover is available for purchase, so if you’re a huge collector, or a massive fan of Garrett’s, definitely get on this. For those who’ll be waiting for the Kindle or Paperback edition, what you’ll find is a seasoned, masterful storyteller who pulls no punches and who delivers some phenomenal stories. You’ll even get a good smattering of Lovecraft-inspired/related stories, for those who love the Great Old One’s within that Cosmic Horror world.

A fantastic collection, and a must-read for short-story fans, Boatman continues Weird House Press’ run of hit collections.

5/5

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A Prisoner of Dreamland and Other Oneiric Terrors