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The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters: Book 1 Volume 2

par Gordon Dahlquist

Séries: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters (Book 1, Part 2)

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2035132,560 (3.65)4
A mystery as dazziling as a hall of mirrors. A seductive, terrifying, all-too-real world. A beguiling, erotic literary adventure. Discover why readers everywhere are enthralled by this "marvelous confection of a book."* In which the astonishing adventure to end all adventures continues--and the excitement doubles. Like every other honest man, an assassin has his reputation to consider. So it is with Cardinal Chang. A brutal killer with the heart of a poet, Chang is no longer able to trust those who hired him. Disconcerted, he sets out on the trail of a mystery like no other, in a city few have traveled to--featuring three unlikely heroes with a most intriguing bond. *Philadelphia Inquirer… (plus d'informations)
  1. 10
    La Ligue des Gentlemen extraordinaires, volume 1 par Alan Moore (kraaivrouw)
    kraaivrouw: Similar subject matter, great art, incredibly entertaining!
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5 sur 5
A resounding "meh." The characters were fairly uninteresting, and despite copious action sequences, the book managed to be rather dull. By the end, I was hoping they would all crash into the North Sea. Perhaps the length is at fault: it's nearly 900 pages long. Many of the confrontations seemed to be repeats, and in general it could have used an editor. The book is at its worst when attempting to have moments of tenderness; Dahlquist should have just stuck to action, which he can do competently if not thrillingly. Also, the reviewers seemed to be reading it as though it weren't a fantasy novel, which seems to be missing the point. ( )
  elucubrare | Feb 9, 2018 |
This book starts exactly where Volume 1 of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters left off. As we left our heroes, they had parted ways as they continued to try to frustrate the efforts of the Cabal for world domination. Celeste Temple, the heiress from the West Indies, had headed for the St. Royale Hotel, to find the Contessa Di Lacquer-Sforza, who tried to have her killed at Harschmort House, just the other night. Taking a pistol with her, she plans to put things to right, but doesn't tell Chang or Svenson, our other two heroes, where she is going. They try to anticipate her thinking; Chang goes to the Institute where they make the Blue Glass Books, and Dr. Svenson goes to Tarr Manor, where they dig the Indigo clay necessary for The Process that transforms people into the Minions for the Cabal.

THE PLOT: As we join our heroes, things have not gone well for them in their endeavors. Celeste is a prisoner of the Comte and Contessa - thinking her exceptional, the Comte has decided she must go through The Process and become a Minion. They board a train to Harschmort House were The Process will turn her into a Minion, except she would rather die first, so escape is her only option. Chang, after battling enemies at the Institute, and finding a friend, had ground glass blown into his lungs by the Contessa when he found the trail of Celeste. He followed to the train and is outside hooked on to the Coal Car. He must save Celeste before he dies of the glass in his lungs as he knows that he will die soon. He has little time to complete his mission, but he just can't leave her to these people, so off he goes to Harschmort House to enable her escape as well as the escape of Angelique, the woman he loves. We left Dr. Svenson hanging from a rope below a dirigible, flying through the air - and him, afraid of heights. After struggling up the rope to the top of the airship, he makes his way into Harschmort House, only to discover that the woman that he fell for in Tarr Manor, Eloise DuJong, was inside. He also found out, his two comrades were inside as well. He needed to find all three, but in which priority? He must cause as much trouble as possible too. Which means, disrupting whatever the Cabal is doing now, as well as discovering their plans, and killing his Prince. The Doctor has so much to do and so little time to do it in, and with a house full of murderers, rapists, thieves, and alchemists, he doesn't know if he will see the light of day, but one thing he does know - he will do his level best to see that Mrs. DuJong, Celeste, Temple, and Cardinal Chang are all alive and well come morning and that the Cabal isn't. It's a tall order, but he has to count on the fact the his two friends are doing the same thing! Who will succeed? The Cabal or our Heroes? What will happen over night at Harschmort House? Will the Cabal rip itself apart from the inside with help from our heroes? Will our heroes die a heroic death before morning? Will the group be down to one or two come morning? The plot was so amazingly byzantine, that the twists and turns came at you every which way. I loved every minute of the finely executed plot. It was with very great enjoyment that I watched the plot unfold like Swiss clockwork. At each click of the second hand, something new would pop out you - surprising you with its insight into the overarching theme, the Cabal, or the story itself, as well as the people involved. For Plot, I give this book a 10/10.

THE CHARACTERIZATION: As with the first volume, this book goes deeper into the characterization of the heroes themselves, but also into their enemies. We get quite a good look at the heads of the Cabal, the Comte and Contessa, Francis Xonck, Mr. Crabbe, as well as Roger Bascombe, who had been something of a cypher up to this point. We also get to meet some new characters including Colonel Smythe, a leader of a company of Dragoons, Mr. Blenhiem, the keeper of Harschmort House, Lord Robert Vaanderiff and others. The characters were deep individuals, with core feelings that went way down to their very hearts and souls. Reverberating there for no one to see but the readers, in some cases, and in others, for all the world to see at Harschmort House, through the telepathic imagery of the Blue Glass women, as in the case of Cardinal Chang and Angelique. His heart was literally bared wide for all to see in a particular instance. It nearly killed him emotionally as well as physically, yet he persevered to save his comrades. For Characterization, I give this novel, a 10/10.

THE IMAGERY: Dahlquist is a master of imagery - he did an amazing job describing Harschmort House in particular - which was a prison, converted into a luxury manor. A tower inside the manor went underground, instead of soaring into the sky. Inside the tower was a colossal room surrounded by prison cells. The primary focus of the room was a stage set with operating tables lit from above, from which the Comte could work his alchemical Process. Hundreds of tubes ran down the walls of the Tower - making it virtually serpentine. All the tubes culminated into a singular system that fed onto the stage itself, where the alchemical Process that the Comte was to perform, before the people watching in the prison cells. This image of the people in the prison cells, with the camp chairs, and their champagne, looking through slots, getting excited while watching the Comte transform three women from human to Blue Glass people in his alchemical Process - I will never forget. It was truly disturbing. Kind of like a side show turned evil. If there is evil in the world, and I do believe there is, Dahlquist captured it its essence in that sequence. The people are dupes, the women have no idea of what is going to happen to them, they are innocent, yet guilty by association. Only the Comte knows what is happening. He isn't going to tell. He is the evil one. He displays the Glass Women with leather leashes around their necks after the transformation, as if they were his pets or creatures that he controls; another form of Minion, yet a powerful one at that. I found it disgusting, but the images did not leave my mind. The images were very cinematic. For imagery, I give this novel a 10/10.

THE GORE SCORE: This novel rates rather high on the gore score, as they kill, and dismember people, then behead, shoot and stab people everywhere. The blood flows, whether it is red or blue. If you like violence with your adventure, you'll get it here. No one stops to think before the murder or mayhem starts. It just happens and happens quickly. Even our heroes don't hesitate, because they'd be dead if they did. For a Gore Score, I give this novel, an 8/10.

THE DIALOGUE: Everyone in this book was upper crust, with the exception of a few chambermaids who helped Dr. Svenson when he arrived at Harschmort house, and two butlers who tried to stop Celeste Temple and Eloise DuJong after they popped out of dumbwaiter on their way to escape. The dialogue was not only snappy, upper crust, but unique for each individual. The Contessa and the Comte each had a way of speaking that defined them. The same was true of Roger Bascombe, who had a tendency to whine. Francis Xonck resorted to violence first and asked questions later, Celeste was definitely a talker, where Chang listened. Svenson thought a lot, so we heard those thoughts as he was speaking in his head. It was amazing how Dahlquist used speech as another defining part of characterization. The butlers and maids spoke lower class English, which of course was appropriate for their station. The dialogue in the book was simply another factor in an already amazing adventure that defined each character down to a T. For dialogue, I give the novel 9/10.

THE PACING: This book is like a runaway horse at full gallop. I started at the first word and BOOM! I was off - flying with the wind in my face, flying over the fields, never stopping, never slowing, just that rocking motion at high speed. I did't stop until the very last word on the very last page, then the book was over. I put it down, clearly satisfied with the trip, and looking for the next volume, which is hopefully right next to me so that I can continue on my ride once again. After a cup of coffee and a snack maybe...The transitions were smooth as a babies behind. No problem telling one narrator from another. No problem telling when I switched scenes. There is no sophomoric slump for Dahlquist at all. This book was actually better than the first volume. I liked it more, and that is saying something. For Pacing, I give this novel a 9/10.

THE ENDING: I thanked my lucky stars that this book did not end the way that volume 1 did - with a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers! This book had a satisfying ending. It wrapped up all the story lines and tied them up nicely, leaving our heroes, in a situation where there is a potential for all types of things to happen to them. I can't wait to read The Dark Volume, which is the next book in the series. There was so much action at the end, you would think a zombie apocalypse is tame. It was definitely a Battle Royale. Dahlquist did it right this time - gave the reader a satisfying ending. I was so happy about that - no cliffhangers, no moment in time endings, just a satisfying resolution to the problems proposed by book two, and away we go with book three. I was happy about that, it made it so much easier to put the book down, and take a break for a few minutes from the series and do something else. I was satisfied that for the moment, that our three heroes were okay. For the Ending, I give this novel, a 9/10.

THE UPSHOT: I love this series, it is one of my favorites of all time, and I believe that it is one the top 10 best adventure series in Literature. Dahlquist is a genius when it comes to action, adventure, plotting, wordsmithing, imagery, and characterization. If you like action and adventure novels, if you like steampunk, if you like Victorian historical fiction, if you like world domination conspiracy novels, if you like fantasy novels, if you like murder mystery novels, you will love this series. Get all three of them today. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters Volumes 1 & 2 and The Dark Volume. I swear, I haven't found any other action/adventure, fantasy, steampunk, conspiracy, murder mystery, novels that can quite compare. This novel scores 58 out of 60. Almost a perfect a score. So, come along with me into a world where Blue Glass can become people, books, or anything else - can wipe your mind of thoughts, turn you into a Minion, or make you a Master of the World. Please hurry, we won't wait for you long. We are taking over the World, after all... ( )
  Molecular | Feb 21, 2014 |
I don't often abandon a book, but I ditched this one midway through the second volume and that, I think, pretty much sums up my problem with it - there was a second volume.

There's a good premise here and had Mr. Dahlquist submitted to actual editing there might have been a great story here, but at something over 700 pages for both volumes this just wasn't worth it. If you're going to be this long-winded, you'd better be entertaining and at some point with this book I just didn't care.

Part of my problem with this is that I think it really wants to be The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (the comic, not the movie) and Alan Moore has already done that and done it in an absolutely brilliant and engaging way - this suffers in comparison. ( )
  kraaivrouw | Jan 16, 2010 |
This book is the second half of the story begun in Volume One. Not sure why it was split into two volumes, together they are about 900-odd pages of a story, on the large side, surely, but I devoured it fairly quickly. Like Volume One, Volume Two has many hair's-breadth escapes, confrontations, and other suspenseful stuff. Sometimes they get a bit too descriptive, but this story holds your interest throughout. The characters both good and bad are wonderful creations. And our three protagonists prove themselves worthy adversaries for the numerous bad guys in the sinister cabal. If the body count in Volume One is impressive, it's nothing compared to Volume Two. Our heroes (and heroine) are deadly! Guns, knives, sabres, glass shards -- and that's just a partial list of the weapons they employ. And the final denouement is an extremely cinematic (and bloody) smorgasbord of good versus evil. And there is one small hanging thread that leaves room for a sequel. I understand that the recently published book, The Dark Volume continues the adventures. Sweet. This was a fantastic story in every sense. Wicked fun. ( )
  woodge | Nov 20, 2009 |
My review for The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters spans both Volume One and Volume Two, because really, I figure if you're committing yourself to the first, you should probably accept the second... after all, the book was originally printed as one large hardcover, and it only split into two volumes in paperback.

That said, my big issue was this. Generally, I think one can assume that the period of time in which it takes the events of a book to unfold will be greater than the time it takes one to read it. That might be *barely* true here... but only if one factors in the extra day that passes in the first five pages where Miss Temple absorbs the news that Roger Bascombe has ended their engagement. *Including that*, everything takes place in three days. Three days! That's a lot of pages to chart the course of three days. And sure, we're moving quickly, but I actually found this to be a book rich in detail, perfectly willing to linger over descriptions of people and locations... and the action scenes certainly took double the time to read than they would to actually occur (and oftentimes, you have certain scenes repeated at least twice, as we bounce between the perspectives of three main characters).

All that aside, I did enjoy these books and since I read them in the space of five days, I can reasonably say that they do captivate one's attention. Of course, they do this by such a ridiculous amount of suspense that I didn't feel as though I was eagerly devouring the book so much as I was being forcibly pushed through everything, with the knowledge that if I stopped, I would surely find something amiss and so I had no choice but to power through. There was never a moment of pause as we barreled headlong into an incredibly complicated plot with a long list of characters.

The simple description is ridiculously broad. Three unlikely compatriots find themselves banding together against a sinister group of persons who have a plot to take over the world by mind-manipulation. But that only scratches the surface.

The book opens upon Miss Temple reading a note from her fiancee, informing her in a rather terse note that he is terminating their engagement. She resolves to discover exactly why he has ended things (not out of deep love to get him back, but more with a need for closure), and of course, the most logical way to do that is not to ask him, but to follow him. This propels her (and the reader) into a world that is more and more complicated by the minute, with a "Cabal" of personalities bound tightly together by a fracturing partnership. But she isn't alone -- Celeste Temple forms a strange alliance with two other men as they seek to thwart the evil-doings of the Cabal. Cardinal Chang is a deadly assassin so named for his trademark red jacket and scarring on his eyes that gives him the appearance of being Oriental. Originally hired to kill a man (who turns out to be deeply involved in the Cabal's goings-on), Chang is unable to follow-through on that assignment when he finds the man has been killed for him, but his involvement hardly ends there. Doctor Svenson is a chain-smoking diplomat/doctor who is essentially baby-sitting a prince of Macklenburg (a German duchy) that has become engaged to a wealthy Lord's daughter, and then discovers that the Lord, the daughter, and his own prince all have their roles in this sinister plot. And lest you think this is some simple "take over the world" plot by hypnotising people, the means for mind-manipulation rest in the mysterious properties of "indigo clay" and the amazing glass that can be formed by it as a repository for memories. Such fantastic ideas have a darker side, too -- and the adherents to this "Process" might very well be selling their souls (or at least their free will) over to the leaders of the Cabal.

The fantasy elements are certainly interesting... I was introduced to the phrase "steampunk" by way of this book, and if you know that at all, it certainly applies. It's chocked full of dirigibles and trains, as well as masquerade balls and erotic undertones (without venturing into anything really romantic). It's certainly a wild ride, but I must admit that with the two volumes and all, I was a little peeved to note that there's a sequel that was just published. You'd think that it would at least have the courtesy to conclude its business within those two volumes, but ah well. I'll certainly go on to the sequel, but I predict that it might be trying my patience to do so. But if "steampunk" seems up your alley, then by all means, seek out The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters because it certainly is a creative epic, the likes of which you rarely stumble across on the pure fiction shelves (rather than that of fantasy or sci-fi). ( )
1 voter alana_leigh | Jul 7, 2009 |
5 sur 5
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A mystery as dazziling as a hall of mirrors. A seductive, terrifying, all-too-real world. A beguiling, erotic literary adventure. Discover why readers everywhere are enthralled by this "marvelous confection of a book."* In which the astonishing adventure to end all adventures continues--and the excitement doubles. Like every other honest man, an assassin has his reputation to consider. So it is with Cardinal Chang. A brutal killer with the heart of a poet, Chang is no longer able to trust those who hired him. Disconcerted, he sets out on the trail of a mystery like no other, in a city few have traveled to--featuring three unlikely heroes with a most intriguing bond. *Philadelphia Inquirer

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