Bad Dreams

By: Kenneth Buff

Narrated by: Steve Carlson

We all have nightmares, but not all of us have to live them. Johnathon Clarke did. His bullies beat him. They humiliated him. They stole his life. So at the age of 17, he took it away with a bullet from a gun.

In hell, John finds himself working out his existence in the mailroom, until he's given the promotion he died for - he becomes the forger of nightmares, the giver of bad dreams. With his new position, John makes his assignments feel the fear he's felt his entire existence. He does this until he's assigned a young girl named Danielle.

Danielle's not much younger than John was, and the circumstances surrounding why she's been assigned are troubling. They're troubling because he disagrees. Now John must decide between continuing this life of torture and scares, or using this dark gift for something else, something that could help this girl who needs him.

©2014 Kenneth Buff (P)2018 Polar Bear Books

Great story and narration

Buff does an excellent job building a world and creating a character that you root for. I enjoyed the story and stayed engaged throughout. The narrator is a perfect fit and does a great job as well.

Nightmares and More

John Clarke lived a nightmare every single day of his life. Then the nightmares stopped. Now he spends eternity giving nightmares. When he sees someone else in trouble, John has a decision to make. Will he make the right one?

The author, Kenneth Buff challenges the listeners to dive headfirst into the dilemma of suicide and the emotional reasoning behind the act. He stops short of making the listener feel sorry for those that created the situation through their torturing of John but still allows us to think twice – do they deserve this or not? We question John’s growth as a character as well. The story seems a bit rushed at times; it is the psychological aspect that I found intriguing. Each character is developed to fit the situation, nothing more. The only long-term character commitment is to John. We are not even given insight into his parent’s emotional well-being. This is a deliberate and focused storyline.

The narrator, Steve Carlson does an excellent job of moving the story forward and helping build the connection to John. He captures his personality perfectly and projects the appropriate emotional response. He speaks clearly and with a steady cadence.

Overall, this is an interesting book that plays on the listener’s imagination. However, this is a book of triggers (suicide, bullies) as well.

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.