Land of Dreams

By: James P. Blaylock

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

The 12-year solstice has come. And with it, a sinister carnival brings a new sense of terror and wonder to a small coastal town. An enormous shoe is washed up on the shore...a tiny man disguises himself as a mouse...a crow provides eyes for a blind innkeeper...and three curious adventures discover the gateway to the Land of Dreams - where you don't always get what you want, you get what you deserve....

Set in the same world as his award-winning story Paper Dragons, this book portrays a magical atmosphere of the 12-year solstice as it comes to a northern California coastal town.

©1987 James P. Blaylock (P)2014 Audible Studios

Interesting story!

The selection of this story came after I won a free audiobook in one of the FB groups I follow. I wasn’t sure what genre I was going to go for. My usual is post-apocalyptic (especially zombies!), historical, supernatural. This story obviously doesn’t fit under those genres because I was in the mood for something different. I wasn’t sure how this story would go; I was a little confused at the beginning – the big shoe – that I thought it might be too fantastical for my taste. But I really liked this story. It was different, interesting, cute, weird, and held my attention. After listening to the audiobook version of this story, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I'd 'read' the book and stopped. The author uses a lot of figurative language, sometimes overdoing, in my opinion. I don’t mind analogies and whatnot, but they tend to scream out to me especially when used one after another. So I could easily see myself having gotten annoyed if I’d attempted to read this story.

I wasn't sure about the narrator in the beginning. He read fine, just fine. There was a monotonous quality to his voice. It wasn't until the story started moving that emotions could be heard in the narrator's voice, like suspense. He was good with that. Pausing when the scene called for it. I was left wondering how those parts were written. If the pauses (ellipses?) were included or if the narrator put them in himself. Either way, overall, he did a great job. I'd listen to him again.

A Masterpiece

I first read this book in 1988. It has only improved in subsequent readings. The story invokes a magical version of California's North Coast sometime in the 19th century with gorgeous language and atmosphere. The narrator does a terrific job. So glad I treated myself to this audiobook!