Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Les Agents de Dreamland

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Les Agents de Dreamland by Caitlín R. Kiernan

7 reviews

roguemuffin's review against another edition

4.0

I would recommend this novella if you are looking for an X-Files/noir/cosmic horror type experience.

I really enjoyed it, I just wish that I had read it in larger chunks at a time or all the way thru in one or two sittings. It is an immersive read and reading a few pages here and there didn't do it justice.

The jumps between character perspectives and finer points of the plot were a little hard to follow mainly due to the language being indirect. This is part of what successfully creates the vibe and no doubt an intentional stylistic choice, it's just something to prepare for and stick with for a full experience (vs stopping and starting as I did)

Overall I'd say save this novella for when you are in the mood for an atmospheric cosmic read, then go all in and you'll have an excellent time. It definitely delivers well if you set it up for success.

CW of note: the main character drinks to cope and this is peppered throughout the story from a first person perspective.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

'Agents of Dreamland' by Caitlin R. Kiernan is an intriguing novella focused on an event in the desert and the people wrapped up in the event. Told through alternating perspectives that flip forward and back in time, we get to know the Signalman, an agent sent to disrupt a cult. We also get to know a woman lulled by the cult's message. But this isn't your average run of the mill religious cult and it will have consequences that will echo into the future and the past.
Kiernan creates a deeply unsettling story in very few pages. Through the alternating perspectives, we slowly begin to unravel what is happening and it's potential repercussions. One of my favorite things that they do is let your imagination propel the story forward. Body horror is hinted at but never expressly described. Just enough is provided to make you disgusted and imagine all of the worst possible options. This story is quick but effective. I'm glad that there are more books in this series because it feels like there is more story left to tell.

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maelstrom712's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

X-files meets The Twilight Zone in this SFF novella. Featuring a cast of bitter, nihilistic characters doing their best to make the most out of a terrible situation. Follow the Signalman as he investigates the suspicious death of a woman and the consequences of said death.

The book changes perspective each chapter to tell the story, utilizing the different personalities and thoughts to give depth and substance to a relatively procedural story. Kiernan excels at characterization and making a seemingly simply event to a riveting and tense read.

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jdcorley's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

There's things to like here. Kiernan's take on the spies vs. Cthulhu Mythos pastiche has a distinctly American voice to its protagonist Signalman, differentiating it crisply from the other spy vs. Mythos series giong. It's also sadder and feels older. The Signalman has enough experience to know how far out of their depth the people that have come along after him are; the immortal, time-jumping counter-agent is thoroughly, completely alone. But once it wraps up you don't feel like much has actually happened. The narrative also jumps around in time, robbing the character that does so of some of her unique point of view and not giving us much in the way of intrigue or tension as a result. I don't want to make it sound like I didn't enjoy it - I did. But it could have been a short story, just a little sting of a glance into this terrible world, or it could have had more go on in it. As a standalone work it didn't really go anywhere.

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