patremagne's review against another edition
3.0
Probably a 3.49. Very weird.
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/10/dream-london-by-tony-ballantyne-and-the-violent-century-by-lavie-tidhar.html
Tony Ballantyne’s Dream London jumped out in Solaris’s catalog instantly with its cover. The blurb was also interesting – a London that constantly changes, buildings grow of their own volition every day, very weird things happen on a daily basis. People with tongues that have eyes, potty-mouthed little girls, and an orange frog-man. Captain Jim Wedderburn is caught up on a mission to find out why London has changed. The book had some good characters, especially the frog-man, had a lot of great humor, but the plot was somewhat damaged by its eccentricity and in the end it left me feeling that it was alright, but not great.
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/10/dream-london-by-tony-ballantyne-and-the-violent-century-by-lavie-tidhar.html
Tony Ballantyne’s Dream London jumped out in Solaris’s catalog instantly with its cover. The blurb was also interesting – a London that constantly changes, buildings grow of their own volition every day, very weird things happen on a daily basis. People with tongues that have eyes, potty-mouthed little girls, and an orange frog-man. Captain Jim Wedderburn is caught up on a mission to find out why London has changed. The book had some good characters, especially the frog-man, had a lot of great humor, but the plot was somewhat damaged by its eccentricity and in the end it left me feeling that it was alright, but not great.
kimal25's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, even though I really don't know what to think about it. This was a very weird book, but weird in a good way. Captain James (Jim) Wedderburn was not a nice character, but he was likeable nonetheless. Dream London seemed like a terrible place but also very interesting. I liked the strange grittiness of the city and the people, as well as the adventure of everything. A much, much different story than anything I'm used to.
powder_and_page's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on Powder & Page
First off, I just want to say that I sorta picked up this book based on the cover, which is gorgeous. I do judge books based on their covers after all, even though it might be frowned upon by some readers. Anyway, the cover was really cool so I read the little blurb on the back and it sounded pretty neat too. I decided that I would buy this book and see if it was as interesting as it sounded and, long story short, it was SO weird but also SO awesome! Dream London is certainly nothing like what I normally read and it was totally worth it.
Tony Ballantyne created an image of London that is mind-blowing. Streets move, buildings stretch and shrink, strange creatures arrive from parts unknown, and for God’s sake, there are no decimals! Captain James Wedderburn (who isn’t actually a Captain) has profited from the changes of Dream London. He runs a whorehouse and has made a name for himself in this strange new reality. Of course, this doesn’t last and he gets in over his head trying to find out who caused London to become Dream London and then stop them. Captain Wedderburn is torn between two rival groups- the Cartel, who want to stop the changes and the Daddio, who takes over people by infecting them with tongue worms. Tongue worms are the stuff of late-night pizza fueled nightmares.
The characters are as unique and crazy as Dream London itself. Captain Wedderburn is a bit dashing, but also arrogant and a bit of a dick. Honey Peppers is an adorable little girl with a particularly creative sailor’s vocabulary. I laughed out loud at little Honey Peppers and her vile litany of profanities. Mr. Monagan is a frog that wishes to be a man – he’s one of the more normal characters.
It gets a bit philosophical eventually, with talk of why being individual isn’t always good and sometimes being part of a larger group is good. When everyone only thinks of themselves and plays lone wolf they lose the power that being a pack holds. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives (thank you Game of Thrones).
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different than their regular read. Okay, well maybe a LOT different to me. Based on the absurdly fascinating storyline and the mostly likeable characters, this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I would also like to mention that a second book titled Dream Paris will be released August 25!
First off, I just want to say that I sorta picked up this book based on the cover, which is gorgeous. I do judge books based on their covers after all, even though it might be frowned upon by some readers. Anyway, the cover was really cool so I read the little blurb on the back and it sounded pretty neat too. I decided that I would buy this book and see if it was as interesting as it sounded and, long story short, it was SO weird but also SO awesome! Dream London is certainly nothing like what I normally read and it was totally worth it.
Tony Ballantyne created an image of London that is mind-blowing. Streets move, buildings stretch and shrink, strange creatures arrive from parts unknown, and for God’s sake, there are no decimals! Captain James Wedderburn (who isn’t actually a Captain) has profited from the changes of Dream London. He runs a whorehouse and has made a name for himself in this strange new reality. Of course, this doesn’t last and he gets in over his head trying to find out who caused London to become Dream London and then stop them. Captain Wedderburn is torn between two rival groups- the Cartel, who want to stop the changes and the Daddio, who takes over people by infecting them with tongue worms. Tongue worms are the stuff of late-night pizza fueled nightmares.
The characters are as unique and crazy as Dream London itself. Captain Wedderburn is a bit dashing, but also arrogant and a bit of a dick. Honey Peppers is an adorable little girl with a particularly creative sailor’s vocabulary. I laughed out loud at little Honey Peppers and her vile litany of profanities. Mr. Monagan is a frog that wishes to be a man – he’s one of the more normal characters.
It gets a bit philosophical eventually, with talk of why being individual isn’t always good and sometimes being part of a larger group is good. When everyone only thinks of themselves and plays lone wolf they lose the power that being a pack holds. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives (thank you Game of Thrones).
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different than their regular read. Okay, well maybe a LOT different to me. Based on the absurdly fascinating storyline and the mostly likeable characters, this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I would also like to mention that a second book titled Dream Paris will be released August 25!
ek_reads's review against another edition
4.0
At the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was going to like Dream London. The opening scene, which begins with Captain James Wedderburn listening to salamanders eat a beetle at the foot of his bed, was a bit more odd than I was prepared for. The first few chapters are One, Red, Two, Blue, (The Feeling of Setting Out On a Journey), and Three. Maybe I haven't read enough fantasy books to have been prepared. But as the story began, I couldn't help but be endeared to Captain Jim as he started to wonder if perhaps Dream London hadn't changed him more than he thought it had.
Most of the characters Captain Jim meets appear to be fairly one-dimensional, but it's intentional. The people in the city have been changed by the same force that changes the buildings and the roads. And several of the characters have surprises in store.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read! I was thoroughly engaged in Ballantyne's world, and I was sad to leave it when the book was over.
Most of the characters Captain Jim meets appear to be fairly one-dimensional, but it's intentional. The people in the city have been changed by the same force that changes the buildings and the roads. And several of the characters have surprises in store.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read! I was thoroughly engaged in Ballantyne's world, and I was sad to leave it when the book was over.
lyndiane's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I mean... no, really....wow!!!!
After starting (and abandoning) this book nearly two years ago, I finally re-started it on 6 July 2016.
A twisted blend of 'Dark City' and 'Inception' on speed, this story is so much more than the sum of its parts. Set in an alternate-reality London, the story is a chilling indictment of the perverted evolution of the concepts "you can be anything you want to be" and rampant individualism, and serves as a frightening indication of the depraved realities we would write for ourselves and our environment if the power to do so existed.
The main character barely qualifies as a decent person, being a pimp ("hey, I look after my girls") and a drug runner ("have you got any candy?") but his own perception of self is that of Mr Nice Guy. How we mislead ourselves!!!!
A true masterpiece.
After starting (and abandoning) this book nearly two years ago, I finally re-started it on 6 July 2016.
A twisted blend of 'Dark City' and 'Inception' on speed, this story is so much more than the sum of its parts. Set in an alternate-reality London, the story is a chilling indictment of the perverted evolution of the concepts "you can be anything you want to be" and rampant individualism, and serves as a frightening indication of the depraved realities we would write for ourselves and our environment if the power to do so existed.
The main character barely qualifies as a decent person, being a pimp ("hey, I look after my girls") and a drug runner ("have you got any candy?") but his own perception of self is that of Mr Nice Guy. How we mislead ourselves!!!!
A true masterpiece.
invisibleninjacat's review against another edition
2.0
The writing was fine, but there author made a lot of boring choices when it came to choosing how to change London into Dream London. In a book where Dream London literally warps reality so that buildings move and grow daily and an orange frog the size of a person comes to Dream London to learn how to be human, nearly every woman is a whore, a housewife, or a mother. He could have made literally any other decision (women transforming into trees, into statisticians, into anything really), and he chose that. Non-white characters are explicitly being reduced to stereotypes of their cultures. Further, the main character is a pimp who claims he isn't really, who naturally avoided dishonorable discharge for being involved with his commander's daughter, and who might be involved with underage girls. And he's presented as a hero/anti-hero of Dream London. Really?
secre's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to enjoy this. I really, really wanted to enjoy this. But in reality, I didn't. The idea of a London that is constantly changing to some unknown organisations whims and ideals was really quite interesting and yet the execution of the descriptions along with the actual plot simply failed to thrill or really engage me.
The plot itself bumped along but didn't actively bring me along with it... things move quite quickly but half the time you don't seem to understand what's moving or why and what is actually going on. Then when you find things out they make no bleeding sense or stretch the bounds of reasonable belief way beyond my little feeble mind. The big villain isn't really a villain, the real villain is just weird and the foul mouthed child creature who likes to threaten obscene sexual punishments failed to make me uncomfortable after about two or three lines from her. It got stale quickly.
On top of that, all of the characters seemed pretty much 2D and were more interested in telling you what they are like rather than being that in actual action. So you are told - lots of times - what the main characters character is but you don't actually see it in action a lot. It makes the entire thing rather bland and the characters don't ever seem to leap off the page and accost you with their brilliance.
All in all, disappointing and somewhat of a plod, despite the fact that it's the weirdest book I have read in a long time.
The plot itself bumped along but didn't actively bring me along with it... things move quite quickly but half the time you don't seem to understand what's moving or why and what is actually going on. Then when you find things out they make no bleeding sense or stretch the bounds of reasonable belief way beyond my little feeble mind. The big villain isn't really a villain, the real villain is just weird and the foul mouthed child creature who likes to threaten obscene sexual punishments failed to make me uncomfortable after about two or three lines from her. It got stale quickly.
On top of that, all of the characters seemed pretty much 2D and were more interested in telling you what they are like rather than being that in actual action. So you are told - lots of times - what the main characters character is but you don't actually see it in action a lot. It makes the entire thing rather bland and the characters don't ever seem to leap off the page and accost you with their brilliance.
All in all, disappointing and somewhat of a plod, despite the fact that it's the weirdest book I have read in a long time.
ossian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mackle13's review against another edition
2.0
I've been sitting on this review for awhile because I'm not really sure what to say about it...
This is a Weird London book which puts much emphasis on the 'weird' part, and a bit less on character development and coherent storytelling. I suppose some of this fits with the whole "dream" aspect of the story - but I've read stories which read like dreams, and this didn't really fit the bill. The writing itself is pretty standard fare, to be honest - it's the events themselves which create the weirdness, and some of them are sort of so outre it's like "da fuq?". I mean Really?
But this story also tries to be a kind character growth story, and James Wedderburn does go through some changes throughout the story. (The ending vaguely made me think of 'Fight Club' (the movie, as I've never read the book), and I did think the fact that he wasn't
The sad thing is that the character was actually much more interesting to read about before he grew a conscience. Go fig.
That said, I was a bit annoyed, in the beginning, with the very sexist tones of the book. Dream London, you see - for reasons I'm not sure where ever entirely explained - reverts to a Victorian sort of system where women could only ever seem to be mothers or whores. Luckily this is commented on and somewhat dismissed as the story progresses, which I was thankful for.
But, then, aside from being a morality play, it also dabbles into social commentary and, frankly, gets strangely preachy by the end. I mean, it's not that I particularly disagreed with any of the points being raised, but it's always annoying to not glean a moral lesson from the story, but to have a character pretty much give a sermon is just off-putting - even if one agree with what's being said.
All in all, I think it tried to be too many things, a story of parts more than a whole, and none of them ever really came together into something better than "ok".
This is a Weird London book which puts much emphasis on the 'weird' part, and a bit less on character development and coherent storytelling. I suppose some of this fits with the whole "dream" aspect of the story - but I've read stories which read like dreams, and this didn't really fit the bill. The writing itself is pretty standard fare, to be honest - it's the events themselves which create the weirdness, and some of them are sort of so outre it's like "da fuq?". I mean
Spoiler
ants?But this story also tries to be a kind character growth story, and James Wedderburn does go through some changes throughout the story. (The ending vaguely made me think of 'Fight Club' (the movie, as I've never read the book), and I did think the fact that he wasn't
Spoiler
all that involved with the actual ending of the story was interesting. A study in the way people might think they're the hero of a particular story, but aren't, really.The sad thing is that the character was actually much more interesting to read about before he grew a conscience. Go fig.
That said, I was a bit annoyed, in the beginning, with the very sexist tones of the book. Dream London, you see - for reasons I'm not sure where ever entirely explained - reverts to a Victorian sort of system where women could only ever seem to be mothers or whores. Luckily this is commented on and somewhat dismissed as the story progresses, which I was thankful for.
But, then, aside from being a morality play, it also dabbles into social commentary and, frankly, gets strangely preachy by the end. I mean, it's not that I particularly disagreed with any of the points being raised, but it's always annoying to not glean a moral lesson from the story, but to have a character pretty much give a sermon is just off-putting - even if one agree with what's being said.
All in all, I think it tried to be too many things, a story of parts more than a whole, and none of them ever really came together into something better than "ok".
authentically_april's review against another edition
2.0
Intriguing story idea; clumsy (and at times disturbing) execution. I was often sidetracked thinking too much time was being wasted going for the shock factor. There was a bit of nice character development, but overall my high hopes for the premise of this novel were dashed, and Dream London was nowhere near as interesting as I expected to find it.