discoverypaper's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
jonathanrosas's review
3.0
En realidad le pondría 2.5 estrellas, pero no se puede. La primera mitad de la novela me gustó mucho, pero esa necedad, porque lo fue, de meter a la fuerza la mitología lovecraftiana y la narrativa de Pizzolato dieron por terminar en algo absurdo y bastante chafa.
paulataua's review
3.0
A eighties film foretelling the future, a mysterious agent that travels through time, another who works for a dark organization, an invading force from the far end of the solar system, and cult followers turning themselves into fruiting bodies - a few of the wonders to be found in this novella. The writing is beautiful, jam-packed with metaphors and similes, and stuffed with references to literature, philosophy, and culture. It’s a joy to read. The only negative is that when I finished it and had no idea what I had just read. WTF! Just too clever by half.
ricparks's review
3.0
My first book by this author. Unique and and stylistically interesting but that style was a bit opaque and it got in the way of the story, IMO. Still, it was an inventive and evocative novella and I will likely read more of Ms. Kiernan's work in the future.
rorikae's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, and Gore
ezekielbyu's review
3.0
A very short and curious mix of men in black conspiracies, Lovecraftian doom, fungal body horror and a nice Vonnegut homage. Its size belies its intrigue, but what is there certainly invites expansion. Could easily find its home as a well-funded TV series, for instance - an X Files type of sci-fi/governmental paranoia chronicle about man's folly in the face of cosmic horror. Kiernan doesn't really faceplant, except in the times where her descriptions get a little hokey, diminishing the sinister nature of the threat(s). Fun read, disappointing length.
scottishben's review against another edition
2.0
With Agents of Dreamland Kiernan seems better to get the blend of quick thrills and wit that the Blood Oranges series but for whatever reason it didnt personally connect with me.