A review by roadtripreader
Agents of Dreamland by Caitlín R. Kiernan
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The end of the world has exponential growth. - Signalman on outerspace "covid"
What's a horror without a cult, the occult and Crowley poking his nose in there for good measure? This has it all. Cultist ramblings into conspiratorial "gibberish" (that may or may not be rooted in some version of truth), a human who may or may not be of the super alien or demon variety, a host of shadowy government agencies of the three-letter variety and maybe just maybe some offworld-extraterrestrial heebie jeebies.
This novella wears many hats. An ode to X-Files, olde classic scifi-fantasy Hollywood and yet, it is also Lovecraftian in a Color out of Space sort of way. Time jumping, pop culture, classics, maybe alien, with hints of eldritch otherness round out the edges to complete this first installment
Plot/Storyline:
Effectively done "WTF did I just read" type of story. All shadows and code and skulduggery. There is a Grimm undertone. What big Eyes you have., Paradise Lost and Dantes Inferno make an appearance and it is woven into the foundations of this horror.
-0.5 Perhaps thats one too many callbacks to different literature and art pieces to create whatever eery atmosphere it is going for.
-1 I love a non linear timeline as much as any temporal Scifi fan out there. Playing tricks with time to tell a story is usually one of my favorite literary devices. It felt, at times, haphazard and yet meandering.
Characters:
I really want to say that Drew was just a dumbass, a predatorial opportunistic and ultimately dangerous cockroach. A Charismatic nutjob. Would that I could.
Favorite scene:
The best foreshadowing never seems like foreshadowing.
8 year old Signalman watching a cursed Hollywood scifi-fantasy opera thst doomed everyone involved with the production.
Favorite Quote/Concept:
Some stains sink straight through to the soul and are never coming out.
Also, are we ever going to get the answers to Signalman's questions because I for one am beyond interested in the mythos behind Immacolata Sexton:
♤Is it true what they say about your mother?About your father?
♤About Berlin and the night the Wall came down?
♤Is it true what they say about the night you were born?
You can’t be scared and hungry at the same time, he says. If you’re scared, it scares the hunger out of you.
In names is all the power of a splitting atom, and if you steal names, you steal hope
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Horror books by 2025
What's a horror without a cult, the occult and Crowley poking his nose in there for good measure? This has it all. Cultist ramblings into conspiratorial "gibberish" (that may or may not be rooted in some version of truth), a human who may or may not be of the super alien or demon variety, a host of shadowy government agencies of the three-letter variety and maybe just maybe some offworld-extraterrestrial heebie jeebies.
This novella wears many hats. An ode to X-Files, olde classic scifi-fantasy Hollywood and yet, it is also Lovecraftian in a Color out of Space sort of way. Time jumping, pop culture, classics, maybe alien, with hints of eldritch otherness round out the edges to complete this first installment
Plot/Storyline:
Effectively done "WTF did I just read" type of story. All shadows and code and skulduggery. There is a Grimm undertone. What big Eyes you have., Paradise Lost and Dantes Inferno make an appearance and it is woven into the foundations of this horror.
-0.5 Perhaps thats one too many callbacks to different literature and art pieces to create whatever eery atmosphere it is going for.
-1 I love a non linear timeline as much as any temporal Scifi fan out there. Playing tricks with time to tell a story is usually one of my favorite literary devices. It felt, at times, haphazard and yet meandering.
Characters:
I really want to say that Drew was just a dumbass, a predatorial opportunistic and ultimately dangerous cockroach. A Charismatic nutjob. Would that I could.
Favorite scene:
The best foreshadowing never seems like foreshadowing.
8 year old Signalman watching a cursed Hollywood scifi-fantasy opera thst doomed everyone involved with the production.
Favorite Quote/Concept:
Some stains sink straight through to the soul and are never coming out.
Also, are we ever going to get the answers to Signalman's questions because I for one am beyond interested in the mythos behind Immacolata Sexton:
♤Is it true what they say about your mother?About your father?
♤About Berlin and the night the Wall came down?
♤Is it true what they say about the night you were born?
You can’t be scared and hungry at the same time, he says. If you’re scared, it scares the hunger out of you.
In names is all the power of a splitting atom, and if you steal names, you steal hope
StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Horror books by 2025