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pluralstories2022-08-17 12:59 pm
lb_lee) wrote in pluralstories2022-08-17 12:59 pm
Dream A Little Dream, by Piers Anthony and Julie Brady (prose fantasy, 1999)
“Sometimes there are births. When an Earthling human believes so strongly in a living, nonliving or otherwise fantastic creature that he sees in his dreams, that creature is born from the river. These Earthlings are called Creators. If the Creator of the creature ceases to believe or forgets, then the creature will no longer exist and it will be as if he had never been."
Blurb: A suicidal young lucid dreamer joins forces with her dream man, two winged telepathic unicorns, and another lucid dreamer to save the Earth's dreamworld from destruction. Based on Julie Brady's own long-running lucid dreams.
Why is it worth your time?: For most people, it isn't. If you want a plural story that really takes advantage of the dream setting, watch Paprika. As a fantasy novel, Dream a Little Dream is not very good--simultaneously grimdark and schmaltzy, with a dragging plot, and the Piers Anthony trademarks of boobs and vampery. That said, it may scratch your id for escapist fantasy about the power of dreams and fantasy to help someone survive a brutal reality, and it's of historical interest as Julie Brady's dream diary.
Plural Tags: dreamfolk, in-system romance, imaginary friends, otherworld, creator speaks from experience, abuse intermediate focus
Content Warnings: contain spoilers; in comments below
Access Notes: Available in paper, ebook and audio book forms.
Misc Notes: In the Author's Notes, Anthony writes, "An aspect of [Julie's] mundane [real-life] existence is in Nola [the main character], just as her dream existence is in Kafka [the setting of Dream a Little Dream]. Julie has the talent of lucid dreaming--that is, knowing and controlling one's dreams. This story took form gradually as she recorded those dreams. When it was ready, I took it over and reworked it into a formal novel. As with all of these collaborations, the story is the collaborator's; I merely do what is necessary to make it presentable."
Brady herself says, "I enjoyed writing this book, which, incidentally, was taken from a serial dream of mine over the course of a year or so. I used the serial dreams I had to escape the horrors of my life. [...] At first, the idea of publishing my journal seemed crazy. I don't consider myself a writer [...[ The main thing that appealed to me was to share what I had seen in my sleep with you. The idea of my dreams living in print thrills me no end and is as close as I may ever get to an achievement I could be proud of."
Blurb: A suicidal young lucid dreamer joins forces with her dream man, two winged telepathic unicorns, and another lucid dreamer to save the Earth's dreamworld from destruction. Based on Julie Brady's own long-running lucid dreams.
Why is it worth your time?: For most people, it isn't. If you want a plural story that really takes advantage of the dream setting, watch Paprika. As a fantasy novel, Dream a Little Dream is not very good--simultaneously grimdark and schmaltzy, with a dragging plot, and the Piers Anthony trademarks of boobs and vampery. That said, it may scratch your id for escapist fantasy about the power of dreams and fantasy to help someone survive a brutal reality, and it's of historical interest as Julie Brady's dream diary.
Plural Tags: dreamfolk, in-system romance, imaginary friends, otherworld, creator speaks from experience, abuse intermediate focus
Content Warnings: contain spoilers; in comments below
Access Notes: Available in paper, ebook and audio book forms.
Misc Notes: In the Author's Notes, Anthony writes, "An aspect of [Julie's] mundane [real-life] existence is in Nola [the main character], just as her dream existence is in Kafka [the setting of Dream a Little Dream]. Julie has the talent of lucid dreaming--that is, knowing and controlling one's dreams. This story took form gradually as she recorded those dreams. When it was ready, I took it over and reworked it into a formal novel. As with all of these collaborations, the story is the collaborator's; I merely do what is necessary to make it presentable."
Brady herself says, "I enjoyed writing this book, which, incidentally, was taken from a serial dream of mine over the course of a year or so. I used the serial dreams I had to escape the horrors of my life. [...] At first, the idea of publishing my journal seemed crazy. I don't consider myself a writer [...[ The main thing that appealed to me was to share what I had seen in my sleep with you. The idea of my dreams living in print thrills me no end and is as close as I may ever get to an achievement I could be proud of."