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The Glass Books #2
The Dark Volume
Awakening from a fevered delirium, Celeste Temple finds herself in a fishing village on the remote Iron Coast. She has no idea where her companions, Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson, might be—nor whether any of her enemies survived the dirigible crash that marked her last conscious moment. And while her body seems intact, she cannot say the same for her mind. For she must contend not only with the possibility that peril awaits her but with the memory of her traitorous fiancé’s murder at sea…along with thousands of other memories that now live within her—courtesy of a bewitching glass book.
Hunted by murderous opportunists and cruel mercenaries of every kind, Miss Temple, Chang, and the Doctor are soon propelled into a quest that will draw them one by one into a realm of reckless, lawless terror. At every turn lies another enigma—and the stench of indigo clay, the raw material used to enslave even the most steadfast soul. Now they alone stand in the path of a diabolical conspiracy involving the books—one that will mean an alarming new world where once-free-roaming minds are wiped completely clean… if they live long enough. As Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang and Dr. Svenson uncover the devilish schemes of their deadly enemies, the terrifying secrets contained in The Dark Volume will be revealed one by one. For the blue glass is more lethal than they’d ever imagined—and those who possess it, as well as those who pursue it, are playing with fire.
Hunted by murderous opportunists and cruel mercenaries of every kind, Miss Temple, Chang, and the Doctor are soon propelled into a quest that will draw them one by one into a realm of reckless, lawless terror. At every turn lies another enigma—and the stench of indigo clay, the raw material used to enslave even the most steadfast soul. Now they alone stand in the path of a diabolical conspiracy involving the books—one that will mean an alarming new world where once-free-roaming minds are wiped completely clean… if they live long enough. As Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang and Dr. Svenson uncover the devilish schemes of their deadly enemies, the terrifying secrets contained in The Dark Volume will be revealed one by one. For the blue glass is more lethal than they’d ever imagined—and those who possess it, as well as those who pursue it, are playing with fire.
516 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Gordon Dahlquist
28 books232 followersGordon Dahlquist, also credited as G.W. Dahlquist, is a novelist and a playwright.
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November 13, 2013
apropos of nothing at all, and because no one asked, here is a list of the small number of steampunk novels i've read, in order of preference.
1. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters... my favorite; pure pleasure from beginning to end
2. The Dark Volume
3. Leviathan... highly enjoyable - for teh children!
4. The List of Seven... fast-paced and atmospheric fun
5. and 6. Soulless and Changeless... amusing fluff. often eye-rolling and rather poorly written. i'm surprised by the accolades this series has received.
7. Boneshaker... pleasant but unremarkable. barely counts as steampunk
8. The Difference Engine... lamentably overrated
9. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack... includes a great novel-within-a-novel. but the rest is shite.
10. Lord Darcy... tedious
The Dark Volume is book 2 in a steampunk adventure trilogy featuring the misadventures of three pretty awesome characters as they wrestle with unpleasant aristocratic types, devious plots to control the world, unpleasant military types, an evil woman made all of glass who can control your thoughts, unpleasant political types, glass books that suck away memories and allow others to absorb them, unpleasant english village types, lots & lots of murder, and various unpleasant debauched dionysian types.
Dahlquist continues his writerly conceit of overlapping the action & mystery through alternating third-person limited perspectives, chapter by chapter; it worked well in the first book and i'm happy to report that this style operates at an even higher level of finesse in the second book. the effect is similar to working out a puzzle by coming at it from entirely different angles. overall the level of writing is quite high and often surprisingly poetic; this is to be expected from an author whose resume ranges from playwright to experimental film director. plus, to be completely superficial, just take a gander at him: he has a shock of black hair, a bushy gray moustache, a vaguely Prousty style, and looks all of 21 years of age. he's got the look of someone with talent (and perhaps pretension) to burn. and i definitely judge a book by its cover.
"The Dark Volume" in question is pretty nifty. i think this is rather spoilery, so
our deadly trio of protagonists remain, for the most part, quite delightful. Celestial Temple grows the most due to her extended exposure to various glass books. it is an interesting concept: gaining artificial memories that both your mind and your body remember as real experiences - by the book's end, the virginal Celeste has 'experienced' an excess of debauchery & death, and so in turn her outlook on life has become dark, jaded. sadly, for much of the narrative Celeste is forced to react rather than impact. fortunately, by the last third she has regained her footing and is knocking some bloody sense into folks left and right. Dr. Abelard Svenson is perhaps a little less delightful in this second book, as he spends most of his time mooning over the increasingly bovine Eloise Dujong, and we get to witness very little of his trademark anti-snob snobbery. sadly, there are no wads of phlegm hawked and spat at various jackasses who would dare to condescend to him. ah well, the guy's in love, and i guess that doesn't leave a lot of energy left over for the hawking and spitting of angry phlegm. however Cardinal Chang remains as persuasive a character as ever: the educated and angry assassin, always brooding, always sneering, always watchful for the slightest slight, a coiled and resentful anarchist. charming! he's like my brother from another mother.
the former prison-turned-palatial estate Harschmort Manor is revisited at length. a phenomenal setting: sinister, labyrinthine, and full of all sorts of secret doors & passageways & rooms. even better, since the events of the first book, about a third of it has been blasted into smoky ruins. this makes for a lot of scenes dripping with gloom and doom and eeriness. the extremely amusing and vicious villainess Contessa di Lacquer-Sforza also returns, murderous ambition and slashing wit all very much intact. and hey there's also a lesbionic interlude between her and Celestial Temple, free of charge.
although this novel lacks its predecessor's wonderfully bloody massacre in a dirigible as a finale, it still ends with a similar bloodbath - this time in a creepy forest and a creepier munitions factory. yahoo! i love it when assholes get slaughtered. does that make me a bad person?
1. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters... my favorite; pure pleasure from beginning to end
2. The Dark Volume
3. Leviathan... highly enjoyable - for teh children!
4. The List of Seven... fast-paced and atmospheric fun
5. and 6. Soulless and Changeless... amusing fluff. often eye-rolling and rather poorly written. i'm surprised by the accolades this series has received.
7. Boneshaker... pleasant but unremarkable. barely counts as steampunk
8. The Difference Engine... lamentably overrated
9. The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack... includes a great novel-within-a-novel. but the rest is shite.
10. Lord Darcy... tedious
The Dark Volume is book 2 in a steampunk adventure trilogy featuring the misadventures of three pretty awesome characters as they wrestle with unpleasant aristocratic types, devious plots to control the world, unpleasant military types, an evil woman made all of glass who can control your thoughts, unpleasant political types, glass books that suck away memories and allow others to absorb them, unpleasant english village types, lots & lots of murder, and various unpleasant debauched dionysian types.
Dahlquist continues his writerly conceit of overlapping the action & mystery through alternating third-person limited perspectives, chapter by chapter; it worked well in the first book and i'm happy to report that this style operates at an even higher level of finesse in the second book. the effect is similar to working out a puzzle by coming at it from entirely different angles. overall the level of writing is quite high and often surprisingly poetic; this is to be expected from an author whose resume ranges from playwright to experimental film director. plus, to be completely superficial, just take a gander at him: he has a shock of black hair, a bushy gray moustache, a vaguely Prousty style, and looks all of 21 years of age. he's got the look of someone with talent (and perhaps pretension) to burn. and i definitely judge a book by its cover.
"The Dark Volume" in question is pretty nifty. i think this is rather spoilery, so
our deadly trio of protagonists remain, for the most part, quite delightful. Celestial Temple grows the most due to her extended exposure to various glass books. it is an interesting concept: gaining artificial memories that both your mind and your body remember as real experiences - by the book's end, the virginal Celeste has 'experienced' an excess of debauchery & death, and so in turn her outlook on life has become dark, jaded. sadly, for much of the narrative Celeste is forced to react rather than impact. fortunately, by the last third she has regained her footing and is knocking some bloody sense into folks left and right. Dr. Abelard Svenson is perhaps a little less delightful in this second book, as he spends most of his time mooning over the increasingly bovine Eloise Dujong, and we get to witness very little of his trademark anti-snob snobbery. sadly, there are no wads of phlegm hawked and spat at various jackasses who would dare to condescend to him. ah well, the guy's in love, and i guess that doesn't leave a lot of energy left over for the hawking and spitting of angry phlegm. however Cardinal Chang remains as persuasive a character as ever: the educated and angry assassin, always brooding, always sneering, always watchful for the slightest slight, a coiled and resentful anarchist. charming! he's like my brother from another mother.
the former prison-turned-palatial estate Harschmort Manor is revisited at length. a phenomenal setting: sinister, labyrinthine, and full of all sorts of secret doors & passageways & rooms. even better, since the events of the first book, about a third of it has been blasted into smoky ruins. this makes for a lot of scenes dripping with gloom and doom and eeriness. the extremely amusing and vicious villainess Contessa di Lacquer-Sforza also returns, murderous ambition and slashing wit all very much intact. and hey there's also a lesbionic interlude between her and Celestial Temple, free of charge.
although this novel lacks its predecessor's wonderfully bloody massacre in a dirigible as a finale, it still ends with a similar bloodbath - this time in a creepy forest and a creepier munitions factory. yahoo! i love it when assholes get slaughtered. does that make me a bad person?
July 13, 2009
In finishing this book, Dorothy Parker came to mind... "This is not a novel to be tossed lightly aside. It should be thrown with great force."
The greatest joy that I experienced with this book came when I was finally finished and could set it aside. I disliked The Dark Volume so intensely that my opinion of the first book (in what is now clearly intended to be a series), The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, was actually tainted by association.
Gordon Dahlquist, what happened? Oh wait, I know. The large amounts of studied creativity, character development and lavish scenery gave way to the deep need to keep things going in a serial format, and thus yielded a book where very little was described in valuable detail and a great deal happened, but almost none of it was of any consequence. I may have only spent nine days reading this (or rather, trying to read this, as I couldn't ever say that I got into it enough to the point where I experienced any pains in setting it down, even in the middle of a sentence), but it felt like the longest nine days that I've experienced in a great while. As a result, not only was I frustrated, but anyone who happened to be around me while I read this was incensed against the book, too. My significant other implored me to stop reading it, as he could hardly take my growls of annoyance and exasperated exclamations of, "Just die already!" (which were directed at multiple characters throughout the course of the novel).
And as far as trajectory, well, we seem to have ended up in the exact same damn place, only everyone is much dirtier. (Though admittedly, that clearly is the goal of the author, to expose the darker, corrosive side of what might seem an alluring power. Still, I was overjoyed when a character stopped to take a bath during this volume.) Confrontation between a large number of characters where the alliances are tenuous at best before everything shatters... I mean honestly, if it was going to lead to such a similar conclusion, what was even gained by the events of this book? At least the last time we saw this tableau, it was aboard a dirigible! (There may be a dirigible on the cover of this book, but there is not one in the book... unless you count references to the sunken one from the first book.) The Dark Volume failed to have anywhere near the same amount of creativity as its predecessor (not to mention that at least The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters took place in interesting locations, whereas we spend the whole of The Dark Volume in destroyed and crumbling buildings, inhaling smoke from explosions, and crawling through the woods while everyone bleeds and vomits). While I'm not necessarily an advocate for Dahlquist spending even more time describing things, perhaps the most crucial oversight was that he failed to explain exactly why we should even care about the events taking place! He relied entirely on our attachment to the characters on the basis of the first novel and made little attempt to endear any of them to us (except, perhaps, for Doctor Svenson who was tormented by his feelings for Mrs. Dujong, but it was hard to feel sympathy when I wanted to stab her repeatedly for being stupid and useless).
And by the end? We still suspect that the majority of the baddies are dead (though again, the only person we know who is still fully functional and at large is the Contessa), and the only difference is that we are led to believe that the majority of the goodies are dead, too... (or course, as with the last book, only a fool really believes it).
I won't bother to explain the plot, I will only suggest that if you have read and enjoyed The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, you should do yourself a favor and not bother to pick up its sequel. I rarely abandon a series, but I doubt that I could survive another installment of this... and besides, I made the arrangement with myself that all I needed to set these books aside with a clear conscience was for a kiss to take place between two particular characters. Having received that small satisfaction, I say farewell to Dahlquist and I curse the urge that drove me to purchase this terrible thing in hardcover.
The greatest joy that I experienced with this book came when I was finally finished and could set it aside. I disliked The Dark Volume so intensely that my opinion of the first book (in what is now clearly intended to be a series), The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, was actually tainted by association.
Gordon Dahlquist, what happened? Oh wait, I know. The large amounts of studied creativity, character development and lavish scenery gave way to the deep need to keep things going in a serial format, and thus yielded a book where very little was described in valuable detail and a great deal happened, but almost none of it was of any consequence. I may have only spent nine days reading this (or rather, trying to read this, as I couldn't ever say that I got into it enough to the point where I experienced any pains in setting it down, even in the middle of a sentence), but it felt like the longest nine days that I've experienced in a great while. As a result, not only was I frustrated, but anyone who happened to be around me while I read this was incensed against the book, too. My significant other implored me to stop reading it, as he could hardly take my growls of annoyance and exasperated exclamations of, "Just die already!" (which were directed at multiple characters throughout the course of the novel).
And as far as trajectory, well, we seem to have ended up in the exact same damn place, only everyone is much dirtier. (Though admittedly, that clearly is the goal of the author, to expose the darker, corrosive side of what might seem an alluring power. Still, I was overjoyed when a character stopped to take a bath during this volume.) Confrontation between a large number of characters where the alliances are tenuous at best before everything shatters... I mean honestly, if it was going to lead to such a similar conclusion, what was even gained by the events of this book? At least the last time we saw this tableau, it was aboard a dirigible! (There may be a dirigible on the cover of this book, but there is not one in the book... unless you count references to the sunken one from the first book.) The Dark Volume failed to have anywhere near the same amount of creativity as its predecessor (not to mention that at least The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters took place in interesting locations, whereas we spend the whole of The Dark Volume in destroyed and crumbling buildings, inhaling smoke from explosions, and crawling through the woods while everyone bleeds and vomits). While I'm not necessarily an advocate for Dahlquist spending even more time describing things, perhaps the most crucial oversight was that he failed to explain exactly why we should even care about the events taking place! He relied entirely on our attachment to the characters on the basis of the first novel and made little attempt to endear any of them to us (except, perhaps, for Doctor Svenson who was tormented by his feelings for Mrs. Dujong, but it was hard to feel sympathy when I wanted to stab her repeatedly for being stupid and useless).
And by the end? We still suspect that the majority of the baddies are dead (though again, the only person we know who is still fully functional and at large is the Contessa), and the only difference is that we are led to believe that the majority of the goodies are dead, too... (or course, as with the last book, only a fool really believes it).
I won't bother to explain the plot, I will only suggest that if you have read and enjoyed The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, you should do yourself a favor and not bother to pick up its sequel. I rarely abandon a series, but I doubt that I could survive another installment of this... and besides, I made the arrangement with myself that all I needed to set these books aside with a clear conscience was for a kiss to take place between two particular characters. Having received that small satisfaction, I say farewell to Dahlquist and I curse the urge that drove me to purchase this terrible thing in hardcover.
August 18, 2023
UPDATE: Aug 2023
3 stars?? What was 2016-Rae thinking?
Holy unnecessary sequel, Batman!
Was 2016-Rae so distracted by the thought of Xonck's blue glass schlong that she let go of her inner literary critic??
Was she so desperate to love this that she was willing to overlook all its glaring flaws?
This was so long-winded and confusing that by the end I just didn't want to pick it up. Which is sad because Glass Books is one of my favourite books of all time.
I'm not going to change the rating, because 2016-Rae enjoyed it. 2023-Rae is an easily-addled, over-exhausted curmudgeon.
It'll take more than some swirly purple glass ornamental genitals to impress 2023-Rae!
Please let the 3rd instalment be better... I'm going to read it this time. Promise.
ORIGINAL 2016 REVIEW BELOW
I loved the glass books of the dream eaters. It didn't need a sequel. I knew it didn't need a sequel. I was expecting this to be tosh.
Halfway in, I was re-immersed in the world and enjoying it, despite some rather atrocious similes, sloppy sentences and the sense that this was more of the same.
I find it very difficult to dislike the way Dahlquist writes. Being generally quite picky in my prose, there is lots to complain about. I love words though. I love over-the-top metaphors, words plucked from the thesaurus and lots of detail. I'm not saying it's clever, but it has appeal.
By the end, the scenery blurred, it became easy to lose track of who was poisoned by what, who was shooting who, who was still alive... Although Dahlquist does a good job of recapping, it's easy to get lost in the layers and layers of superfluously detailed plotting.
It's a shame because for the first part, it seemed like the narrative had been somewhat streamlined. The info-dumping showdown at the end caused more stress than excitement though and for the final third, it dragged. For some reason some of the later settings were a lot trickier to visualise than the pseudo-Victorian city, the warped cathedral, the rustic outposts and majestically gothic Harschmort. Perhaps a bit of trimming and tinkering could have licked it into shape, but I'm not left with the same feeling of pure literary pleasure that I got with the first one.
There just wasn't enough here to keep it fresh. The first instalment was a stonking 800+ pages. IT DIDN'T WARRANT A SEQUEL. You can only drag a single story so far without it stagnating.
Am I going to read the third one? Hell yeah, I am. Will it be a cracking disappointment? I'm going to guess yes.
The three star rating reflects my frustrations. I still love he steampunk-esque world, the colourful characters and the sense of adventure and intrigue - it resonates with me a lot more than some other books I've rated three stars. I am feeling very crabby with it, however and it wouldn't be fair for me to give it any more. Even if I did like the idea of a naked man made of fluid blue glass.
3 stars?? What was 2016-Rae thinking?
Holy unnecessary sequel, Batman!
Was 2016-Rae so distracted by the thought of Xonck's blue glass schlong that she let go of her inner literary critic??
Was she so desperate to love this that she was willing to overlook all its glaring flaws?
This was so long-winded and confusing that by the end I just didn't want to pick it up. Which is sad because Glass Books is one of my favourite books of all time.
I'm not going to change the rating, because 2016-Rae enjoyed it. 2023-Rae is an easily-addled, over-exhausted curmudgeon.
It'll take more than some swirly purple glass ornamental genitals to impress 2023-Rae!
Please let the 3rd instalment be better... I'm going to read it this time. Promise.
ORIGINAL 2016 REVIEW BELOW
I loved the glass books of the dream eaters. It didn't need a sequel. I knew it didn't need a sequel. I was expecting this to be tosh.
Halfway in, I was re-immersed in the world and enjoying it, despite some rather atrocious similes, sloppy sentences and the sense that this was more of the same.
I find it very difficult to dislike the way Dahlquist writes. Being generally quite picky in my prose, there is lots to complain about. I love words though. I love over-the-top metaphors, words plucked from the thesaurus and lots of detail. I'm not saying it's clever, but it has appeal.
By the end, the scenery blurred, it became easy to lose track of who was poisoned by what, who was shooting who, who was still alive... Although Dahlquist does a good job of recapping, it's easy to get lost in the layers and layers of superfluously detailed plotting.
It's a shame because for the first part, it seemed like the narrative had been somewhat streamlined. The info-dumping showdown at the end caused more stress than excitement though and for the final third, it dragged. For some reason some of the later settings were a lot trickier to visualise than the pseudo-Victorian city, the warped cathedral, the rustic outposts and majestically gothic Harschmort. Perhaps a bit of trimming and tinkering could have licked it into shape, but I'm not left with the same feeling of pure literary pleasure that I got with the first one.
There just wasn't enough here to keep it fresh. The first instalment was a stonking 800+ pages. IT DIDN'T WARRANT A SEQUEL. You can only drag a single story so far without it stagnating.
Am I going to read the third one? Hell yeah, I am. Will it be a cracking disappointment? I'm going to guess yes.
The three star rating reflects my frustrations. I still love he steampunk-esque world, the colourful characters and the sense of adventure and intrigue - it resonates with me a lot more than some other books I've rated three stars. I am feeling very crabby with it, however and it wouldn't be fair for me to give it any more. Even if I did like the idea of a naked man made of fluid blue glass.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2009
I really liked The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, so I was naturally excited to discover, quite by chance, that Dahlquist had written a sequel. It's hard to follow up a successful debut, though, and unfortunately in many ways The Dark Volume does not measure up to its predecessor.
Oh, The Dark Volume is by no means a bad book. Dahlquist retains his gift for description and love of refined language. Indeed, the new book seems at its most alive during the characters' various dialogues; would that there had been more witty converse and less hectic motion!
Whereas Dream Eaters introduced us to new and interesting characters, and to a fascinating and detailed milieu, in which an unheard-of and unholy fusion of technology and alchemy was being used by a seemingly-unstoppable Cabal, The Dark Volume gives us very little more than one long and violent chase scene. No new characters of any significance or individuality appear, and little invention - only the working out of implications already at least intimated in the first book. The Cabal is in disarray, and the separation of protagonists that worked so well in Dream Eaters here serves mostly to dislocate the reader.
It seems evident now that The Dark Volume is intended as a bridge between Dream Eaters - which really did quite well as a stand-alone novel - and a successor yet to emerge. The current work begins very much in medias res and ends with much left unresolved; if it is a bridge, it is a rather insubstantial one. But perhaps it is also a necessary support as well, a utilitarian span bearing us up while we look forward to our destination.
I enjoyed this book, really I did - it's as full of explosions, dramatic confrontations and superhuman fistfights as any summer action film. Most of my disappointment is due to the sharp contrast with its predecessor, and to the relative lack of a satisfying conclusion. But I have not given up on Dahlquist just yet, and I suggest that, if you enjoyed his first book as much as I did, you do not give up either.
Oh, The Dark Volume is by no means a bad book. Dahlquist retains his gift for description and love of refined language. Indeed, the new book seems at its most alive during the characters' various dialogues; would that there had been more witty converse and less hectic motion!
Whereas Dream Eaters introduced us to new and interesting characters, and to a fascinating and detailed milieu, in which an unheard-of and unholy fusion of technology and alchemy was being used by a seemingly-unstoppable Cabal, The Dark Volume gives us very little more than one long and violent chase scene. No new characters of any significance or individuality appear, and little invention - only the working out of implications already at least intimated in the first book. The Cabal is in disarray, and the separation of protagonists that worked so well in Dream Eaters here serves mostly to dislocate the reader.
It seems evident now that The Dark Volume is intended as a bridge between Dream Eaters - which really did quite well as a stand-alone novel - and a successor yet to emerge. The current work begins very much in medias res and ends with much left unresolved; if it is a bridge, it is a rather insubstantial one. But perhaps it is also a necessary support as well, a utilitarian span bearing us up while we look forward to our destination.
I enjoyed this book, really I did - it's as full of explosions, dramatic confrontations and superhuman fistfights as any summer action film. Most of my disappointment is due to the sharp contrast with its predecessor, and to the relative lack of a satisfying conclusion. But I have not given up on Dahlquist just yet, and I suggest that, if you enjoyed his first book as much as I did, you do not give up either.
August 17, 2009
This is less a novel than a single extended chase scene with two main features: interchangeable characters and vomiting. There is so, so much vomiting. (Also headaches. And waxy skin. And splitting fingernails (ew). And "gummed" eyelids. What has to happen for an eyelid to become "gummed" anyway? It is clearly in some way related to decomposition, but I am insufficiently familiar with the nature of corpses to fully understand.)
I return to my point.
This is essentially an extended chase scene in which the first book's Cabal is not only scattered but also unbelievably inept, everyone smells bad and gets too little sleep, Celeste is constantly being troubled by flashbacks to someone else's sex life (and commenting on things like "a rush of sweetness to her loins." Good grief), and Chang, the only worthwhile character the first time around, is now no more than a bright red stick figure with a club and dark glasses.
Oh, right, and the Contessa (let me retract my earlier statement: there were two worthwhile characters the first time around) is now both desperate and potentially bisexual and seems intent on seducing all three of our heroes in exchange for things like half a loaf of bread, etc.
I return to my point.
This is essentially an extended chase scene in which the first book's Cabal is not only scattered but also unbelievably inept, everyone smells bad and gets too little sleep, Celeste is constantly being troubled by flashbacks to someone else's sex life (and commenting on things like "a rush of sweetness to her loins." Good grief), and Chang, the only worthwhile character the first time around, is now no more than a bright red stick figure with a club and dark glasses.
Oh, right, and the Contessa (let me retract my earlier statement: there were two worthwhile characters the first time around) is now both desperate and potentially bisexual and seems intent on seducing all three of our heroes in exchange for things like half a loaf of bread, etc.
October 10, 2018
Given the expanse of negative reviews and its low rating (the former of which I only browsed after reading, so as to not spoil the adventure), I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed this book. Now it doesn’t have the finesse of the first book, seems to dawdle a bit as the adventure moves along, but there are still good things within these pages. If anything, the character that grows the most (and perhaps not surprising, really) is Miss Temple, who still appeared to be the centre point who brought all the other characters together. But she would still be lost without others to take care of her, most notably at crucial moments in the story.
As for flaws, there are certain things about how glass reacts to blood that don’t particularly make sense. And the reveal of what the Dark Volume actually was left me somewhat disappointed, too. I guess it was too undramatic, really, despite the actual contents. One interesting point to note, however, is that the long-term effects of exposure to the glass is explained. Though the one living person that does have the knowledge to counteract the effects doesn’t actually do much about it, only using their knew-found knowledge for almost inconsequential things, or blurting snippets out at the most inappropriate of times.
Still, I did enjoy the prose, the flow of the writing. Even if I wished at times that the story would speed up, perhaps needing to be shorter and far more concrete. It didn’t quite reach the complete wow of the first story (and considering this, I’ve upped my rating to five stars on the first book, as I was being rather conservative at the time of posting), but I wouldn’t dismiss it entirely. It’s enough that I want to move on and finish the adventures to be found in the last book.
Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked
As for flaws, there are certain things about how glass reacts to blood that don’t particularly make sense. And the reveal of what the Dark Volume actually was left me somewhat disappointed, too. I guess it was too undramatic, really, despite the actual contents. One interesting point to note, however, is that the long-term effects of exposure to the glass is explained. Though the one living person that does have the knowledge to counteract the effects doesn’t actually do much about it, only using their knew-found knowledge for almost inconsequential things, or blurting snippets out at the most inappropriate of times.
Still, I did enjoy the prose, the flow of the writing. Even if I wished at times that the story would speed up, perhaps needing to be shorter and far more concrete. It didn’t quite reach the complete wow of the first story (and considering this, I’ve upped my rating to five stars on the first book, as I was being rather conservative at the time of posting), but I wouldn’t dismiss it entirely. It’s enough that I want to move on and finish the adventures to be found in the last book.
Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked
November 11, 2010
dear gordon dahlquist,
i love these books so much it's sort of gross. it is impossible to overstate the ardor of my passion for them. IMPOSSIBLE.
please, please, please write more. what little research i've done makes it seem like these books were considered a flop. i wish i could go back in time and hype them harder at the time they were released. if i had known they needed the extra push i would've bought a zillion copies and just left them on street corners so people could find them a read them.
i hope that you don't feel under-appreciated. i hope that you don't think that no one read your books, because at least one person did, and she loved them dearly. i hope you don't think that no one cares about your books or the characters you created for us, because at least one person is still waiting to find out what happens to them.
please don't give up on us, your readers, or on your characters, okay? we are worth it.
(embarrassingly) sincerely,
kira
i love these books so much it's sort of gross. it is impossible to overstate the ardor of my passion for them. IMPOSSIBLE.
please, please, please write more. what little research i've done makes it seem like these books were considered a flop. i wish i could go back in time and hype them harder at the time they were released. if i had known they needed the extra push i would've bought a zillion copies and just left them on street corners so people could find them a read them.
i hope that you don't feel under-appreciated. i hope that you don't think that no one read your books, because at least one person did, and she loved them dearly. i hope you don't think that no one cares about your books or the characters you created for us, because at least one person is still waiting to find out what happens to them.
please don't give up on us, your readers, or on your characters, okay? we are worth it.
(embarrassingly) sincerely,
kira
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2023
Possibly the weakest steampunk novel I have ever read. Thank goodness it's over!
June 27, 2009
1656680 I am so angry.
The first book is wonderful, and I couldn't wait to dig into this. But as much as I wanted to love this I just can't, why because it Dahlquist didn't do his job.
If there is any real flaw in the first book is that Dahlquist loved his characters too much, here it feels like he stopped caring about them entirely. He doesn't know what to do with them and they just wander around aimlessly. Half the book is solely dedicated to them moping. The spirit of high adventure is gone, now it is an empty shell. The book is just morose awash in pathetic self pity. Blech!
Where the first book is packed with story, this book is weakly maintained by an under-arching plot, that pokes its nose in occasionally, to remind you that perhaps something might actually be happening.
Where the first book contains a story this book is a protracted denouement. It is like he stopped caring about his original characters, didn't really know what to do, and out of desperation resorted to exploring tertiary characters that he desperately wanted to make interesting.
What he needed to do was to write a new story and throw his characters in the mix. Rather than try to tie up loose ends for 800 pages.
The book is riddled with coincidence and randomly stumbling onto dramatically important and obscenely hidden elements mistakenly constantly throughout this book. So the characters never make any real decisions.
Once he finally brings everyone together they just stand around and look at each other. Ray Harryhausen talks about how when working on the giant octopus in It Came from Beneath the Sea he only gave it 6 tentacles, because he didn't want to have to do the work to keep the other two tentacles moving. Here Dahlquist feels obligated to throw a bunch of characters in (because that's what he does?) that he just doesn't want to put the effort into moving around. At a certain point he just randomly kills them, seemingly just to cease the bother.
This book does have some great moments in it occasionally, but you have to slog through to get to them. Unfortunately, these moments are at about halfway through and start a downhill ride to the last dreadful 100 pages.
All the inventiveness and fantasy is just regurgitated (which btw also is a recurring theme) with nothing new or exciting to add. He created a fun world and did nothing with it.
It is a bad sign when you are constantly counting the pages left to go in order to encourage continuing.
The first book is wonderful, and I couldn't wait to dig into this. But as much as I wanted to love this I just can't, why because it Dahlquist didn't do his job.
If there is any real flaw in the first book is that Dahlquist loved his characters too much, here it feels like he stopped caring about them entirely. He doesn't know what to do with them and they just wander around aimlessly. Half the book is solely dedicated to them moping. The spirit of high adventure is gone, now it is an empty shell. The book is just morose awash in pathetic self pity. Blech!
Where the first book is packed with story, this book is weakly maintained by an under-arching plot, that pokes its nose in occasionally, to remind you that perhaps something might actually be happening.
Where the first book contains a story this book is a protracted denouement. It is like he stopped caring about his original characters, didn't really know what to do, and out of desperation resorted to exploring tertiary characters that he desperately wanted to make interesting.
What he needed to do was to write a new story and throw his characters in the mix. Rather than try to tie up loose ends for 800 pages.
The book is riddled with coincidence and randomly stumbling onto dramatically important and obscenely hidden elements mistakenly constantly throughout this book. So the characters never make any real decisions.
Once he finally brings everyone together they just stand around and look at each other. Ray Harryhausen talks about how when working on the giant octopus in It Came from Beneath the Sea he only gave it 6 tentacles, because he didn't want to have to do the work to keep the other two tentacles moving. Here Dahlquist feels obligated to throw a bunch of characters in (because that's what he does?) that he just doesn't want to put the effort into moving around. At a certain point he just randomly kills them, seemingly just to cease the bother.
This book does have some great moments in it occasionally, but you have to slog through to get to them. Unfortunately, these moments are at about halfway through and start a downhill ride to the last dreadful 100 pages.
All the inventiveness and fantasy is just regurgitated (which btw also is a recurring theme) with nothing new or exciting to add. He created a fun world and did nothing with it.
It is a bad sign when you are constantly counting the pages left to go in order to encourage continuing.
January 26, 2019
Impossible to review for two reasons. Firstly, whilst this is marketed as a freestanding novel it will make little sense if you have not read the first two in the series. So a review would involve things that would be spoilers for the Glass Books Vols I and II. Secondly, a review of this book will preempt the fourth book. Needless to say, Celeste, Svenson and Chang are running for their lives, trying to understand, locate and thwart the evil genius behind the Glass Books.
The plot remains as complex as ever and the characters that we have come to know develope as thy move through it.
The plot remains as complex as ever and the characters that we have come to know develope as thy move through it.
December 23, 2013
Only a short review as well....
It's sadley not quite as enjoyable as the first book The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters that really took me on a roller coaster ride with the trio's tales of daring-do! Which i highly recommened anyone slightly intrigued should read, as it's well worth the journey!
All starts well with the story/plot continuing post aftermath of the first book & then...... it kinda meanders & at the book is really only a vehicle from the success of the first outing. Ok there's a cliffhanger to this one, so i'll read on but for those that are tempted with this series I would say STICK after the first of the trilogy as this is not really one for twisting onwards which is a shame as I would really have preferred the same characters in Miss temple, Cardinal Chang & DR Svensson but with different adversiries or settings, think it would have worked a lot better. The first book does have a finite ending & for me the author should have ended it there & started a fresh adventure.
New years ressie - cut down on them Trilogies!
It's sadley not quite as enjoyable as the first book The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters that really took me on a roller coaster ride with the trio's tales of daring-do! Which i highly recommened anyone slightly intrigued should read, as it's well worth the journey!
All starts well with the story/plot continuing post aftermath of the first book & then...... it kinda meanders & at the book is really only a vehicle from the success of the first outing. Ok there's a cliffhanger to this one, so i'll read on but for those that are tempted with this series I would say STICK after the first of the trilogy as this is not really one for twisting onwards which is a shame as I would really have preferred the same characters in Miss temple, Cardinal Chang & DR Svensson but with different adversiries or settings, think it would have worked a lot better. The first book does have a finite ending & for me the author should have ended it there & started a fresh adventure.
New years ressie - cut down on them Trilogies!
May 15, 2009
I enjoyed this book tremendously, as a continuation of one of my favorite books of all time. The pacing of the further adventures of Celeste, the Doctor and Cardinal Chang made it very hard to put down. Each section for each character had its own mini-cliffhanger to keep you wondering how they were ever going to reunite and prevail. And the big cliffhanger at the end ensures the adventure will continue! The author’s writing is extremely clever and the language he uses to describe situations and the characters thoughts still captured my imagination as it did in the first book. My only disappointment was in not having further significant character development, including the “character” of the glass books, which were so uniquely introduced in The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters.
This is the sequel to one of my all-time favorite books — The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters — and so far, I am not disappointed. It grabbed me from page one and pulled me right back into the adventurous lives of all the characters I love! Don't want to put it down!
This is the sequel to one of my all-time favorite books — The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters — and so far, I am not disappointed. It grabbed me from page one and pulled me right back into the adventurous lives of all the characters I love! Don't want to put it down!
March 30, 2017
I am starting to feel that buying the final installment to a series in hardcover is basically signing its death warrant.
I wish that I had ended my adventures into 'The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters' after the first two AMAZING books of volume one. This second installment of the story earned two stars from me only because of my previous attachment to the incredible array of characters, lush and lavish settings, total debauchery, evil plotting, and indigo clay that was developed in volume one, which I whole heartedly adored. For me, The Dark Volume held absolutely no merit of its own, and if book burning wasn't so taboo, I would toss this one into the fire.
If I learned anything from The Dark Volume though, said book would not perish in the flames of the fire, but would only be half destroyed, and much to my shock and dismay it would come crawling back out of the flames, stronger, and tainted with even more evil than before. Which in my state of shock I would not be able to fully comprehend.... and so instead of stabbing it with the fire poker I would just let it crawl out so that it could torment my life once more, but worse. THEN after another length of heinous plotting, pure evil, wrestling, and chasing (lots and lots of chasing) right in the exact moment where I hold the fate of the mega evil book in my clutches once more, my humanity would shine though (wait... is it my humanity, or am I actually secretly in love with said book?!) and I would forgive the half burned, completely tainted and wickedly evil book and join leagues with it... only to be THWARTED, to my eternal shame, once more!! OH man!!! THEN as the super evil book crawled off into the woods conveniently gushing ink and leaving a trail of crumbling letters and punctuation marks behind as a trail for me to follow, I would drag my weary self to my feet, not to be defeated, and stumble after it, sure of getting my revenge on it this time, and not only saving myself, but saving the whole entire world.
And so it goes......
I wish that I had ended my adventures into 'The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters' after the first two AMAZING books of volume one. This second installment of the story earned two stars from me only because of my previous attachment to the incredible array of characters, lush and lavish settings, total debauchery, evil plotting, and indigo clay that was developed in volume one, which I whole heartedly adored. For me, The Dark Volume held absolutely no merit of its own, and if book burning wasn't so taboo, I would toss this one into the fire.
If I learned anything from The Dark Volume though, said book would not perish in the flames of the fire, but would only be half destroyed, and much to my shock and dismay it would come crawling back out of the flames, stronger, and tainted with even more evil than before. Which in my state of shock I would not be able to fully comprehend.... and so instead of stabbing it with the fire poker I would just let it crawl out so that it could torment my life once more, but worse. THEN after another length of heinous plotting, pure evil, wrestling, and chasing (lots and lots of chasing) right in the exact moment where I hold the fate of the mega evil book in my clutches once more, my humanity would shine though (wait... is it my humanity, or am I actually secretly in love with said book?!) and I would forgive the half burned, completely tainted and wickedly evil book and join leagues with it... only to be THWARTED, to my eternal shame, once more!! OH man!!! THEN as the super evil book crawled off into the woods conveniently gushing ink and leaving a trail of crumbling letters and punctuation marks behind as a trail for me to follow, I would drag my weary self to my feet, not to be defeated, and stumble after it, sure of getting my revenge on it this time, and not only saving myself, but saving the whole entire world.
And so it goes......
May 9, 2022
Dahlquist has his own, distinct - no, idiosyncratic - a term wherein no judgement is passed, neither good nor bad - writing style, halting, broken - and yet fast-paced, like a derailed train that nonetheless careens with reckless speed towards its final destination - marked by frequent use of dashes and ellipses, complex sentences which interrupt each other - and, of course, interrupt their interruptions - and dialogue that flows equally as wildly... each character's speech or thought cut short as another begins, and given additional flavour by erratic use of italics on seemingly random words...
There are positives, of course - the descriptions are vivid and lush, like the dark-green moss and pernicious weeds that grow upon the grey stone of neglected graves... using a slightly dated, archaic, formal vernacular which colours the alternate-history period setting... indeed, it feels wholly appropriate - and every scattering of pages he drops an astoundingly specific metaphor - like the maternal gift of a rain-bloated worm into the yearning mouth of a fledgling thrush - at such a quality and frequency I am not sure I have seen employed by another writer.
It's a shame about the plot. This sequel starts well enough - our protagonists re-scattered, confused, each untangling their own mystery, facing their own corresponding villains - but ultimately there is nothing new, just a tidying up of the previous book's loose ends, and as such it works more as an extended epilogue than a story in its own right. It's an enjoyable read, crammed with the same barrage of unlikely rescues and escapes from one perilous situation after another, but here the stakes feel lower, the central intrigue less interesting, than if a new plot and new villains were introduced to stand on their own two feet.
There are positives, of course - the descriptions are vivid and lush, like the dark-green moss and pernicious weeds that grow upon the grey stone of neglected graves... using a slightly dated, archaic, formal vernacular which colours the alternate-history period setting... indeed, it feels wholly appropriate - and every scattering of pages he drops an astoundingly specific metaphor - like the maternal gift of a rain-bloated worm into the yearning mouth of a fledgling thrush - at such a quality and frequency I am not sure I have seen employed by another writer.
It's a shame about the plot. This sequel starts well enough - our protagonists re-scattered, confused, each untangling their own mystery, facing their own corresponding villains - but ultimately there is nothing new, just a tidying up of the previous book's loose ends, and as such it works more as an extended epilogue than a story in its own right. It's an enjoyable read, crammed with the same barrage of unlikely rescues and escapes from one perilous situation after another, but here the stakes feel lower, the central intrigue less interesting, than if a new plot and new villains were introduced to stand on their own two feet.
February 24, 2013
On a good deal of reflection, and considering that this was the first book in the series I read (despite being the middle episode), I am floored by how good it was.
I picked it up at a secondhand book op-shop for $2, on the off chance that it was going to be enjoyable, knowing nothing about it, craving some good fantasy, and not even realising it was part of a series.
Later, reading the intro, Dahlquist assured me I could still enjoy it, despite not having read the first. In many ways, I wish I had read The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters first, but in the end he was right. The whole story was laid bare before me, lacking of course the initial emotions of the characters who were recalling earlier events, so I wasn't unduly confused. I was just entirely absorbed.
This one begins exactly where the last one left off, with the mighty plans of the Cabal in shreds, along with their airship and many of their important adherents. Our heroes have split up, and make their agonisingly slow way from this cold, black Northern coastline back to the City (we do not know the name of this fictitious city in this fictitious country, which makes it all the better. This is not some 'alternate history' of the gallingly overused Victorian London, this is an entirely plausible science-fiction/"steampunk" story set in an unnamed, Northern European country with a language that draws from Dutch, English and Chinese, at least).
Their journeys, so divided, are told episodically, in the tradition of Dickensian weekly installments. Each chapter ends on an absolutely gutting cliffhanger, and in the next we are back with another character. It's enough to make you tear your hair out, if that would only help you find out what happens next. This technique was also employed in the first book, whose shine was dulled for me because I read this one first.
When I think of this book, three things come equally to mind - Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, the graphic novels The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, and noir novels (and films) like The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep and so on.
The scope is grand, the characters plentiful and scheming, the plots twisted and confusing and the motivations murky. I wrote more about this in my review of the final volume, The Chemickal Marriage.
After the dust from this trilogy has settled, however, this book, the difficult middle chapter, has clung on the hardest. It is definitely the darkest, its drastically different setting gave it a coldness and a singularity of purpose that the others do not have, and its final reveal - another cliffhanger! - is the most tension I have felt at a series since I was a teen and gasping for more Harry Potter.
You're an absolute fool if you don't pick this series up RIGHT NOW. Start at the beginning, unlike me - you'll get more out of it, and you'll have this gem of a second-part to look forward to.
I picked it up at a secondhand book op-shop for $2, on the off chance that it was going to be enjoyable, knowing nothing about it, craving some good fantasy, and not even realising it was part of a series.
Later, reading the intro, Dahlquist assured me I could still enjoy it, despite not having read the first. In many ways, I wish I had read The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters first, but in the end he was right. The whole story was laid bare before me, lacking of course the initial emotions of the characters who were recalling earlier events, so I wasn't unduly confused. I was just entirely absorbed.
This one begins exactly where the last one left off, with the mighty plans of the Cabal in shreds, along with their airship and many of their important adherents. Our heroes have split up, and make their agonisingly slow way from this cold, black Northern coastline back to the City (we do not know the name of this fictitious city in this fictitious country, which makes it all the better. This is not some 'alternate history' of the gallingly overused Victorian London, this is an entirely plausible science-fiction/"steampunk" story set in an unnamed, Northern European country with a language that draws from Dutch, English and Chinese, at least).
Their journeys, so divided, are told episodically, in the tradition of Dickensian weekly installments. Each chapter ends on an absolutely gutting cliffhanger, and in the next we are back with another character. It's enough to make you tear your hair out, if that would only help you find out what happens next. This technique was also employed in the first book, whose shine was dulled for me because I read this one first.
When I think of this book, three things come equally to mind - Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, the graphic novels The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, and noir novels (and films) like The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep and so on.
The scope is grand, the characters plentiful and scheming, the plots twisted and confusing and the motivations murky. I wrote more about this in my review of the final volume, The Chemickal Marriage.
After the dust from this trilogy has settled, however, this book, the difficult middle chapter, has clung on the hardest. It is definitely the darkest, its drastically different setting gave it a coldness and a singularity of purpose that the others do not have, and its final reveal - another cliffhanger! - is the most tension I have felt at a series since I was a teen and gasping for more Harry Potter.
You're an absolute fool if you don't pick this series up RIGHT NOW. Start at the beginning, unlike me - you'll get more out of it, and you'll have this gem of a second-part to look forward to.
February 22, 2017
Gordon Dahlquist’s second book The Dark Volume is accurately titled. Like the great airship that crashes on the Iron Coast at the end of the first book, it lacks the lift of its predecessor, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. Instead of the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso format of The Divine Comedy Dahlquist begins with the Ascension, followed by the Descension. Will the third book be the Rescension?
Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang, and Doctor Svenson have survived their confrontation with the cabal on the airship, where Miss Temple slew her former fiance. He and the majority of the cabal were destroyed, but some of their opponents took drastic glass-related measures to survive. The artist-alchemist who discovered the properties of the blue glass was not among the survivors, but his knowledge was captured in a glass book before he expired. This is the highly sought after dark volume, and new alliances are formed and fractured in the pursuit of its resources. When it is at last obtained by a party with the power to employ it it is found to be corrupted by the man’s death and no one gets what they wanted from it. I didn’t get quite what I wanted from reading The Dark Volume on the heels of the luminous first book, but that is often the case with second books. I look forward to the Redemption of the third book.
Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang, and Doctor Svenson have survived their confrontation with the cabal on the airship, where Miss Temple slew her former fiance. He and the majority of the cabal were destroyed, but some of their opponents took drastic glass-related measures to survive. The artist-alchemist who discovered the properties of the blue glass was not among the survivors, but his knowledge was captured in a glass book before he expired. This is the highly sought after dark volume, and new alliances are formed and fractured in the pursuit of its resources. When it is at last obtained by a party with the power to employ it it is found to be corrupted by the man’s death and no one gets what they wanted from it. I didn’t get quite what I wanted from reading The Dark Volume on the heels of the luminous first book, but that is often the case with second books. I look forward to the Redemption of the third book.
August 7, 2014
I'd been anticipating this sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters - one of the best novels I read last year - for months, so I'm happy to report it was worth waiting for. It's a meaty, complex adventure packed with intrigue and action, possibly even more than its progenitor; if Dahlquist's debut was dark, erotic and violent, its follow-up is doubly so. On the negative side, there are perhaps too many lengthy fight scenes, way too much of the dialogue is in italics (have any literary characters ever emphasised their words so often?), and I imagine the plot would be near-indecipherable to anyone who hasn't read Glass Books. It's also more difficult to get into - the opening chapter is exciting, but it doesn't even come close to matching the gripping immediacy of its predecessor's. However, once I had become absorbed in the story, I didn't want to put the book down and couldn't stop thinking about it. One to lose yourself in.
June 7, 2009
I can honestly say I can't bring myself to finish this book. It's not from lack of trying, but there's too much going on I can't bring myself to enjoy it. I really liked "Glass Books of Dream Eaters" but this one just seems to drag. It's like the convoluted plotlines from the first book get even more twisted and confusing and it's hard to follow what is exactly going on. There's too much explination / justification of why certain things are going on rather than plot moving foward so the reader can enjoy it all. It feels like too much, too fast and there's futher embellishing on facts that don't need more embellishing.
I'm actually quite sorry about this book. I was really looking foward to it after reading the first one. Just after getting half way though, I can't keep reading.
I'm actually quite sorry about this book. I was really looking foward to it after reading the first one. Just after getting half way though, I can't keep reading.
June 10, 2012
To say I really enjoyed this is an understatement! From the instant I finished the first in the series (The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters), I was desperate to read the next one but a copy didn't come into my bookshop for ages! As soon as I ordered one and it arrived, I jumped right into it and immediately fell in love all over again. The trio of unlikely heroes are so well described and their character flaws are so uniquely human that I feel as if I know them. Which makes it all the more saddening when I have to leave them again!
My favourite authors all seem to have the same thing in common - an eloquent and descriptive writing style that not only thoroughly describes every little detail within a scene but makes you believe wholeheartedly that you're there yourself. And Dahlquist is no exception to that.
Cannot wait to return to Celeste's world and see how her revenge plays out!!
My favourite authors all seem to have the same thing in common - an eloquent and descriptive writing style that not only thoroughly describes every little detail within a scene but makes you believe wholeheartedly that you're there yourself. And Dahlquist is no exception to that.
Cannot wait to return to Celeste's world and see how her revenge plays out!!
June 22, 2017
Deeply frustrating. So much mayhem and murder. So many nefarious plots, minor characters with gutteral names, train rides, and close calls. So little character development and plot. And no resolution. I wanted to enjoy it. I enjoyed Glass Books for the most part. But nothing really happens that hasn't happened before 500 pages before. And the characters are not rich enough to keep the story going.
March 31, 2009
Good book but DEAR LORD when will there be resolution?
October 10, 2012
The original Glass Books of the Dream Eaters – the first book in the series, was initially published as a single volume – not the two volumes commonly seen and reviewed here - the first with a cliffhanger ending, which I hate so much. This was the doing of the second publisher, who split the novel, obviously thinking that a 768 page novel was too much for today's ADD type audiences. Too bad, they screwed that up. Now, with the Dark Volume, what is truly the second book in the series, Dahlquist's ending is not really an ending that we would think of a series ending. It is true, there are no more books out by Mr. Dahlquist, so I am going to have to settle for what is actually written in these two books to satisfy whatever curiosity I have, and settle I must, as I find that the ending was not satisfactory at all. This last volume is different from the other. It does have the same characters, the same cadence, the same wonderful characterization and imagery, the rich weirdos, the Evil Cabal, and everything else we found in The Glass Books, but there is something missing from this work that it's hard to describe – an essential part, that was included in the previous volume that isn't here. Dahlquist is still writing in tip top shape, its just that he seems to stall and repeat himself in the middle of the volume, but once we get toward the ending, its classic Dahlquist all the way. It turns out Johnny Depp and his Infinitum Nihil production company has opted the film rights for the Glass Books of the Dream Eaters and is developing the project as we speak. This is very exciting news, as the work is very cinematic already, and would work on the silver screen quite nicely. I wonder who our three heroes would be? And the Rich Weirdos? I vote for Angelina Jolie for the Contessa.
THE PLOT: As we left our heroes in book two (or the end of book one, if you bought the combined volume), they had just survived a Battle Royale on an airship bound for Macklenburg with the Comte, the Contessa, Harold Crabbe, Francis Xonck, Caroline Stearne, Roger Bascombe, Dr. Lorenz, and Eloise DuJong. Our heroes are asked to reveal what they know about the factions and secrets of the Cabal before they are put to death – which is when all the trouble starts, between the Cabal. With Cardinal Chang, Dr, Svenson and Miss Temple egging them on – the Rich Weirdos of the Evil Cabal turn on each other with a ferocity only seen in beasts of the jungle. When the smoke clears the only people alive are our three heroes, Eloise DuJong, who has been helping them, and the Contessa, who has stationed herself on the roof of the airship – which is sinking, because she has jammed the controls and slashed the airbags. Soon the airship has hit the water. Our heroes scramble to the top, but there is no sign of the Contessa – they assume she has jumped off and drowned in the sea, due to the weight of her clothing. Amazingly, on the other side of the gasbag, they see shore. They swim there and lodge with locals. Mysterious murders being to happen. Stable boys whose throats have been ripped out, a fisherman stabbed, an entire family with their throats ripped out, our heroes can no longer stay. But are these murders the work of one or more Cabal members? Did the Contessa really die or is that her out there? And what about the one murder that looked completely different from the rest – who did that? Our heroes make their way singly, closer and closer to London, only to find the Government in complete turmoil and under the control of the Blue Glass Woman – Mrs. Marchmoor who is controlling the Duke, who advises the Queen. Later they find another of the Cabal still alive, yet mortally ill, due to his ingestion of blue glass to stop his fatal wounding on the airship. He wreaks havoc everywhere he goes. And then there is Charlotte Trapping and her children – of which Eloise DuJong was the tutor. The Government now has the children in their power. Who will side against whom? And where are the Comte's transformation machines? They've been removed from Harschmort House, but where did they go? And who moved them? This moving of the machines must have been planned from the very beginning, as everyone was supposed to be in Macklenburg for a month celebrating the Prince and Princesses wedding. Who had the most to gain? This plot is more byzantine than the last plot, in that you go deeper into the minds and plots of the enemies with in the Cabal, and their secret plans for treachery that are just now executing. It seems there is a lot more to the treachery of the members of the Cabal then anyone even knew. Come with me and find out how deep this treachery goes – read the book and see how each member planned to take over The Process, and hence the power and the Governments of the World from the others. It is a wild ride. For plot I give this novel a 10/10
THE CHARACTERIZATION: As always, Dahlquist drives everything forward with characterization. Everything is a facet of characterization – the action, the dialogue, peoples movements, their plans, their descriptions, everything that happens deepens his characterization of each character. We get to meet new people in this book that we previously did not know, including Charlotte Trapping, the widow of the murdered Colonel Trapping, Alfred Leveret – a flunky of Francis Xonck at Xonck Armaments, Mr. Harcourt, Mr. Phelps, Mr. Soume along with other functionaries working for the Duke of Stalmaere who is actually dead, but is being used as a puppet by the Blue Glass Woman – Mrs. Marchmoor. These people are strictly under full mind control and don't remember Mrs. Marchmoor at all, but believe the Duke is alive. Their physical condition is deteriorating rapidly as they go about the Glass Woman's business, a side effect of the mind control. They will all be dead soon. Mr. Rawsbarth was the assistant to Roger Bascombe, former fiance to Miss Temple and Cabal member who was killed on the airship. Rawsbarth has decided to take power into his own hands and grab as much as he can now that his boss is out of the picture. Rawsbarth too is under mind control, though he does not know it. He, too will be dead soon. His characterization was done brilliantly. A greedy man who sees opportunity everywhere, now that his superiors have all gone missing, and simply wants to fill the vacuum of power left by those dead, with himself. He is a grasping, venal, demanding, selfish, little man whose overriding goal is to climb as high as possible in the social structure grabbing as much money and power as possible. This is his opportunity. Dahlquist does an outstanding job with every character in this book – right down to the butlers and maids – using their gestures, speech and every detail about them to bring together a characterization that is spot on. For characterization, I give this novel a 10/ 10.
THE IMAGERY: Dahlquist is a tour de force of imagery – there are a number of settings that he describes beautifully, but especially the one location that they pass through shortly after they leave the Iron Coast, as they travel toward London in a cart. It was Celeste Temple and Eloise DuJong together in the back of a cart on their way to the city of Karthe – they passed through an area where black rocks seemed to raise up from the ground – like the bones of the world, left out for millenia. Black and stark for all to see, they rose up to the sky, with grasses below - the basalt foundation of the world. I can think of no more dreary place than this, as they traveled mile after mile, through the same landscape, covered by those stones. Now I can't describe it like Dahlquist – not by a mile, but his imagery is so imaginative, so cinematic, that he sets it up, then lets it play out like a movie – covering all five senses – touch, taste, scent, hearing and sight. For Imagery, I give this novel, a 10/10.
THE GORE SCORE: This novel did have some significant violence, though it is not nearly as bad as some of the novels that I've read lately, you do need to know that there is bloodshed, decapitation, stabbing, shooting, exploding people, and some of the descriptions of the results of this violence while graphic is not gratuitous. A lot of people die in this book. The factions are at war with each other – there are armies of trained soldiers involved. Mobs get involved as well, so slaughter would not be an inappropriate word to use for the ending. Just be warned. For a Gore Score, I give this novel, a 7/10.
THE DIALOGUE: Dahlquist uses dialogue as a facet of characterization. The Contessa, being a quick, smart and aggressive person, has quick, smart and aggressive dialogue. The Comte, being a big, slow, thinking-type of person – speaks more slowly and thoughtfully. He clearly thinks before he speaks. He uses words sparingly. When he is inspired, as when he is speaking of his Process, he speaks passionately. This is all part of his character. Celeste is a talker. She not only speaks to everyone, she also speaks inside her own head quite regularly with a running dialogue that rarely stops. This too is part of her character. Dr. Svenson too, has a running dialogue inside his head. He is a thinker. When he speaks, it is authoritative. He knows what he is talking about. He is correct in his topic and facts. He makes suppositions and logic leaps that are correct as well. He is actually quite brilliant, but no one has recognized that fact, especially him. Cardinal Chang too is brilliant – he does not speak often, only when he knows that he will get the desired result will he speak. He too has a running dialogue in his head. He is amazing at putting facts together to come up with conclusions that are spot on. His leaps in logic are amazing and correct. He and Doctor Svenson helped the most to make the Cabal turn upon itself in the airship, by putting the pieces together after gathering information at Harschmort House and elsewhere to determine who was doing what to whom. It was quite impressive. He spoke concisely and to the point – putting words together effectively and spinning them effortlessly to get the most vicious response out of the Cabal members. It worked. He does this later with Dr. Svenson as well in the Dark Volume. For Dialogue, I give this novel, a 9/10.
THE PACING: The pacing of this novel, unlike the first one, was inconsistent. The first third of the novel was done at breakneck speed. This matched the pace of the entire first novel, (or if you read it in two volumes, the first two volumes), but then we reach a section that was quite different. It was funny, but I was reminded quite strongly of The Lord of the Rings trilogy movie series, where Strider, Legolas, and Gimli are constantly running across mountains, meadows and forests. Every time that happened in the movie, I would laugh. Believe me, it happened often. “Off they go!” I would say, laughing uproariously. How many times did they do that in the movie? I didn't count, but my best guess is about thirty seven. The second third of the novel is just like that. And then they started running...It gets tiresome to say the least. It does not move the action forward at all, and while, it does move the characters to a different physical spot, and a very few things do actually happen, it is all set up for the Big Battle Royale of the ending. Dahlquist just needs to get all his characters in one single place for the big ending. In my opinion, he could have done a much better job of it. It was boring to say the least. While I didn't laugh, it was too boring for laughter, I did wish that many pages had been excised, and he had found another way for the characters to all end up at the same place without all the shenanigans that he put them through. The last third of the book was back to the breakneck pace I was used to. The Big Battle Royale, put the one at the end of the first book to shame. More on that later. For pacing, I give this novel, a 6/10.
THE ENDING: This was the Biggest Battle Royale since – well, I don't know. It was simply humungous. People changing sides, so many factions vying for power, everyone wanting The Process, the original Cabal members down to four Francis Xonck – a zombie who had ingested blue glass to heal his fatal wounds and was dying, the Contessa, Mrs. Marchmoor – the Blue Glass Woman and The Comte put into another body but tainted by death. Our three heroes are still alive and watching the action as prisoners, but they have been forever changed by their proximity to the Blue Glass and their dealings with the Cabal. The other people and government soldiers pulled in by Mrs. Marchmoor and mercenaries pulled in by Alfred Leveret on behalf of Francis Xonck, before Francis became a monster, as well as Charlotte Trapping, who has her own game to play. All want The Process and the machines that make people do their will, making them slaves to their bidding so that they can rule the World, starting with the Government of England and moving on to Macklenburg. All factions are ruthless, and won't hesitate to wipe all the others out, include Charlotte Trappings child, who is present. The battle begins, and doesn't end, until almost all factions are slaughtered. Who will come out on top? Who will own The Process? Will England ever be the same again? Does the Cabal regroup and succeed? What about our heroes? Do they come out unscathed? The ending left me feeling that there was another book in the works, but I have seen nothing to indicate that this is true. For an ending, the dramatic tension is intense, and it did tie up many lose ends that were floating around from the previous books, but it opened up new avenues to explore, just like a middle book in a series would. For an ending, I give this book a 7/10.
THE UPSHOT: I was rather disappointed overall in this book. While I loved this first third and the last third of the book, the second third of the book consisted solely of the characters running around in separate directions and winding up at the same destination. As I said previously, it was like The Lord of the Rings trilogy movie series, where Strider, Legolas, and Gimli ran everywhere about thirty seven times, except our heroes ran separately to their destinations. Sometimes they were at the same destination, but did not meet when there, which, quite frankly, was disappointing. The second third of the book could be titled, And Then They Ran Around. The final third of the book was when they met up, which was when things really started to happen again. That's when the Big Battle Royale occurred, and what a spectacle that was. Overall, it was a good read, but nothing as good as the first book at all. Maybe, Dahlquist had trouble bringing his characters together for the Big Battle Royale – I don't know, but he fumbled this one. For a score, this novel, gets a score of 53/60 which gives it 5 stars. For a total of over 1000 pages, one would think that you could get an entire story across, but it looks like, out in the wind somewhere, there might be more. Stay tuned, as we will update you, if we hear anything about a third book.
MLB Star Scale
50 – 60 5 Stars
40 – 49 4 Stars
30 – 39 3 Stars
20 – 29 2 Stars
10 – 19 1 Stars
00 – 09 0 Stars
THE PLOT: As we left our heroes in book two (or the end of book one, if you bought the combined volume), they had just survived a Battle Royale on an airship bound for Macklenburg with the Comte, the Contessa, Harold Crabbe, Francis Xonck, Caroline Stearne, Roger Bascombe, Dr. Lorenz, and Eloise DuJong. Our heroes are asked to reveal what they know about the factions and secrets of the Cabal before they are put to death – which is when all the trouble starts, between the Cabal. With Cardinal Chang, Dr, Svenson and Miss Temple egging them on – the Rich Weirdos of the Evil Cabal turn on each other with a ferocity only seen in beasts of the jungle. When the smoke clears the only people alive are our three heroes, Eloise DuJong, who has been helping them, and the Contessa, who has stationed herself on the roof of the airship – which is sinking, because she has jammed the controls and slashed the airbags. Soon the airship has hit the water. Our heroes scramble to the top, but there is no sign of the Contessa – they assume she has jumped off and drowned in the sea, due to the weight of her clothing. Amazingly, on the other side of the gasbag, they see shore. They swim there and lodge with locals. Mysterious murders being to happen. Stable boys whose throats have been ripped out, a fisherman stabbed, an entire family with their throats ripped out, our heroes can no longer stay. But are these murders the work of one or more Cabal members? Did the Contessa really die or is that her out there? And what about the one murder that looked completely different from the rest – who did that? Our heroes make their way singly, closer and closer to London, only to find the Government in complete turmoil and under the control of the Blue Glass Woman – Mrs. Marchmoor who is controlling the Duke, who advises the Queen. Later they find another of the Cabal still alive, yet mortally ill, due to his ingestion of blue glass to stop his fatal wounding on the airship. He wreaks havoc everywhere he goes. And then there is Charlotte Trapping and her children – of which Eloise DuJong was the tutor. The Government now has the children in their power. Who will side against whom? And where are the Comte's transformation machines? They've been removed from Harschmort House, but where did they go? And who moved them? This moving of the machines must have been planned from the very beginning, as everyone was supposed to be in Macklenburg for a month celebrating the Prince and Princesses wedding. Who had the most to gain? This plot is more byzantine than the last plot, in that you go deeper into the minds and plots of the enemies with in the Cabal, and their secret plans for treachery that are just now executing. It seems there is a lot more to the treachery of the members of the Cabal then anyone even knew. Come with me and find out how deep this treachery goes – read the book and see how each member planned to take over The Process, and hence the power and the Governments of the World from the others. It is a wild ride. For plot I give this novel a 10/10
THE CHARACTERIZATION: As always, Dahlquist drives everything forward with characterization. Everything is a facet of characterization – the action, the dialogue, peoples movements, their plans, their descriptions, everything that happens deepens his characterization of each character. We get to meet new people in this book that we previously did not know, including Charlotte Trapping, the widow of the murdered Colonel Trapping, Alfred Leveret – a flunky of Francis Xonck at Xonck Armaments, Mr. Harcourt, Mr. Phelps, Mr. Soume along with other functionaries working for the Duke of Stalmaere who is actually dead, but is being used as a puppet by the Blue Glass Woman – Mrs. Marchmoor. These people are strictly under full mind control and don't remember Mrs. Marchmoor at all, but believe the Duke is alive. Their physical condition is deteriorating rapidly as they go about the Glass Woman's business, a side effect of the mind control. They will all be dead soon. Mr. Rawsbarth was the assistant to Roger Bascombe, former fiance to Miss Temple and Cabal member who was killed on the airship. Rawsbarth has decided to take power into his own hands and grab as much as he can now that his boss is out of the picture. Rawsbarth too is under mind control, though he does not know it. He, too will be dead soon. His characterization was done brilliantly. A greedy man who sees opportunity everywhere, now that his superiors have all gone missing, and simply wants to fill the vacuum of power left by those dead, with himself. He is a grasping, venal, demanding, selfish, little man whose overriding goal is to climb as high as possible in the social structure grabbing as much money and power as possible. This is his opportunity. Dahlquist does an outstanding job with every character in this book – right down to the butlers and maids – using their gestures, speech and every detail about them to bring together a characterization that is spot on. For characterization, I give this novel a 10/ 10.
THE IMAGERY: Dahlquist is a tour de force of imagery – there are a number of settings that he describes beautifully, but especially the one location that they pass through shortly after they leave the Iron Coast, as they travel toward London in a cart. It was Celeste Temple and Eloise DuJong together in the back of a cart on their way to the city of Karthe – they passed through an area where black rocks seemed to raise up from the ground – like the bones of the world, left out for millenia. Black and stark for all to see, they rose up to the sky, with grasses below - the basalt foundation of the world. I can think of no more dreary place than this, as they traveled mile after mile, through the same landscape, covered by those stones. Now I can't describe it like Dahlquist – not by a mile, but his imagery is so imaginative, so cinematic, that he sets it up, then lets it play out like a movie – covering all five senses – touch, taste, scent, hearing and sight. For Imagery, I give this novel, a 10/10.
THE GORE SCORE: This novel did have some significant violence, though it is not nearly as bad as some of the novels that I've read lately, you do need to know that there is bloodshed, decapitation, stabbing, shooting, exploding people, and some of the descriptions of the results of this violence while graphic is not gratuitous. A lot of people die in this book. The factions are at war with each other – there are armies of trained soldiers involved. Mobs get involved as well, so slaughter would not be an inappropriate word to use for the ending. Just be warned. For a Gore Score, I give this novel, a 7/10.
THE DIALOGUE: Dahlquist uses dialogue as a facet of characterization. The Contessa, being a quick, smart and aggressive person, has quick, smart and aggressive dialogue. The Comte, being a big, slow, thinking-type of person – speaks more slowly and thoughtfully. He clearly thinks before he speaks. He uses words sparingly. When he is inspired, as when he is speaking of his Process, he speaks passionately. This is all part of his character. Celeste is a talker. She not only speaks to everyone, she also speaks inside her own head quite regularly with a running dialogue that rarely stops. This too is part of her character. Dr. Svenson too, has a running dialogue inside his head. He is a thinker. When he speaks, it is authoritative. He knows what he is talking about. He is correct in his topic and facts. He makes suppositions and logic leaps that are correct as well. He is actually quite brilliant, but no one has recognized that fact, especially him. Cardinal Chang too is brilliant – he does not speak often, only when he knows that he will get the desired result will he speak. He too has a running dialogue in his head. He is amazing at putting facts together to come up with conclusions that are spot on. His leaps in logic are amazing and correct. He and Doctor Svenson helped the most to make the Cabal turn upon itself in the airship, by putting the pieces together after gathering information at Harschmort House and elsewhere to determine who was doing what to whom. It was quite impressive. He spoke concisely and to the point – putting words together effectively and spinning them effortlessly to get the most vicious response out of the Cabal members. It worked. He does this later with Dr. Svenson as well in the Dark Volume. For Dialogue, I give this novel, a 9/10.
THE PACING: The pacing of this novel, unlike the first one, was inconsistent. The first third of the novel was done at breakneck speed. This matched the pace of the entire first novel, (or if you read it in two volumes, the first two volumes), but then we reach a section that was quite different. It was funny, but I was reminded quite strongly of The Lord of the Rings trilogy movie series, where Strider, Legolas, and Gimli are constantly running across mountains, meadows and forests. Every time that happened in the movie, I would laugh. Believe me, it happened often. “Off they go!” I would say, laughing uproariously. How many times did they do that in the movie? I didn't count, but my best guess is about thirty seven. The second third of the novel is just like that. And then they started running...It gets tiresome to say the least. It does not move the action forward at all, and while, it does move the characters to a different physical spot, and a very few things do actually happen, it is all set up for the Big Battle Royale of the ending. Dahlquist just needs to get all his characters in one single place for the big ending. In my opinion, he could have done a much better job of it. It was boring to say the least. While I didn't laugh, it was too boring for laughter, I did wish that many pages had been excised, and he had found another way for the characters to all end up at the same place without all the shenanigans that he put them through. The last third of the book was back to the breakneck pace I was used to. The Big Battle Royale, put the one at the end of the first book to shame. More on that later. For pacing, I give this novel, a 6/10.
THE ENDING: This was the Biggest Battle Royale since – well, I don't know. It was simply humungous. People changing sides, so many factions vying for power, everyone wanting The Process, the original Cabal members down to four Francis Xonck – a zombie who had ingested blue glass to heal his fatal wounds and was dying, the Contessa, Mrs. Marchmoor – the Blue Glass Woman and The Comte put into another body but tainted by death. Our three heroes are still alive and watching the action as prisoners, but they have been forever changed by their proximity to the Blue Glass and their dealings with the Cabal. The other people and government soldiers pulled in by Mrs. Marchmoor and mercenaries pulled in by Alfred Leveret on behalf of Francis Xonck, before Francis became a monster, as well as Charlotte Trapping, who has her own game to play. All want The Process and the machines that make people do their will, making them slaves to their bidding so that they can rule the World, starting with the Government of England and moving on to Macklenburg. All factions are ruthless, and won't hesitate to wipe all the others out, include Charlotte Trappings child, who is present. The battle begins, and doesn't end, until almost all factions are slaughtered. Who will come out on top? Who will own The Process? Will England ever be the same again? Does the Cabal regroup and succeed? What about our heroes? Do they come out unscathed? The ending left me feeling that there was another book in the works, but I have seen nothing to indicate that this is true. For an ending, the dramatic tension is intense, and it did tie up many lose ends that were floating around from the previous books, but it opened up new avenues to explore, just like a middle book in a series would. For an ending, I give this book a 7/10.
THE UPSHOT: I was rather disappointed overall in this book. While I loved this first third and the last third of the book, the second third of the book consisted solely of the characters running around in separate directions and winding up at the same destination. As I said previously, it was like The Lord of the Rings trilogy movie series, where Strider, Legolas, and Gimli ran everywhere about thirty seven times, except our heroes ran separately to their destinations. Sometimes they were at the same destination, but did not meet when there, which, quite frankly, was disappointing. The second third of the book could be titled, And Then They Ran Around. The final third of the book was when they met up, which was when things really started to happen again. That's when the Big Battle Royale occurred, and what a spectacle that was. Overall, it was a good read, but nothing as good as the first book at all. Maybe, Dahlquist had trouble bringing his characters together for the Big Battle Royale – I don't know, but he fumbled this one. For a score, this novel, gets a score of 53/60 which gives it 5 stars. For a total of over 1000 pages, one would think that you could get an entire story across, but it looks like, out in the wind somewhere, there might be more. Stay tuned, as we will update you, if we hear anything about a third book.
MLB Star Scale
50 – 60 5 Stars
40 – 49 4 Stars
30 – 39 3 Stars
20 – 29 2 Stars
10 – 19 1 Stars
00 – 09 0 Stars
May 10, 2024
The Dark Volume, part two of Dahlquist's Glass Books trilogy, picks up immediately after the ultimate events of its precursor, The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters (2006). Its main threads are that of Celeste Temple, the plucky heroine, now parted from her two unlikely aides, Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson, alternating in chapters, who find themselves on the Iron Coast immediately after their battle with the cohort of the Cabal. The only other survivor present is Elöise Dujong, former tutor, now found cast between her allies and her new protectors, and the unlikely but possible survival of their arch-enemy Contessa Lacquer-Sforza, whom they assume must have gone down with the sinking dirigible. But a series of murders in the fishing village leads Celeste to assume that the Contessa has escaped. Or someone, or something, else. Thus the pacey Victorian detective story continues.
The narrative covers the three main threads of the story in time-chunks or tranches that inevitably overlap and return recursively to each previously suspended one in groups of three chapters. This is an effective device in storytelling with two or three main protagonists, providing a structured floating person perspective which allows a deeper character definition. If written well, each chapter follows a course of escalating pace until it ceases and the next (later) narrative thread follows a similar pattern with our next protagonist, and so on, each presenting a momentary cliff-hanger. Such a technique delivers that page-turning sensation which marks a good book.
The Glass Books trilogy has a very large cast, of primary (three), secondary (a dozen) and tertiary (many) characters, so many, in fact, that you really need to keep a lexicon of characters and a codex of their affiliations and relationships. It transpires that Dahlquist, hitherto a playwright, was given a very large advance for his debut Glass Books novel, in a two-book deal, which developed into a trilogy. This was at a stage in fantasy publishing where Victorian steampunk was seen as the next hot subgenre. The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters was expected to be BIG. But the expected sales did not materialise, and the original publishers made a significant loss.
Since the Victorian steampunk subgenre was at the time blossoming (think Reeves' Mortal Engines trilogy 2001-5; Priest's Boneshaker, 2009; Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, 2009; Sedia's The Alchemy Of Stone, 2009; Harkaway's Angelmaker, 2012, and so on), it is remarkable why that first book didn’t sell. It had heaps of imagination in its premise (the glass books), wonderfully drawn characters, and was brilliantly written, a true page-turner with pace. It becomes clear when reading the sequel - also a page-turner, brilliantly written, and with accelerating pace - that the primary reason why it did not take off as expected was that it was simply over-sophisticated, in both its convoluted plot lines and particularly its cast of characters. That you need a lexicon and cross-referenced index to keep track of the relationships between the characters is both a measure of its sophistication and a weakness of its appeal.
However, for any of us to have written anything like as good as any offering in this trilogy would be a significant one-off feat. There are many authors, of many genres, and billions of readers. Only a few thousand really make it, and only a few hundred make it BIG. The Glass Books trilogy deserves far more exposure than it has received, because it sits on a par with Donaldson's original Thomas Covenant trilogy, for example, if not with Herbert's first Dune Trilogy (it has not the scope of world-building nor originality), but easily alongside Zelazny's Chronicles Of Amber series, if not quite King's Dark Tower series, which both cross dimensions between the modern and the feudal, as a feat of the imagination - where none will match Tolkien's fantasy benchmark. But it is still so well written, and such a page-turner, it deserves at least comparison with some of these series, and should have been given the chance of extension beyond the trilogy.
I can only think that it is a little too over-sophisticated within its too narrow scope, and that the Victorian steampunk subgenre was one of the bubbles that didn't grow as big as the publishing industry hoped it would. And remains such, for me. But this trilogy is good. It is very well written, with a delicious cast of characters, an equally delicious use of simile, with a cracking pace, a chase all the way through, a true page-turner. Give it a chance.
The narrative covers the three main threads of the story in time-chunks or tranches that inevitably overlap and return recursively to each previously suspended one in groups of three chapters. This is an effective device in storytelling with two or three main protagonists, providing a structured floating person perspective which allows a deeper character definition. If written well, each chapter follows a course of escalating pace until it ceases and the next (later) narrative thread follows a similar pattern with our next protagonist, and so on, each presenting a momentary cliff-hanger. Such a technique delivers that page-turning sensation which marks a good book.
The Glass Books trilogy has a very large cast, of primary (three), secondary (a dozen) and tertiary (many) characters, so many, in fact, that you really need to keep a lexicon of characters and a codex of their affiliations and relationships. It transpires that Dahlquist, hitherto a playwright, was given a very large advance for his debut Glass Books novel, in a two-book deal, which developed into a trilogy. This was at a stage in fantasy publishing where Victorian steampunk was seen as the next hot subgenre. The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters was expected to be BIG. But the expected sales did not materialise, and the original publishers made a significant loss.
Since the Victorian steampunk subgenre was at the time blossoming (think Reeves' Mortal Engines trilogy 2001-5; Priest's Boneshaker, 2009; Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl, 2009; Sedia's The Alchemy Of Stone, 2009; Harkaway's Angelmaker, 2012, and so on), it is remarkable why that first book didn’t sell. It had heaps of imagination in its premise (the glass books), wonderfully drawn characters, and was brilliantly written, a true page-turner with pace. It becomes clear when reading the sequel - also a page-turner, brilliantly written, and with accelerating pace - that the primary reason why it did not take off as expected was that it was simply over-sophisticated, in both its convoluted plot lines and particularly its cast of characters. That you need a lexicon and cross-referenced index to keep track of the relationships between the characters is both a measure of its sophistication and a weakness of its appeal.
However, for any of us to have written anything like as good as any offering in this trilogy would be a significant one-off feat. There are many authors, of many genres, and billions of readers. Only a few thousand really make it, and only a few hundred make it BIG. The Glass Books trilogy deserves far more exposure than it has received, because it sits on a par with Donaldson's original Thomas Covenant trilogy, for example, if not with Herbert's first Dune Trilogy (it has not the scope of world-building nor originality), but easily alongside Zelazny's Chronicles Of Amber series, if not quite King's Dark Tower series, which both cross dimensions between the modern and the feudal, as a feat of the imagination - where none will match Tolkien's fantasy benchmark. But it is still so well written, and such a page-turner, it deserves at least comparison with some of these series, and should have been given the chance of extension beyond the trilogy.
I can only think that it is a little too over-sophisticated within its too narrow scope, and that the Victorian steampunk subgenre was one of the bubbles that didn't grow as big as the publishing industry hoped it would. And remains such, for me. But this trilogy is good. It is very well written, with a delicious cast of characters, an equally delicious use of simile, with a cracking pace, a chase all the way through, a true page-turner. Give it a chance.
September 3, 2019
Whew! What a breathless ride!
Even though this story feels like a breathless dash through many twists and turns, I do think this book suffers from middle book syndrome. It felt a little slow and pointless in the first half, and then a little meandering in the second. That might seem paradoxical given how fast the situation changes constantly for each character, but it did feel like there was less of a guiding storyline than in the first. Still, once again, we are treated to so many evocative settings, it's so easy to just feel like I'm right there seeing it all unfold.
This was a first read and I think my anxiety spoiled some of the pleasure for me because I was worried about the characters. I know, I shouldn't worry because whatever happens, within a few pages the situation has flipped again. Still, I so want our characters to come out whole, themselves, and pretty please, Chang with Celeste :)
I do love our three main characters. Although again, Svenson is my least favourite. I like his empathy and caring, decent nature, he just sometimes lacks the spark the other two have. Celeste's savage nature and Chang's nonchalant power are so satisfying to read. I am a little irritated at all the references to Celeste being overcome by the feelings from the first glass book. I hope there will be a logical conclusion to this, and it's not just depicting her as a crazy nympho for the sake of it, that would be cheapening her.
Also I think one of the great strengths of the first book was the interaction between their little team, and them attempting to work together. It gave a little hope in the midst of the relentless danger and tension. I missed that a lot in this book, the three only meet up again at the end. I know it is necessary to separate them to advance the story but I wished they would also meet up and have some fun interactions before going their separate ways again. This criss-crossing was part of the appeal of the first novel.
I enjoyed seeing the characters spend more time with the villains though and get to know them more as people. At times I was worried at how sympathetic I was beginning to feel for these loathsome individuals!
Another slight irritation is seeing Eloïse misspelled throughout the book. An editor should have caught that. If you're not sure about the proper placement of the accents, just don't use any at all. It took me a while but I finally noticed the reference to Abélard and Héloïse, the young medieval nun and her tutor who became lovers. That story didn't end well and so I was wondering throughout the book if the author wanted to echo that or subvert it.
I have to say, something the author has done in both books so far is have an absolutely spectacular ending. Both times, the characters all came together for utter madness and chaos completely beyond anything I expected. I did guess the "twist" this time but the events at the end definitely surprised me! I have no idea how things will be once dust has settled. What a striking ending, the kind where the images of the setting and the events stick with you.
I hope the third book can be a fitting ending to this crazy wild mess of a story :) So far it's been a lot of fun! These books are just so entertaining and I can't understand why they haven't had more success.
Even though this story feels like a breathless dash through many twists and turns, I do think this book suffers from middle book syndrome. It felt a little slow and pointless in the first half, and then a little meandering in the second. That might seem paradoxical given how fast the situation changes constantly for each character, but it did feel like there was less of a guiding storyline than in the first. Still, once again, we are treated to so many evocative settings, it's so easy to just feel like I'm right there seeing it all unfold.
This was a first read and I think my anxiety spoiled some of the pleasure for me because I was worried about the characters. I know, I shouldn't worry because whatever happens, within a few pages the situation has flipped again. Still, I so want our characters to come out whole, themselves, and pretty please, Chang with Celeste :)
I do love our three main characters. Although again, Svenson is my least favourite. I like his empathy and caring, decent nature, he just sometimes lacks the spark the other two have. Celeste's savage nature and Chang's nonchalant power are so satisfying to read. I am a little irritated at all the references to Celeste being overcome by the feelings from the first glass book. I hope there will be a logical conclusion to this, and it's not just depicting her as a crazy nympho for the sake of it, that would be cheapening her.
Also I think one of the great strengths of the first book was the interaction between their little team, and them attempting to work together. It gave a little hope in the midst of the relentless danger and tension. I missed that a lot in this book, the three only meet up again at the end. I know it is necessary to separate them to advance the story but I wished they would also meet up and have some fun interactions before going their separate ways again. This criss-crossing was part of the appeal of the first novel.
I enjoyed seeing the characters spend more time with the villains though and get to know them more as people. At times I was worried at how sympathetic I was beginning to feel for these loathsome individuals!
Another slight irritation is seeing Eloïse misspelled throughout the book. An editor should have caught that. If you're not sure about the proper placement of the accents, just don't use any at all. It took me a while but I finally noticed the reference to Abélard and Héloïse, the young medieval nun and her tutor who became lovers. That story didn't end well and so I was wondering throughout the book if the author wanted to echo that or subvert it.
I have to say, something the author has done in both books so far is have an absolutely spectacular ending. Both times, the characters all came together for utter madness and chaos completely beyond anything I expected. I did guess the "twist" this time but the events at the end definitely surprised me! I have no idea how things will be once dust has settled. What a striking ending, the kind where the images of the setting and the events stick with you.
I hope the third book can be a fitting ending to this crazy wild mess of a story :) So far it's been a lot of fun! These books are just so entertaining and I can't understand why they haven't had more success.
October 9, 2022
Als Fortsetzung zu DIE GLASBÜCHER DER TRAUMFRESSER (2007) funktioniert DAS DUNKELBUCH sehr gut. Im Vorfeld hatte ich viel negative Kritik von sogenannten Fans gelesen. Die ich jetzt hier nicht wiederholen will und die für mich auch nicht zu trifft. Manchmal erwarten vielleicht Manche zu viel von einer Fortsetzung. Natürlich kann eine Fortsetzung unter Umständen nicht besser sein als sein Vorgänger. Ja, ja, es kommt schon mal vor, aber man kann das auch nicht immer gleich erwarten. Ja, DAS DUNKELBUCH ist nicht besser als DIE GLASBÜCHER. Aber auch wenn es nicht mehr ganz so angenehm überrascht, wie das erste Buch, ist es doch eine würdige Fortsetzung, die eben, nun ja, die Geschichte fortsetzt.
Um erst einmal mit etwas anzufangen gehe ich mal auf die Buchform ein. Sowohl beim ersten als auch beim zweiten Teil habe ich nicht die Taschenbuchausgaben gelesen. Bei der Erstausgabe der deutschen Fassung ist es wirklich sehr schade, das man nur ein normale Hardcoverausgabe heraus gebracht hatte. So gab es DIE GLASBÜCHER in dieser fantastischen mehrbändigen Paperpackausgabe im Schober. Also jedes Kapitel war ein einzelnes "Paperback-Heft". Und das auch noch im Design wie Bücher Anfang des letzten Jahrhunderts erschienen sind. Das hatte einen beim Lesen zusätzlich ein gutes Feeling verschafft. Aber die Erzählart hat Dahlquist natürlich beibehalten.
Die Intrige ist noch nicht zu Ende. Wie schon im ersten Band begibt man sich auf eine abenteuerliche Jagd (sprichwörtlich!), wieder kommen die Protagonisten, und somit auch nicht der Leser, zur Ruhe. Ja, und wieder kommen die Protagonisten zum Ende eines Kapitels in eine Lebensbedrohliche Situation, einen klassischen Cliffhanger. Und im nächsten Kapitel geht es dann wieder mit den nächsten Protagonisten weiter.
Das hatte eben schon im ersten Buch erstaunlich gut funktioniert und geht hier auch so weiter. Das wurde teilweise eben besonders kritisiert. Was ich aber nicht verstehe. Natürlich hätte Dahlquist nun eine ganz andere Erzählweise eingehen können. Was vielleicht auch interessant gewesen sein könnte. Hat er aber nicht. Und das ist, finde ich, ganz gut so. Denn das Besondere an der Geschichte ist ja, neben den recht aussergewöhnlichen Figuren, die Abenteuergeschichte. Denn viel mehr ist es nicht! Eine klassische Abenteuergeschichte mit Cliffhangern, guten Guten und bösen Bösen. Und eben Schurken die sich als edelmütig erweisen, Jungfrauen die gerettet werden müssen (aber sich in Falle von Miss Temple oft genug selbst ganz gut verteidigen können, und böswillige, dunkle Intrigen. Dazu kommt noch ein Hauch von Steampunk, da die Geschichte in einem fiktiven 19. Jahrhundert spielt, mit Gerätschaften, die es selbst Heute noch nicht gibt. Wer sich von der Fortsetzung gaaanz Anderes erwartet hat, wurde offensichtlich enttäuscht. Ich nicht. Ich habe auch dieses Buch wirklich genossen.
Um erst einmal mit etwas anzufangen gehe ich mal auf die Buchform ein. Sowohl beim ersten als auch beim zweiten Teil habe ich nicht die Taschenbuchausgaben gelesen. Bei der Erstausgabe der deutschen Fassung ist es wirklich sehr schade, das man nur ein normale Hardcoverausgabe heraus gebracht hatte. So gab es DIE GLASBÜCHER in dieser fantastischen mehrbändigen Paperpackausgabe im Schober. Also jedes Kapitel war ein einzelnes "Paperback-Heft". Und das auch noch im Design wie Bücher Anfang des letzten Jahrhunderts erschienen sind. Das hatte einen beim Lesen zusätzlich ein gutes Feeling verschafft. Aber die Erzählart hat Dahlquist natürlich beibehalten.
Die Intrige ist noch nicht zu Ende. Wie schon im ersten Band begibt man sich auf eine abenteuerliche Jagd (sprichwörtlich!), wieder kommen die Protagonisten, und somit auch nicht der Leser, zur Ruhe. Ja, und wieder kommen die Protagonisten zum Ende eines Kapitels in eine Lebensbedrohliche Situation, einen klassischen Cliffhanger. Und im nächsten Kapitel geht es dann wieder mit den nächsten Protagonisten weiter.
Das hatte eben schon im ersten Buch erstaunlich gut funktioniert und geht hier auch so weiter. Das wurde teilweise eben besonders kritisiert. Was ich aber nicht verstehe. Natürlich hätte Dahlquist nun eine ganz andere Erzählweise eingehen können. Was vielleicht auch interessant gewesen sein könnte. Hat er aber nicht. Und das ist, finde ich, ganz gut so. Denn das Besondere an der Geschichte ist ja, neben den recht aussergewöhnlichen Figuren, die Abenteuergeschichte. Denn viel mehr ist es nicht! Eine klassische Abenteuergeschichte mit Cliffhangern, guten Guten und bösen Bösen. Und eben Schurken die sich als edelmütig erweisen, Jungfrauen die gerettet werden müssen (aber sich in Falle von Miss Temple oft genug selbst ganz gut verteidigen können, und böswillige, dunkle Intrigen. Dazu kommt noch ein Hauch von Steampunk, da die Geschichte in einem fiktiven 19. Jahrhundert spielt, mit Gerätschaften, die es selbst Heute noch nicht gibt. Wer sich von der Fortsetzung gaaanz Anderes erwartet hat, wurde offensichtlich enttäuscht. Ich nicht. Ich habe auch dieses Buch wirklich genossen.
June 23, 2024
Truth be told the two star rating may be unfair as I have not read the first book. An introduction page does claim the book 'stands apart as a discrete narrative' insinuating the book can be read independently, I would highly doubt this. Absolutely read the first book, as the entire plot takes place immediately after a (supposedly) dramatic fight on an airship and the ensuing events and character arcs revolve entirely around the fallout of events of the first book. Some events are explained but having not read them happen many of the events seemed to lack gravitas.
As for the book itself it is incredibly melodramatic and veers around in focus from a pacey murderous adventure to long internal monologues ruminating on various personal struggles. I found it difficult to get to grips with and often found the book laborious to read. The style is unique though, and I appreciate the effort from the author on display, it simply wasn't for me but would encourage people to at least try it, preferably in the first book.
The characters themselves are fine, though they are as melodramatic as the plot and behave often erratically pursuing internal agendas that didn't always make sense to me. Though this could again be from me not having a deeper understanding of them having not read the first book.
Overall it would have been better if the book had not made the false claim that the book can stand by itself, it absolutely couldn't for me. It was an interesting exercise in style though and if a steampunk-esque gothic melodramatic adventure is what you're after read the first book.
As for the book itself it is incredibly melodramatic and veers around in focus from a pacey murderous adventure to long internal monologues ruminating on various personal struggles. I found it difficult to get to grips with and often found the book laborious to read. The style is unique though, and I appreciate the effort from the author on display, it simply wasn't for me but would encourage people to at least try it, preferably in the first book.
The characters themselves are fine, though they are as melodramatic as the plot and behave often erratically pursuing internal agendas that didn't always make sense to me. Though this could again be from me not having a deeper understanding of them having not read the first book.
Overall it would have been better if the book had not made the false claim that the book can stand by itself, it absolutely couldn't for me. It was an interesting exercise in style though and if a steampunk-esque gothic melodramatic adventure is what you're after read the first book.
September 26, 2022
This book was good entertainment! Edwardian England, mystery/thriller, steam punk, science fiction, a little bit of eroticism. The second book in The Glass Books series, however, it can also be read as a stand-alone. We again follow Celeste, Chang and Dr. Svenson as they get sucked deeper and deeper into the Cabal's mischief. As with the first book, the plot is very intricate and alternates in fixed sequence between the three main characters which are on parallel, but heavily interlinked, storylines. The author does this in such a way that no scene is repetitive or redundant. Thus, the book becomes a big puzzle, which can be worked on various levels of difficulty. If you follow the most basic thread, you will still be very much entertained. And although enough happens and sometimes there is sudden and violent action, the writing style is very calming. I thought it was a good balance between objective, descriptive, reflective and emotional. This also meant that next to a roaring plot, we get to know our characters better and better, and none of them are safe from demons.
March 20, 2017
I must admit, I haven't finished this book, and I can't guarantee that I ever will. I've read far enough to be introduced to the three main characters, and I'm struggling to find a reason to continue.
Dahlquist loves to describe things, repeatedly and in great detail, and I admit that he does it well. But he also does it to the detriment of character and plot development. One of the pitfalls of steampunk fiction is that can get bogged down in describing all the required elements (clothing, gadgets, and gewgaws) while neglecting...well, everything else that makes a story readable. The characters are one-dimensional (if that) and the plot seems to consist of 1) finding a murder victim and 2) detecting the odor of "indigo clay".
(Here's one way to make this book entertaining: Have a bottle of your favorite potent potable on hand, and take a drink every time Dahlquist refers to the smell of the mysterious "indigo clay".)
Dahlquist loves to describe things, repeatedly and in great detail, and I admit that he does it well. But he also does it to the detriment of character and plot development. One of the pitfalls of steampunk fiction is that can get bogged down in describing all the required elements (clothing, gadgets, and gewgaws) while neglecting...well, everything else that makes a story readable. The characters are one-dimensional (if that) and the plot seems to consist of 1) finding a murder victim and 2) detecting the odor of "indigo clay".
(Here's one way to make this book entertaining: Have a bottle of your favorite potent potable on hand, and take a drink every time Dahlquist refers to the smell of the mysterious "indigo clay".)
May 19, 2020
Awakening from a fevered delirium, Celeste Temple finds herself in a fishing village on the remote Iron Coast. She has no idea where her companions, Cardinal Chang and Doctor Svenson, might be. And while her body seems intact, she cannot say the same for her mind. For she must contend not only with the possibility that peril awaits her but with the memory of her traitorous fiancé’s murder at sea.Hunted by murderous opportunists and cruel mercenaries of every kind, Miss Temple, Chang, and the Doctor are soon propelled into a quest that will draw them one by one into a realm of reckless, lawless terror.
This book is in my opinion a mystery as it focuses around Miss Temple, and her follow passengers, and her recovery after being in a shipwreck. It starts with some development of the main characters and the timeline jumps about to help bring the back story. It has taken me time to get into the story but once i have got into the story I can not put it done.
This book is in my opinion a mystery as it focuses around Miss Temple, and her follow passengers, and her recovery after being in a shipwreck. It starts with some development of the main characters and the timeline jumps about to help bring the back story. It has taken me time to get into the story but once i have got into the story I can not put it done.
September 27, 2024
The plot is largely driven by a repetitive chase sequence, lacking the depth and character development found in the first installment.
The characters feel one-dimensional and their actions often seem illogical. The excessive focus on physical discomfort and Celeste's constant flashbacks are distracting and detract from the story.
The introduction of the Contessa adds a layer of complexity, but her characterization feels forced and her motivations are unclear. The romantic elements are underdeveloped and lack chemistry.
Overall, the Dark Volume is a forgettable sequel that fails to capture the magic of the original novel. The repetitive plot, lackluster characters, and excessive focus on physical discomfort make it a difficult read.
The characters feel one-dimensional and their actions often seem illogical. The excessive focus on physical discomfort and Celeste's constant flashbacks are distracting and detract from the story.
The introduction of the Contessa adds a layer of complexity, but her characterization feels forced and her motivations are unclear. The romantic elements are underdeveloped and lack chemistry.
Overall, the Dark Volume is a forgettable sequel that fails to capture the magic of the original novel. The repetitive plot, lackluster characters, and excessive focus on physical discomfort make it a difficult read.
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