It’s all in the details, indeed. But, remember, too much of anything can be sickening.
During the Christmas Holidays, I was a saint. Without The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist I would not have realized the extremes of my patience, my capacity for the bizarre, my zen with verbiage, from a far too generous author. With 760 pages, this Victorian thriller is a door stopper, and a time-stopper as its mystery, violence and horrifying seduction shut out even the scent of puto bumbong being prepared in the kitchen.
Strange book, atmospheric (VERY detailed) and measured (slow) with periods of alarm.
At any other time, I would have accused the author of being a control-freak, an anal-retentive, and obsessive compulsive. But it was the holidays, and my vow to be as lazy as possible at the end of a year filled with headaches softened my perspective, letting me see through all the details into the beautiful, ornate prose, the fantastic steampunk adventure, vivid characters, and intrigue of secret societies. I loved the Gothic atmosphere, which especially promised thrills at the beginning of Miss Temple’s quest to discover why she was rejected by Roger Bascombe.
Just as the glass books that ate dreams and spit them out, this book surrendered to me the lives of those that touched it, letting me live through them, letting me become them, for a time. But at the end of the day, shall I miss having been so immersed? Maybe not, it was like addiction, that became heavier the longer I held it. I enjoyed it, but when I finished it, it was like snapping out of a bad, albeit, fantastic dream.
ArtSeblis 
Peter
March 1, 2010
I just love steampunk! I never knew that this book was part of the genre. I can’t wait to read this one. Thanks for giving me this book, Mich!
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artseblis
March 1, 2010
hi, peter, i’m glad my ambivalent reaction to the book did not turn you off it. the book was strange, but reading it was an experience.
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Johanna
March 2, 2010
Wow, what a review! Seems you were totally engrossed in the book.
It is one strange, addiciting book but I loved it! Although, if you ask me now if I would read the sequel, I’d say after I take a really deep breath and clear my schedule. But yes, I still will, knowing I’ll be steeped again in Dahlquist’s lovely prose.
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artseblis
March 3, 2010
LOL. hi, johanna. i saw the sequel at Fully Booked. from reviews i gathered that it is open-ended. there is still no clear resolution to the intrigues, which frustrated readers as they books combined are almost 2K-pages long already. do you think Dahlquist intends a third book?!
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Johanna
March 3, 2010
A third book?! Really?
With two door stoppers, a third book may make his first and second a hard sell to new readers. I mean they have to wade through a mountain of pages! And, steampunk, which isn’t a genre interesting to many, coupled with the story’s oddity and the writer’s tendency toward verbosity (still nice writing though) may take a lot of coaxing to gain new readers or even persuade first book readers to finish the series!
His publishers must have such strong faith in Dahlquist’s ability to draw readers, if they are willing to invest in a third tome. Hope he does well, though.
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artseblis
March 6, 2010
true. i know that i will probably wait for the Christmas holidays again to attempt the sequel. but i’m thinking i may feel as frustrated as other readers if it still does give a satisfactory conclusion after all my effort.
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treesa
April 6, 2010
he did a third book – it’s called ‘the dark volume’ and it’s just as addicting as the first two
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artseblis
April 7, 2010
hi, treesa. was the ending satisfactory? or does it give way for another volume?
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dee
May 11, 2010
Dark volume was #2 actually.
and yes, annoyingly it leaves all open for a third book. i have not seen any mention online of its progress either.
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artseblis
May 12, 2010
the first book was published as one monstrous volume then split into two bite-sized ones. it’s confusing, lol, as to which is the second or third. thanks, dee, for leaving a comment. i guess Glass Books may not have been much of a commercial success but it gained quite a following nevertheless.
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dee
May 12, 2010
O i see. i i still enjoyed them yes tho the publishing house lost a massive amount. Us steampunks not as commonly found as they’d like. Dahlquist is also sweetly deranged…check out his profile on the penguin books site… So it would not surprise me if he left us all hanging for a lark.
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