In THE GLASS BOOK OF THE DREAM EATERS, we follow the adventures of three very different characters as they first separately, and then as a team, attempt to pierce the dark cloud surrounding a diabolical mystery and put an end to the conspiracy behind it. 

First introduced is Celeste Temple, the daughter of a tropical land baron, brought to the city to marry into high society.  This perfect life plan all falls apart when her fiancé drops her with little comment, an act which drives her to discover his reasons and, unbeknownst to her, into the dark heart of something far bigger, and more frightening, than she could ever imagine. 

Next comes Cardinal Chang, a ne’er-do-well for hire, who accepts a job to snuff out a local military man, which he attempts to do at a high society gathering held within the walls of a distant castle.  His plan is foiled when he discovers that the man is already dead and after being chased from the grounds, he finds himself unwillingly drawn into a complicated mess he has no initial interest in. 

Finally, Doctor Svenson, a medical attachment to a royal prince sent to the city to meet with his betrothed, the daughter of a local lord.  The Doctor’s job of watching the prince, whose errant behavior seems to land him in the worst situations, had always been frustrating but, when the prince disappears one night, it becomes far worse.  After retrieving the young royal from a bizarre experiment, he leaves him alone in his room only to have him whisked away once more.  In that instant, the tides seem to turn and Svenson becomes not only a man searching for his charge, but a man on the run from something he doesn’t understand. 

It isn’t long before all three of these characters cross paths and discover that the things they each have found are intertwined around the same bizarre and terrifying conspiracy.  Together, they attempt to discover what is truly behind the strange blue glass books they have seen, why they are so important and who is behind the works that seem destined to kill all three of them.  But no matter how deep they dive, the truth is far darker, and stranger, than they could possibly imagine. 

The very title of the novel itself is a perfect indicator of its content: Unique and Bizarre.  The first thing that struck me was the language, the way in which the author chose and placed his words.  If the first page doesn’t sit well with you, the rest of the book will be hard to digest.  He has a way of running a sentence on, heavy with adjectives and visuals that make your imagination almost seem unnecessary.  Even enjoying that kind of wordsmithing, I found myself faltering at first.  Fortunately, I pushed past and found an action/adventure novel well worth its weight. 

The heart of the story isn’t necessarily unique, the major plots and themes have been done before, but the particulars are certainly interesting and it is very apparent a lot of effort went into the creation of every bit of the story.  The characters are fantastic, just shy of the wonder of a comic book hero, but still realistic enough to not be overboard.  Strangely, and this could just be me, I couldn’t tell if the setting was reality based or not…it felt strangely like turn of the century England, or round abouts, and yet…not.  It was that kind of half reality that was felt throughout the entire novel. 

My only real complaint is that too many of the chapters ended with the main characters failing once more, falling to their enemies, only to rise up again in the following section, much like an episode of the television series 24; a marginal issue to say the least.  If, like me, you are languishing without any real good action/adventure stories, this is the novel for you.  It is fast paced, intelligent, well written and unique.  I only wish it had been longer.