Splintered Dreams

Dreamwood Tales #2

by John Gregory Hancock

In your heart of hearts, you know that labeling something a ‘fairy tale’ is not the same as calling it untrue. There are things glimpsed in the half-light, that you may try to swear aren’t possible, and yet, they are happening nonetheless. There is a dream you have upon waking, when you are neither awake nor unconscious, where fanciful creatures and men of questionable truth intrude upon and twist your reality. You’re more than a little afraid that accepting them as real will forever cement them into your world, and give substance to that which does not deserve it. The stories in this volume are a little like that. In ‘A Winter Crossing’, you’ll "In those times, when the sun would drop behind the ancient and broken mountains, the bridge became unfamiliar and cast a stifling pall on those who dared cross. Even to this day, it is said traversing the bridge alone at the end of a winter’s day is to invite frost demons.” And in ‘PRISM’ you encounter this telling of a “He was staring straight up at the sky, with his eyes wide open. But his eyes had become just whitened balls. The color, you know that circle around the little black hole? It were drained, gone. And his hair turned fully grey. When we went to sleep, Blevins had a healthy head of dark hair. “Then my horse keeled over, likewise dead. It were a chestnut-colored mare the night before. Only now it was mottled grey. It had the same whitened eyes.” “Good Gods,” Liam whispered. So it all depends on you. Are you adventurous enough to read these tales, pretend for the moment that they could happen, they could be real?

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2013

About the author

John Gregory Hancock is a storyteller.

A graphic professional for many years (which is one way to tell a story), his graphic journalism garnered international awards, and was nominated for a Pulitzer. He incorporates his visual sense in his ability to spin compelling yarns.

Currently, he has seven books of his own, and has written for The Future Chronicles anthology series, whose titles have hit the overall Amazon Top 10 Bestsellers list. The Immortality Chronicles - a Top 5 SF Anthology and Hot New Release - featured his story 'The Antares Cigar Shoppe', which was also nominated for Best American Science Fiction.

His work has appeared in other anthologies, including; Prep For Doom, Bite-Sized Offerings: Tales & Legends of the Zombie Apocalypse, Flying Toasters - The DeadPixel Tales, and Off the Kuf.

Hancock is not tied to any one genre, but is comfortable in the science fiction/fantasy/horror realm. Even a dash of humor, at times. The foreword to his 'A Plague of Dreams' says it well: "These stories, these lies, these Dreamwood Tales, are dipped in the heady ink of my fevered dreams. They travel unique and varied paths to arrive at your shuttered door. I entreat you to undo the latch and let them in to lie upon your hearth. They will not bite. Except for the ones that do."

He lives with his wife and soul mate (who puts up with him, beyond all logic) and a fantastically brilliant son (who thrashes him soundly in video games -- really, it's no contest). They are hopelessly landlocked in Midwest America, far from ocean or desert. Or glacier, come to that.

Like many of his characters, life has shaped and unshaped him.

His fingers itch to write and so far, luckily, people seem to enjoy the things he offers.

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always pleased to read a good collection of short stories. This book contains tales of science fiction, fantasy, horror, humor, and the supernatural. While I enjoyed them all, I did have favorites. A Winter Crossing is an excellent fairy tale, of the original type. I thought of PRISM as a fable, featuring a an unlikely hero. Subway is certainly science fiction, but I perceived it as horror also, considering that the scenario presented is not at all impossible. It's scary stuff. The Interpreter is a satisfying example of wisdom trumping arrogance, and is more about people than science fiction. The Well deals with wishes and justice in a unique fashion. Danger in the Night is an unusual look at an unsolved crime, and the lives that it disrupted. These stories stood out for me as excellent tales.

While each story is unique, I thought the remaining ones were not quite as strong. The book as a whole, though, is an enjoyable mix of styles and plots. If you are a fan of short stories or speculative fiction, I recommend you give this anthology a look.

[Kimberly Vanderbloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I could like a collection of short stories this much. I was blown away by the writing and found myself flying through the pages. Every story was extremely hard to put down it was mind blowing. I found it fascinating how the author could easily flow through the different genres so flawlessly.

My favorite story was Prism. I just really enjoyed the fantasy aspect and loved the concept of the world turning grey. Liam is the best main character ever. Even if you don't have the time or the opportunity to read all the stories this one is a must. I just can't get over how much I enjoyed this story.

My second favorite story was Yellow Fog. I could just easily imagine how fast the main character was talking and the author captured his innocence and thirst for knowledge. I found it to be a great story.

I was overall super impressed and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing the first collection of short stories included in Plague of Dreams, I was highly anticipating this collection. It did not disappoint. The stories were a bit longer than in the first book. The pacing and writing was just as great as the first book.

My favorite story was Prism. The idea of color being stolen was amazing and scary. Loved it. I couldn't wait to see where the story was going.

I also really enjoyed the well. Wishes being tossed in a well; I knew the author would have a special twist on this. I was not disappointed.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading both books short stories. I cannot wait to read more from this

[Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really well done collection of short stories. They were all very good, but The Well, just wow. The well got me good. Great characters and world-building for such short works. Not a bad story in the bunch either. Looking forward to his other short story collection! Well done, sir!

[Tommi Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun collection of stories.

This book is a wonderous collection of stories about dreams. I found this collection of short stories very entertaining. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one. Mr. Hancock is a fabulous storyteller.

[Jessica Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

This book is a great read. I remembered my love of short stories when I read John's work. Read everything he writes!

[Stephanie Runion · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very twisted and bordering on deranged collection of short stories which nonetheless find a way to draw you into their madness.