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Jellyfish Dreams
Since losing his fiancée some years ago, atheist biologist Sam Rogers has blazed a trail in immortality studies. He's learned an awful lot about life and death. But when he discovers a mysterious hole beneath his sofa one morning, he's forced to reckon with all that is unmasterable about the universe--and some of it has tentacles.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2012
23 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
M. Thomas Gammarino
3 books16 followersM. Thomas Gammarino is the author of the novels King of the Worlds (Chin Music Press, 2016) and Big in Japan: A (Hungry) Ghost Story (Chin Music Press, 2009), and the novella Jellyfish Dreams (Amazon Kindle Single, 2012). In 2013 he received Hawai’i’s highest literary honor, the Elliot Cades Award for Literature. He lives in Honolulu with his wife and kids.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 6, 2025
a book that made me laugh (which is substantially more rare than books that make me cry)
November 25, 2017
Thought provoking page turner
Quirky humorous read examining the death of God and religion. I may read this again to figure out any deeper meanings.
Quirky humorous read examining the death of God and religion. I may read this again to figure out any deeper meanings.
August 13, 2013
"Ten years after the death of his fiancee, and ten years before the Immortals walked out of the sea, Sam Rogers discovered a hole beneath his sofa."
I immediately wanted to know more about Sam and the things that happened in his life that led up to finding the hole--and Gammarino did not disappoint. I was fascinated by his ability to incorporate so many different and thought-provoking ideas so seamlessly into one story. There was something about his style that made the story so accessible and so easy to read, though I have the feeling that no matter how many times I reread JellyFish Dreams, I will take something different away from it every time.
The range of thought and human emotion Gammarino was able to portray was impressive; one minute I was deeply saddened and the next I was laughing hysterically. It was honestly unlike anything I have ever read.
This novella is worth the read, AND multiple rereads.
I immediately wanted to know more about Sam and the things that happened in his life that led up to finding the hole--and Gammarino did not disappoint. I was fascinated by his ability to incorporate so many different and thought-provoking ideas so seamlessly into one story. There was something about his style that made the story so accessible and so easy to read, though I have the feeling that no matter how many times I reread JellyFish Dreams, I will take something different away from it every time.
The range of thought and human emotion Gammarino was able to portray was impressive; one minute I was deeply saddened and the next I was laughing hysterically. It was honestly unlike anything I have ever read.
This novella is worth the read, AND multiple rereads.
March 8, 2013
Tom Gammarino is a gem. The man knows his way around a sentence, and he makes six times his share of really good ones. He is inventive, funny, heart-breaking, quirky, astute, erudite, and the dude can tell a story, and never the one you expect to hear. It is rare that a writer can command my attention so thoroughly that I lose track of time and other appointments, but this book absorbed me completely, and I'm still apologizing. If you like writing that really is fresh instead of simply labeled fresh, if your imagination is still open for business, if really do like surprises instead of just claiming that so that someone will throw you a party, then read this book. I recommend it unreservedly.
March 21, 2013
If you've ever had a dream where you've cut the skull off your dead fiancee to see if you can Frankenstein her back to life by MacGuyvering a toaster with a fish tank and occasionally masturbating onto her corpse ... finally, only at the bitter end using the escape hatch under the couch symbolizing the act of surrendering to God and hopefully meeting her in the afterlife while it turns out you should have just. used. the flesh. of the zombie jellyfish monsters knocking down your door to actually save her ... then yeah, this book is for you. Or, if you are an atheistic Ann Rand/Nietzche obsessed grad-school student thinking about going into a permanent life of Academia and you wonder what your dreams will be like if you ever lose the love of your life to cancer, that will work too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2014
Jellyfish Dreams- M. Thomas Gammarino (I have no idea how I found this, why I thought it would be interesting, or what I liked about the reviews. It's about a scientist who finds a black hole under his sofa and his life moving on from the watershed event that opens the book. It's peppered with backstory which I found interesting and sweet, but the ending is truly like a bad episode of the twilight zone. I was like 'You're kidding? THIS IS THE END?!')
October 9, 2017
3 1/2 stars. Funny, sad, deep, sometimes crazy. A writer to follow.
April 15, 2024
It was a fun read if you keep up with what is going on.
October 10, 2013
Dean Goranites of the BookReviewersClub reviewed the book “Jellyfish Dreams” by M. Thomas Gammarino.
This story revolves around a character named Sam, who is an atheist and a type of biologist. The story starts very much like a “Twilight Zone” in that Sam is reading a book on his couch when he drops a bookmark on the floor. He reaches down to find the bookmark, but it’s gone. Instead, he finds a black hole under his couch, and anything he throws down there disappears. Anytime he shines a light into the hole, there is no reflection… there is nothing. Sam has no idea where this hole came from and no idea where it goes to, so he brings in a lot of experts and scientists to study it.
The story continues on into a very bizarre love story. Sam ends up reflecting on his past and remembering his girlfriend from college. He remembers how they fell in love at a very young age, how beautiful she was, and all the different reasons he loved her, even after she passed away from cancer.
Dean believed this story might be very close to the author’s heart and that he may have lived in a very similar situation.
Dean felt that the interesting part of this story was – at first – the craziness surrounding the black hole. Later, it was a series of other strange events. But all in all, he felt it was very much like an episode of “Twilight Zone.” 75% to 80% consisted of cool stuff with some weird and mysterious happenings going on.
Dean went on to say that this is all “real science fiction.” He felt it was a very exciting page-turner that suddenly turned out to be literary fiction. He felt it was definitely worth reading and he gave the book 4 stars because he felt he would probably read it again sometime in the future.
This story revolves around a character named Sam, who is an atheist and a type of biologist. The story starts very much like a “Twilight Zone” in that Sam is reading a book on his couch when he drops a bookmark on the floor. He reaches down to find the bookmark, but it’s gone. Instead, he finds a black hole under his couch, and anything he throws down there disappears. Anytime he shines a light into the hole, there is no reflection… there is nothing. Sam has no idea where this hole came from and no idea where it goes to, so he brings in a lot of experts and scientists to study it.
The story continues on into a very bizarre love story. Sam ends up reflecting on his past and remembering his girlfriend from college. He remembers how they fell in love at a very young age, how beautiful she was, and all the different reasons he loved her, even after she passed away from cancer.
Dean believed this story might be very close to the author’s heart and that he may have lived in a very similar situation.
Dean felt that the interesting part of this story was – at first – the craziness surrounding the black hole. Later, it was a series of other strange events. But all in all, he felt it was very much like an episode of “Twilight Zone.” 75% to 80% consisted of cool stuff with some weird and mysterious happenings going on.
Dean went on to say that this is all “real science fiction.” He felt it was a very exciting page-turner that suddenly turned out to be literary fiction. He felt it was definitely worth reading and he gave the book 4 stars because he felt he would probably read it again sometime in the future.
February 6, 2017
Very interesting
This story was an interesting blend of science fiction and theology. If you can get through the big science jargon in some spots, it is worth the read.
The story starts out with this guy named Sam who looses his book mark under the couch. When he moves the couch he finds this mystery black hole. The book goes on to describe the history and importance this book mark has on Sam's life.
Then it goes to the present with the black hole under the couch and the immortal jellyfish. Believe me it is tied together.
Also, don't forget to read the authors note. It is important to the story.
This story was an interesting blend of science fiction and theology. If you can get through the big science jargon in some spots, it is worth the read.
The story starts out with this guy named Sam who looses his book mark under the couch. When he moves the couch he finds this mystery black hole. The book goes on to describe the history and importance this book mark has on Sam's life.
Then it goes to the present with the black hole under the couch and the immortal jellyfish. Believe me it is tied together.
Also, don't forget to read the authors note. It is important to the story.
May 11, 2013
This is a book that takes you in directions that you don't always expect and does so in the presence of some beautiful writing, always tinged with wry humor. The main character, Sam Rogers a former theology student, becomes an atheist biologist working on immortality after the death of his fiance. The story starts when Sam wakes up one day to find a strange hole under his sofa. So begins a tale starring science, religion, morality and unanswered questions all wrapped up in zany humor. This is a strange story, where things are not always as they seem, but stick with it to the end and you will be rewarded.
November 30, 2013
There's not much I can say about Jellyfish Dreams that hasn't been said by the other 5-star reviewers. It's strange, unexpected, funny, thought-provoking, and sad. The characters are immediately relatable. It's got what might be one of my favorite endings ever. Read it!
November 20, 2012
hilarious
December 3, 2014
Amazing! Lately, I haven't been surprised by any plots, but this book was witty, suspenseful, and full of unexpected developments. Can't wait to read more by Gammarino.
March 3, 2014
I wanted a story, not an atheist soapbox. .. i got bored and annoyed AND IM AN ATHEIST!
April 2, 2014
What the hell did I just read?
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews