A Hollow Dream - Eternal Autumn

by Andrew Van Wey

Death has come for Aiden

On the last night of summer, a child's game has turned grim. Aiden has fallen and woken up to a terrible truth: he is dead.

Yet Death is Just the First Step

Fleeing through a tunnel between worlds, Aiden discovers others, those who have found sanctuary in a place beyond existence.

--Life is Cruel, Death is No Different--

Welcome to Eternal Autumn, a land of whispering mystery between existence and nothingness. Here, among the frozen colors of Autumn, is a world home to the dead...
and the demons that hunt them. A city of collective memories and agless children; dark swamps and darker magic; and an ancient ritual that just might bring Aiden what all dead truly want...

... a Second Life

At the crossroads of Dante's Inferno and Lord of the Flies lies A Hollow Dream - Eternal Autumn, the Second Chapter in a Harrowing Series, where Fantasy meets Horror at Childhood's End.

108,000 words // 426 pages // Fantasy - Horror

Genres: Horror, Fantasy

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2014

About the author

Andrew Van Wey was born in Palo Alto, California, spent part of his childhood in New England, and lived in South Korea for over a decade.

When he's not writing, Andrew can be found mountain biking, playing video games, or hiking with his wife and their sheepdog Arthas. He loves education, geeking out about D&D and fountain pens, and collecting tattoos.

Visit him online at: www.andrewvanwey.com to sign up for early previews and special offers!

Reviews

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back when I was still living in Singapore, I was approached to review Forsaken by Andrew Van Wey. I loved, and raved over, it so much that I was given the opportunity to review A Hollow Dream of Summer's End. That was almost two years ago, so imagined how surprised I was to learn that there is a sequel to A Hollow Dream of Summer's End, and yay, I got a review copy for that too!

Without giving too many spoilers, Aiden from the first book has died. And now, he's in Everland, a world completely different from the world we know. Here, Aiden meets his grandfather, a city of children, a charismatic leader and a whole host of secrets. What's a dead boy to do?

Ok, that last sentence made it sound as though this book is for kids. It's not. The language is stronger is this book, and the horror is for adults too. Aiden goes through "trials", where he sees the lives of those left behind. That's going to speak to adults, or anyone that has contemplated death. And trust me, those trials were scary. It hit very close to me, being one of those who have lost a loved one.

The strength of this book has to be in the immersive world. As the new kid, Aiden gets to learn about this strange world, and we learn with him. It's fascinating, and I don't think that the depths of this strange limbo has been fully dealt with. In fact, the plot of this book hinges on how this world works - this is where the setting really ties in with the plot.

I'm so glad that there's a sequel, because I want to read more. Horror's not really my genre, but I'm making an exception for all of Andrew Van Wey's books. They're addictive reading - if you want to stay up all night reading with a flashlight (or with the artificial light from an ereader), choose one of his books.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a free and honest review. The gushing was done of my own free will.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[Doseofbella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Hollow Dream Eternal Autumn. By: Andrew Van Wey
Copy Courtesy of Librarything Review by: tk

If you enjoyed A Hollow Drem Summer's End, your going to love this.

Do you know if your dead, or does it take awhile to realize that your no longer with the living. This is Aidens thoughts as he continues on his adventure into the dark side. Aidens grandfather helps to guide him on to the next series of heart pounding, palm sweating adventures. Realizing he is in fact dead, Aiden searches for the answers of heaven, hell, or the in-between.
This 12 year old will face old and new enemies, strange cities, and make new alliances, while trying to discover the truth. His quest is to find a way back to the living, but what if he dies once again. Is that even possible for the dead to die twice?

Absolutely must read!!! This tale is fantastic in its originality, and unique characters....
Very descriptive, and believable to the very end. I look forward to the next installments in Aidens wonderful adventures. Bravo!!! 5/5

[Grammar*Kitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the second work by Andrew Van Wey that I picked up, the first being A Hollow Dream of Summer's End, the novella that leads into this book. Considering I enjoyed that immensely - and at times it made me sit back and think 'wow' - it's unsurprising that this novel really pushed my buttons.

Van Wey further elaborates on the world he introduces us to in the novella - I really would recommend reading it first, it's a great introduction to both character and premise - and weaves a rich and detailed story that truly creeped me out at times.

Usually I'm not fond of child protagonists, but in this story it really worked for me, and the sinster nature of the other children was remicient of old horror, which I found a great nod to some of the classics.

Overall a very enjoyable read that left me with goosebumps. Would highly recommend and can't wait to read some more by this author.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

This sequel is just as good as the first book. I enjoyed it very much. I have read maybe a total of ten horror books before this series and I find myself wondering if I missed out on a wonderful genre. But the more I thought about it I think it is this author. He has a way of creating a dark world that seems so realistic. You feel like you are living in the book and lose yourself in the pages.

[Nev Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review can also be found on Gingernuts of Horror. Pop long there for a visit. Loads of things to read including reviews, articles and author interviews.

This review of A Hollow Dream – Eternal Autumn by Andrew Van Wey is the result of an ARC sent to Ginger Nuts of Horror in return for an honest review.

Please note this book is the second in the A Hollow Dream series, the first being A Hollow Dream Of Summer’s End. This review will have some connections to the first book which could be classed as spoilers so if you want to read it first then check this review out I can understand that. I can also highly recommend reading A Hollow Dream of Summer’s End which is a novella (and currently FREE for the Kindle edition on Amazon and has been for some months), although Eternal Autumn stands up perfectly well by itself.

Aiden Park is 12. He has just died. He knew this anyway. The monsters are coming for him. A stranger appears from nowhere and helps him to escape the monsters through underground tunnels and leads him to the Eternal Autumn and the city of Everland. Aiden’s mind is swimming with questions. Is he really dead? Who are all of the people in the city? Who are the Outlanders and the Dismemberer’s? What magic does the tree give? Does it give a second death or a second chance at life? Aiden needs to firstly discover who is telling him truths and who should never be trusted.

This book is quite simply stunningly superb. Anything I have read before by Andrew Van Wey has totally captured me and had me totally mesmerized by his writing. Eternal Autumn goes one step further…..it grabs you by the squidgies and just refuses to let go until you reach the last page.

Aiden is obviously dead. There is no going back from that. You find that out at the end of Summer’s End. He knows it. The man who rescued him knows it (I won’t tell you who he is). Everyone in Everland knows it. The problem is that everyone else in Everland know a lot more than they are telling him and some of them are keeping secrets that no one expects.

The descriptive writing in this story, painting the picture of Everland, is just mouth-watering. You forget you are reading a story about dead people. The world is amazing. It’s huge. The way it is written just gets your imagination running totally wild and the world turns out as big as your mind wants it to be. This sets the scene for the rest of the story because you always have that backdrop in your mind’s eye and it makes it very easy to get lost in it. Imagine the first time you saw Avatar (if you have). I bet when you looked at the screen at the world you just thought “WOW”. Now think about your mind thinking that through reading it instead of looking at it. Such is the power of this writing, creating a world where the seasons never change and the sun never sets.

The characters are fantastic. You have Aiden who grows up very fast for a 12 year old although in Everland you can be there for decades and your outward appearance does not change. You have his rescuer who is much older and appears to be much wiser but can he be trusted? On Aiden’s side you have Colin and Evie. Colin’s humour comes through brilliantly and you can’t help but love him. He passed over when only one Star Wars film existed and can’t believe when Aiden tells him there are more. Evie starts off as the cold and brutal type but their friendship soon develops into much more. Evie’s brother Marcus is the right hand man of the self-proclaimed leader Zane. Both of these are despicable in their own ways and seem to do nothing but follow the mysterious High Priestess. All of the people in Everland have died at different periods in time so all have differing experiences to relate.

The story revolves around the constant struggle to protect Everland from outside forces like the Outlanders and the Dismemberers. Outlanders are outcasts that live in the Darkland and cannot be trusted with anything. The Dismemberers are evil monsters that will hunt you down and do just that, dismember you.

The second part of the story is to do with the Tree of the Dead. This is a mysterious tree in the centre of the city that anyone can complete “trials” at. The trials involve a journey into your past life called a “jaunt”. Rumour and prophecy says that one day, someone will complete their trial and bring the seasons back to Everland and will be given the gift of a second chance at life. Aiden sets his mind on doing just that.

This book is primarily a horror story. Although the world in which it is set is wondrous and spectacular, there are horrors at every turn. Constant battles with the Dismemberers will give you the creeps and I will hold my hand up to being chased by a few in my dreams this week. You have the psychological horrors that are involved with people dealing with their own deaths and the manner in which they happened.

The parts that most stick in my mind are when Aiden takes his trials where he visits the world before he died and sees the effects his death is having on the people he left behind. I found this to be very harrowing and it did bring a tear or two to my eyes.
You do get some laughs and the pace is just perfect, alternating between almost surreal passages to heart stopping periods when the Dismemberers are involved.

In summary – you will occasionally laugh. You will be scared, a lot, for a lot of different reasons. You will be amazed by the way the story paints wonderful pictures in your mind. You will probably cry.

I write this review on 5th January 2015 and to be honest I will be surprised if a story captures me as much as this one for the rest of
the year. It’s that good.

The easiest 5 stars ever.

[Randy M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This full-fledged novel takes place immediately after the preceding novella, A Hollow Dream of Summer’s End, leaves off. In that opening story the child protagonist, Aiden Park, has suffered a tragic accident while on a final sleepover with his friends before the new school year begins. Unfortunately, this accident has taken Aiden’s life. We find out at the end of that novella that the horrific encounter faced by Aiden and his friends did not actually occur in this reality, but instead occurred in the next reality – the reality after death. A Hollow Dream: Eternal Autumn is a unique vision of what this reality is and we enter it as Aiden does – knowing absolutely nothing about it and having to piece things together while we follow Aiden’s journey through it. It is a reality unlike any he would ever have thought to expect.

This new reality is every bit as solid and tactile as the reality before death and, in fact, your existence in it is not guaranteed to be eternal. Your new corporeal form represents your “mental body”, your memories from your previous life, and while you don’t appear to age and grow old in this reality, your “mental body” can still be injured and killed in this new life after death. The boogeyman from the opening novella is actually a member of a race of beings whose purpose is to kill your “mental body”, to eat your memories in effect, and thus return you to the nothingness from whence you came. To escape them, as Aiden does, is to upset the natural balance of the universe. Aiden and the other people inhabiting this world have managed to elude the boogeymen. But the boogeymen are like the Terminator; they absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead…again.

Aiden’s grandfather, or rather the “mental body” of him, helps Aiden elude the boogeymen and leads him through the landscape of this afterlife to a city called Everland; a city made up of other boogeymen survivors and the physical manifestations of hometown memories that they brought with them. Aiden soon learns that part of the lore of Everland is that everyone enters it with three chances at a second life; a chance to be returned to the reality they knew before this one. This can only happen if they are never forgotten by those who were a part of their former life.

Aiden’s attempts at a second life were, for me, the best part of the novel. Aiden essentially witnesses the lives of those closest to him, his parents and friends, as a ghost; watching the remainder of their lives as they cope with his loss, and ultimately keeping him in their hearts and minds or letting his memory fade from their grasp. These passages are vivid and tragic, yet also beautiful in their own way. You can’t help but feel the same melancholy that Aiden feels. I think all of us hope that our time in this world has a lasting impact, an impact for the better, in someone else's life; that some act of kindness and selflessness on our part can makes things better, if only in some small way, to the future generations of those who make up our world. It can be sobering to think how quickly our existence can be completely erased and lost forever.

In between Aiden’s attempts at a second life, he begins to realize that Everland is not all it seems to be. There is a dark underbelly to this city that may be thwarting its inhabitants' chances at their second life. Uncovering these dark secrets takes us through the many landscapes that make up this new reality, both within Everland and without. Ultimately, we discover the identity of the main antagonist, and no, it’s not the boogeymen. However, we are not told anything about the antagonist’s motivations or their background. Maybe we will learn more in the future volumes.

The narrative succeeds in drawing you into it, of giving you a sense of being there with Aiden. My only quibble is with a passage in the story from the third-person narrator referring to the crucifix as a “crucified corpse” and a “messianic zombie”. The crucifix is a sacred symbol of religious faith to a sizeable percentage of the world’s population, and I felt referring to it this way was disrespectful and unnecessarily off-putting. There are also numerous typographical errors in the text; nothing serious, but nonetheless a distraction when you are trying to immerse yourself in this fantasy world.

All in all, A Hollow Dream: Eternal Autumn is a wonderful continuation of the opening novella. It does a fine job explaining the events of that story and opening our eyes to this vividly imagined new reality. I think it also brought to light questions about our own place in this world and what we should strive to make of it. It did for me anyway.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having just turned the last page, I am left with the bittersweet feeling that I end up with after finishing a really good book. Grateful for the experience but sad that it is over.

I am going to start with the

Negatives:

- A lot of spelling, grammar, syntax, etc errors.

- Some characters and plot could have been better developed/explained (I for one am hoping to see that happen in the sequel(s)

- At times I found it hard to feel fully engaged in the story because of the way the actions were being described. I am not sure if that is due to the writing or the book format/layout.


Positives

- As a whole, I would classify this book nothing short of absolutely brilliant. While some subjects are not new, the way they are addressed are, to me, completely innovative. It's not surprising that some inspiration came from the author's dream(s). The whole book kind of feels like a dream.

- None of the characters felt one dimensional. I really appreciate how Van Wey took his time with that. To me, no one felt 100% good or bad. And that is one of the things I appreciate the most in a book because it means I will be able to relate to the characters. I firmly believe no one is completely good or bad. Everyone has faults and qualities. So my respect to that.

- One thing I really, really loved was that the main character didn't just get to where he did and owned the place. The author took his time introducing him to his surroundings and, by doing that, made the story completely believable. This is not your typical hero who gets to a place and immediately makes friends and knows what to do to get what he wants, when and how. He is a 12 year old kid basically trying to survive. A kid who actually makes mistakes and isn't always brave and doesn't always do the right thing. He's just a normal kid, finding out who he is and who he wants to be as he struggles through the challenges.

- This is fantasy at its best. Van Wey managed to create a stunning world, a book which never gets boring even though it is not always extremely fast paced and which awakens emotions in you, as all great books do.


Final analysis:

Sadness. Heartbreak. Happiness. Excitement. Terror. Disgust. I felt it all.
I smirked at the humour, especially in Colin's lines, I felt hollow and immensely sad through Aiden's jaunts, I felt sick in the stomach with BJ's 'surgery', I felt absolutely terrified at the terror that just kept and keeps on coming - the neverending nightmare - and so much more. I felt. And that alone makes Eternal Autumn stand out.

While some outcomes may have been seen as a bit predictable, the way they are presented to the reader was not. And through all its flaws, Eternal Autumn is an adventure unlike any I have read before. It is truly quite unique. So even with all the typos, syntax errors and whatnot, I am giving it 5 stars, which will be fully deserved after the book has been properly edited. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to get lost in a fantastic world. I do suggest you read the prequel first. I can even see a movie coming out of this or better yet, a tv series based on it.

Needless to say I can not wait for the sequel.

Disclaimer: I have received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really loving this series, but wouldn't you know it, now I have to wait for the next book to come out. This is the story of 12 year old Aiden, who dies from a fall and finds himself in a strange world of the living dead. There are hundreds of other kids, magic trees, and monsters. It's kind of a horror fantasy tale, and it is done in an intelligent manner so that it's not cheesy. This is the 2nd book of the series, and all I know is that the 3rd is "coming soon".

[Mathew Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through Goodreads' First reads program.

A Hollow Dream - Eternal Autumn is the second book in Andrew Van Wey's A Hollow Dream series, though it can be read as a stand-alone novel or as the first book in the series. If you intend to read A Hollow Dream of Summer's End, though, you should read that book first, as much of its story is given away by this novel.

Unlike the first book, this is more of a full-length novel, and though it has the same main character and follows almost directly from the previous book, this fits more in the fantasy genre than horror. The author explores some of the existential themes and builds on the world briefly introduced in the previous book. The book stands well on its own, with a self-contained story arc which leaves some ideas for future books to explore, but doesn't leave things so open-ended that the reader feels unsatisfied with the conclusion.

The world and its characters, for the most part, feel well-developed. The story explores a range of emotions, at times heartrending, at others thrilling, and still others playful. At its heart, the book may still be a coming-of-age story, but Aiden experiences more than most children ever will (or should).

I found that most of my complaints about the first book are still valid with this one (and I really wouldn't expect any different, since I received both books at the same time). There are a lot of spelling and grammar errors and the typesetting adds a lot of extra space. While it makes it harder for me to read, it doesn't detract from the story itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed both books in the series so far, and look forward to the next part of A Hollow Dream.

[Casey Fairbairn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly imaginative and enjoyable series! Andrew Van Wey is a very talented writer: his characters' dialogues (especially the ones between the 'three amigos') are so on point that you can hear them in your mind as you are reading. He is also masterful at creating atmosphere - the sounds that don't quite belong, the light that looks just a little wrong, a shadow where none should be. These are used with a wonderful light hand, building to a crescendo that delivers. None of that 'in your face' slash grab and scream right off the bat (like some other popular authors I will not hear name). And for something self published, it contains remarkably few errors.

I am loving it. I hope this author gains the recognition he deserves so he is able to keep writing. I would be very said indeed if he ever stopped!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in a series! Though they do not have to be read in sequence, I found that had I read the first book first I would have understood the second much better. Even with that I thought this book was quite intriguing. To live multiple lifetimes in just a few moments and yet it still felt like lifetimes. The characters in this book are well defined and the story takes on multiple rides. There are several ahh haa moments and a few you will not even see coming! Very well written and quite amazing, I do believe I will be looking into this author more.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like this book just dragged on and on for me. I was expecting this to be in more of the horror genre after reading the book before this, but this just became a predictable generic fantasy novel.

[Conny · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was not what I was expecting.
I wish I did not go to the 'other side'...