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Daydreamers
Downtrodden workers at a towing company compete to repossess an elusive Mercedes; two men clash over their participation in a body modification ritual; a group of Dungeons & Dragons players find themselves unwelcome in an upscale resort; the discovery of a drowned corpse haunts two would-be lovers in a beach town. Ne'er-do-wells, prodigal sons and young men without a clue await to be met in these nine stories that speak to a new generation of hopefuls not usually found in contemporary queer fiction.
- GenresLGBTGayAnthologies
154 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 15, 2017
Harper’s protagonists are mostly adrift, searching for direction or waiting for purpose, without the contented contemplation necessary for productive daydreaming. But their unmoored status is what gives these pieces direction. Once the landmark is in sight or the course set, the story ends. Thus, the reader is constantly looking for some resolution on the horizon, inducing a curiously languid atmosphere where decisions are moot, actions are unimportant, and finality is always a step beyond...Harper has crafted a wonderful world of characters who engage by disengaging, an effect as reassuring as it is liberating. His gifts are many, and the perceptive reader will find much to think about and ponder. Thoughtful and powerful, this is a must read for anyone interested in short fiction.
August 14, 2020
“Day Dreamers” is a collection of short stories full of colorful characters with human flaws in unique situations. Slightly edgy stories of life: loss, regret, deceit. The way a fabrication can become real and affect a whole community. Growing out of the comfortable friends and pastimes of youth. Getting yourself out of a rut. For me a good short story is the perfect way to end a day; starting and finishing something in one sitting is so satisfying.
October 11, 2022
Daydreamers is a beautiful collection of queer fiction with characters that are looking for direction or purpose. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the stories that felt realistic and that I could relate to. A group of friends discovers that they might have grown out of their group, and another story is about a rumor that takes control of a city. These two stories were my favorites. This book is a great collection of moving stories starring queer men that I really recommend!
June 12, 2026
I adored every story in the collection, and cared deeply about the protagonist in each. My favorites were: The Cake is a Lie, We Only Flinch When it Isn’t Necessary, No More Heroes, and The Bloated Woman.
March 8, 2016
Of the nine short stories here, Harper has had five published in magazines and anthologies. This stands as Harper's début collection showcasing his talent, at least that is what it seems once a glance is passed along the authors who have given him advanced praise for Daydreamers. If, like me some readers would prefer to flip around the book before devoting time to reading any one story at first, taking in the titles and the art that comes with them on the left hand side is a pleasure, especially when the artist of the flowers is Pierre-Joseph Redoute, a famous Flemish painter and botanist from the Southern Netherlands.
As the title suggests, everyone in Harper's stories is a daydreamer, regardless of what they do for a living. Their private life, or the trappings of supposed success, some characters loathe their normal existence, preferring to embellish the truth rather than speak it. A perfect example of this is the first story, Repossession where Amber wears an eye-patch after an accident, tells others a different story of how she got it, one where she is exotic and adventurous.
Nature has August who works at Paradise Lost tattoo parlour with co-owner Libby among others, Libby being the only one who treats him well. August is teased but wants more than anything to be included in their games, however extreme. His sense of belonging comes later at the end when it leaves the reader pondering whether what happened before was in fact a daydream.
In The Cake is a Lie, a pastry chef lives with Louis, a successful guy with a job that pays well enough for them to live in the suburbs. While Louis is away, his lover Dreams of having his own business making cakes and other treats for eager customers, but mourns his own private life which is filled with disappointment. Louis acts as though he's not interested in his lover; a common theme in gay novels, and his blasé attitude is of detriment as here Louis has lost interest and goes somewhere else. In this case, Louis is brushed aside for Briar, the sort he daydreams of being interested in him, and for a moment, he is. While Louis is away, he revels in his daydreams, his own fantasies, but it's only at the end where he tells the truth about his friends, his lover and what his future might be.
Costume Dramas paints a picture of a couple who are living with each other, but lead separate lives. One is social while the other only spends his time with his sister for Period Piece Mondays. The rest of his time he is alone, desperately needing to spend time with his husband. Under the original title, The Rental Unit, Ron gets in Wayne, who takes up space in their converted garage with disastrous results Ron's husband hopes are one day they will get things back the way they were, but he, like the others is just daydreaming.
Daydreamers is a début collection of unheard lives, and needful affection that have become estranged, yet some have the potential to fulfil their destinies and find answers to life and what meaning it has for them. What in an instant separates this form any run of the mill novel is the cover. A bearded Adonis is colourfully shirtless for all to see, the lettering covered in glitter weaves around him, his beard covered in flowering blooms, multicoloured and attractive. Illustrated by Nguyen Thanh Nhan, it jumps out at the reader, much like the stories here.
As the title suggests, everyone in Harper's stories is a daydreamer, regardless of what they do for a living. Their private life, or the trappings of supposed success, some characters loathe their normal existence, preferring to embellish the truth rather than speak it. A perfect example of this is the first story, Repossession where Amber wears an eye-patch after an accident, tells others a different story of how she got it, one where she is exotic and adventurous.
Nature has August who works at Paradise Lost tattoo parlour with co-owner Libby among others, Libby being the only one who treats him well. August is teased but wants more than anything to be included in their games, however extreme. His sense of belonging comes later at the end when it leaves the reader pondering whether what happened before was in fact a daydream.
In The Cake is a Lie, a pastry chef lives with Louis, a successful guy with a job that pays well enough for them to live in the suburbs. While Louis is away, his lover Dreams of having his own business making cakes and other treats for eager customers, but mourns his own private life which is filled with disappointment. Louis acts as though he's not interested in his lover; a common theme in gay novels, and his blasé attitude is of detriment as here Louis has lost interest and goes somewhere else. In this case, Louis is brushed aside for Briar, the sort he daydreams of being interested in him, and for a moment, he is. While Louis is away, he revels in his daydreams, his own fantasies, but it's only at the end where he tells the truth about his friends, his lover and what his future might be.
Costume Dramas paints a picture of a couple who are living with each other, but lead separate lives. One is social while the other only spends his time with his sister for Period Piece Mondays. The rest of his time he is alone, desperately needing to spend time with his husband. Under the original title, The Rental Unit, Ron gets in Wayne, who takes up space in their converted garage with disastrous results Ron's husband hopes are one day they will get things back the way they were, but he, like the others is just daydreaming.
Daydreamers is a début collection of unheard lives, and needful affection that have become estranged, yet some have the potential to fulfil their destinies and find answers to life and what meaning it has for them. What in an instant separates this form any run of the mill novel is the cover. A bearded Adonis is colourfully shirtless for all to see, the lettering covered in glitter weaves around him, his beard covered in flowering blooms, multicoloured and attractive. Illustrated by Nguyen Thanh Nhan, it jumps out at the reader, much like the stories here.
October 25, 2016
An interesting collection of stories about people who are stuck in some way - I guess you could call it daydreaming, but the important aspect of each story is that something has to give in the lives of the protagonists, and the moment when that change happens (in various ways). The author plays with narrative voice and PoV, so his MCs include unlikable men, woobies, unreliable narrators and downright assholes - very interesting. Some stories work better than others, of course, but I enjoyed watching the different narratives develop, and some of them were really, really great (I particularly liked "No More Heroes" and "Wallflowers"). All in all a collection definitely worth reading, and I LOVE the cover. It's wonderful.
March 30, 2015
Jonathan Harper's writing skills deserve a 5 star rating in his debut short story collection Daydreamers: Stories. This is a gritty compilation of short stories with no easy resolutions (or no resolutions at all) for young men, troubled daydreamers, who for the most part come from a middle class background. Read it, yearn, search for inspiration, and dream with his characters.
November 10, 2015
This was a tough read because I found my skin crawling with every story (that beautiful drawing on the cover is NOT what I would have used for this collection), but damn did I find myself amazed at the end of each story, particularly Wallflowers.
November 28, 2015
Daydreamers by Jonathan Harper: http://reviews-and-ramblings.dreamwid... 2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
July 9, 2016
Full review on Small Press Book Review: http://thesmallpressbookreview.blogsp...
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews