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The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two (The Glass Books #1.2)

by Gordon Dahlquist

3.79 · Rating Details · 921 Ratings · 75 Reviews

A mystery as dazziling as a hall of mirrors.

A seductive, terrifying, all-too-real world.

A beguiling, erotic literary adventure.

Discover why readers everywhere are enthralled by this “marvelous confection of a book.”*

In which the astonishing adventure to end all adventures continues—and the excitement doubles.

Like every other honest man, an assassin has his reputation to co ...more

Paperback, 432 pages

Published January 27th 2009 by Bantam

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Community Reviews

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Feb 07, 2011 Adrienne rated it did not like it

This was a tough one to rate. I couldn't put down the first volume. I finished it in two days, give or take. The characters aren't stock. They're interesting and well-developed. And this particular cast--Celeste, Dr Stevenson, and Chang--will give any reader someone with whom they can relate. The world it's set in is awesome, the premise is also super cool, and the unveiling of the glass books--goodness! it was thrilling, and I raced through it.

It may be unfair to include the review for the seco ...more

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Jan 03, 2011 Linda rated it really liked it

Although I read Volume 1 of this duo several months ago, I found that I didn't need to remember the events that were important to the events in this volume. Dahlquist does a great job of embedding them in the text rather than taking a large portion of the begining to review what has already happened.

Together these two volumes offer a rollicking view of Victorian times seen through the Steampunk lens. An unlikely trio - a 25-year-old woman, a German doctor and a hired assassin - combine to solve ...more

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Jun 02, 2009 Alana rated it really liked it

Shelves: reviewed, 2009_06_june

My review for The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters spans both Volume One and Volume Two, because really, I figure if you're committing yourself to the first, you should probably accept the second... after all, the book was originally printed as one large hardcover, and it only split into two volumes in paperback.

That said, my big issue was this. Generally, I think one can assume that the period of time in which it takes the events of a book to unfold will be greater than the time it takes one to My review for The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters spans both Volume One and Volume Two, because really, I figure if you're committing yourself to the first, you should probably accept the second... after all, the book was originally printed as one large hardcover, and it only split into two volumes in paperback.

That said, my big issue was this. Generally, I think one can assume that the period of time in which it takes the events of a book to unfold will be greater than the time it takes one to read it. That might be *barely* true here... but only if one factors in the extra day that passes in the first five pages where Miss Temple absorbs the news that Roger Bascombe has ended their engagement. *Including that*, everything takes place in three days. Three days! That's a lot of pages to chart the course of three days. And sure, we're moving quickly, but I actually found this to be a book rich in detail, perfectly willing to linger over descriptions of people and locations... and the action scenes certainly took double the time to read than they would to actually occur (and oftentimes, you have certain scenes repeated at least twice, as we bounce between the perspectives of three main characters).

All that aside, I did enjoy these books and since I read them in the space of five days, I can reasonably say that they do captivate one's attention. Of course, they do this by such a ridiculous amount of suspense that I didn't feel as though I was eagerly devouring the book so much as I was being forcibly pushed through everything, with the knowledge that if I stopped, I would surely find something amiss and so I had no choice but to power through. There was never a moment of pause as we barreled headlong into an incredibly complicated plot with a long list of characters.

The simple description is ridiculously broad. Three unlikely compatriots find themselves banding together against a sinister group of persons who have a plot to take over the world by mind-manipulation. But that only scratches the surface.

The book opens upon Miss Temple reading a note from her fiancee, informing her in a rather terse note that he is terminating their engagement. She resolves to discover exactly why he has ended things (not out of deep love to get him back, but more with a need for closure), and of course, the most logical way to do that is not to ask him, but to follow him. This propels her (and the reader) into a world that is more and more complicated by the minute, with a "Cabal" of personalities bound tightly together by a fracturing partnership. But she isn't alone -- Celeste Temple forms a strange alliance with two other men as they seek to thwart the evil-doings of the Cabal. Cardinal Chang is a deadly assassin so named for his trademark red jacket and scarring on his eyes that gives him the appearance of being Oriental. Originally hired to kill a man (who turns out to be deeply involved in the Cabal's goings-on), Chang is unable to follow-through on that assignment when he finds the man has been killed for him, but his involvement hardly ends there. Doctor Svenson is a chain-smoking diplomat/doctor who is essentially baby-sitting a prince of Macklenburg (a German duchy) that has become engaged to a wealthy Lord's daughter, and then discovers that the Lord, the daughter, and his own prince all have their roles in this sinister plot. And lest you think this is some simple "take over the world" plot by hypnotising people, the means for mind-manipulation rest in the mysterious properties of "indigo clay" and the amazing glass that can be formed by it as a repository for memories. Such fantastic ideas have a darker side, too -- and the adherents to this "Process" might very well be selling their souls (or at least their free will) over to the leaders of the Cabal.

The fantasy elements are certainly interesting... I was introduced to the phrase "steampunk" by way of this book, and if you know that at all, it certainly applies. It's chocked full of dirigibles and trains, as well as masquerade balls and erotic undertones (without venturing into anything really romantic). It's certainly a wild ride, but I must admit that with the two volumes and all, I was a little peeved to note that there's a sequel that was just published. You'd think that it would at least have the courtesy to conclude its business within those two volumes, but ah well. I'll certainly go on to the sequel, but I predict that it might be trying my patience to do so. But if "steampunk" seems up your alley, then by all means, seek out The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters because it certainly is a creative epic, the likes of which you rarely stumble across on the pure fiction shelves (rather than that of fantasy or sci-fi).
...more

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Apr 29, 2009 Morgan rated it it was amazing

(The same review for Vol. 1 and 2) This is a raucous adventure that runs the reader along a taut high tension line. Dahlquist insists on action, relentlessly dealing it out like a meth addled blackjack croupier. This novel reeks of all the "mistakes" that a first book suffers from: too many characters, too many storylines, extreme violence, and ultimately the scenes are scenario driven. I'm thankful for this naivete. Refined authors tend to cut, and smaller stories end up quieter, whereas this i ...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Ori Fienberg rated it did not like it

Shelves: oh-well

The title was so good that Dahlquist decided not to bother coming up with another one for Volume 2. Unfortunately, the title was once again the best part of this book.

After Volume 1 made a late break for excitement and entertainment and built up anticipation about the glass books and the dream eaters I had high hopes that Volume 2 would continue that excitment and provide answers. And it did provide some answers, ponderously, and then over and over again.

Certainly there are moments of good writ ...more

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Feb 16, 2009 Kristina rated it really liked it

Shelves: steampunk

Occasionally as I was reading, I almost felt a little guilty for enjoying this book so much. There was definitely some pretty kinky and bizarre stuff going on here (be warned), but I found the whole thing completely entertaining. The first volume was a little tedious, with lots of setup, and many, many characters being introduced. (I'm tempted to go back and read the first half again and make a chart, because the various relationships and loyalties of these characters does become very important ...more

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Jul 06, 2009 Woodge rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: steampunkers; megalomaniacs

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, steampunk

This book is the second half of the story begun in Volume One. Not sure why it was split into two volumes, together they are about 900-odd pages of a story, on the large side, surely, but I devoured it fairly quickly. Like Volume One, Volume Two has many hair's-breadth escapes, confrontations, and other suspenseful stuff. Sometimes they get a bit too descriptive, but this story holds your interest throughout. The characters both good and bad are wonderful creations. And our three protagonists pr ...more

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Oct 06, 2010 colleen the convivial curmudgeon rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fantasy, whodunit, sci-fi, horror-esque

My thought on the second half are much the same as the first, though the second volume was a bit more intriguing.

The climax had moments of excitement, but also of silliness. I mean, what does it take to kill some people.

And then it just ends and it's like "that's it?". Pages and pages of stuff, often too much stuff and the annoying perspective shifts setting us back in time - again - not to mention everyone stopping to philosophize in the midst of running for their lives, or trying to escape and ...more

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Jan 20, 2010 Linda I rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, gordon-dahlquist, gothic

More like a 3.5 star rating. Volume two was marginally more interesting and engaging than volume one, but the story never actually ends with a discernable conclusion. The writing style is great, but the plot gets weighed down by excessive details in some scenes and not enough details in others. One of the most redeeming qualities of the story are the flawed protagonists and their misguided reasons for pursuing the destruction of the society. Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang and Dr. Svenson continue t ...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Amanda rated it really liked it

Shelves: steampunk

I liked this volume a little less than the first because it took far too long to get through some portions of the action from the point of view of all three characters and was a trifle too maudlin by the end. However, the reveals were still exciting and piecing together the mystery was good as well, even if some things were discovered a bit too easily (though luckily nowhere as quickly as one might in a Dan Brown book). The style remained delightfully Victorianesque and engaging, and I really en ...more

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Jul 03, 2009 Kim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009booksread

I LOVE this book. I cannot express how deep my love for it goes. It took over my mind for months. Alternate Victorian, steampunky, high adventure, sexy. Must read.

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Aug 07, 2012 Melinda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, historical, historical-hotties, horror, mystery, fantasy, religious, humor, classic, bondage-discipline, adventure, dramatic, twisty-turny-plot, big-men-w-swords, truly-exciting, high-society, beautifully-written, insane, military, beautiful-3d-characters, beautifully-ended, highly-technilogical, emotional, compelling, murder, dystopian-society, mistaken-identity, deep, evil, political, honorable, women-with-weapons, thriller, men-with-weapons, rape, rescue, spies, medical, beautiful-dialogue, beautiful-plot, beautiful-transitions, beautiful-pacing, beautiful-sex, flashbacks, psychotic, dream-like, battle-royale, imaginative, black-humor, gods-myths-and-legends, religious-conversion, surprise-ending, death, love, subversive, genius, enjoyable, society, imagery, cadence, steampunk, crime, assassins

This book starts exactly where Volume 1 of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters left off. As we left our heroes, they had parted ways as they continued to try to frustrate the efforts of the Cabal for world domination. Celeste Temple, the heiress from the West Indies, had headed for the St. Royale Hotel, to find the Contessa Di Lacquer-Sforza, who tried to have her killed at Harschmort House, just the other night. Taking a pistol with her, she plans to put things to right, but doesn't tell Chang This book starts exactly where Volume 1 of The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters left off. As we left our heroes, they had parted ways as they continued to try to frustrate the efforts of the Cabal for world domination. Celeste Temple, the heiress from the West Indies, had headed for the St. Royale Hotel, to find the Contessa Di Lacquer-Sforza, who tried to have her killed at Harschmort House, just the other night. Taking a pistol with her, she plans to put things to right, but doesn't tell Chang or Svenson, our other two heroes, where she is going. They try to anticipate her thinking; Chang goes to the Institute where they make the Blue Glass Books, and Dr. Svenson goes to Tarr Manor, where they dig the Indigo clay necessary for The Process that transforms people into the Minions for the Cabal.

THE PLOT: As we join our heroes, things have not gone well for them in their endeavors. Celeste is a prisoner of the Comte and Contessa - thinking her exceptional, the Comte has decided she must go through The Process and become a Minion. They board a train to Harschmort House were The Process will turn her into a Minion, except she would rather die first, so escape is her only option. Chang, after battling enemies at the Institute, and finding a friend, had ground glass blown into his lungs by the Contessa when he found the trail of Celeste. He followed to the train and is outside hooked on to the Coal Car. He must save Celeste before he dies of the glass in his lungs as he knows that he will die soon. He has little time to complete his mission, but he just can't leave her to these people, so off he goes to Harschmort House to enable her escape as well as the escape of Angelique, the woman he loves. We left Dr. Svenson hanging from a rope below a dirigible, flying through the air - and him, afraid of heights. After struggling up the rope to the top of the airship, he makes his way into Harschmort House, only to discover that the woman that he fell for in Tarr Manor, Eloise DuJong, was inside. He also found out, his two comrades were inside as well. He needed to find all three, but in which priority? He must cause as much trouble as possible too. Which means, disrupting whatever the Cabal is doing now, as well as discovering their plans, and killing his Prince. The Doctor has so much to do and so little time to do it in, and with a house full of murderers, rapists, thieves, and alchemists, he doesn't know if he will see the light of day, but one thing he does know - he will do his level best to see that Mrs. DuJong, Celeste, Temple, and Cardinal Chang are all alive and well come morning and that the Cabal isn't. It's a tall order, but he has to count on the fact the his two friends are doing the same thing! Who will succeed? The Cabal or our Heroes? What will happen over night at Harschmort House? Will the Cabal rip itself apart from the inside with help from our heroes? Will our heroes die a heroic death before morning? Will the group be down to one or two come morning? The plot was so amazingly byzantine, that the twists and turns came at you every which way. I loved every minute of the finely executed plot. It was with very great enjoyment that I watched the plot unfold like Swiss clockwork. At each click of the second hand, something new would pop out you - surprising you with its insight into the overarching theme, the Cabal, or the story itself, as well as the people involved. For Plot, I give this book a 10/10.

THE CHARACTERIZATION: As with the first volume, this book goes deeper into the characterization of the heroes themselves, but also into their enemies. We get quite a good look at the heads of the Cabal, the Comte and Contessa, Francis Xonck, Mr. Crabbe, as well as Roger Bascombe, who had been something of a cypher up to this point. We also get to meet some new characters including Colonel Smythe, a leader of a company of Dragoons, Mr. Blenhiem, the keeper of Harschmort House, Lord Robert Vaanderiff and others. The characters were deep individuals, with core feelings that went way down to their very hearts and souls. Reverberating there for no one to see but the readers, in some cases, and in others, for all the world to see at Harschmort House, through the telepathic imagery of the Blue Glass women, as in the case of Cardinal Chang and Angelique. His heart was literally bared wide for all to see in a particular instance. It nearly killed him emotionally as well as physically, yet he persevered to save his comrades. For Characterization, I give this novel, a 10/10.

THE IMAGERY: Dahlquist is a master of imagery - he did an amazing job describing Harschmort House in particular - which was a prison, converted into a luxury manor. A tower inside the manor went underground, instead of soaring into the sky. Inside the tower was a colossal room surrounded by prison cells. The primary focus of the room was a stage set with operating tables lit from above, from which the Comte could work his alchemical Process. Hundreds of tubes ran down the walls of the Tower - making it virtually serpentine. All the tubes culminated into a singular system that fed onto the stage itself, where the alchemical Process that the Comte was to perform, before the people watching in the prison cells. This image of the people in the prison cells, with the camp chairs, and their champagne, looking through slots, getting excited while watching the Comte transform three women from human to Blue Glass people in his alchemical Process - I will never forget. It was truly disturbing. Kind of like a side show turned evil. If there is evil in the world, and I do believe there is, Dahlquist captured it its essence in that sequence. The people are dupes, the women have no idea of what is going to happen to them, they are innocent, yet guilty by association. Only the Comte knows what is happening. He isn't going to tell. He is the evil one. He displays the Glass Women with leather leashes around their necks after the transformation, as if they were his pets or creatures that he controls; another form of Minion, yet a powerful one at that. I found it disgusting, but the images did not leave my mind. The images were very cinematic. For imagery, I give this novel a 10/10.

THE GORE SCORE: This novel rates rather high on the gore score, as they kill, and dismember people, then behead, shoot and stab people everywhere. The blood flows, whether it is red or blue. If you like violence with your adventure, you'll get it here. No one stops to think before the murder or mayhem starts. It just happens and happens quickly. Even our heroes don't hesitate, because they'd be dead if they did. For a Gore Score, I give this novel, an 8/10.

THE DIALOGUE: Everyone in this book was upper crust, with the exception of a few chambermaids who helped Dr. Svenson when he arrived at Harschmort house, and two butlers who tried to stop Celeste Temple and Eloise DuJong after they popped out of dumbwaiter on their way to escape. The dialogue was not only snappy, upper crust, but unique for each individual. The Contessa and the Comte each had a way of speaking that defined them. The same was true of Roger Bascombe, who had a tendency to whine. Francis Xonck resorted to violence first and asked questions later, Celeste was definitely a talker, where Chang listened. Svenson thought a lot, so we heard those thoughts as he was speaking in his head. It was amazing how Dahlquist used speech as another defining part of characterization. The butlers and maids spoke lower class English, which of course was appropriate for their station. The dialogue in the book was simply another factor in an already amazing adventure that defined each character down to a T. For dialogue, I give the novel 9/10.

THE PACING: This book is like a runaway horse at full gallop. I started at the first word and BOOM! I was off - flying with the wind in my face, flying over the fields, never stopping, never slowing, just that rocking motion at high speed. I did't stop until the very last word on the very last page, then the book was over. I put it down, clearly satisfied with the trip, and looking for the next volume, which is hopefully right next to me so that I can continue on my ride once again. After a cup of coffee and a snack maybe...The transitions were smooth as a babies behind. No problem telling one narrator from another. No problem telling when I switched scenes. There is no sophomoric slump for Dahlquist at all. This book was actually better than the first volume. I liked it more, and that is saying something. For Pacing, I give this novel a 9/10.

THE ENDING: I thanked my lucky stars that this book did not end the way that volume 1 did - with a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers! This book had a satisfying ending. It wrapped up all the story lines and tied them up nicely, leaving our heroes, in a situation where there is a potential for all types of things to happen to them. I can't wait to read The Dark Volume, which is the next book in the series. There was so much action at the end, you would think a zombie apocalypse is tame. It was definitely a Battle Royale. Dahlquist did it right this time - gave the reader a satisfying ending. I was so happy about that - no cliffhangers, no moment in time endings, just a satisfying resolution to the problems proposed by book two, and away we go with book three. I was happy about that, it made it so much easier to put the book down, and take a break for a few minutes from the series and do something else. I was satisfied that for the moment, that our three heroes were okay. For the Ending, I give this novel, a 9/10.

THE UPSHOT: I love this series, it is one of my favorites of all time, and I believe that it is one the top 10 best adventure series in Literature. Dahlquist is a genius when it comes to action, adventure, plotting, wordsmithing, imagery, and characterization. If you like action and adventure novels, if you like steampunk, if you like Victorian historical fiction, if you like world domination conspiracy novels, if you like fantasy novels, if you like murder mystery novels, you will love this series. Get all three of them today. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters Volumes 1 & 2 and The Dark Volume. I swear, I haven't found any other action/adventure, fantasy, steampunk, conspiracy, murder mystery, novels that can quite compare. This novel scores 58 out of 60. Almost a perfect a score. So, come along with me into a world where Blue Glass can become people, books, or anything else - can wipe your mind of thoughts, turn you into a Minion, or make you a Master of the World. Please hurry, we won't wait for you long. We are taking over the World, after all... ...more

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Feb 28, 2014 Steve rated it really liked it

It's hard to find the words to describe this book. I mean, there's lots of good ones: suspenseful, thrilling, surreal, imaginative, and the ever popular, "action-packed". All that is kind of meaningless, though. You want some sort of insightful, incisive description of all this action that the book is packed with. That's where it gets hard.

It starts (in volume one, which as I mentioned over there, doesn't end, it just continues over here), with a jilted rich girl stalking her ex to try to figure ...more

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Aug 27, 2010 Mason Jones rated it liked it

Being the second part of a single book, this volume finishes the first installment of this series, which continues with the Dark Volume. Given that the first volume simply stopped in the middle of the action, it's nice that this one comes to a generally satisfactory conclusion. The story as a whole still isn't finished, but the plot is fairly well tied up and nearly all of the bad guys are taken care of.

It's still difficult to really review this without giving away a great deal, so instead I'll ...more

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Jul 26, 2016 Jpmist rated it liked it

Shelves: re-read

Sometime in 2012 I re-read this and in the fog of time I've forgotten enough to re-read it yet again. I also forgot to review it so . . .

You'd think by now I'd have gotten all the characters straight by now, but no. The handy list at the beginning was referenced quite a few times and there was yet another set of names I had to write down to keep track.

Sadly, the more I re-read, the more the flaws become harder to ignore. Basically this is merely a confusing adventure story with a bit of steam-pu ...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Wise_owl rated it it was amazing

Some books you recall as great, but on a reread, while being recalled as 'good' they just don't come across as well as your memories of them suggest they should. This is not one of those books. I flew through volume two of the Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. From the first section of the second volume the action, the consequences, the tension are all just ratcheted up and you just want to keep on finding 'what will happen next'. The mysteries unfold but leave still more to be founded and you se ...more

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Jul 26, 2009 Amy rated it really liked it

Shelves: litfantasy, 2009

A racy fantasy bodice-ripper, a unique pseudo-Victorian (steam-punk?) fantasy with a dose of kinky and tons of action - yep, this second volume of The Glass Books... did not disappoint. It's true that in transitioning between three main characters Dahlquist sometimes repeats himself (sometimes one character experiences what another character has, and thus the repeating), and though I studiously remembered all the villains' names in this volume (good luck!), I completely forgot all the action enu ...more

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Aug 16, 2010 Korynn rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fifantasy, contemporarylit

Broken into two softcover books to make the publisher more money we continue the story. The unfortunate problem with having three distinct characters with each point of view a separate narrative in sequence means that we must read for 30 to 60 pages at a time before going back to the beginning with yet another character's viewpoint before catching up to the present where the characters occasionally actually meet up, but more often cross paths by slivers of seconds, dragging the reader back into ...more

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Sep 28, 2009 Caitlin rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2010

I don't often abandon a book, but I ditched this one midway through the second volume and that, I think, pretty much sums up my problem with it - there was a second volume.

There's a good premise here and had Mr. Dahlquist submitted to actual editing there might have been a great story here, but at something over 700 pages for both volumes this just wasn't worth it. If you're going to be this long-winded, you'd better be entertaining and at some point with this book I just didn't care.

Part of my ...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Veronica rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 31, 2013 Mary rated it really liked it

This book, along with the first volume, created an immense world that I fell into every time I opened the book. The actual timeline of this story is about two or three days, but it takes place over the course of two volumes. When I began volume two, I was unsure of the characters' fate and that uncertainty remained throughout the book. There were some things about the writing style in this book that I didn't care for, but I set those aside because the story was so massive and interesting, and I ...more

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Apr 05, 2015 C-shaw rated it it was amazing

I loved this one only slightly less than Volume 1, mainly because I was exhausted by all the fast action. Whew! Did these people never eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom?? It was quite exciting. Good grief, there's another sequel! Must get rested up before tackling it. The only reason I didn't read both volumes in two days is because of constraints caused by the need to tend the farm and house, attend church, shop for groceries*, and oh yes, to eat, sleep, and use the bathroom. :-~

*Had to buy som ...more

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Aug 24, 2013 Steve Greatrex added it

At times, I couldn't put this book down... Miss Temple arrives by ship to join her fiance, yet within three months the engagement is off and she has been rejected, with no reason given.

Trying to follow her ex-fiance, she journeys to a remote manor house where an engagement ball is underway--and other things, as well. Murder, some erotic bondage of women (with dire implications)...

Temple escapes and soon meets an assassin, Cardinal Chang, and a doctor, Dr. Svenson. Each has reason to investigate ...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Andrea added it

Shelves: 17th_18th_19th_centuries, conspiracy

Volume Two was more engaging than One, which seemed to take a while to build and finally get to the point. The story ended leaving me with a few more questions than i usually prefer, but i also read fairly fast so maybe i just missed the answers as the writing style seemed to through out crucial information in the middle of a sentence never to be seen again. The characters all played their parts and grew into truly meaningful individuals by the end.

Did i enjoy them? yes ... Would i recommend the ...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Loren rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

You know how some episodes of Dr. Who seem to consist mostly of the characters running through dark hallways? This entire book is composed of the three main characters running blindly through the hallways and tunnels of Harschmont House. There's so much running around that there's barely time for character development.

I made it all the way through the book, but after 1000-some pages, I am inclined to leave the series at this point, with something that passes for a happy ending. That disappointme ...more

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Sep 06, 2010 Theo rated it it was ok

Shelves: two-star

A resounding "meh." The characters were fairly uninteresting, and despite copious action sequences, the book managed to be rather dull. By the end, I was hoping they would all crash into the North Sea. Perhaps the length is at fault: it's nearly 900 pages long. Many of the confrontations seemed to be repeats, and in general it could have used an editor. The book is at its worst when attempting to have moments of tenderness; Dahlquist should have just stuck to action, which he can do competently ...more

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Nov 28, 2009 Michael rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, sci-fi

This is a tough one to review. The first volume was a page turner. From start to finish I was riveted and couldn't put it down so I couldn't wait to dig into Volume 2 ...

I had a hard time getting through this one and definitely put it down numerous times. I'm not sure if it was just the length or if the story just moved more slowly. There were also one too many times where the triumvirate was captured, on the cusp of death, only to survive to live another day ...

The ending was excellent, which m ...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Jennifer rated it it was ok

Shelves: mystery-thriller

This is the second half of an over-long novel. Some of the promise of the first novel is fulfilled in this second volume, particularly with respect to the camaraderie between three disparate people. My favorite, Celeste Temple, gets a little more airplay in this volume. I found the political intrigues somewhat interesting, and wish they had been a feature throughout the book. There is a massive action scene at the end of the book, and after 800 pages, I was just too weary to follow all of the st ...more

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May 02, 2009 Bob Redmond rated it liked it

See review of Volume 1.

This one goes a little faster but has fewer surprises other than it's more sexually explicit than Volume 1. I had insomnia and ended up finishing it in the Davenport Hotel in Spokane. The Davenport was built in 1914, and recently restored in amazing fashion. Its mezzanine features a balcony from which you can see the courtyard and hear the late night meeting the early-morning stirs. Clicks on marble. A giant fireplace. Tiffany-glass skylights. The perfect setting to read t ...more

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Jan 02, 2011 JT rated it liked it

The first half was really fun and engaging but this second half lost me. I felt like the author started randomly introducing characters and just rambled on way too long. Chang died about 6 times but kept going. The characters would survive a battle they couldn't possibly survive and then get captured, then escape then survive another battle. That seemed to be the entire thing. This book should have either been condensed to 500 or less pages, or it should have been written as two separate books w ...more

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About Gordon Dahlquist

Gordon Dahlquist, also credited as G.W. Dahlquist, is a novelist and a playwright.

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The Glass Books (3 books)

Books by Gordon Dahlquist

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters (Miss Temple, Doctor Svenson, and Cardinal Chang, #1)

The Dark Volume (Miss Temple, Doctor Svenson, and Cardinal Chang, #2)

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One (Miss Temple, Doctor Svenson, and Cardinal Chang #1.1)

The Chemickal Marriage (Miss Temple, Doctor Svenson, and Cardinal Chang, #3)

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“First you say I am a murderer - an agent in league against you - and now I am a deluded heartsick girl! Pray make up your mind so I can scoff at you with precision!” — 25 likes

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The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume Two (The Glass Books #1.2)

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