Alethea's Dreams

by Daniel B. Martin

Challenging, insightful, suspenseful and romantic.
With the full weight and gravity of the world pressing down upon her Alethea, the Greek Goddess of Truth, rests in an uneasy slumber.

Alethea’s Dreams become embodied and enlivened through this collection of stories.
Begging to be uncovered, unearthed and awakened, her concern for humanity manifests in the curiously tragic, romantic and insightful lives of her dream’s main characters.

As the winds of change blow, the dirt of modernity is whisked away. The nature of her truth resurfaces and becomes exposed in a myriad of times and places. From the slave pit of a rock quarry to the King’s table, along distant mountain passes and the many endless highways of civilization, between the lines of blank pages, in the heart of modern suburbia, underneath the red berries of a threatened coffee farm that rests deep in the El Salvadorian jungle, stuck under the surgical knife in a flickering makeshift operating room amidst the chaotic throngs of war, across time and space into our most painful traumatic pasts, unto our unfolding futures and beyond, Alethea and her dreams take us underneath the surface of our illusions to the distant future that our hearts all long for.

These are Alethea’s Dreams.

218 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2021

About the author

Author Daniel B. Martin's unique work creates deep character driven contemporary literary/ philosophical fiction.

Martin is an American author who currently resides in the Netherlands.
Martin’s literary themes focus upon the ever-changing relationships between human beings and their environments. His love for and connection with nature is deeply linked to his philosophy of human stewardship of the planet. He is fascinated by plants and animals, gardening, hiking, camping, waterfall chasing and anything involving the great outdoors.

A man of many hats and a global resident: he grew up in Southern California, although throughout his adult life he has lived on the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui, in France and in the Netherlands. He holds a Bachelor’s in Philosophy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a Master’s in Philosophical Anthropology and Philosophy of Culture from Leiden University in the Netherlands.
Martin’s books provide understandable and relatable philosophic adventures to the average reader. He does so through writing experimental literature that cozily rest just outside of traditional genres. His work is a never-ending attempt at further understanding and connecting the metaphysical (world of the mind) and the ontological (world of being) worlds.

The aim of his writing is to incite subjective self-reflection and to increase general and personal awareness of what it means to be human. In doing so he hopes to boost environmental and ecological appreciation and to foster the reemergence of a healthy relationship between humanity, its environments, the planet we call home and the greater cosmos beyond.

Reviews

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title suggests - Alethea is the Ancient Greek Goddess of Truth - this collection of short stories concerns itself with not so much finding the universal truth of existence, but revealing the many different faces of it for all readers to see. Each story stands alone, but by the end of the book, you realize they are all fulfilling the same purpose, much like we humans do in this world.

These stories took me on a magical journey, in some cases to imaginary places, in others to painfully real ones, and in others, to places in my own mind and heart, I did not know existed. Like with any good philosophical fiction, the journey inwards comes with the territory.

The way Daniel blends the dreamlike with dark and heavy seems brutal on occasion, but then again, I wouldn't expect anything less of good philosophical fiction. Topics like freedom, capitalism, human nature, addiction, crime are tackled with ease and realism, never failing to keep the reader hopeful in the future, however. Even when he confronts us with our Sisyphean fate, Daniel makes sure we are also reminded of all the things that might just make it all worth it.

[Lea Aluie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will challenge you to think and look within yourself, to have self-honesty and question your thoughts, intentions, and directions.

I enjoyed exploring the different dreams of Alethea, the Goddess of Truth, where a different story was told carrying messages about freedom, pain, love, value, truth, respect, and honesty. It also provides insights on what it is like to be human.

It's the type of book I would always go back to when feeling overwhelmed with life.

[Imara Obdam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic, dreamlike, this read was a beautiful journey..

The new book of Daniel B. Martin is a journey bound together through stories. The stories are readable on their own, though interwoven in one larger telling, a great exploration. It's in my nature to wander, to travel, to ask, to visualize, imagine, to be curious and to wonder. Daniel B. Martin pulled it off to stimulate this all, his stories bringing me to many corners and places of the book's world, perspectives and personalities. Poetic, philosophical and psychological, it becomes an exploration of the psyche, the journey inwards and then out again. Simultaneously, it began to become a journey into my own psyche. At times the book reads light and imaginative, magical almost, and other times it's a more dark and heavy read. Darks as in, confronting, raw, questioning, opening. Therefore, I felt I had to put the book down at times, to contemplate on what I just have read, to be once drawn back again to make the next step in the journey. This book deserves attention while reading, it's stories will stirr a process on it's own, journeying with the characters into themselves.

A broad spectrum of emotions was created in me. Curiosity, impatience, confusion, pain, empathy, aversion, enthusiasm, freedom and hope. All came to visit. Therefore, writing this review took me some time. Time helped me to create some distance between reading and writing, noticing that processes took further place within me after taking in the stories. Time was my friend as well while reading, in between the stories I felt the need to take time to let the stories sink in before moving onward. I was drawn closer at times, to then again feel the need to pull myself away at other times, to slow down and digest what I just have read. The first two stories drew me closer, curious, a feeling that I wanted to zoom in more. That reward came in the following stories, and with it, I grew more uncomfortable. More difficult feelings and thoughts came to the surface, confronting as the matters were, I wasn't able to keep my eyes shut. Curiosity made me pick the book up again, to indulge myself into more mirrors and evolving questions. Some of the stories I re-read, wanting to experience my reaction while reading a second time. Surprisingly the intensity of the thoughts and feelings had reduced, making me able to question the matters with more distance and therefore making me able to process more information and perspectives. I'm actually thinking about re-reading the whole book again, since I feel like even more information and layers are awaiting me, I think I might get surprised.

As I am working with people, I couldn't help reading it from my biased perspective of the travels inward that people might make in order to grow more strong, wise and live fuller lives. This book read like one of those journeys, but then through the eyes and stories of multiple characters. From a helicopter perspective - broad, wide, distanced, seen from afar - I viewed the landscape of the first two stories. The characters looked more like an idea to me. These stories, 'Domino' and 'Road to Nowhere' stirred my imagination most. From my mind's eye I saw a fantasy-like landscape forming and it created a feeling for me of being in a vacuum. It's that feeling that you know that between the narrative there is more, between the lines there is more information that is just out of reach to grasp.

After 'the road to nowhere', the stories got more personal and felt zoomed into the characters so much that the travels to these deep places of their existence inevitably fused with me questioning these deep wells inside of me. Getting to know these characters from very closeby, made me question my own life, made me think about what captured me. The story of 'drive' resonated for me with my own grief and losses, the confusion. The closeness to the characters made me grow connected to them, sometimes paired with unsettling feelings. Blank pages made me feel hollow and sad, having a large amount of empathy for the girl. 'Deal' stirred this hollow feeling as well, slightly angry, wanting to shake someone awake.
Inherent to a journey descending within, is travelling the way up. I much enjoyed the last story, 'the art of love', where two people undergo a futuristic type of therapy. This made me giggle and I enjoyed reading about their healing from their own traumas. What I took from the book, among more, is the importance of mentalization, to see from different angles and perspectives their overt behaviour, to integrate meaning, to reform narratives, to heal. Staying true to your own nature, choosing life and with connection towards yourself and the other, through love for each other and the collective.

In summary I can only say, what a joy if you can write like Daniel B. Martin can, each sentence flowed elegantly into the other, a pleasure to read and a pleasure for my mind. I think I can ramble onwards and write more about it, but I think with the very personal effect the book might have, it's best to see for yourself what the book brings about for you. Thank you Daniel B. Martin, for writing down Alethea's dreams.

[Lisa Daley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book took me through a journey in my mind that felt both familiar yet mystical at the same time. Diving into each dream and subject led me down a path of imagination and exploration of my own mind and thoughts. The parts that felt the most familiar were the concepts that can be applied to my own daily life and self reflection. Martin has a way of relating ancient philosophy with modern experiences, furthermore pushing you to analyze and critique your daily experiences, thoughts, and relations with yourself and the outer world. This is a book that I can see myself reading over and over again, especially in times where I find myself reflecting inward and needing a surge of creativity and self reflection. Highly recommend!!!

[Bridget Womelduff · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 I was given an electronic ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review of Alethea’s Dreams.

First let me start off by saying that philosophical fiction is not my go to genre. Reading is a form of escapism for me, and thus I often read Fantasy or Sci-Fi, as what better way to get lost in a world of fae, or a grand space opera. Despite this I agreed to read Alethea’s Dreams as I’ve been challenging myself to step outside of my comfort genres.

The way Martin writes about philosophical ideologies is like poetry.

“Within these subjective multiverses, each human pushes their own boulder up the mountains of their life journey’s interpretation of the near impossible feat of finding purpose and meaning in a world which intrinsically has no such meaning.”

Where was this when I struggled through every philosophy course I took during undergrad? Martin finds a way to both modernize and simplify a subject I often refer to as “those dead Greek guys”. The stories told made philosophical questions, and the examination of human nature approachable in a way I have not yet experienced. Perhaps that is due to my lack of knowledge surrounding the genre.

Of the eight stories in Althea’s dreams, Blank Pages, Las Hijas de Mañana and Doctor in Aleppo were my favorites.

Blank Pages was a heartbreaking story of Claudia, who despite her best efforts to heal her trauma through writing, instead succumbed to her addiction and constant need to “fill the holes” within herself with meaningless encounters. This is too often a common tale for those who have dealt with trauma, and for Claudia, she realized it too late. This acts as a cautionary tale for those who deny themselves the ability to heal through creative and constructive means.

In Las Hijas de Mañan, we experience a once young and kind boy, Pedro, surrender his innocence to survive the Cartel that has shown up in his small village of El Salvador. What started off as survival turns into power and greed, and eventually endless guilt.

Doctor in Aleppo connected with me, as it reminds me of someone I know personally who was born in Syria, became a doctor in Africa and ultimately left for the United States due to his experiences. In addition, the commentary about extremists jihadi, and American youth who join the military to “protect and defend” is spot on and something I often find myself pondering through my own research surrounding the conflicts and wars that the United States has often entangled themselves within (e.g., Korea, Vietnam, Iraq).

Although I enjoyed The Art of Love and I thought it made a good ending to the natural progression of the stories, I found myself more drawn to the last line in Doctor in Aleppo.

"After all I had been through, I was only certain of three things: of the power of love, of the need to push beyond all doubts and uncertainties, and lastly, that it is up to all of the humans left on this planet to love wildly; and in doing so, to courageously change the future."

Overall, I truly enjoyed reading Althea’s Dreams. While I may not go down a philosophical fiction rabbit hole, I will gladly continue to read Martin’s published work in the future.

[Anela Lani · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wish for humanity is for more people to see the world as author Daniel Martin does. That being said, Alethea’s Dreams is it’s own world: full of pain, love, curiosity, lessons and life. A collection of short stories that keep you thinking and on the edge of your chair, so to speak.

I was transported to different times and different places, each time pleasantly surprised that I was so hypnotized by the environment and the character narrating.

As someone who enjoys philosophy, it was a perfect mind journey. If you don’t like philosophy, as someone who enjoys good shows and movies, it was also a great insight to what an amazing short series might look like. I could honestly see films being played as I read and then I “watched” with great anticipation.

In my opinion, this book is downright genius.

[Wanling Xiong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would call this book, with the theme of the first story, a question-asking book, which is very powerful already.
What I appreciate the most about the book is that, with the relaxing yet deep reading experience, it manages to leave all the appropriate space for readers to complete all the stories in their own way, and to ask their own questions, regardless of what kind or what about. Although asking questions is the start of philosophy, or probably of anything that exists, we can only ask questions that are contextually imaginable. I also appreciate that the author recognizes this (but maybe mocks that to some extent) in his writing.
In a world full of despair, there is still hope as long as we are still asking questions. I'm grateful that the author manages to convey that message.

[Elizabeth Augustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alethea’s Dreams shepherded me into the deepest channels and chambers of my heart. From the beginning story, ‘Domino’ I found myself gazing into the timeless quest of love versus greed and the Sisyphaen task we humans often feel within our lifetimes.

There is something stark and beautiful whereupon we mortals within the cosmic fabric of existence can live with constant awareness & oblivion, fragility & whimsy, obnoxiousness & kindness, reflection & destruction. ‘Blank Pages’ traverses this very fabric of existence and creates emotional tides of darkness and hope. ‘Blank Pages’ reminded me that we are incredibly beautiful beings and it is impossible to see and understand all that we are, to truly understand a lifetime and to truly see our beauty.

‘Las Hijas de Manana’ haunted me as a consumer and as a person living a ‘first world’ life. I found myself amongst the shadows of capitalism and wondered what would happen if every casual and habitual cocaine user read this story and met its characters. Perhaps I have crossed paths with someone who has lived a life much like the story’s characters Pedro, Cynthia and Lupe. I cried after I read this story. I found myself alert and piercing through my own perceptual veil and seeing with great clarity the endless hands and lives that exist behind every commodity that is ready to be eaten, worn, snorted, swallowed, driven, flown and shot.

I was not expecting to have a mini existential crisis however, this sublime collection of stories have life blood pulsing and oozing through them. As I cried myself to sleep after reading ‘Las Hijas de Mañana’ & ‘Doctor in Aleppo’ I was a little hesitant about reading the last story, ‘The Art of Love’. Upon finishing the the last story my inner optimist was resurrected and well nourished. It was a perfect way to end a great feast of stories.

For those of us who remember Greek mythology, the Goddess Alethea stands for truth. “Alethea’s Dreams” spoke to my heart, the truest place I know, and I believe to the heart of every person who reaches out for her luminous hand herein.

[Tom Leverett · Rating 5 out of 5]

These short stories, a couple of them on the long side, show us the author's view of philosophical fiction. They are a curious mix of philosophical language and occasional grammar problems (misuse of "whom" is an example), but are overall well written. Each story is different and I was unable to connect them to Alethea, who by his account dreamed them. "Las Hijas de Mañana" was my favorite, and I agree that it is worth the time to see the world from the view of an El Salvador coffee farmer. I enjoyed them, whether they were real dreams or not.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was actually a compilation of several short stories. It is very different than any book I’ve ever read. Each short story had a valuable life lesson embedded in it. I can tell that the author of this book has some very strong political viewpoints which he expressed well. I agree with some of his viewpoints, and I disagree with some. The main take away that I got out of this book is that the world would be a much better place if we could all learn to love more. Thank you, Goodreads, for this giveaway.

[Roy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this book, I feel, forces me to concretise my way of grading what I read. The reasons thereto are, firstly, that this book is quite different from what I usually read, yet seems to aspire to the same thing; and, secondly, that I actually know the author personally. Even though that should not matter, it makes it much harder to not stumble into the pitfall of the literary fallacy of conflating author and narrator.

5 stars I give to both (nearly) undisputed classics, and works that I can see become those in the future. Herein, I generally limit myself to works of either the literary, philosophical or theoretical kind. Of course, this is very easy, as the classics are well known, and even if they aren’t, they make themselves known in the first few pages. These are the books with timeless and universal value, that grasp you from beginning to end — not in the sense that you can’t put it down, but in the sense that it takes you, the reader, by hand without you noticing it.

4 stars I give to canonical classics of which I could see why they are such, but simply could not tap into the ‘flow’ of. This is rather a defect on my side, but one’s reading experience is ever subjective.

From this point on, I leave the classics, and move towards those things that are simply ‘good’. Their value is no longer timeless, nor universal.

3 stars I give to those books in which everything just works, but tends to do no more than scratch the surface. It is an enjoyable book, or at least well structured (I do not need to enjoy a book to consider it good), but that’s all there is to it.

2 stars I have never before given, but I arrive at this point when the content is fine, but the form is lacking. Think of instances of typos, bad grammar, awkward construction of sentence, etc. I feel that an author with aspirations towards quality, taking him- or herself seriously enough to publish a book, should have eradicated these defects until a degree of at least 99%. No matter how important the content is, in literature, so is the style.

1 star I quite simply hope to never… ‘award’.

Bearing all of this in mind, I’d give this book 2,5 stars — but that’s not an option. It definitely is not a classic, so that already brings me to a maximum of 3 stars. Regretfully, although there are so many bits and pieces that have managed to touch me, the structure is lacking — overall, that is. I do not see how these ‘dreams’ fit into the framework of those of Alethea. To me, there is a strict connotation of the time of the Ancients in using her as a fundamental structure, so any story that cannot be set therein already seems off.

Add that the book is littered with the aforementioned instances of typos, bad grammar and awkward construction of sentences, and my rating is starting to take shape.

The reason that I have given 2,5 out of 5 stars, however, rather than only 2, is because of the incredible potential that this work shows for. Two of the ‘dreams’ sprung out, to me. The first was ‘Drive’, which evoked the nearly neutral earnestness of the Russian literary greats of the 19th century whom I so admire. The second was ‘The Art of Love’, which managed to touch me to my core, and came across as fully authentic. Especially the latter provides fertile ground for your literary capacity to grow from, Dan.

An honourable mention I want to make of the postscript; not because it fulfils its (assumed) function of summarising and reiterating the contents of the book so well, but because it seems to give an introduction of your own, individual outlook on life. I’m not saying this because I know you, because I am far from knowing you well enough to know this, but because most of it just felt true — true to you, that is.

My main advice, overall, would be to strive towards more unity, unity of style — because, after all, that is what style provides, if not what style consists in. I believe that unity of style to follow naturally from authenticity. Keep tapping into that like you’ve done in ‘Drive’, ‘The Art of Love’ and the Postscript, and I’ll be glad to keep reading your work!

Dear Dan, a solid part of this review might be highly critical, sometimes even seemingly harsh, but I sincerely hope that you read herein no bad faith on my side. I can attest to the fact that there is none, because I am proud of you for doing this, and as you have provided me with inspiration to continue moving along my own path.

All the best,

Roy

[Alex Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridged together as a sting of seemingly unrelated stories, Daniel B. Martin's book Alethea's Dreams poetically challenges you to think outside the box created by today's social norms. In a brilliant demonstration of philosophical fiction, Martin allows you to escape the modernized idea's of how to behave and function, and allows you to further escape the normalized order and predictability set by today's society. This is a must read for all those willing to open their mind to different perspectives and personalities.

[Lyndi Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this collection of short stories. This thought-provoking collection takes a look a philosophical look at various aspects of life; considerations of a consumer sale, the terror of coming under the influence of a drug cartel, and the healing of childhood trauma to learn to love among others. You will want to set aside some time to read and consider what is written from the various characters' perspectives. I assure you, you will be glad you did.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a book filled with different life lessons from each of the stories.
Reminds us to be courageous to face our fears rather than run from them. It's a lot more another lesson but gonna depend on how one perceives each of the stories. It's provoking and challenging for those whose hungry for deep thought about life and 'truth'. Definitely a worthy read.
Love the final touch from the Author. Wonderful!

[Hannah Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It took me on a thought rollercoaster. I would recommend this to anyone who is ready to look at themselves and humanity and do a little brain exercise.

[Ганна Rul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading "Alethea's Dreams" by Daniel B. Martin was a memorable experience. This collection of short stories explores various aspects of the human soul and different life experiences.

I chose this book because I wanted something meaningful yet not too lengthy. Knowing the author personally made me a bit hesitant, but I'm glad I decided to read it.

The stories often felt like they had the potential to be expanded into full novels, which speaks to Martin's talent. "The Art of Love" was particularly engaging and emotionally powerful, though it ended too quickly for my liking.

Overall, Martin's writing is thoughtful and impactful. I recommend "Alethea's Dreams" to anyone who enjoys short stories that leave a lasting impression.