Book #348 of 2021:
Strange Dreams edited by Stephen R. Donaldson
Rating each story in this 1993 collection individually, they average out to just three-out-of-five stars overall for me. It’s an uneven bunch, yet there are still some winners among the lot. (No fives, but 10 fours, along with 11 threes, 5 twos, and 2 ones.) I also like the idea behind the project: rather than a call for submissions to meet a particular prompt or theme, editor Stephen R. Donaldson has gathered together an assortment of tales he’d already read that have stuck with him over the years. It’s nearly all science-fiction and fantasy, as with his own work, with contributors ranging from Franz Kafka and Rudyard Kipling to more contemporary authors like Patricia A. McKillip and Nancy Kress. Excepting “Air Raid” by John Varley, every piece has been new to me, so I appreciate the exposure especially to those older titles.
Although I haven’t loved all the entries — and have actually hated a couple — in general, I would say the book is worth checking out for fans like me interested in seeing what kind of fiction has sparked a lasting impression on the genre stalwart. I can detect no clear lines of influence between anything here and Donaldson’s own Thomas Covenant or other writing, but I do feel there’s insight to be gained in exploring the material a favorite writer finds favorable to read in turn.
[Content warning for rape, gore, amputation, torture, incest, pedophilia, gun violence, racism, and domestic abuse.]
★★★☆☆
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