Review: Where Dreams Are Lost by Stuart Tudor
Blurb:
Within the carcass of Detroit’s prosperity, something dark has arisen.
James, Harvey, and Alice have all lost their jobs- victims of the 2008 financial crisis. Listless and scared for the future, they explore an abandoned shopping mall along with their friend Latisha, in the hopes of going viral on YouTube. Their adventure takes a turn when a mysterious fog takes them to another world, where pain, fear, and loss manifest, and their dreams blur with reality.
How can one escape a place that doesn’t want them to leave? James and his friends might just be rats in a maze.
Where Dreams Are Lost is the second entry in the Eight Nightmares Collection, a collection of horror stories about the dreamlike, the surreal, and encounters with the fantastical. Where Dreams Are Lost is rated R for gore, homophobia, suicide, death, homelessness, poverty and implied drug use. Reader discretion is advised.
Review:
I happened to come across the Eight Nightmares Collection by Stuart Tudor when the author very kindly offered to host a buddy read of the first three volumes on the SFF Insiders Discord for the “spooky season”. He also made sure that all three of them were $0.99 for the whole of October as well! How could I possibly say no to that?! Described as “a collection of horror stories about the dreamlike, the surreal, and encounters with the fantastical”, I was immediately intrigued, and particularly so with the ‘second nightmare’ – Where Dreams Are Lost. I’m really thankful for the author’s generosity, and glad that I was able to join in!
What’s it about?
James has lost his job courtesy of the infamous economic and financial crisis of 2008. And similar to many people across the globe, his close friends Harvey and Alice are in the same boat. Out of boredom and with nothing else to do (lest the intrusive and depressing thoughts take over), the trio, along with their “still-has-a-job” friend Latisha, decide to seek an adventure in snowy Detroit. What’s wrong with a little bit of thrill and fun in times like these, right? Well, except that the place that they’ve planned to give a visit is the Grand House mall…
Vast and labyrinthine, the mall has been left abandoned and is nothing but an old and decrepit building. The quartet not only want to explore what’s inside of the premises, hoping it’s not just squatters and something much more interesting, but also plan on making a video out of it for YouTube.
But the mall is not at all what it seems from the outside. And what the group doesn’t know are the dangers and pure horrors that await them inside… a mysterious, transporting fog… monsters and creatures from their deepest fears lurking around every corner… fear following their every step, ready to pounce… and that’s not even the worst part. One thing is for certain – this is not a dream, for everything feels so very real. This is not even a nightmare… for it is something much worse…
The good
The writing was really good. The author made sure that the “nightmare” is well and truly experienced not only by the characters, but also by the reader.
The characters were relatable, and their actions/decisions were understandable in the given circumstances.
The plot was pretty good too. A huge, abandoned mall that’s hiding horrific secrets in the form of your deepest fears and nightmares… What's not to like about that? And it was very well executed altogether.
The setting of the mall, and the whole eerie/creepy vibes and ambience to it was also very well depicted.
I also really loved the numerous monsters/creatures that were on display. The author has cited Silent Hill as an inspiration for the same!
The “not so” good
Nothing really to say here other than the fact that I would’ve liked to explore the mall a bit more!
Final thoughts
Where Dreams Are Lost: The Second Nightmare was a short, quick read that was engaging from the word go. The second volume of the Eight Nightmares Collection explores various emotions and themes, with fear taking center stage among others. The plot was great, the characters were relatable, the setting was very well depicted, and the overall writing was really good. The monsters showcased (inspired from Silent Hill) were certainly a strong highlight. I really enjoyed my time with it, and to say that I wanted at least a bit more would be an understatement. I would certainly recommend that you check out the collection!
