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Winter's Dreams
Glen Cook is, of course, best known for his enormously popular series fiction, which includes the Garrett P.I. and Dread Empire sequences, as well as the internationally acclaimed Chronicles of the Black Company. Readers familiar only with this aspect of Cook's career will find a great many pleasures--and an equal number of surprises--in his vibrant new collection, Winter's Dreams.
The fourteen standalone stories in Winter's Dreams range in length from vignettes ('Appointment in Samarkand') to novellas ('In the Wind'). Together, they encompass an astonishing variety of themes, tones, styles, and settings. Not one of these stories bears the slightest resemblance to the others. Each one manages to enchant, illuminate, and entertain in its own distinctive fashion.
In the near future America of 'Song from a Forgotten Hill,' the nations' tragic racial history replays itself in an all too familiar form.
'The Seventh Fool' recounts the comic misadventures of a charming con man who outsmarts both his gullible target--and himself.
'The Waiting Sea' encapsulates the entire life history of a navy veteran haunted by the sea -- and by the faceless voices only he can hear.
In 'Ponce,' a poverty stricken St. Louis family encounters a mysterious blue-eyed dog--a dog that serves as a conduit to the undisclosed secrets of the universe.
'The Recruiter' presents a powerfully disturbing portrait of an ultra-violent future and asks the How far will a man go in order to survive?
Equally suitable both for newcomers and for long-time Glen Cook fans, Winter's Dreams is something special, a consistently enthralling volume that claims new imaginative territory at every turn.
The fourteen standalone stories in Winter's Dreams range in length from vignettes ('Appointment in Samarkand') to novellas ('In the Wind'). Together, they encompass an astonishing variety of themes, tones, styles, and settings. Not one of these stories bears the slightest resemblance to the others. Each one manages to enchant, illuminate, and entertain in its own distinctive fashion.
In the near future America of 'Song from a Forgotten Hill,' the nations' tragic racial history replays itself in an all too familiar form.
'The Seventh Fool' recounts the comic misadventures of a charming con man who outsmarts both his gullible target--and himself.
'The Waiting Sea' encapsulates the entire life history of a navy veteran haunted by the sea -- and by the faceless voices only he can hear.
In 'Ponce,' a poverty stricken St. Louis family encounters a mysterious blue-eyed dog--a dog that serves as a conduit to the undisclosed secrets of the universe.
'The Recruiter' presents a powerfully disturbing portrait of an ultra-violent future and asks the How far will a man go in order to survive?
Equally suitable both for newcomers and for long-time Glen Cook fans, Winter's Dreams is something special, a consistently enthralling volume that claims new imaginative territory at every turn.
287 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2012
3 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Glen Cook
158 books3,704 followersGlen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 29, 2012
Winter's Dreams is a short story collection by Glen Cook. These stories are rich and varied. Although several are written in the same universe, they have a different direction; some hopeful, others tragic. In all there is a sense of existentialist philosophy, as Cook's characters struggle with the absurd and a need to find meaning in their own lives. Cook makes his mark as one of the best speculative short story authors out there.
At first, I found the collection jarring. These stories bounce from the purely speculative to science fiction to high fantasy magic. One of the stories, "In The Wind", was written in a pseudo-technical manner that made me put the book down several times. However, the more I read, the more I realized how brilliantly put together these stories are. They paint the universe, and it takes reading to the end to appreciate the whole picture. Also, the endings to each were satisfying in a manner rarely seen in short speculative fiction. I was more and more beholden to the magic of Cook's writing as Winter's Dreams went on.
The most impressive feat Cook pulls off in this collection is the variation in character between each story. All of the narrators feel like they have a unique voice, while still managing to be part of a whole. How is it possible for an author to do that? These main characters have a whole story and you're only reading a small piece of it. The depth is astounding.
It was difficult for me to decide which stories were my favorites, but I'll provide a few notes on those I did pick:
- Ponce: A family befriends a dog who is somehow a conduit to true understanding. It's possible Cook is commenting on the power of our closeness to the animals we live with. There is certainly an emotional tug to the story. There is also a powerful message of hope in the face of adversity.
- The Seventh Fool: A con man cons himself. This is a simple idea for a story but it's done with a relishing sense of the ludicrous and a laugh out loud ending.
- The Recruiter: Possibly the darkest of these tales, a man vies for his freedom by taking that of others. This one was disturbing, more so because as a reader you can really put yourself in the position of the main character.
Glen Cook's short story collection will startle you. It will make you ponder. It might make you cry or laugh. One thing is certain: this collection will touch you in some way. Definitely recommended.
I received this book as an ARC from SF Revu.
At first, I found the collection jarring. These stories bounce from the purely speculative to science fiction to high fantasy magic. One of the stories, "In The Wind", was written in a pseudo-technical manner that made me put the book down several times. However, the more I read, the more I realized how brilliantly put together these stories are. They paint the universe, and it takes reading to the end to appreciate the whole picture. Also, the endings to each were satisfying in a manner rarely seen in short speculative fiction. I was more and more beholden to the magic of Cook's writing as Winter's Dreams went on.
The most impressive feat Cook pulls off in this collection is the variation in character between each story. All of the narrators feel like they have a unique voice, while still managing to be part of a whole. How is it possible for an author to do that? These main characters have a whole story and you're only reading a small piece of it. The depth is astounding.
It was difficult for me to decide which stories were my favorites, but I'll provide a few notes on those I did pick:
- Ponce: A family befriends a dog who is somehow a conduit to true understanding. It's possible Cook is commenting on the power of our closeness to the animals we live with. There is certainly an emotional tug to the story. There is also a powerful message of hope in the face of adversity.
- The Seventh Fool: A con man cons himself. This is a simple idea for a story but it's done with a relishing sense of the ludicrous and a laugh out loud ending.
- The Recruiter: Possibly the darkest of these tales, a man vies for his freedom by taking that of others. This one was disturbing, more so because as a reader you can really put yourself in the position of the main character.
Glen Cook's short story collection will startle you. It will make you ponder. It might make you cry or laugh. One thing is certain: this collection will touch you in some way. Definitely recommended.
I received this book as an ARC from SF Revu.
November 4, 2012
A collection of short fiction from Glen Cook, "Winter's Dreams" contains a number of works not previously collected. Since all his Dread Empire stories are included in "An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat", this collection ends up oddly weighted towards science fiction or Vancian science fantasy. Several take the reader back to the universe of the Starfishers. Several visit new worlds of Cook's imagination. A mix of memorable and forgettable tales, but all in Cook's inimitable style. A must have for the Cook fan.
August 29, 2012
This is a highly variable collection of short science fiction and fantasy stories by Glen Cook. Some of them were quite good (I especially liked Darkwar and Song From a Forgotten Hill. The military/army ones were the best usually; Cook's standard fantasies are just too standard and kind of boring, though The Devil's Tooth was pretty good.
July 12, 2012
An enjoyable set of stories even though none of the stories were in the worlds that I enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews