Three Dreams Deep

by D.F. Lamont

Who’s Dreaming Who?

In the middle of a dream, 13-year-old Willis Newman runs into Sala – a girl his age who says they used to be best friends. She needs his help to find her brother Miles, who has been lost for years on another level of reality – three dreams deep – and bring him back to the land of the living.

Can Sala be trusted? Can Miles be saved?

Or are they all just a figment of Willis’ imagination?

A fun adventure for kids aged 8-13, from the author of THE JINX.

165 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Dougald Lamont is a writer, musician, director, designer and owner of Manitoba-based Ad Agency Jetpack Media.
He has been writing professionally for over 20 years, as a copywriter, editor, journalist, speechwriter and humorist.
He has written two sci-fi fantasy books for young readers: "The Jinx" and "Three Dreams Deep".
He has four children with his wife. They live together in Winnipeg where they are housesitting an eccentric Siamese Cat named Myrtle.
Lamont was recently named an "Expert in Many Worlds Theory" in John Hodgman's book, "That is All."

Reviews

[Valette M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three Dreams Deep was a shorter book than I've read for a while, but it still managed to leave me with the satisfaction of a well-crafted read.
Willis (main character) embodied the innocence of youth while still carrying the responsibility of the dangerous circumstances squarely on his shoulders. He leaned on Sala to show him the ropes of her world, and I liked that in the end she was able to lean on him. And I loved how he didn't even consider forsaking his friends when the odds were stacked against him and he could easily have walked away. I did feel that Maya (antagonist) seemed to come out of nowhere, with no clear motives or emotions. But she served her purpose, and I definitely didn't want her to win.
Characters: 4.3 Stars
Twining in and out of realities, or dreams, this plot was one of the more unusual ones I've seen. I couldn't put it down! Instead of simply dying, or the entire world being destroyed, the cost of failing in this world was to lose all individuality. To join a singular mass with no identity. A fate far worse than death. The important questions were answered, but, like all good books, the ending left my mind buzzing with even more.
Plot: 4.6
D. F. Lamont paints a landscape so vivid and strange that the dreamlike atmosphere is easily recognizable. With no familiar points to draw on, the geography that bled into the plot was clear, and flowed effortlessly.
Style: 5 Stars


Rating: 4.6 Stars

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can a children’s story start with a schoolboy learning about Galileo and the motion of the world? Well, school lessons can, and when Willis wakes up at his desk, that’s the lesson he’s missing. It’s a good lesson, good teacher, but Willis isn’t quite sure why he needs to learn it.

Author D.F. Lamont has the knack of setting a perfect, thought-provoking scene, and of choosing just the right details to make his characters come to life. Friend Vernon doesn’t carry armloads of books. Instead he leaves the library with “a duffel bag filled with sharp corners.” And haunting shadows over curious rivers and landscapes turn a nightmare book report into something more. Beautifully imagined, built on a thoroughly enjoyable mix of science, philosophy and whimsy, this story goes the whole three dreams deep and takes the reader with it.

A more innocent version of Inception with young teen protagonists, the scent of crisp fresh apples, perfect dialog, serious danger, and just the right level of confusion and mystery, Three Dreams Deep is highly recommended for middle-grade and up. But don’t step on the black.



Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy of this novel by the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Andy Mascola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three Dreams Deep is an adventure story that anyone who has ever had a dream can appreciate and relate to. The story's protagonist, Willis Newman, is a young man whose life gets complicated when his real life and his dream life start to overlap.

In a dream, Willis meets a mysterious girl named Sala who explains the powers and possibilities of dreaming within dreams. The two soon embark on an adventure to rescue a young man named Miles who may, or may not be the long lost flesh and blood son of a reclusive neighbor of the Newman's.

Lamont cleverly leaves room for his readers to project themselves onto the story's main character while simultaneously providing a rich, detailed backdrop in which they exist. To call DF Lamont's Three Dreams Deep a book exclusively for young adults would be misleading and untrue. I'd recommend this novel to anyone who loves a fantastic adventure story with a healthy dose of mystery.

[Autumn West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won Three Dreams Deep in a goodreads giveaway so thanks to them:) I don't read many short books but this one sounded interesting. Willis Newman had a dream that seemed real.. he mets a girl that he thinks he remembers named Sala. She told him that they used to be best friends. As the dreams comes to an end Sala proves to Willis that she is not just part of his dreams, that she's real. After he wakes up he, tells his parents about the dream. His mother says to him that when he was three and four he had an imaginary friend named Sala. I don't want to give to much away but this is a great short read.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very imaginative and reminded me of some of my own vivid dreams (although I've never had a dream quite like this). The author does a wonderful job with the imagery and descriptions of things. I'm not sure who the targeted audience of this book is... it is about a 13 year old character, and the words are simple enough for that age group, but I found it to be an enjoyable fun read too, so I guess I'd recommend this to pre-teens and up (with the understanding that for adults this is a fun read, not a literary masterpiece).

*disclaimer* I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway, but my review is 100% honest.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book opens with Willis, a 13 year old boy, working on a project about gravity. While reading a book about gravity he falls asleep and wakes up on the ceiling. The entire world is upside down and just when he fears he can't get down in walks Sala, a girl who says she used to be his best friend.

Sala asks Willis to help her find her brother Miles who has been lost for years. She tells Willis they are currently two dreams deep but Miles went three dreams deep and got lost. Soon Willis doesn't know what is real and what is a dream. Can he help Sala save Miles or will he be lost three dreams deep as well?

This book was very confusing from the beginning. I wasn't sure when Willis was dreaming, when he was awake, and when he was in a dream within a dream. The story was hard to follow and I wasn't sure what the kids were trying to do.



I do think that the author developed the characters well for such a short book. But while the dreams in the book are very vivid and are written with great detail, the story lines don't follow each other. I think this book would be very confusing for the young adults it is meant for.

I give this book 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Three Dreams Deep” is a thought provoking and mysterious story that pre-teens and adults who are young at heart will enjoy.
The beautiful imagery and characterization in this story drew me in and kept me hooked from the first page. I loved Willis and Sala they were both very intriguing characters and were fun to read about.
The mystery and paranormal elements in this story are sure to keep you hooked and anxious for each turn of the page.
I highly recommend this story to pre-teens and anyone who likes a fun and thought provoking mystery.

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an interesting premise that just fell short. While the book does exhibit some imagination, the writing just isn't stellar and failed to impress.