Hero of Dreams

New Adventures in H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands #1

by Brian Lumley

Something vital is missing from David Hero's comfortable, ordinary existence. One day is much like the next, simple, predictable...boring.But the nights! Each night David Hero finds himself transported to a marvelous world where brave men and women battle terrible creatures possessed of cruel, dark powers.Despite his fears, the Dreamworlds tempt David, drawing him farther and farther from the waking world. Here he finds noble warriors; beautiful, loving women; and challenges almost greater than he can imagine.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Cthulhu Mythos, Sword and Sorcery, Science Fiction, Audiobook

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 14, 1989

About the author

Brian Lumley was born near Newcastle. In 22 years as a Military Policeman he served in many of the Cold War hotspots, including Berlin, as well as Cyprus in partition days. He reached the rank of Sergeant-Major before retiring to Devon to write full-time, and his work was first published in 1970. The vampire series, 'Necroscope', has been translated into ten languages and sold over a million copies worldwide.

He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.

Reviews

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lost 20-something I came across Brian Lumley's books and they became a special part of my life. It was his horror novels first, but then Hero of Dreams showed up in the used bookshop I was getting them from, and this led me into Lumley's Cthulhu Mythos tales. I have since collected the limited editions from Paul Ganley, publisher (now defunct). Here's a trio of these lovingly-crafted tomes:



I was suprised to read in the publisher's note that he was the first to publish Lumley's Dreams series. It was later reissued by others in mass market paperbacks. Paul Ganley was just one guy with the means to publish and distribute the material he enjoyed.

I loved this as an mostly uncritical young adult, and I am pleased to discover that it has lost none of its charm and survived my now slightly more discerning judgment. Lumley has some stinkers, some times when his prose veered very much to the purple, but this is not one of those times. The adventures of David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer, joined too by the stalwart Aminza Anz, are dreamy.

This book and series in an excellent blend of the world created in Lovecraft's The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and the sword and sorcery sensibilities of Fritz Lieber's Lankhmar stories. The heroes are not as brash as Conan, the women are not simply nubile. The journey is filled with authentic pulp action, fantastic settings, thoughtful actions, positive heroism, and a framing story that provides a touch of melancholy. The banter between Hero and Eldin is delightful, and their individual characterization is strong. The pacing is perfect and the tone remains light. This is the least horror-filled of Lumley's books to date, despite that it's filled with Cthulhu Mythos beings, insane wizards, murderous traps, and one monstrous eidolon.

Lumley has written in Lovecraft's Dreamlands before this, notably in his story Dylath-Leen, included in The Caller of the Black and later reworked as a compenent of the Titus Crow / Henri-Laurent de Marigny novel The Clock of Dreams, but this adventure, taking place some years after Clock of Dreams, is his best and most original yet. It feels much less like he's leaning on Lovecraft's work; here Lumley has fully come into his own.

And this is just the first outing; the story continues in Ship of Dreams and Mad Moon of Dreams, followed by a partial involvement in Elysia: The Coming of Cthulhu, and further adventures in Iced On Aran and two short stories included in Harry Keogh: Necroscope and Other Weird Heroes!

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sword and Mythos fiction- too Entertaining to be Horrific

Brian Lumley’s Hero of Dreams is an overt mashup of Lovecraft’s Dreamcycle and Leiber’s Fafred and Gray Mouser series. The premise is great and reinforces Lumley’s Khash series written in a similar vein (i.e. fun Sword & Sorcery adventure in a Weird-Fiction, Cthulhu-esque world). The stories are too fun for a reader to feel horror or tension, but the milieu is enjoying to explore. Like Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories The Swords of Lankhmar, the Scooby-Doo vibe emanates from the story: there are horrors show, but the story is too fun to be scared.

One could argue that horrific landscapes need to be fun or they can’t be enjoyed at length (i.e. H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath comes to mind, a rare novel length adventure that is really difficult to read…even by die-hard weird fiction readers desperate to learn more of Pickman!). Hero of Dreams is reminiscent of Michael Shea’s Nifft the Lean stories; Hero of Dreams somehow makes reading about the First Ones and Eldritch Gods really easy.

Your tour guides are the waking-world dreamers David Hero and Eldin (and their woman side kick, and Dreamland native Aminza). Ostensibly, by waking day, David Hero is “really” an artist and Eldin (Leonard Dingle) a professor; these characteristics are shed in Dreamland. They have superior strength and dexterity versus the native dream things, but are not as powerful as the god-like First Ones or skilled in magic like the sorcerers they stumble upon. There are plenty of call-outs to Cthulhu and Lumley’s own Titus Crow (Lumley’s weird fiction character, i.e., from The Transition of Titus Crow). They come into direct contact with the elders and anthropoid termites as they quest for the three magic wands (with ties to Cthulhu no less).

My edition is a 1986 one from W. Paul Ganley. He printed was a conduit for Lumley into the US Market, printing mush of his work first before large publishers reprinted his works. He also had them illustrated. Jean Corbin illustrated this one and the dozen illustration do add to the adventure, with compelling renditions of night-gaunts and Ter-men.

Lumley’s Dreamland Series:
1-Hero of Dreams
2-Ship of Dreams
3-Mad Moon of Dreams
4-Iced on Aran



Lumley's Khash series, Tales of the Primal Land:
The Compleat Khash: Volume One: Never a Backward Glance
The Compleat Khash: Volume Two: Sorcery In Shad
(reprinted later in a series starting with Tarra Khash: Hrossak!: Tales of the Primal Land)

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid fantasy story that takes inspiration from Lovecraft and has a Terry Brooks/Robert E Howard feel to it.
2.75/5.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Digging through my book shelves looking for something is never a good idea - or if it is then at least I should be prepared to accept the consequences - which in this case was finding the Dreamland books by Brian Lumley and then having the urge to read them, again.

Yes the curse I have is that I have to doubt stack my book cases - means I have double the space but I am always having to dig behind the first layer to find the book behind. Which more often than not means I have to move the books out the way and you know how it is - ooh that looks interesting I will just read the cover of it and bam they are open on my desk being read.

Anyway these books date back to the 90s while I was just starting at uni and I will discovering all the wonderful new genres and sub-genres out there and the in the process the works of Brian Lumley - now of recent years he seems to be focusing on releasing new anthologies to exclusive publishers which are beautiful books but I do wish he would release something substantial.

This book and in fact the series are based in the mythical world of H P Lovecrafts Dreamlands - yes there are many and I mean MANY references here to both Lumleys other books (so far the adventures of Titus Crow) and obvious Lovecrafts as well but Brian Lumley has added his own twist to the dreamlands

Now I am not going to go in to detail as its a subtle part of the plot but I can imagine some will love what he has done others maybe not so. However for me it gives a greater depth to the whole Cthulhu mythos and a slightly different perspective.

There is also the fact its a thoroughly fun yarn which is very reminiscent of some of the classic wandering hero fantasies. The question now is do I read more of the series or do I go back to my original book.

[Γιώργος Μπελαούρης · Rating 5 out of 5]

Όταν συναντάς ένα βιβλίο και εύχεσαι να το είχες γράψει μα παράλληλα χαίρεσαι που δεν το έγραψες γιατί μπορείς να το διαβάσεις… τότε η ανάγνωση είναι σχεδόν έκσταση! Με θεματικές που λατρεύω και εξερευνώ κι εγώ στα κείμενά μου, ο ήρωας έφερε στο νου κείμενα όπως αλμούρικ (και πολλά άλλα του χάουαρντ), όπου η ασφυκτική σύγχρονη κοινωνία για κάποιο αιθεροβάμονα δεν τον καλύπτει και βρίσκει διέξοδο σε έναν κόσμο πιο περιπετειώδη που του ταιριάζει περισσότερο! Η σχέση των δύο πρωταγωνιστών και εντός και εκτός του ονειρόκοσμου μ ου άρεσε πολύ, από τα πιο διασκεδαστικά βιβλία του λάμλεϊ και ένας φόρος τιμής στο καθαρόαιμο φάντασι. Οι αναφορές στην λογοτεχνία κθούλου και το πώς έχει χτιστεί ο ονειρόκοσμος μου άρεσε πάρα πολύ επίσης, καθώς και η αναφορά στον τίτους ήταν κάτι που εκτίμησα δεόντως. Το γεγονός ότι όσα συνέβαιναν στον πραγματικό κόσμο αποτυπώθηκαν σαν να περιέγραφε όνειρο ο συγγραφέας και όσα γίνονταν στον ονειρόκοσμο σαν πραγματικά… δείχνει μία μαεστρία που αγάπησα. Αν ψάχνετε τρόμο, δεν θα τον βρείτε εδώ, αν όμως σας άρεσαν τα επικά κείμενα του χάουαρντ στην μυθολογία του λάβκραφτ τότε θα ξετρελαθείτε! (σκηνή που με συγκίνησε: ο θάνατος του Δέντρου –αν είναι δυνατόν!- και σκηνή που γέλασα δυνατά ήταν το λογοπαίγνιο: ‘’δεν φοβάσαι τους φρουρούςαπό το μέγεθός τους;’’ ‘’έχω έναν φίλο με μεγάλα αυτιά που είναι κουφός’’)

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly strange book. Previously unpublished before this volume was put out close to 30 years ago, this is the story of two people who are heroes in a dreamworld they share even though they're perfectly mundane in the real world. The heroics they go through int he dream world have a lot of Lovecraftian angles to them, and go full-blown by the end.

I enjoyed this well enough, but I suppose it's just strange in that the story itself just happens. There doesn't feel like there's a lot of agency to any characters, and perhaps that's intended with the dreamlike state in place for a setting, but so much of the plot is "this happens, and then this happens" that it becomes less about engagement with the characters and more about the overall setting.

I will absolutely keep running with this series, but it's just one of the weirder things I've read recently, and I don't think anyone but hardcore Lovecraft-philes like myself might get much out of it.

[Henry Lopez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having read Lumley's work previously, I was expecting a rousing, well written Sword & Sorcery novel set in Lovecraft's Dreamlands. What I got instead was a badly written juvenile fantasy with 1970's sensibilities that read like fan-fic of the worse kind.

There's no sense of world here, except in the most basic 2-dimensional ways. The plot is so paper thin that the "heroes" often are not part of the solution, but rather are spectators to the event as some other entity or force solves or removes the obstacle for them.

This was just bad. Really. I can only imagine that this was among some of the first stories he'd written.

I cannot recommend this book at all.

And to think, I purchased the rest of the series years ago on having enjoyed some of Lumley's other works.

Caveat Emptor indeed.

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sword and Mythos fiction- too Entertaining to be Horrific

Brian Lumley’s Hero of Dreams is an overt mashup of Lovecraft’s Dreamcycle and Leiber’s Fafred and Gray Mouser series. The premise is great and reinforces Lumley’s Khash series written in a similar vein (i.e. fun Sword & Sorcery adventure in a Weird-Fiction, Cthulhu-esque world). The stories are too fun for a reader to feel horror or tension, but the milieu is enjoying to explore. Like Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories The Swords of Lankhmar, the Scooby-Doo vibe emanates from the story: there are horrors show, but the story is too fun to be scared.

One could argue that horrific landscapes need to be fun or they can’t be enjoyed at length (i.e. H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath comes to mind, a rare novel length adventure that is really difficult to read…even by die-hard weird fiction readers desperate to learn more of Pickman!). Hero of Dreams is reminiscent of Michael Shea’s Nifft the Lean stories; Hero of Dreams somehow makes reading about the First Ones and Eldritch Gods really easy.

Your tour guides are the waking-world dreamers David Hero and Eldin (and their woman side kick, and Dreamland native Aminza). Ostensibly, by waking day, David Hero is “really” an artist and Eldin (Leonard Dingle) a professor; these characteristics are shed in Dreamland. They have superior strength and dexterity versus the native dream things, but are not as powerful as the god-like First Ones or skilled in magic like the sorcerers they stumble upon. There are plenty of call-outs to Cthulhu and Lumley’s own Titus Crow (Lumley’s weird fiction character, i.e., from The Transition of Titus Crow). They come into direct contact with the elders and anthropoid termites as they quest for the three magic wands (with ties to Cthulhu no less).

My edition is a 1986 one from W. Paul Ganley. He printed was a conduit for Lumley into the US Market, printing mush of his work first before large publishers reprinted his works. He also had them illustrated. Jean Corbin illustrated this one and the dozen illustration do add to the adventure, with compelling renditions of night-gaunts and Ter-men.

Lumley’s Dreamland Series:
1-Hero of Dreams
2-Ship of Dreams
3-Mad Moon of Dreams
4-Iced on Aran



Lumley's Khash series, Tales of the Primal Land:
The Compleat Khash: Volume One: Never a Backward Glance
The Compleat Khash: Volume Two: Sorcery In Shad
(reprinted later in a series starting with Tarra Khash: Hrossak!: Tales of the Primal Land)

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve literally had this particular novel and the associated three books sitting on a bookshelf for years. Why? I couldn’t quite get past the first chapter, but now having read and finishing Hero of Dreams, I can say that it’s, “Okay.”

The story is set in Lovecraft’s Dreamlands, but if the reader is familiar with The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Brumley doesn’t use the Dreamlands backdrop to great effect. As a  pastiche the story doesn’t quite pass muster because he goes so far as to re-create the Dreamlands introducing a science fiction element.

David Hero, the connection to the title, and his Dreamland friend, Eldin, have met in the waking-world, and in the dreamland, they are on a quest, running into a few coincidental problems. Dreamland locations are dropped to remind the reader that this is supposed to be Lovecraft’s Dreamlands.

The first chapter starts off reasonable well. Lumbley has tried for a Lovecraftian feel, but after Part One, the novel being constructed in parts broken into chapters, but after the first part, the novel moves from the dark and mysterious into more of a high-adventure by the time the final chapter is read. So, if you’re looking for that Unknown Kadath-feeling, it’s not here.

The writing is okay, the story is okay, with a few unexpected turns, but the truth is the story could easy exist on its own. A critical issue is I didn’t find the major characters particulary interesting or even likable. Still, three novels remain, and I will forge ahead, possibly there will be a turn around and make the rest of the reading fulfilling.

[Dennis Liggio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically this is 70s/80s era Sword and Sorcery (Moorcock/Leiber) set in HP Lovecraft's dreamlands.

While there are Lovecraftian horrors in a few places and some back & forth into the real world, the majority of it occurs in the Dreamlands so it plays out like a Conan/Elric/Grey Mouser tale with familiar and more difficult to pronounce place names. If you're looking for Lovecraft or Mythos writing style, forget it. This is mostly Sword & Sorcery writing style, occasionally delving into some of Lovecraft's writing that's more Lord Dunsany, not much.

But, if you enjoy that era of Sword & Sorcery books and like the Lovecraft references, it's worth reading and is short.

[Dvdlynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lumely has witten some passable Lovecraft/Howard(and to some degree C.A. Smith as well..) mashup Sword and Sorcery tales before. This...just doesn't measure up. Explaining why would entail spoilers galore. Therefore, Unless you just can't get enough of the 'Bored-Modern-Hero-leads-a-life-of-quiet-desperarion-until-Shazam!-they-are-shanghaied- off-to-adventure-in-a-land-eligble-pricess-and-horrible-monsters' you would be better off moving on to the next book at the foot of Mt. Read Pile.

In fairness, this is only the 1st of a series 4, so maybe the storytelling will improve in later volumnes.

[Mike Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Combining the best elements of Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, Fritz Leiber and Robert E. Howard, this book is a sword and sorcery adventure in the tradition of some of the finest works in the genre. Readers looking for a solid adventure with elements of humour, horror and heroism will not be disappointed.

And may I say that only writers on the scale of Lumley or Neal Stephenson could get away with naming their hero "Hero" and make it work.

[Bradley Sommerfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

The whole Dreamland Series by Brian Lumley is super creative, intelligent, and fun. I would recommend it for anyone age 8 and up, and I think these are some of the most wonderful stories along the lines of fantasy and fairy-tale I've ever read.

[Beedo180 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A swashbuckling adventure set in Lovecraft's dreamlands. Some of the subtlety will be lost without having read "Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath" so read that first.

[Little Timmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lumley should stick to vampire/horror books. This is his attempt at a fantasy/SiFi "man transported to another world" story. While not bad it's doesn't stand out in any way. Not recommended

[JM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set mostly in the Dreamlands, this one deals with the adventures of David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer, who are respectively an artist and a professor in the waking world, but are pretty much Brian Lumley's answer to Frtiz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, find themselves being hired by a sketchy individual to steal a priest's wand in exchange of a fortune but, since stealing items from a mythosian priest is hardly a great idea in any case, they find themselves in a series of adventures because they're too greedy to just walk away. Fun story, and it mentions the events of the Titus Crow series as they related to the Dreamlands, so they exist in the same universe despite the fact that H.P. Lovecraft is mentioned by Eldin's real world identity as a well-known horror author.

[Dave Wickenden · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I came across this title by Lumley, I was very excited. I had been a huge fan of his Necroscope series. But what I found was something altogether different, but no less enjoyable. Rather than the dark horror of vampires, we enter the world of dreamers.
The story follows two dreamers who meet in the waking world, only to become best friends and have adventures in the dream world. I found this story similar to that of Edgar Rice Boroughs’ John Carter of Mars series where the heroes jump from one dangerous adventure into another in a wild and totally different world scape.
Fun adventure, high stakes, and fantasy at its best.

[Joe Praska · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few interesting nuggets and some creative bits I enjoyed but ultimately this wasn’t for me. I expected a book based in Lovecraft’s dreamlands to be...I don’t know...more Lovecraftian. There weren’t really that many horror elements and the book felt more like an old-school Robert E Howard sword & sorcery novel. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the characters and the dialogue felt a bit wooden to me. I’m sure this might appeal to others, but unfortunately it just wasn’t my jam.

[Lee Mauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this thinking it would be more Cthulhu than Never Ending Story or Wizard of Oz. I was wrong. It felt a bit YA for the most part minus the scenes with the Termite Men and their Queen. I think I would have enjoyed it to a greater extent had I known the style of book I was going to be listening to. I will be giving the rest of the series a listen but with the knowledge of the content beforehand going in.

[Julian]

It's a thoroughly intriguing idea to do a sword and sorcery novel in HPL's dreamlands. It starts off in Howard/Leiber territory but gets a bit sillier and more bog-standard fantasy, or perhaps just degenerates into (not entirely unenjoyable) Borroughs territory. Nonetheless, it is a short tight read, and I'd consider diving into another one eventually.

[Heiki Eesmaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I liked it more. I really like the idea of a duo of sword-and-sorcery scoundrels traveling into Lovecraft's Dreamlands. Unfortunately, I don't find it's written very well. The action drags, the characters are unclearly defined, the encounters boring and predictable.

[Ken Selvia · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Reminded me of a LITRPG book I recently read. My first foray into the genre, and I expected it to be my last. This isn't that, I guess, but it might as well be.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great escapist fare.

[Jonathan Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ripe as a month ole Brie. Entertaining pulp but very much of the ‘they don’t make them like this anymore’ genre.

[Thom Watson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sophomoric and sexist. I wish I could remember where this was recommended to me, and why.

[Alisanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I just don't really care for the trope "To men go on a long walk together." Also the book was just too short.

[Dysnekro · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10

[Joshua Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this series up due to the horror tag, but it's just high fantasy. Still fun

[Debbi Amick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favorite. I love Brian's sci-fi fantasy books. Fun reads

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

More fantasy than horror despite the Cthulhu stuff.
Fun enough read though