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Mr. Nightmare #3
Mr. Nightmare 3: Eater of Dreams
Arthur Middleton is Mr. Nightmare.
Or he will be, in about a hundred years. He just doesn't know it yet. Right now, he works a regular job selling produce at a market a few blocks from his apartment. Everything appears normal, but Arthur is keeping a secret.
Directed by an entity he has dubbed the Eater of Dreams, Arthur has become a killer. He takes the lives of the citizens of Chicaho in order to create fear and hysteria within the city. The fear then creates nightmares, which the Eater of Dreams can feed upon. Arthur has grown to enjoy taking these lives and he does so with such frequency he becomes the serial killer known as the Chicago Reaper.
His partnership with the Eater of Dreams brings Arthur to a decision that could affect his life and future. It will also eventually bring him face-to-face with a longtime nemesis and this time, he might not survive the encounter.
Or he will be, in about a hundred years. He just doesn't know it yet. Right now, he works a regular job selling produce at a market a few blocks from his apartment. Everything appears normal, but Arthur is keeping a secret.
Directed by an entity he has dubbed the Eater of Dreams, Arthur has become a killer. He takes the lives of the citizens of Chicaho in order to create fear and hysteria within the city. The fear then creates nightmares, which the Eater of Dreams can feed upon. Arthur has grown to enjoy taking these lives and he does so with such frequency he becomes the serial killer known as the Chicago Reaper.
His partnership with the Eater of Dreams brings Arthur to a decision that could affect his life and future. It will also eventually bring him face-to-face with a longtime nemesis and this time, he might not survive the encounter.
412 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 5, 2025
I had the honor of reading this one early on, and I immediately knew it would make a mess of my reading schedule: a page-turner, sure, (in fact, I flew through the book in a couple of sittings), but also emotionally upsetting, and perhaps even hurtful - especially if you loved the kids in the first volume! Yes, it's about the origins of Mr. Nightmare himself, of Arthur Middleton to be precise, living a hundred years ago in Chicago, and discovering the Nightmare Realm when approached by one of its residents. Scipione, though, has also included a foray into the present, when the villain is finally brought face to face with his old enemy, a easily recognizable character from the -now defunct- Nightmare Club. I admit I did not expect this, and it transformed the previous two volumes into a wholly different story from what I expected when I first read about Mr. Nightmare! The first volume was about the kids, the second about the kids as adults, and the third is about Mr. Nightmare himself amd his origins - but there's an unexpected twist forcing readers to reconsider their understanding of the moral standing of the trilogy.
Mr. Nightmare's origins are quite complex; well worth a book in themselves. The first part of this volume, "The Reaper," is indeed that book: all outstanding questions about the titular villain are answered in detail, revealing a story of a power-hungry man with occasional delusions of grandeur, a story of ambition, serial killing, and unstoppable desire. Set in 1895 Chicago, the tale recounts the transformation of that man, Arthur, into a supernatural being of evil and hunger.
And then there's the book's second part, "The Teacher". Old friends come back and the Nightmare Club, or what's left of it, seems to be once again alive. But soon things become unrecognizable, as a character we know and love makes a hell of a choice - turning everything upside down and then upside again; but with a crucial difference: this is Mr. Nightmare's story no longer!
If you've read the two previous volumes, you cannot miss this. Some of it can be read as a standalone, but the shocking ending will hurt more if you're familiar with what's gone before. Scipione's clean prose, vivid imagery and solid characterization are once again balancing the demands of the complex plot, and the outcome is pure bliss. Highly recommend the book to fans of urban legends, stories visiting otherwordly realms, and morally ambiguous heroics!
Mr. Nightmare's origins are quite complex; well worth a book in themselves. The first part of this volume, "The Reaper," is indeed that book: all outstanding questions about the titular villain are answered in detail, revealing a story of a power-hungry man with occasional delusions of grandeur, a story of ambition, serial killing, and unstoppable desire. Set in 1895 Chicago, the tale recounts the transformation of that man, Arthur, into a supernatural being of evil and hunger.
And then there's the book's second part, "The Teacher". Old friends come back and the Nightmare Club, or what's left of it, seems to be once again alive. But soon things become unrecognizable, as a character we know and love makes a hell of a choice - turning everything upside down and then upside again; but with a crucial difference: this is Mr. Nightmare's story no longer!
If you've read the two previous volumes, you cannot miss this. Some of it can be read as a standalone, but the shocking ending will hurt more if you're familiar with what's gone before. Scipione's clean prose, vivid imagery and solid characterization are once again balancing the demands of the complex plot, and the outcome is pure bliss. Highly recommend the book to fans of urban legends, stories visiting otherwordly realms, and morally ambiguous heroics!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is book 3 and the final book in the Mr Nightmare series. If you haven't read the first two, you should because they're great, but also don't start with this book. I would expect that if you don't have the background, this book would be disappointing and confusing (and it's an awesome book so I don't want you disappointed or confused!)
Also, what follows in my review may have spoilers for the first two books.
Quick recap: Mr Nightmare is our main baddie who feeds on nightmares. He lives in the Nightmare Realm with other Dreameaters. In book 1, we meet a group of kids who create a Nightmare Club to tell scary stories. Then things escalate. In book 2, the kids are college age and they travel to The Nightmare realm to try to save their friend.
This book starts as a Mr Nightmare origin story. As a human, Mr Nightmare was named Arthur. He was visited by a Dreameater who asked him to become a serial killer and Arthur protested for half a second and then became a serial killer. I really appreciate how Arthur was always a terrible person. There are a lot of villain origin stories where they're humanized and you feel so bad for them; those can be fine but this wasn't it. Arthur was always awful. He is invited to become a Dreameater and (obviously) accepts.
The book continues to the present where he again encounters one of his nemeses from the Nightmare Club. I don't want to give anything away about this part so I'll just be vague here.
I absolutely loved the first book. It starts as an "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" type premise and I loved it from start to finish. I didn't love the second book as much. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I left feeling a little unsatisfied. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's what it was. However, now that I have this third book to complete the trilogy (which I didn't know was a trilogy), it makes the second book fit in better.
This book was amazing! I thought at first that it was just going to be the origin story, which was fine, but then when we get the final confrontation, I could not put this book down. The author has a note at the end about how he thought about not including the last half chapter. I'm so glad he did because it needed to be there and it absolutely is going to stick with me.
This author is an automatic read for me and I can't recommend him or this book series highly enough!
Also, what follows in my review may have spoilers for the first two books.
Quick recap: Mr Nightmare is our main baddie who feeds on nightmares. He lives in the Nightmare Realm with other Dreameaters. In book 1, we meet a group of kids who create a Nightmare Club to tell scary stories. Then things escalate. In book 2, the kids are college age and they travel to The Nightmare realm to try to save their friend.
This book starts as a Mr Nightmare origin story. As a human, Mr Nightmare was named Arthur. He was visited by a Dreameater who asked him to become a serial killer and Arthur protested for half a second and then became a serial killer. I really appreciate how Arthur was always a terrible person. There are a lot of villain origin stories where they're humanized and you feel so bad for them; those can be fine but this wasn't it. Arthur was always awful. He is invited to become a Dreameater and (obviously) accepts.
The book continues to the present where he again encounters one of his nemeses from the Nightmare Club. I don't want to give anything away about this part so I'll just be vague here.
I absolutely loved the first book. It starts as an "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" type premise and I loved it from start to finish. I didn't love the second book as much. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I left feeling a little unsatisfied. I didn't realize it at the time, but that's what it was. However, now that I have this third book to complete the trilogy (which I didn't know was a trilogy), it makes the second book fit in better.
This book was amazing! I thought at first that it was just going to be the origin story, which was fine, but then when we get the final confrontation, I could not put this book down. The author has a note at the end about how he thought about not including the last half chapter. I'm so glad he did because it needed to be there and it absolutely is going to stick with me.
This author is an automatic read for me and I can't recommend him or this book series highly enough!
February 28, 2026
What a great finale! This book answered any questions you may or may not have had about Mr. Nightmare and the nightmare realm. He has always left a foul taste in my mouth and to learn of his origins made it even worse! I love that Anna got her ultimate revenge. I wish it could have ended different for her but she had to do what was needed to do what was right. Again, such a perfect wrap up to this series. Very satisfying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2026
I absolutely loved this book. Actually the entire series. Perfect ending
March 21, 2026
Loved It
I thought the book started to get a little slow but it really picked up. I'm glad I read it and the other books in the trilogy. I will miss the characters and the story line. Highly recommend!
I thought the book started to get a little slow but it really picked up. I'm glad I read it and the other books in the trilogy. I will miss the characters and the story line. Highly recommend!
February 28, 2026
The origins of Mr. Nightmare are revealed. Serving as prequel and sequel, the final chapter explores the origins of Mr. Nightmare and ends the thirty year long battle of the nightmare club with grim finality.
Compared to the first two, Eater of Dreams is a surprising but welcome character study, delving deep into Arthur and Anna's motivations that culminates in their inevitable final confrontation. If you've read the first two, you owe it to yourself to complete the trilogy.
Beware the ending, for it has one final nightmare that is sure to follow you to sleep.
Compared to the first two, Eater of Dreams is a surprising but welcome character study, delving deep into Arthur and Anna's motivations that culminates in their inevitable final confrontation. If you've read the first two, you owe it to yourself to complete the trilogy.
Beware the ending, for it has one final nightmare that is sure to follow you to sleep.
February 28, 2026
This has to be one of my favorite series ever! This book gave me the historic horror and modern horror i love so much. Mr. Nightmare never disappoints. I am sorry to see it wrap up, but love the way it did.
March 3, 2026
Great finish to a series I wasn’t sure how it was gonna go!
March 4, 2026
Great ending to the story!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you for the ARC and giving me the opportunity to review for you!
I was so looking forward to wrapping up the Mr. Nightmare books, as I had sooo many questions and Scipione did not disappoint!! Finally learning Arthur’s background and how he transformed into Mr. Nightmare was eye opening and almost had me feeling pity for him… at times. I love when an author can create a character that I hate, but also am able to feel empathy for.
We also pick back up with Anna and while I love and adore her, her story absolutely crushed my heart. I won’t ruin the ending, but I will say I felt bleak but also happy. I love all of these characters and it felt good to wrap everything up!
I was so looking forward to wrapping up the Mr. Nightmare books, as I had sooo many questions and Scipione did not disappoint!! Finally learning Arthur’s background and how he transformed into Mr. Nightmare was eye opening and almost had me feeling pity for him… at times. I love when an author can create a character that I hate, but also am able to feel empathy for.
We also pick back up with Anna and while I love and adore her, her story absolutely crushed my heart. I won’t ruin the ending, but I will say I felt bleak but also happy. I love all of these characters and it felt good to wrap everything up!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Mr. Nightmare 3 is a horror novel that surrounds you with the past and present, drawing the circle tighter and tighter until you are faced with the terrors born of both. One doesn't search for happy endings in the Nightmare Realm, so don't expect to find them. Instead you will find the beginning of the thread that winds through the other two Mr. Nightmare books and leads to a conclusion you will not expect. I love the world building and character arcs in this the final book of the Mr. Nightmare trilogy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Joe Scipione did it again. For those who have been invested in this series you don’t want to miss the ending. A trilogy of this magnitude is legendary.
If you haven’t started do yourself a favor and read the first two books before this comes out. I wish I could go back to the moment I first picked up Mr. Nightmare so I could relive this ride!
If you haven’t started do yourself a favor and read the first two books before this comes out. I wish I could go back to the moment I first picked up Mr. Nightmare so I could relive this ride!
Read
May 16, 2026What do I say? A good series with an even better ending! Couldn’t have saw some of it coming and wished some things were done differently but I loved how it all was tied up!!
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