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Changeling: The Dreaming
The Essential World of Darkness
This collection is one of the most exciting releases in the history of World of Darkness fiction. Readers are finally able to sample all five powers of the World of Darkness in one place, at one time. The Essential World of Darkness includes five novels, one that details the characters and setting of each of Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Ascension, Wraith: The Oblivion and Changeling: The Dreaming.
720 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 28, 2016
This volume contains Owl Goingback's short novel, Shaman Moon, and although I might have read the others given more time--I had to obtain this obscure collection via interlibrary loan--I didn't. I met Owl at a conference last year, and he impressed me as a truly interesting and genuinely nice person. I decided to seek out his fiction. I'm glad I did.
This is not a typical horror novel. Instead, this is a novel of the clash of cultures: contemporary American versus Native American. The clash plays out in the characters--Heather, a young teen of Native American descent, a refugee of an abusive orphanage system, who comes to learn she is a werewolf; Sam, the old guardian of The Fang, the last remnant of a powerful stone image of a creature who keeps the rift to the world of the undead evil closed. They are torn between the modern world and that of ghosts, spirits, and tradition. Hell, even some of the evil creatures live underground in caverns that tap into the electrical grid so they can have televisions. The narrative shows a doubting of the ancient ways and a doubting of the modern ways. Modernity appeals, but death of culture is an extension of the Trail of Tears. And the references to the genocide of the native Americans as well as spoiling of the environment are explicit and attributed to the evil Wyrm's influence on the white folks. On top of this, we have a coming of age tale, a young girl raced into adulthood, becoming the new guardian, the protector of all, the only one who could call forth he who will close the rift. On a spirit quest, without food and with barely any water, she pines for a milkshake and a hamburger. Sure, that was one of the more trivial examples, but throughout the novel, she is torn between worlds, needing to decide who she is.
And this novel is also a lesson on Native American culture. Knowing his readership is largely non-Native, Goingback does not shy away from narrative passages needed to explain native American traditions, ideas and legends. With education as a clear goal, he departs from the tradition of deep immersion into the characters' heads, moving between omniscient and tighter third person narrative, in a way that is reminiscent of a much older style, but it works. It doesn't frighten. Much. This isn't Freddy Kreuger-style horror. It does connect the reader to the two main protagonists, and to some extent, even to some of the other characters who get POV time. Outstanding character development.
This reader appreciates the world created--darkness, but with the purpose of bending the reader away from darkness. The joy here is in the authenticity. Goingback shares his world, that of his ancestors, and blends it with elements more familiar to the modern reader. As a result, the dark fantasy elements do sometimes appear like tropes from the new Doctor Who (although as this preceded new Who by eight years, it is clearly not derivative), but their use in educating the reader toward appreciation of native culture is novel and highly enjoyable.
Strongly recommended.
This is not a typical horror novel. Instead, this is a novel of the clash of cultures: contemporary American versus Native American. The clash plays out in the characters--Heather, a young teen of Native American descent, a refugee of an abusive orphanage system, who comes to learn she is a werewolf; Sam, the old guardian of The Fang, the last remnant of a powerful stone image of a creature who keeps the rift to the world of the undead evil closed. They are torn between the modern world and that of ghosts, spirits, and tradition. Hell, even some of the evil creatures live underground in caverns that tap into the electrical grid so they can have televisions. The narrative shows a doubting of the ancient ways and a doubting of the modern ways. Modernity appeals, but death of culture is an extension of the Trail of Tears. And the references to the genocide of the native Americans as well as spoiling of the environment are explicit and attributed to the evil Wyrm's influence on the white folks. On top of this, we have a coming of age tale, a young girl raced into adulthood, becoming the new guardian, the protector of all, the only one who could call forth he who will close the rift. On a spirit quest, without food and with barely any water, she pines for a milkshake and a hamburger. Sure, that was one of the more trivial examples, but throughout the novel, she is torn between worlds, needing to decide who she is.
And this novel is also a lesson on Native American culture. Knowing his readership is largely non-Native, Goingback does not shy away from narrative passages needed to explain native American traditions, ideas and legends. With education as a clear goal, he departs from the tradition of deep immersion into the characters' heads, moving between omniscient and tighter third person narrative, in a way that is reminiscent of a much older style, but it works. It doesn't frighten. Much. This isn't Freddy Kreuger-style horror. It does connect the reader to the two main protagonists, and to some extent, even to some of the other characters who get POV time. Outstanding character development.
This reader appreciates the world created--darkness, but with the purpose of bending the reader away from darkness. The joy here is in the authenticity. Goingback shares his world, that of his ancestors, and blends it with elements more familiar to the modern reader. As a result, the dark fantasy elements do sometimes appear like tropes from the new Doctor Who (although as this preceded new Who by eight years, it is clearly not derivative), but their use in educating the reader toward appreciation of native culture is novel and highly enjoyable.
Strongly recommended.
March 14, 2011
As with any collection of short stories some are better than others. All of them are worth a read though.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews