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Nightmareland: Travels at the Borders of Sleep, Dreams, and Wakefulness
From a Coast to Coast AM insider, a mind-expanding exploration of sleep disorders and unusual dream states--the scientific explanations and the paranormal possibilities.
The sleeping mind is a mysterious backdrop that science is just beginning to shed light on. It was only some sixty years ago that researchers discovered REM, the rapid-eye-movement cycle that's associated with dreams. In Nightmareland , Lex "Lonehood" Nover travels into the eerie borderlands where the unconscious, dreams, and strange entities intermingle under the cover of night, revealing wider and hidden aspects of ourselves, from the savage and frightening to the astounding and sublime.
Encompassing accepted medical phenomena such as sleep paralysis, parasomnias, and Ambien "zombies," and the true-crime casebook of those who kill while sleepwalking, to supernatural elements such as the incubus, alien abduction, and psychic attacks, Nover brings readers on an extraordinary journey through history, folklore, and science, to help us understand what happens when we sleep.
The sleeping mind is a mysterious backdrop that science is just beginning to shed light on. It was only some sixty years ago that researchers discovered REM, the rapid-eye-movement cycle that's associated with dreams. In Nightmareland , Lex "Lonehood" Nover travels into the eerie borderlands where the unconscious, dreams, and strange entities intermingle under the cover of night, revealing wider and hidden aspects of ourselves, from the savage and frightening to the astounding and sublime.
Encompassing accepted medical phenomena such as sleep paralysis, parasomnias, and Ambien "zombies," and the true-crime casebook of those who kill while sleepwalking, to supernatural elements such as the incubus, alien abduction, and psychic attacks, Nover brings readers on an extraordinary journey through history, folklore, and science, to help us understand what happens when we sleep.
320 pages, Paperback
Published October 8, 2019
25 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 10, 2021
There have been a lot of books published about sleep in recent years. Nightmareland differs from many of them in that the author is not a neuroscientist; rather he is a producer of a late night talk show that regularly discusses the paranormal. As such, this book focuses more on history and personal anecdotes when discussing sleepwalking, nightmares, and sleep paralysis. The chapters on hypnagogia and crimes committed while the perpetrators were allegedly sleeping were particularly interesting.
Unfortunately, the book then goes off the rails with discussions of psychic phenomena and alien abductions. These topics are addressed with minimal skepticism. I would give this book 4 stars, but I'm subtracting a star for this silliness. If you believe in ESP and alien abductions, feel free to add a star.
Unfortunately, the book then goes off the rails with discussions of psychic phenomena and alien abductions. These topics are addressed with minimal skepticism. I would give this book 4 stars, but I'm subtracting a star for this silliness. If you believe in ESP and alien abductions, feel free to add a star.
November 27, 2019
Nover's pithy wit turns this exhaustively researched survey into a fun romp through a fascinating subject. Nightmareland is suitable both for those with a skeptical, scientific interest in sleep anomalies as well as fans of the speculative and paranormal.
October 24, 2019
Nightmareland: A Field Journal on Sleep Phenomena
Lex “Lonehood” Nover is a master storyteller. He’s had years of experience penning plays and articles capturing the imaginations of audiences. Since 2002, he’s worked as the Web Producer for Coast to Coast AM, one of America’s highest rated overnight radio shows. In his first full-length non-fiction book, Nightmareland: Travels at the Borders of Sleep, Dreams, and Wakefulness, Nover thoroughly documents the strange occurrences we encounter when we sleep.
Nover’s writing skills pay off in this exhaustively researched and eerily entertaining book. Nover weaves folklore and anecdotes with scientific research regarding sleep, sleep disorders, and sleep behavior. Nover’s sense of humor is reflected in such subtitles as “Beware the Ambien Zombies,” “A Salad of Sound,” and “Back at the (Paranormal) Ranch.”
Rosemary Ellen Guiley, who died this past July at the age of 69, states “A must-have book!” She’s correct; however, people interested in general sleep issues not just paranormal enthusiasts will find value inside. Nover retells stories of average people experiencing the weirdest things while asleep. Then Nover attempts to explain what happened! He completes the story by adding context and science. How incredibly novel in the paranormal field!
Illustrations accompany each of the nine chapters. All are in black and white and operate as artwork inspired by the chapter’s focus. The book feels like the field journal of a scientist attempting to unpack the complexity of sleep, contemplating every possible theory.
Nightmareland is a compendium on sleep. It should be on everyone’s bookshelf.
https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2019/...
Lex “Lonehood” Nover is a master storyteller. He’s had years of experience penning plays and articles capturing the imaginations of audiences. Since 2002, he’s worked as the Web Producer for Coast to Coast AM, one of America’s highest rated overnight radio shows. In his first full-length non-fiction book, Nightmareland: Travels at the Borders of Sleep, Dreams, and Wakefulness, Nover thoroughly documents the strange occurrences we encounter when we sleep.
Nover’s writing skills pay off in this exhaustively researched and eerily entertaining book. Nover weaves folklore and anecdotes with scientific research regarding sleep, sleep disorders, and sleep behavior. Nover’s sense of humor is reflected in such subtitles as “Beware the Ambien Zombies,” “A Salad of Sound,” and “Back at the (Paranormal) Ranch.”
Rosemary Ellen Guiley, who died this past July at the age of 69, states “A must-have book!” She’s correct; however, people interested in general sleep issues not just paranormal enthusiasts will find value inside. Nover retells stories of average people experiencing the weirdest things while asleep. Then Nover attempts to explain what happened! He completes the story by adding context and science. How incredibly novel in the paranormal field!
Illustrations accompany each of the nine chapters. All are in black and white and operate as artwork inspired by the chapter’s focus. The book feels like the field journal of a scientist attempting to unpack the complexity of sleep, contemplating every possible theory.
Nightmareland is a compendium on sleep. It should be on everyone’s bookshelf.
https://thehauntedlibrarian.com/2019/...
November 26, 2025
Really good. Obviously, the non-fiction part can (and is) probably heavily contested but I came in looking for some surface level diving into not only sleep episodes experienced but all the history of supernatural/paranormal/historical significance and impact behind our building understanding of sleep disturbances. And I got exactly what I want. Easy to read, good flow and engaging content.
October 26, 2020
Perfect bedtime story.
December 14, 2020
Counting sheep?
June 23, 2025
really insightful (and sometimes spooky) look at dreams, nightmares, lucid dreams, and everything that had to do with the nightly realm. fun read and there was a lot of research that went into this.
March 6, 2025
My husband was reading this book. I thought the cover looked creepy, and when I see a creepy cover, I don't read the book.
Later my husband told me this book wasn't just about nightmares, but also about lucid dreaming and hypnagogia, which I was interested in.
So I picked up this book and read some of it. I skipped the creepy chapters and just read 5 out of 9 chapters. The chapters I read: sleep paralysis, parasomnias, hypnagogia, and lucid dreaming. I also read about sleep deprivation, but I skipped the parts that got into torture. The chapters I skipped: sleepwalk murders, nightmare realm, psychic attacks, and the alien in question.
The book was amazing and the author is very amusing and engaging in his writing. Also, the author focuses more on the craziest stories in the world. If you want to learn about lucid dreaming in a positive way, read other books on lucid dreaming. I've read three books on lucid dreaming and his book doesn't do justice to lucid dreaming because it focuses on the crazy, negative experiences that people have had and not on the positive ones.
I absolutely loved the parts of the book I read. I was horrified by some of the crazy stories. Also, I wish they had used a better cover, because this cover just looks creepy and weird.
Later my husband told me this book wasn't just about nightmares, but also about lucid dreaming and hypnagogia, which I was interested in.
So I picked up this book and read some of it. I skipped the creepy chapters and just read 5 out of 9 chapters. The chapters I read: sleep paralysis, parasomnias, hypnagogia, and lucid dreaming. I also read about sleep deprivation, but I skipped the parts that got into torture. The chapters I skipped: sleepwalk murders, nightmare realm, psychic attacks, and the alien in question.
The book was amazing and the author is very amusing and engaging in his writing. Also, the author focuses more on the craziest stories in the world. If you want to learn about lucid dreaming in a positive way, read other books on lucid dreaming. I've read three books on lucid dreaming and his book doesn't do justice to lucid dreaming because it focuses on the crazy, negative experiences that people have had and not on the positive ones.
I absolutely loved the parts of the book I read. I was horrified by some of the crazy stories. Also, I wish they had used a better cover, because this cover just looks creepy and weird.
June 28, 2021
Picked it up because I am fascinated by the science of sleep and I liked the cover. Library find!
July 20, 2023
I never write reviews for books, just rate them but this.... The scientific part alone would have been interesting but stating that some dreams are just covers for alien abductions is just insane.
January 29, 2024
The world of dreams is as fascinating as daunting, in ancient times thought to be the vehicle of divine messages, then proposed as source of symbolic messages of the subconscious in modern times. This book is an always interesting survey of the many aspects of dreams and sleep disorders, a must-have for anybody interested in the captivating, often frightening world of nightmares. The author skillfully brings together a wide range of aspects concerning dreams. Nover is able to make scientific, scholarly material as readable and exciting as any other story. This is not, however, a mere enumeration of sleep disorders, a cold dissection of the phenomena we experience when sleeping. The author succeeds on taking us on a journey through nightmare-land, certainly approaching the ins and outs of sleep paralysis and sleep deprivation, but also delving in the world of sleepwalk murders, psychic attacks, lucid dreaming, and even alien abductions.
The text is forged from enjoyable anecdotes, ever surprising historical description, amusing personal experiences, and lively examples of fascinating sleep disorders. Stories of incubi “demon lovers,” vampire lore, bewildering nocturnal delusions, and the exploration of half-dream, hypnagogic states take the reader to a landscape of enchantment, mystery and sometimes bone-chilling fright. Instructions on lucid dreaming and a very solid appendix of bibliographical notes complete the book, making of Nightmareland a singular work that will delight the widest range of readers.
The text is forged from enjoyable anecdotes, ever surprising historical description, amusing personal experiences, and lively examples of fascinating sleep disorders. Stories of incubi “demon lovers,” vampire lore, bewildering nocturnal delusions, and the exploration of half-dream, hypnagogic states take the reader to a landscape of enchantment, mystery and sometimes bone-chilling fright. Instructions on lucid dreaming and a very solid appendix of bibliographical notes complete the book, making of Nightmareland a singular work that will delight the widest range of readers.
January 12, 2024
This started out strong but lost me along the way with the oftentimes awkward transitions between evidence and the author’s own ‘experiences’ that are fairly lacklustre. Nothing wrong with writing about a topic that interests you (and the research was clearly there) but if you have very little actual experiences it might be better to mention it briefly, if at all.
A decent beginner book to dream theories but left me searching for more specifics or expansions on certain topics. For instance I thought seeing ‘the hat man’ was a worldwide phenomenon regarding sleep paralysis and while we did discuss cultural sleep paralysis demons no being in a hat was mentioned. Was my original impression wrong? How come this wasn’t mentioned.
The alien chapter was clunky and didn’t exactly tie in with sleep theories when he argued the fact that most documented cases have physical effects or happened during the day when contactees were nowhere near sleep.
Several pieces of evidence were apparently taken from Reddit which I found to often be lacklustre in their contribution to whichever theory we were discussing at the time.
I still have to say that the first five chapters were pretty well done (aside from clunky transitions) and I found the cases to generally be fascinating.
I suppose if nothing else it gives an entire section of recommended reading to more specific and highly researched topics. I think I will keep this book until I find a better summarized dream theory book.
A decent beginner book to dream theories but left me searching for more specifics or expansions on certain topics. For instance I thought seeing ‘the hat man’ was a worldwide phenomenon regarding sleep paralysis and while we did discuss cultural sleep paralysis demons no being in a hat was mentioned. Was my original impression wrong? How come this wasn’t mentioned.
The alien chapter was clunky and didn’t exactly tie in with sleep theories when he argued the fact that most documented cases have physical effects or happened during the day when contactees were nowhere near sleep.
Several pieces of evidence were apparently taken from Reddit which I found to often be lacklustre in their contribution to whichever theory we were discussing at the time.
I still have to say that the first five chapters were pretty well done (aside from clunky transitions) and I found the cases to generally be fascinating.
I suppose if nothing else it gives an entire section of recommended reading to more specific and highly researched topics. I think I will keep this book until I find a better summarized dream theory book.
September 2, 2022
There is a wealth of information on various sleep disorders as well as different things that can happen to healthy people as they sleep. One of the best things about this book is the balance between science and spirituality in terms of the various dream researchers and other professionals cited in each chapter. Each chapter focuses on a different area related to sleep (such as lucid dreaming) filled with rich information as well as many stories of real experiences related to each sleep category. What I loved best about this book was that despite all the different viewpoints offered, not once did the author ever give his own personal opinion on any of the information related to sleep disorders. Every possible interpretation of dreaming that was mentioned was treated with equal amounts of respect, allowing the reader to decide for themselves what to make of it all. The best chapters in the book (in my opinion) are on lucid dreaming, hypnagogia and psychic attacks.
March 24, 2022
The majority of these chapters are fascinating: I'm relatively well-versed in sleep paralysis and lucid dreaming, but Nover's focus on history and research within those topics taught me some cool new things. The material on sleeplessness, hypnagogia/hypnopompia and sleepwalking/sleep disorders was particularly engaging.
He loses the plot quite a bit with the chapters on ESP and alien abduction; I'm willing to entertain an open mind about these topics, but there's a lot of wacky stuff presented that unfortunately called into question the more well-researched material elsewhere in the book. What with a tenuous link to the topic of the book, they really should have been cut and replaced with something else (comas, maybe??).
He loses the plot quite a bit with the chapters on ESP and alien abduction; I'm willing to entertain an open mind about these topics, but there's a lot of wacky stuff presented that unfortunately called into question the more well-researched material elsewhere in the book. What with a tenuous link to the topic of the book, they really should have been cut and replaced with something else (comas, maybe??).
November 9, 2025
filled with case studies examining different sleep phenomena, this book was insightful, if not a little biased from the author’s clear belief in the paranormal entities he talks about.
the more credible parts of the book explained the brain’s activity during sleep states, but other parts (like chapters on alien abduction) seemed to cite only sources that would agree with this perspective, there was very little interrogation of the absurdity of what was being described. this makes it hard for even the most open-minded of skeptics to take any of this stuff seriously.
the more credible parts of the book explained the brain’s activity during sleep states, but other parts (like chapters on alien abduction) seemed to cite only sources that would agree with this perspective, there was very little interrogation of the absurdity of what was being described. this makes it hard for even the most open-minded of skeptics to take any of this stuff seriously.
July 21, 2020
Up until the chapter on psychic attacks this is reasonable sober look at the positives & negatives our sleeping mind can inflict on us. The remaining chapters are a journey into crazy-talk. Which is what I expected after reading the back cover.
So no, I’m not a believer in those things but the book is well researched(though some of that research is highly questionable) and written. I was interested in what Mr. Nover had to say. Just like I was always curious about what Art Bell had to say.
So no, I’m not a believer in those things but the book is well researched(though some of that research is highly questionable) and written. I was interested in what Mr. Nover had to say. Just like I was always curious about what Art Bell had to say.
June 20, 2023
If Ivan T. Sanderson were to write a book on dreaming along with the various activities surrounding what happens while dreaming, it would be assembled somewhat akin to how Lex Nover has assembled his book. There are a lot of interesting stories included. The final chapter deals with lucid dreaming which has interested me quite a bit lately.
There's a fictional story brewing under the surface. One which I may have to write, soon. Mainly because Philip K. Dick isn't around any more.
There's a fictional story brewing under the surface. One which I may have to write, soon. Mainly because Philip K. Dick isn't around any more.
April 9, 2025
I was hoping for more of a hard science approach. My ideal version of this book would be the wild things that people deal with and how science approaches it or can’t explain it. But instead I got a lot of aliens and physic energy, which is fine and enjoyable but not really what I wanted out of the book going in.
Also a book looses a lot of credibility when it uses message board testimony as a “source” still interesting.
Also a book looses a lot of credibility when it uses message board testimony as a “source” still interesting.
October 8, 2022
Nightmareland book is an interesting quick read, somewhat informative,bizzare and creepy. Makes for Interesting halloween reading. Did not care for mention of the inquisition(which was the state not church) but did enjoy his quoting some Catholic Saints as well as A Priest and some stories. there are several stories that stand out. It's reading worthwhile and not as scary as I thought.
November 27, 2024
Fun, interesting read. It's clear Nover took great care in researching this and gives every story and encounter an equal playing field, no matter how strange and unorthodox. Particularly loved the chapters of Aliens and Succubus esque creatures.
March 21, 2025
Got a bit out there towards the end with all of the paranormal stuff. Which is fine, if we're talking about how different cultures view the parasomnias. But the book seemed to want to lend too much credibility to the paranormal and depart from hard science, so that lost it a few stars for me.
December 12, 2019
A very well constructed and paced dive into the science and paranormal of sleep and all its aberrations.
January 18, 2022
Fascinating if you can look past the paranormal parts narrated in the same seriousness as the scientifically documented parts.
November 1, 2023
Fans of Coast to Coast AM should appreciate
July 14, 2024
Fun little free library find 🤪
March 16, 2025
Too much supernatural bs
April 7, 2025
Not what I was thinking this would be but interesting nonetheless
June 7, 2025
For a while it sounded scientific-ish and interesting. But then it turned into mumbo-jumbo and I kept rolling my eyes.
September 12, 2023
Lucid dreaming...hypnagogia...sleep eating! This is a fascinating read for those interested in sleep state. Minus a misplaced (and imo, a bit indulgent) chapter on alien abuductions, Nightmareland covers a scientific and folklore-based medley of sleep phenomena. Not all of the chapters are as ominous as the cover + title may lead you to assume. While I recommend giving the entire book a shot, those that are less inclined to read about psychic attacks will have plenty of other sleep topics to explore. Nightmareland is a gem and I will keep an eye out for future work released by Nover.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews