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The Basement of Dreams & Other Tales
A perilous dive into the deep oceans of Kepler-62f, where silent giants sweep the abyssal depths…. A shadowy nightclub where the nightmares of sleeping monstrosities lurk… A bone-white tower that holds the cure to all ailments, at a terrible price…A fallen city with the power to destroy any who venture near…An old rectory haunted by the shadows of its dark past… In the basement of dreams hopes and fears lie like dust across the pitted floor. Discarded memories stalk like desperate ghosts, and life and death play out their eternal dance in this sinister collection of ten short stories.
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
238 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 25, 2019
15 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Simon Bleaken
47 books13 followersSimon Bleaken lives in Wiltshire, England.
His work has appeared in magazines, ezines and podcasts including Lovecraft’s Disciples; Tales of the Talisman; Dark Dossier; Strange Sorcery; Lovecraftiana; The Horror Zine; Schlock Webzine; Night Land; Weird Fiction Quarterly, Eternal Haunted Summer and on The NoSleep Podcast, Creepy Podcast and HorrorBabble Originals.
He has also appeared in the anthologies: Eldritch Horrors: Dark Tales (2008); Space Horrors: Full-throttle Space Tales #4 (2010); Best Gay Romance (2015); Eldritch Embraces: Putting the Love Back in Lovecraft (2016); Kepler’s Cowboys (2017); Twilight Madhouse Vol. 2 (2017); The Shadow Over Doggerland (2022); The Horror Zine Magazine Summer 2022 (2022); HellBound Books’ Anthology of Science Fiction Vol.1 (2023); From Beyond The Threshold (2023) Eldritch Investigations (2023) House of Haunts (2023) The Horror Zine’s Book of Monster Stories (2024) Witchcraft and Black Magic in the United States (2024) When Shadows Creep (2024) The Whisperer in Valhalla (2024) Hospital of Haunts (2024) and Solaris: Stories and Reflections Inspired by Andrei Tarkowsky's movie (2025).
His first collection of short stories: A Touch of Silence & Other Tales was released in 2017, followed by The Basement of Dreams & Other Tales in 2019, Within the Flames & Other Stories in 2021 and The Empire of the Moon and Stars & Other Stories in 2025.
Outside of writing, his interests include Egyptology and ancient history.
He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the Pagan Federation, OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids), the Druid Network, the Egypt Society of Bristol, and the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society.
His work has appeared in magazines, ezines and podcasts including Lovecraft’s Disciples; Tales of the Talisman; Dark Dossier; Strange Sorcery; Lovecraftiana; The Horror Zine; Schlock Webzine; Night Land; Weird Fiction Quarterly, Eternal Haunted Summer and on The NoSleep Podcast, Creepy Podcast and HorrorBabble Originals.
He has also appeared in the anthologies: Eldritch Horrors: Dark Tales (2008); Space Horrors: Full-throttle Space Tales #4 (2010); Best Gay Romance (2015); Eldritch Embraces: Putting the Love Back in Lovecraft (2016); Kepler’s Cowboys (2017); Twilight Madhouse Vol. 2 (2017); The Shadow Over Doggerland (2022); The Horror Zine Magazine Summer 2022 (2022); HellBound Books’ Anthology of Science Fiction Vol.1 (2023); From Beyond The Threshold (2023) Eldritch Investigations (2023) House of Haunts (2023) The Horror Zine’s Book of Monster Stories (2024) Witchcraft and Black Magic in the United States (2024) When Shadows Creep (2024) The Whisperer in Valhalla (2024) Hospital of Haunts (2024) and Solaris: Stories and Reflections Inspired by Andrei Tarkowsky's movie (2025).
His first collection of short stories: A Touch of Silence & Other Tales was released in 2017, followed by The Basement of Dreams & Other Tales in 2019, Within the Flames & Other Stories in 2021 and The Empire of the Moon and Stars & Other Stories in 2025.
Outside of writing, his interests include Egyptology and ancient history.
He is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the Pagan Federation, OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids), the Druid Network, the Egypt Society of Bristol, and the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 2, 2024
This is a set of short stories of varying types of horror. I love how Simon is descriptive in his writing. It adds flavor to the stories. While it's horror, some of these stories make you think and I can relate to them. My favorite stories were Basement of Dreams and The Watcher from the Wall. Most of the stories were great. The Flower Dancer was the only one that didn't work for me, but I'll mark that as a me problem rather than the writing.
Other than that these are a solid set of stories. As an added bonus, Simon tells the backstory of how he came up with the stories. I always find this to be a nice touch. Overall, if you like short story collections, The Basement of Dreams and Other Tales is a great collection.
Other than that these are a solid set of stories. As an added bonus, Simon tells the backstory of how he came up with the stories. I always find this to be a nice touch. Overall, if you like short story collections, The Basement of Dreams and Other Tales is a great collection.
April 17, 2023
A nice middling three….
Now, I normally do not fuck with new Mythos stuff. I am not interested in anyone trying to make Cthulhu modern. So it was on a whim of fancy that I decided to go ahead and get this book, and overall I am glad I did.
Now do not get me wrong, this is not top draw Cosmic Horror wonderment, but, none the less, there are a few pretty good stories in this wee tome. And there is some, well, not so great stories. Especially the sex one, I do not like sex in my cosmic horror thank you. But alas this is the gamble we take with a compendium.
But overall I must say I was impressed, the first and last stories in particular were very good. The Basement of Dreams being my overall fave. The level of otherworldly horror there was spot on and I very very much enjoyed the depiction of what happens to feeble humans when Nyarlathotep invaded their minds. It was so bleak and I loved it. I would have very much enjoyed this fleshed out as a full on novella where we follow the Basement of Dreams around and get to witness the end game.
A fun little foray into the spaces between the stars. And speaking of stars, it’s been a while since we’ve done my patented star rating system so let’s get to it
The Basement of Dreams 🖤🖤🖤🖤
The Silent Giants 🖤🖤
Ashanna’s Whispers 🖤🖤🖤
The Forbidden Panacea 🖤🖤🖤
The Rotting Planet 🖤🖤🖤
The Flower Dancer 🖤
The Secret of Torskance 🖤🖤🖤
Underhill Rectory 🖤🖤🖤🖤
The Last Super 🖤🖤🖤
The Watcher from the Wall 🖤🖤🖤🖤
Now, I normally do not fuck with new Mythos stuff. I am not interested in anyone trying to make Cthulhu modern. So it was on a whim of fancy that I decided to go ahead and get this book, and overall I am glad I did.
Now do not get me wrong, this is not top draw Cosmic Horror wonderment, but, none the less, there are a few pretty good stories in this wee tome. And there is some, well, not so great stories. Especially the sex one, I do not like sex in my cosmic horror thank you. But alas this is the gamble we take with a compendium.
But overall I must say I was impressed, the first and last stories in particular were very good. The Basement of Dreams being my overall fave. The level of otherworldly horror there was spot on and I very very much enjoyed the depiction of what happens to feeble humans when Nyarlathotep invaded their minds. It was so bleak and I loved it. I would have very much enjoyed this fleshed out as a full on novella where we follow the Basement of Dreams around and get to witness the end game.
A fun little foray into the spaces between the stars. And speaking of stars, it’s been a while since we’ve done my patented star rating system so let’s get to it
The Basement of Dreams 🖤🖤🖤🖤
The Silent Giants 🖤🖤
Ashanna’s Whispers 🖤🖤🖤
The Forbidden Panacea 🖤🖤🖤
The Rotting Planet 🖤🖤🖤
The Flower Dancer 🖤
The Secret of Torskance 🖤🖤🖤
Underhill Rectory 🖤🖤🖤🖤
The Last Super 🖤🖤🖤
The Watcher from the Wall 🖤🖤🖤🖤
August 19, 2019
A collection of stories of horrors at night, alien world of slithering nightmares, hvalrs in the ocean, a decrepit warehouse, an old rectory, faint beckoning whispers, alien realms, dead planets, dark passageways, strange beings, melted face, charred flesh, weeping lesions and festering boils and more, life and death pulsating. Violence, blood, gore. Not for the faint-hearted.
Well-written stories that intertwine with topics of environmentalism, poaching, extinction of animals, LGBT persecution, religion, God, Pagan, atheism, gay love, betrayal, aging, love, life and death.
Well-written stories that intertwine with topics of environmentalism, poaching, extinction of animals, LGBT persecution, religion, God, Pagan, atheism, gay love, betrayal, aging, love, life and death.
May 14, 2022
You Are Invited: The Basement Of Dreams & Other Tales, by Simon Bleaken
*****5 Star Review*****
When you read a book you are meeting a new mind. When you read a collection of stories you are introduced to an entire society. It is a social event.
Some cocktail parties you get past the small talk, meet some folks you enjoy talking to, and think well, this wasn’t so bad. There are also that other type, the social functions you can’t wait to escape, the ones where you don’t know anybody and wouldn’t like them even if you did.
Simon Bleaken seems to understand this. In The Basement Of Dreams & Other Tales you are introduced to a wide variety of characters, an entire cast of folks, yet they are written in such a way that you never feel cornered by that tedious drunk who won’t stop trying to sell you a life insurance policy. The guests have been chosen carefully. There is a lot of variety here, many different perspectives. You meet protagonists that are sometimes outgoing, some thoughtful, maybe quirky, a few are daring, but none are ever dull.
Like any good host, Bleaken has carefully tended to the pacing of your experience. The author introduces you to a group gathered in one corner of the basement, gives you a fair chance to mingle, and then moves you along to the next social set.
“I felt her searching through my mind, turning through my thoughts and memories like someone flicking through the pages of a book” (p. 63). There are penetrating moments to be found here. Occasions when you get swept away into a deeper conversation with one of these folks you have just met, times when the din and clank of the other partygoers fades from consciousness, when you are swept into another time and place.
Here are also moments of seduction, the exchange of flirtatious glances. Always there is that idea of something new when you are in a fresh mix of people, all of you slightly flushed by the alcohol, nobody quite knowing anybody yet everybody being known. Maybe it will all stay civilized, or, perhaps, we’ll get rip-roaring drunk and burn this town down.
There is dark and light, the unexpected. Someone spills wine on the carpet and it looks just like blood. Another guest has a knife in hand and you are afraid of an incident, but then realize they are only slicing cake. These are the thrills and chills that come with being gathered in a basement party of strangers.
Do they all share some secret understanding? Will they turn on me all at once? These flashes of panic we feel when confronted with others, with the unknown, with the coldness of the shadows. Why is everyone looking at me? “I figure I probably had fewer than four hours to live” (p. 98). There is danger in this gathering.
Yet it passes. The drinks keep being poured, the conversations continue, the party goes on. They watch you, you watch them.
When the host calls it a night you hear the announcement with regret. Couldn’t it have all gone on just a little longer?
I look back on my time in The Basement of Dreams fondly. Consider yourself fortunate if you get a chance to attend one of Simon Bleaken’s happenings. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t get too comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/Basement-Dream...
**Disclaimer: I love books. I choose the books that I add to my library very carefully. I am unlikely to choose a book that I won’t like. When I review books, I focus on what I love. I hope to show you why you will love this book as much as I do.**
*****5 Star Review*****
When you read a book you are meeting a new mind. When you read a collection of stories you are introduced to an entire society. It is a social event.
Some cocktail parties you get past the small talk, meet some folks you enjoy talking to, and think well, this wasn’t so bad. There are also that other type, the social functions you can’t wait to escape, the ones where you don’t know anybody and wouldn’t like them even if you did.
Simon Bleaken seems to understand this. In The Basement Of Dreams & Other Tales you are introduced to a wide variety of characters, an entire cast of folks, yet they are written in such a way that you never feel cornered by that tedious drunk who won’t stop trying to sell you a life insurance policy. The guests have been chosen carefully. There is a lot of variety here, many different perspectives. You meet protagonists that are sometimes outgoing, some thoughtful, maybe quirky, a few are daring, but none are ever dull.
Like any good host, Bleaken has carefully tended to the pacing of your experience. The author introduces you to a group gathered in one corner of the basement, gives you a fair chance to mingle, and then moves you along to the next social set.
“I felt her searching through my mind, turning through my thoughts and memories like someone flicking through the pages of a book” (p. 63). There are penetrating moments to be found here. Occasions when you get swept away into a deeper conversation with one of these folks you have just met, times when the din and clank of the other partygoers fades from consciousness, when you are swept into another time and place.
Here are also moments of seduction, the exchange of flirtatious glances. Always there is that idea of something new when you are in a fresh mix of people, all of you slightly flushed by the alcohol, nobody quite knowing anybody yet everybody being known. Maybe it will all stay civilized, or, perhaps, we’ll get rip-roaring drunk and burn this town down.
There is dark and light, the unexpected. Someone spills wine on the carpet and it looks just like blood. Another guest has a knife in hand and you are afraid of an incident, but then realize they are only slicing cake. These are the thrills and chills that come with being gathered in a basement party of strangers.
Do they all share some secret understanding? Will they turn on me all at once? These flashes of panic we feel when confronted with others, with the unknown, with the coldness of the shadows. Why is everyone looking at me? “I figure I probably had fewer than four hours to live” (p. 98). There is danger in this gathering.
Yet it passes. The drinks keep being poured, the conversations continue, the party goes on. They watch you, you watch them.
When the host calls it a night you hear the announcement with regret. Couldn’t it have all gone on just a little longer?
I look back on my time in The Basement of Dreams fondly. Consider yourself fortunate if you get a chance to attend one of Simon Bleaken’s happenings. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t get too comfortable.
https://www.amazon.com/Basement-Dream...
**Disclaimer: I love books. I choose the books that I add to my library very carefully. I am unlikely to choose a book that I won’t like. When I review books, I focus on what I love. I hope to show you why you will love this book as much as I do.**
September 16, 2022
In The Basement of Dreams & Other Tales, Simon Bleaken takes his readers on a twisted journey into a series of bizarre fever-dream landscapes. Lovecraftian and sci-fi horror are prominent; strange alien creatures and cosmic voices echo throughout the tales.
Within the collection are stories set in the real world (if you don't mind the real world having strange creatures lurking about), stories on distant planets, and stories in desolate fantasy lands.
My favorites of the lot include:
"The Basement of Dreams" - a young man looking for companionship finds something else entirely when he's tricked into a labyrinthine portal to terrible lands beyond imagination.
"The Forbidden Panacea" - a weary traveler seeks healing in the temple of a goddess, where his own sins will come back to haunt him.
"The Watcher from the Wall - a story absolutely dripping in Lovecraftian homage. An artist begins to see strange marks on the wall of his Arkham apartment, marks which soon reveal the visage of a man who seems to be emerging slowly from the empty space beyond. Who is the man, and what exactly is happening to him? A hidden journal will reveal all, but is perhaps best left hidden.
"Underhill Rectory" - easily my favorite as it's the one story that veers away from cosmic and sci-fi horror and stays firmly within spooky-haunted-house territory. A man buys and begins living in an old rectory, only to have strange noises and moving objects haunt his days. A ghost story with a little twist at the end (because apparently Bleaken has to have at least a tiny bit of weird mixed into every story).
This is a great collection. Fans of Lovecraftian terrors and sci-fi/fantasy horror will like it best, but intelligent writing and wonderfully described settlings will make these stories highly enjoyable even for those (like me) who generally prefer other subgenres.
Within the collection are stories set in the real world (if you don't mind the real world having strange creatures lurking about), stories on distant planets, and stories in desolate fantasy lands.
My favorites of the lot include:
"The Basement of Dreams" - a young man looking for companionship finds something else entirely when he's tricked into a labyrinthine portal to terrible lands beyond imagination.
"The Forbidden Panacea" - a weary traveler seeks healing in the temple of a goddess, where his own sins will come back to haunt him.
"The Watcher from the Wall - a story absolutely dripping in Lovecraftian homage. An artist begins to see strange marks on the wall of his Arkham apartment, marks which soon reveal the visage of a man who seems to be emerging slowly from the empty space beyond. Who is the man, and what exactly is happening to him? A hidden journal will reveal all, but is perhaps best left hidden.
"Underhill Rectory" - easily my favorite as it's the one story that veers away from cosmic and sci-fi horror and stays firmly within spooky-haunted-house territory. A man buys and begins living in an old rectory, only to have strange noises and moving objects haunt his days. A ghost story with a little twist at the end (because apparently Bleaken has to have at least a tiny bit of weird mixed into every story).
This is a great collection. Fans of Lovecraftian terrors and sci-fi/fantasy horror will like it best, but intelligent writing and wonderfully described settlings will make these stories highly enjoyable even for those (like me) who generally prefer other subgenres.
July 19, 2019
Creepy and well-written!
I loooved this collection! Each of the ten stories in this book had something that grabbed me. I especially loved the stories from the H.P. Lovecraft tradition-they had the gravity of Lovecraft while being much easier to read. Although mostly horror, one of the sci-fi stories actually gave me warm and fuzzy feelings, too, and I enjoyed that immensely. The prose is smooth and descriptive, and paints a startlingly clear picture of each scene. The last story had me feeling both dread and excitement as it unfolded, and I ended up dying to see what happened. Bravo!
I loooved this collection! Each of the ten stories in this book had something that grabbed me. I especially loved the stories from the H.P. Lovecraft tradition-they had the gravity of Lovecraft while being much easier to read. Although mostly horror, one of the sci-fi stories actually gave me warm and fuzzy feelings, too, and I enjoyed that immensely. The prose is smooth and descriptive, and paints a startlingly clear picture of each scene. The last story had me feeling both dread and excitement as it unfolded, and I ended up dying to see what happened. Bravo!
August 12, 2022
Disclaimer: Simon and I engaged in a book share!
A great collection of stories from Mr. Bleaken. Simon deftly switches genres in this stunning collection. Cosmic horror, science fiction, fantasy and classic horror are all represented in this book, but all told with the assured voice of Bleaken. Each story takes you into a fully developed world and does so in such a believable way, you'll be totally engrossed in the story only for it to finish and another begin!
I can't recommend this book enough, especially if you're a fan of Lovecraft, R.E.Howard and Clark Ashton Smith.
A great collection of stories from Mr. Bleaken. Simon deftly switches genres in this stunning collection. Cosmic horror, science fiction, fantasy and classic horror are all represented in this book, but all told with the assured voice of Bleaken. Each story takes you into a fully developed world and does so in such a believable way, you'll be totally engrossed in the story only for it to finish and another begin!
I can't recommend this book enough, especially if you're a fan of Lovecraft, R.E.Howard and Clark Ashton Smith.
June 22, 2019
These shorts are a little bit thriller - a little bit horror - a little bit of gore - and a whole lot of eye opener!
I enjoy getting the shivers and these stories are the perfect length to read one a night! The ocean story was my favourite - but they are all equally interesting with a little message/warning about life! Can't wait for more!
I enjoy getting the shivers and these stories are the perfect length to read one a night! The ocean story was my favourite - but they are all equally interesting with a little message/warning about life! Can't wait for more!
April 26, 2024
After reading a story by Simon in a recent anthology, I decided to get a copy of one of his collections, so went for this, not really knowing what to get.
It's a great book, good variety and pretty solid all around. There's something about the book that screams "British" to me, but I guess I'm okay with that. Get it, its good!
It's a great book, good variety and pretty solid all around. There's something about the book that screams "British" to me, but I guess I'm okay with that. Get it, its good!
October 31, 2024
I love these, and cannot wait for his next release of short stories!
Simon puts so much into his characters and set up, and even for short stories it pays off so well.
What a good collection.
Simon puts so much into his characters and set up, and even for short stories it pays off so well.
What a good collection.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews