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The Dream Master
His name is Charles Render, and he is a psychoanalyst, and a mechanic of dreams. A Shaper. In a warm womb of metal, his patients dream their neuroses, while Render, intricately connected to their brains, dreams with them, makes delicate adjustments, and ultimately explains and heals. Her name is Eileen Shallot, a resident in psychiatry. She wants desperately to become a Shaper, though she has been blind from birth. Together, they will explore the depths of the human mind-and the terrors that lurk therein.
252 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1966
87 people are currently reading
5111 people want to read
About the author
Roger Zelazny
749 books3,918 followersRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American fantasy and science fiction writer known for his short stories and novels, best known for The Chronicles of Amber. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nominations) and the Hugo Award six times (also out of 14 nominations), including two Hugos for novels: the serialized novel ...And Call Me Conrad (1965), subsequently published under the title This Immortal (1966), and the novel Lord of Light (1967).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 271 reviews
August 17, 2010
Did anyone else think of this classic 60s SF novel when they watched Inception? I certainly did.
October 10, 2021
A novel from 1966 set in a future with genetically engineered talking seeing eye dogs, driverless cars and automated freeways; and as a treatment for various psychiatric disorders, neuroparticipation where the analyst creates dreams and explores them with the patient. Render is a leading practitioner and agrees to treat a blind woman who is also a trained psychiatrist and wants to become a neuropractitioner. The writing is suitably dreamlike, I’m not sure I always knew what was dream and what was real. References to mythology, poetry and Freud throughout. An enjoyable read but not one I fully understood(but I’m not sure you’re meant to).
October 19, 2017
O pripovedačkoj genijalnosti Rodžera Zelaznija zaista je izlišno govoriti.Jednom rečju,savršenstvo.
November 25, 2016
I don’t know why this one is largely under the radar. Imaginative, nicely written, vision of the future which isn’t so wrong -love the dog.
But is there anybody who has read this and understands the ongoing part of the man walking along the road who ends up killing himself? Is this Render? Is this how he escapes being trapped in another person’s dream? Is everything that happens in the book a dream except for this part of it?
rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpre...
But is there anybody who has read this and understands the ongoing part of the man walking along the road who ends up killing himself? Is this Render? Is this how he escapes being trapped in another person’s dream? Is everything that happens in the book a dream except for this part of it?
rest here: https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpre...
August 20, 2018
The Dream Master is a classic Nebula Award winning novel that isn't as well-remembered as it should be. Perhaps it's been overshadowed by Lord of Light and the Amber books... it's a moving, well-written piece, and deserves a wider current audience.
January 20, 2011
Huh. I just finished reading The Dream Master, and I’m not quite sure what to say. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I didn’t quite understand everything.
I know that this was originally based on a Nebula-winning novella called He Who Shapes, and I definitely wonder if the novella is the superior version of this story. It seemed like there were a lot of scenes and sections that weren’t really necessary.
But, once again—maybe I just didn’t get it.
Sometimes when I read Zelazny, I’ll come across something that doesn’t make sense. I’ve learned to just go with it, trusting that eventually something will happen that gives me an epiphany and makes me realize what that nonsensical section was all about. That’s what I did in this book—I just kept going. But there were still a lot of things that seemed sort of odd by the end.
The worst part is, I can’t even tell you specifically what those parts are, because I’ve already mostly forgotten them. Part of this is because of my terrible memory, surely, but part is because I found myself uninterested in large sections of this book because I couldn’t understand what their significance was at the time.
Also, there was a very long stretch of the book where I was asking myself when something was going to happen. There didn’t seem to be an established conflict or problem for a lot of the book. Sure, there’s the premise we know about (dream-shaping psychiatrist takes on the task of showing a blind woman visions in her dreams), but in the middle of the book that plot seems to be entirely abandoned for several pages in favor of . . . what? I’m not sure.
I’d be willing to bet that I’d get a lot more out of this book after a second reading, but that probably won’t happen for a while yet, as there’s still plenty of Zelazny books out there that I haven’t even read once.
This is my least favorite Zelazny book so far, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. I'm just dense and missed something important, apparently.
UPDATE (01/19/2011): I just read "He Who Shapes" in The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume One: Threshold. And I have to say, WOW. It was a lot better the second time through. I'm not sure if that's because the novella ("He Who Shapes") is better than the novel (The Dream Master), or if the second read-through made it easier, or what. It probably also helps that I read the "Notes" section at the end of the story BEFORE I started reading it, so that really helped me understand some of what I'd read in The Dream Master.
This story just got a lot higher on my list of Zelazny awesomeness.
I know that this was originally based on a Nebula-winning novella called He Who Shapes, and I definitely wonder if the novella is the superior version of this story. It seemed like there were a lot of scenes and sections that weren’t really necessary.
But, once again—maybe I just didn’t get it.
Sometimes when I read Zelazny, I’ll come across something that doesn’t make sense. I’ve learned to just go with it, trusting that eventually something will happen that gives me an epiphany and makes me realize what that nonsensical section was all about. That’s what I did in this book—I just kept going. But there were still a lot of things that seemed sort of odd by the end.
The worst part is, I can’t even tell you specifically what those parts are, because I’ve already mostly forgotten them. Part of this is because of my terrible memory, surely, but part is because I found myself uninterested in large sections of this book because I couldn’t understand what their significance was at the time.
Also, there was a very long stretch of the book where I was asking myself when something was going to happen. There didn’t seem to be an established conflict or problem for a lot of the book. Sure, there’s the premise we know about (dream-shaping psychiatrist takes on the task of showing a blind woman visions in her dreams), but in the middle of the book that plot seems to be entirely abandoned for several pages in favor of . . . what? I’m not sure.
I’d be willing to bet that I’d get a lot more out of this book after a second reading, but that probably won’t happen for a while yet, as there’s still plenty of Zelazny books out there that I haven’t even read once.
This is my least favorite Zelazny book so far, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. I'm just dense and missed something important, apparently.
UPDATE (01/19/2011): I just read "He Who Shapes" in The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny, Volume One: Threshold. And I have to say, WOW. It was a lot better the second time through. I'm not sure if that's because the novella ("He Who Shapes") is better than the novel (The Dream Master), or if the second read-through made it easier, or what. It probably also helps that I read the "Notes" section at the end of the story BEFORE I started reading it, so that really helped me understand some of what I'd read in The Dream Master.
This story just got a lot higher on my list of Zelazny awesomeness.
July 19, 2012
I encountered the novella in a Nebula Awards Collection while in college, then acquired the expanded version years later. Both were impressive, the novella moreso.
The question of inner states, of private thoughts has long intrigued me. As B.F. Skinner was apt to point out, the only aspect of human being which is scientifically scrutinizable currently is objective human behavior. I will go futher and assert that subjectivity does not exist in any strong sense. There are no truly private thoughts. This follows from the simple fact that we all think in terms of objective referants, be they based on objects of common experience or on some semiotic or symbolic language held in common with others. The ego or self is therefore an illusion.
What Zelazny proposes is a computer of such power and sensors of such acuity that two persons can share, and shape, the worlds of imagination, making the subjective objective with much greater vividness and immediacy than we can accomplish now by, say, telling one another our thoughts, dreams and imaginings.
The possibility of such participation mystique is already suggested by those amazing claims of made by victims of so-called alien abductions. Almost anything is imaginable and it is not very remarkable for a single person to make virtually any experiential claim. What's remarkable is when two or more persons independently make extraordinary claims which are subsequently verified in the sense of being shown to correlate to some objectively shared experience.
To give an example taken from the literature: Two women, strangers to one another, report to their psychotherapists, also strangers, of being abducted, of being teleported into a craft inhabited by nonhuman intelligent beings, held against their wills, subjected to examinations, then returned. The therapists independently record these reports. Then, time having passed, one of them hears the other deliver a paper at a professional conference which sounds weirdly familiar. Later, she checks her notes, pulls out the recording, contacts the other psychologist and arranges to compare notes. The result: their two clients seem to have been on the same craft at the same time, the story of one correlating with that of the other even to the degree of describing the other. What has happened here? Does this prove that alien beings are abducting women?
Not necessarily, not in the sense that the aliens and their craft objectively exist in our world. It may mean that, but it may also mean that there are other domains, other worlds which some of us may sometimes enter, which are, in their own terms, as real and objective as ours--worlds like those constructed in the novel with the help of sophisticated equipment.
Alien abductions are one of many interpretative schemas placed on what may be a kind of experience, a schema that is currently popular. Some years ago it was common to hear of cases of satanic infantile sexual abuse. For some populations it is still common to report heavenly (or hellish) visitations or visions, such as in the mass case reported early in the last century from Fatima, Portugal, where literally thousands of people saw something from "another" world. Indeed, a recent book, which I'll review if I live long enough to get to it, attempts to interpret Fatima in terms of alien visitations.
Interestingly, when one considers alternative explanations such as those adduced above, one engages in an "argument" of sorts not unlike that which occurs between the two main characters in Zelazny's fascinating story.
The question of inner states, of private thoughts has long intrigued me. As B.F. Skinner was apt to point out, the only aspect of human being which is scientifically scrutinizable currently is objective human behavior. I will go futher and assert that subjectivity does not exist in any strong sense. There are no truly private thoughts. This follows from the simple fact that we all think in terms of objective referants, be they based on objects of common experience or on some semiotic or symbolic language held in common with others. The ego or self is therefore an illusion.
What Zelazny proposes is a computer of such power and sensors of such acuity that two persons can share, and shape, the worlds of imagination, making the subjective objective with much greater vividness and immediacy than we can accomplish now by, say, telling one another our thoughts, dreams and imaginings.
The possibility of such participation mystique is already suggested by those amazing claims of made by victims of so-called alien abductions. Almost anything is imaginable and it is not very remarkable for a single person to make virtually any experiential claim. What's remarkable is when two or more persons independently make extraordinary claims which are subsequently verified in the sense of being shown to correlate to some objectively shared experience.
To give an example taken from the literature: Two women, strangers to one another, report to their psychotherapists, also strangers, of being abducted, of being teleported into a craft inhabited by nonhuman intelligent beings, held against their wills, subjected to examinations, then returned. The therapists independently record these reports. Then, time having passed, one of them hears the other deliver a paper at a professional conference which sounds weirdly familiar. Later, she checks her notes, pulls out the recording, contacts the other psychologist and arranges to compare notes. The result: their two clients seem to have been on the same craft at the same time, the story of one correlating with that of the other even to the degree of describing the other. What has happened here? Does this prove that alien beings are abducting women?
Not necessarily, not in the sense that the aliens and their craft objectively exist in our world. It may mean that, but it may also mean that there are other domains, other worlds which some of us may sometimes enter, which are, in their own terms, as real and objective as ours--worlds like those constructed in the novel with the help of sophisticated equipment.
Alien abductions are one of many interpretative schemas placed on what may be a kind of experience, a schema that is currently popular. Some years ago it was common to hear of cases of satanic infantile sexual abuse. For some populations it is still common to report heavenly (or hellish) visitations or visions, such as in the mass case reported early in the last century from Fatima, Portugal, where literally thousands of people saw something from "another" world. Indeed, a recent book, which I'll review if I live long enough to get to it, attempts to interpret Fatima in terms of alien visitations.
Interestingly, when one considers alternative explanations such as those adduced above, one engages in an "argument" of sorts not unlike that which occurs between the two main characters in Zelazny's fascinating story.
October 25, 2024
The Dream Master is a very competently written snooze-fest. I expected so much more. The book’s concept fascinated me. Its author had entertained me in his Amber novels, and dazzled me with his brilliant Lord of Light. The book was a Nebula Award winner. My expectations were high. But the story never took off, never drew me in. The characters never engaged me. I was not entertained. I was not dazzled. I was bored. This book wasted my time.
January 30, 2016
Univerzum nije izmislio pravdu, nego čovek. Na žalost, čovek je prinuđen da stanuje u univerzumu.
On koji oblikuje (The Dream Master u originalu) je novela koja me privukla svojom temom - psihoanaliza u snovima! Zelazny ovdje lijepo spaja Frojda i Junga s mitologijom, psima koji govore i promišljanjima o tome da li je ljudski mozak evoluirao od industrijske revolucije.
Ovaj dio mi je zanimljiv (malo sam editirao):
„Moć da povredite nekoga evoluirala je u direktnoj sprezi sa tehnološkim napretkom. [...]Čovekova potencijalna sposobnost da pravi, prosto rečeno, džumbus, multiplicirana je mas-produkcijom; njegova sposobnost, da povređuje psihu drugim putem ličnog kontaktiranja širila se direktno proporcionalno poboljšanju sredstava komunikacije. "
To konstatira glavni lik, ali vjerujem da je o tome razmišljao sam Zelazny, možda na nekom dobrom šitu, jer je malo kasnije napisao ovaj opis:
"Klizili su kao dvoje galebova; veći plesač u boji poliranog antracita a manji u boji mesečevog zraka koji kroz otvoreni prozor pada na krojačku lutku omotanu svilom."
Zato volim 60-te, kako u glazbi, tako i u SF-u - tada se moglo slobodnije izražavati, a očito da su opojne droge i psihodelici pozitivno utjecali na kreativnost kreativnih ljudi.
"Kosa joj je padala do ramena i činilo se da je malčice lakša nego one noći kad su se sreli"
...
Ovaj gore dio osvrta sam napisao dok sam čitao prvi od pet dijelova novele, a nakon toga sve pada u vodu tamnu, tamniju od tamne strane Mjeseca kojeg proždire vuk iz Crvenkapice - da malo imitiram Zelaznyja.
Dakle, radnja počinje kada poznati Oblikovatelj - psiholog koji pomaže ljudima novom metodom psihoanalize u snovima - dobije jednu slijepu pacjenticu kojoj pomoću te metode pokuša pokazati kako da vidi. I krenu zanimljivo te njihove seanse, ali onda kao da je Zelazny stvarno pisao na tripu.
Scene/snovi(?) se izmjenjuju, nisam siguran tko tu koga... sanja.
Mislim da kužim što je htio postići - mislim. Mislim da je htio izbrisati tanku blijedu liniju boje mjesečine koja dijeli svijet snova od onog kojeg mi nazivamo stvarni svijet - mislim. Mislim da je htio prikazati i kako bi izgledala psiha neurotičara gledana iznutra - mislim! No, što dalje ide to je nejasnije što želi reći i o čemu to uopće piše. Upleo je tu i grčku mitologiju, poeziju, neka svoja promišljanja o nekim desetim temama i što sve ne. Sve je to samo nabacano bez nekog smisla, kao da je time htio dobiti privid dubine. Povremeno se između toga uplete i neki lijep opis, ali nažalost to mi nije dovoljno.
Kao da je htio napisati ekspresionističku sliku o dadaizmu u stihovima bitničke pjesme.
Šteta. Šteta. Šteta.
"Mnoge stvari može um u sebi držati. Um uči. Ali ne može sebe naučiti da ne misli ništa."
On koji oblikuje (The Dream Master u originalu) je novela koja me privukla svojom temom - psihoanaliza u snovima! Zelazny ovdje lijepo spaja Frojda i Junga s mitologijom, psima koji govore i promišljanjima o tome da li je ljudski mozak evoluirao od industrijske revolucije.
Ovaj dio mi je zanimljiv (malo sam editirao):
„Moć da povredite nekoga evoluirala je u direktnoj sprezi sa tehnološkim napretkom. [...]Čovekova potencijalna sposobnost da pravi, prosto rečeno, džumbus, multiplicirana je mas-produkcijom; njegova sposobnost, da povređuje psihu drugim putem ličnog kontaktiranja širila se direktno proporcionalno poboljšanju sredstava komunikacije. "
To konstatira glavni lik, ali vjerujem da je o tome razmišljao sam Zelazny, možda na nekom dobrom šitu, jer je malo kasnije napisao ovaj opis:
"Klizili su kao dvoje galebova; veći plesač u boji poliranog antracita a manji u boji mesečevog zraka koji kroz otvoreni prozor pada na krojačku lutku omotanu svilom."
Zato volim 60-te, kako u glazbi, tako i u SF-u - tada se moglo slobodnije izražavati, a očito da su opojne droge i psihodelici pozitivno utjecali na kreativnost kreativnih ljudi.
"Kosa joj je padala do ramena i činilo se da je malčice lakša nego one noći kad su se sreli"
...
Ovaj gore dio osvrta sam napisao dok sam čitao prvi od pet dijelova novele, a nakon toga sve pada u vodu tamnu, tamniju od tamne strane Mjeseca kojeg proždire vuk iz Crvenkapice - da malo imitiram Zelaznyja.
Dakle, radnja počinje kada poznati Oblikovatelj - psiholog koji pomaže ljudima novom metodom psihoanalize u snovima - dobije jednu slijepu pacjenticu kojoj pomoću te metode pokuša pokazati kako da vidi. I krenu zanimljivo te njihove seanse, ali onda kao da je Zelazny stvarno pisao na tripu.
Scene/snovi(?) se izmjenjuju, nisam siguran tko tu koga... sanja.
Mislim da kužim što je htio postići - mislim. Mislim da je htio izbrisati tanku blijedu liniju boje mjesečine koja dijeli svijet snova od onog kojeg mi nazivamo stvarni svijet - mislim. Mislim da je htio prikazati i kako bi izgledala psiha neurotičara gledana iznutra - mislim! No, što dalje ide to je nejasnije što želi reći i o čemu to uopće piše. Upleo je tu i grčku mitologiju, poeziju, neka svoja promišljanja o nekim desetim temama i što sve ne. Sve je to samo nabacano bez nekog smisla, kao da je time htio dobiti privid dubine. Povremeno se između toga uplete i neki lijep opis, ali nažalost to mi nije dovoljno.
Kao da je htio napisati ekspresionističku sliku o dadaizmu u stihovima bitničke pjesme.
Šteta. Šteta. Šteta.
"Mnoge stvari može um u sebi držati. Um uči. Ali ne može sebe naučiti da ne misli ništa."
March 22, 2009
Charles Render is a Shaper, a type of psychiatrist who adminsters therapy via sort of a psychic virtual reality. Enter Eileen Shallot, a woman blind from birth who wants to be a Shaper and wants Render to teach her to see.
I actually don't have a lot to say about this one. While I liked it, it was a little on the meh side of the Zelazny spectrum. I really liked the Shaper concept and the talking dogs but didn't really care about the characters.
I actually don't have a lot to say about this one. While I liked it, it was a little on the meh side of the Zelazny spectrum. I really liked the Shaper concept and the talking dogs but didn't really care about the characters.
February 8, 2023
Missed opportunity.
The whole book feels like a dream: Feels disconnected until you take a step back to somehow formulate your own connections. This wouldn't be a problem if it followed a structure that feels like you are watching a show: sudden cuts to other pieces of the story.
It wastes a lot of time in meaningless factors. To be completely honest, the whole story is understood by reading the first 50-ish pages and then the last 60. Everything in the middle is kinda... "ignorable".
The whole book feels like a dream: Feels disconnected until you take a step back to somehow formulate your own connections. This wouldn't be a problem if it followed a structure that feels like you are watching a show: sudden cuts to other pieces of the story.
It wastes a lot of time in meaningless factors. To be completely honest, the whole story is understood by reading the first 50-ish pages and then the last 60. Everything in the middle is kinda... "ignorable".
March 19, 2018
This story leaves me very confused. It's not that I totally disliked it, but I'm also not sure that I could follow till the end what was going on. It probably would help to discuss it with other readers.
April 29, 2024
The Dream Master holds well despite being almost 60 years old. It has an outstanding premise - Charles Render specialises in neuroparticipation. Basically, he creates and controls/constructs dreams of his patients to get an insight into their neuroses and problems. Render takes on a patient with congenital blindness and a hunger for visual stimuli. And for becoming a neuroparticipant therapist herself.
Zelazny takes readers on a wild ride through dreamscapes and forces them to do a lot of mental gymnastics. Science-fiction blends with surrealism and serious psychological baggage. The dreams we navigate range from wonderful to terrifying.
Render’s sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude appealed to me; He’s a strong lead. Eileen? A mystery wrapped in an enigma with lots of inner demons.
Zelazny’s writing is smooth, but he wasn’t interested in holding a reader’s hand while introducing more weirdness and it takes a mental effort to keep up. The Dream Master gets dense and mind-bending. I could even risk saying the story gets lost in its complexity, sometimes. Add to this the fact Zelazny’s penchant for ambiguity and leaving some questions unanswered and you have a potentially divisive story.
It’s not perfect, but I still give it a thumbs up for its boldness and a trippy adventure.
Zelazny takes readers on a wild ride through dreamscapes and forces them to do a lot of mental gymnastics. Science-fiction blends with surrealism and serious psychological baggage. The dreams we navigate range from wonderful to terrifying.
Render’s sharp wit and no-nonsense attitude appealed to me; He’s a strong lead. Eileen? A mystery wrapped in an enigma with lots of inner demons.
Zelazny’s writing is smooth, but he wasn’t interested in holding a reader’s hand while introducing more weirdness and it takes a mental effort to keep up. The Dream Master gets dense and mind-bending. I could even risk saying the story gets lost in its complexity, sometimes. Add to this the fact Zelazny’s penchant for ambiguity and leaving some questions unanswered and you have a potentially divisive story.
It’s not perfect, but I still give it a thumbs up for its boldness and a trippy adventure.
December 4, 2020
Evoked an automatic association with Christopher Nolan's "Inception". Not one of Zelazny's best, but it is a good one.
აი თურმე რა ქონდა ინსპირაციად ნოლანს ინსეფშენზე რო გადაკიდა ხალხი ერთმანეთს
ის ბზრიალა ტიტრების შემდეგ დავარდა and other hilarious jokes you can tell yourself
შეიძლება საუკეთესო არ არის მაგრამ მაინც ზელაზნია და შესაბამისად რეკომენდაცია გაწეულიც <3
აი თურმე რა ქონდა ინსპირაციად ნოლანს ინსეფშენზე რო გადაკიდა ხალხი ერთმანეთს
ის ბზრიალა ტიტრების შემდეგ დავარდა and other hilarious jokes you can tell yourself
შეიძლება საუკეთესო არ არის მაგრამ მაინც ზელაზნია და შესაბამისად რეკომენდაცია გაწეულიც <3
September 13, 2023
This is the first book I have read by Roger Zelazny. A slightly less than "normal" male friend in the 1980s told me to read Roger, so forty years later I have started.
Sci fi in the 1960s was so delightfully wacky and The Dream Master is a good example. A "psychology engineer" invents a device by which he can enter a person's mind, experience their thoughts and then tweak those thoughts to a supposedly less traumatic state through creating virtual realities for the person to experience.
It works fine for him until he meets his match trying to help a blind female psychologist. Ha Ha!
Anyway, if this sounds oddly similar to today's world of continuous on-line barraging by info, ideas, and imagery, most of which is nearly impossible to verify as even remotely true, let me tell you we are in big trouble!
Sci fi in the 1960s was so delightfully wacky and The Dream Master is a good example. A "psychology engineer" invents a device by which he can enter a person's mind, experience their thoughts and then tweak those thoughts to a supposedly less traumatic state through creating virtual realities for the person to experience.
It works fine for him until he meets his match trying to help a blind female psychologist. Ha Ha!
Anyway, if this sounds oddly similar to today's world of continuous on-line barraging by info, ideas, and imagery, most of which is nearly impossible to verify as even remotely true, let me tell you we are in big trouble!
February 5, 2013
Compared to modern SF novels the length of this book might almost be closer to being a short story than a novel but Zelazny does mange to pack more ideas into a short space than many other manage in much longer works.
The main character, Render, is a dream therapist who works by manipulating the dreams of his patients to turn them into immersive experiences where Render shapes the dreams to help his clients gain new perspectives on their issues. This is a perilous occupation since if the therapist gets too involved in the dreams they are creating then they risk their own sanity. Render is one of the best in the world at what he does, however in this book he takes on his biggest challenge to date as he takes on a blind woman (and aspiring dream therapist) as a patient who wants to experience seeing in her dreams what she can never see in reality.
The novel being partially set in various dreams that Render has created does allow for some memorable scenes and there’s also plenty of imagination shown elsewhere in the world Zelazny describes, particularly memorable is a guide dog with an enhanced intellect and some genetic modifications allow him some ability to speak whose personality is an intriguing mix of canine and human. Occasionally the technology does feel a bit dated (the book was written in the 1960s) but most of the time it doesn’t detract from the story.
I think Zelazny is one of the genre’s best writers of prose and there is some very good writing in here. The plot is also intriguing but some parts of it are perhaps a bit underexplained and the ending feels rushed and unnecessarily vague in terms of describing what exactly has happened. I’m also unsure about the purpose of some of the scenes and subplots, particularly concerning Render’s precocious son whose visit to an exhibition on interplanetary travel feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the novel. There is some good characterisation in here, particularly of Render and his patient although the supporting characters mostly don’t get much depth.
Overall, I’d say this was a good book but not one of Zelazny’s best works, compared to a masterpiece like “Lord of Light” it feels as if it wasn’t quite as good as it should have been.
The main character, Render, is a dream therapist who works by manipulating the dreams of his patients to turn them into immersive experiences where Render shapes the dreams to help his clients gain new perspectives on their issues. This is a perilous occupation since if the therapist gets too involved in the dreams they are creating then they risk their own sanity. Render is one of the best in the world at what he does, however in this book he takes on his biggest challenge to date as he takes on a blind woman (and aspiring dream therapist) as a patient who wants to experience seeing in her dreams what she can never see in reality.
The novel being partially set in various dreams that Render has created does allow for some memorable scenes and there’s also plenty of imagination shown elsewhere in the world Zelazny describes, particularly memorable is a guide dog with an enhanced intellect and some genetic modifications allow him some ability to speak whose personality is an intriguing mix of canine and human. Occasionally the technology does feel a bit dated (the book was written in the 1960s) but most of the time it doesn’t detract from the story.
I think Zelazny is one of the genre’s best writers of prose and there is some very good writing in here. The plot is also intriguing but some parts of it are perhaps a bit underexplained and the ending feels rushed and unnecessarily vague in terms of describing what exactly has happened. I’m also unsure about the purpose of some of the scenes and subplots, particularly concerning Render’s precocious son whose visit to an exhibition on interplanetary travel feels a bit disconnected from the rest of the novel. There is some good characterisation in here, particularly of Render and his patient although the supporting characters mostly don’t get much depth.
Overall, I’d say this was a good book but not one of Zelazny’s best works, compared to a masterpiece like “Lord of Light” it feels as if it wasn’t quite as good as it should have been.
March 30, 2020
Auf dem Gebiet der psychiatrischen Behandlung gibt es eine neue Methode, mit deren Hilfe der Arzt direkt in die Gedankenwelt des Patienten eintaucht um seine Probleme zu lösen. Dabei bedient er sich recht kreativer Methoden, um verschiedene Traumwelten zu erzeugen und vorhandene Traumas zu durchbrechen.
Diese neue Behandlungsmethode ist allerdings nicht ungefährlich, ein unaufmerksamer Arzt kann sich in den Gedanken seines Patienten verlieren und schließlich verrückt werden. Genau diese Gefahr kommt unmerklich auf Charles Render zu, ohne dass er es wahrhaben will. Seine Patientin, Eileen Shallot, ist ebenfalls Arzt und sehr ehrgeizig aber von Natur aus blind. Genau wie er möchte sie gerne "Traumformer" werden und tut dafür alles. Zuerst ist Charles skeptisch und glaubt nicht daran, dass Eileen dafür geeignet ist, er versucht es aber trotzdem und hat einzigartige Erlebnisse...
Roger Zelazny hat ein anspruchvolles Buch geschrieben. Das Thema "psychiatrische Behandlung" wird nicht oft in der SF aufgegriffen und schon gar nicht auf diese Weise. Ungewöhnlich ist, wie gut der Charakter Charles dargestellt wird und wie auf jegliche Effekthascherei verzichtet wird. Robert Silverberg ist ähnliches in Es stirbt in mir ein paar Jahre später gelungen. Empfehlenswert!
Diese neue Behandlungsmethode ist allerdings nicht ungefährlich, ein unaufmerksamer Arzt kann sich in den Gedanken seines Patienten verlieren und schließlich verrückt werden. Genau diese Gefahr kommt unmerklich auf Charles Render zu, ohne dass er es wahrhaben will. Seine Patientin, Eileen Shallot, ist ebenfalls Arzt und sehr ehrgeizig aber von Natur aus blind. Genau wie er möchte sie gerne "Traumformer" werden und tut dafür alles. Zuerst ist Charles skeptisch und glaubt nicht daran, dass Eileen dafür geeignet ist, er versucht es aber trotzdem und hat einzigartige Erlebnisse...
Roger Zelazny hat ein anspruchvolles Buch geschrieben. Das Thema "psychiatrische Behandlung" wird nicht oft in der SF aufgegriffen und schon gar nicht auf diese Weise. Ungewöhnlich ist, wie gut der Charakter Charles dargestellt wird und wie auf jegliche Effekthascherei verzichtet wird. Robert Silverberg ist ähnliches in Es stirbt in mir ein paar Jahre später gelungen. Empfehlenswert!
October 28, 2011
An interesting premise with a weak execution in a needlessly fragmented narrative. It wasn't a long novel but I felt that it would have either worked better as a short story or fleshed out in more depth as a longer novel.
Surprisingly, this book one a nebula award (or so the blurb on the cover claims) which just goes to show that winning an award is not always a good indicator of quality. Despite its award this is not one of Zelazny's well-remembered novels and, as far as I am concerned, for good reason; it's simply not that good. Particularly disappointing when you know the author is capable of so much better.
Surprisingly, this book one a nebula award (or so the blurb on the cover claims) which just goes to show that winning an award is not always a good indicator of quality. Despite its award this is not one of Zelazny's well-remembered novels and, as far as I am concerned, for good reason; it's simply not that good. Particularly disappointing when you know the author is capable of so much better.
November 2, 2025
Check out my full, spoiler free, video review HERE.
Charles Render is a Shaper. Via a dream machine, he provides therapy by controlling shared dreams with the patient. A blind woman, Eileen Shallot, becomes his student. There is so much more going on in this short, tight novel. Zelazny crafted an entertaining, complex, deep story. If the ending leaves you a bit confused like it did me, go check out Liminal Spaces deep dive video. Mind blown.
Charles Render is a Shaper. Via a dream machine, he provides therapy by controlling shared dreams with the patient. A blind woman, Eileen Shallot, becomes his student. There is so much more going on in this short, tight novel. Zelazny crafted an entertaining, complex, deep story. If the ending leaves you a bit confused like it did me, go check out Liminal Spaces deep dive video. Mind blown.
October 4, 2016
Terribly anti-climactic and contrived plot. Paper thin characters. Cringeworthy romance. Typos and errors galore. The only salvageable aspect is the writing itself, which pushed me to get through this book as fast as I possibly could. Not quite sure how this won a Nebula Award....
May 1, 2022
The Dream Master is a science-fiction novel by Roger Zelazny, 1966, originally published as a novella titled He Who Shapes that won a Hugo Award in the same year. In 1981, the writer wrote an outline for a film based on the story. 20th Century Fox purchased the rights from Zelazny and developed a script for the movie, Dreamscape, 1984. Zelazny did not appear on the credits for Dreamscape due to having no involvement in writing the script or treatment for the motion picture.
In a future where overpopulation and technology suffocate society, comfort and psychological issues are at odds. Charles Render delivers a psychotherapeutic innovation that can make your nightmares disappear. Render can manipulate your dreams and drive your demons away. Elliot Shallot delivers Render an almost impossible challenge in asking for his help. Will Charles Render be her knight in shining armour or a lost soul inside a tin suit?
Lucid, nightmares or any other type of dreams are all great. I'm not the only one that thinks so. People devote their lives to studying the meanings behind the images we see in our altered states of consciousness. I'm fascinated that some dreams have helped create some of the most memorable songs, books and films in history.
In Japan, studies are underway to help create a dream-reading machine. Scientists have discovered how to use an MRI machine to help identify the images we dream about using hormone signatures. Hopefully, this technology is nothing more than an idea at the moment, but would you want to use it anyway? Dreaming is one of the most curious situations we experience as human beings, and I don’t think I want to turn that into reality yet.
I find it hard to review a book after one read. I have some issues with The Dream Master, only because it's a story I feel I do not understand yet! However, the books I do write about are the ones that will stay in my collection forever and will be read numerous times in the years ahead. I enjoy writing these reviews because I can go back and see how my view of the book changes over time. Plus, I have no idea what other people think of this book? After this is finished and people comment, it lets me see the story in a completely different light. I am just trying to apologise if you believe this review is all over the place, which it is. Selfishly, it's where it belongs.
The Dream Master takes place in the future, a world that involves talking canines and self-driving cars. Charles Render specialises in neuroparticipant therapy, where a patient is set into a dream simulation where Render can control the host's dream state. Render can manipulate the patients' underlying neuroses and turn nightmares into pleasant dreams. Thus, helping people take control of their life in the real world. Charles meets Eileen Shallot, who asks Render to train her how to become a neuroparticipant therapist herself. Eileen wants to understand what her patients will have to go through, even though she is blind. Charles Render, always one for pushing boundaries, agrees to help his client.
I will admit, The Dream Master is not the book I was expecting. After watching Dreamscape, I envisioned the story to be darker, gritty and more realistic. What I got was something that felt satirical, intelligent and confusing. The confusion could be down to my intelligence because there are some big words in the story, plus big names in philosophy, classical music, and all manner of highbrow entertainment. The thing is, I enjoyed the confusion. I’m still a bit lost on what moments took place in a dream state or reality, which only adds to the appeal of the book.
As I said earlier, there is a talking dog in the story, and it was a bit of a kick in the nuts to accept. However, there is a passage about a man walking onto a freeway into oncoming traffic, and it is beautiful in a strange way. I still do not know who that man was or if he was even real? The dog even drove a car, and my childish imagination went straight to the Wacky Races. Still, Charles Render's character is so multi-layered and well written that you forget about the jarring moments in the story. Render comes across as a confident well-regarded man of the community, but you soon learn that his character can't accept the death of his wife and daughter. I think Charles finds control in his work, and somehow that makes him feel like he can control life itself. His son was a little weak in the story, and I felt his arc fell at the waist side somewhat. I suppose his character is just there to show how Render does everything possible to protect him from any harm.
I don’t like taking notes about how and when things happen in the story because a story should be good enough that you can remember all those moments instantly. I could discuss the ending, but again, I think my understanding of what happened was not what I expected. It was left to the last minute, without any real conclusion. But then again, I could be wrong, so that’s why I will go back and give it a second try. Maybe, because I have watched Dreamscape and watched so many films that cover this subject, the Dream Master didn’t have the grand ending that I expected. However, at one hundred and fifty-seven pages, it's pretty dam tight.
I suppose this review sums up where I am with this book! I didn’t love it, but I did? There are passages I did not enjoy, but I feel like that is my fault somehow. It is one of the most curious books that I have ever read. It was so cryptic and appealed to my very nature. A book within another book; that is hiding another book on a shelf in an office somewhere in Delaware is my best way to describe it. Sometimes it felt like the future, and other times was like the roaring twenties. If you are reading this and have never heard of the book before, I highly recommend it. I wish I could add more about the story, but I want all my knowledge of the story to come from the pages and not google. It felt reminiscent of a heavy night of drinking. Waking up and having flashbacks appear to you for weeks after, some moments will make you cringe, and others will make you want to go back and do it all again.
As for Roger Zelazny, I am not familiar with his other work, but The Chronicles of Amber looks pretty fantastic. I will check his other books out in the future. I did not know what to expect when I started this site. I wanted to find somewhere I could get some enjoyment and fulfilment. I guess I found it because I didn't know about Dreamscape until I found it on My Journey into Science-Fiction Project. I have now watched the film and read the book, and it has been a great experience. I can't ask for much more in life. It's just pure enjoyment, and there is so much more to come in the future.
In a future where overpopulation and technology suffocate society, comfort and psychological issues are at odds. Charles Render delivers a psychotherapeutic innovation that can make your nightmares disappear. Render can manipulate your dreams and drive your demons away. Elliot Shallot delivers Render an almost impossible challenge in asking for his help. Will Charles Render be her knight in shining armour or a lost soul inside a tin suit?
Lucid, nightmares or any other type of dreams are all great. I'm not the only one that thinks so. People devote their lives to studying the meanings behind the images we see in our altered states of consciousness. I'm fascinated that some dreams have helped create some of the most memorable songs, books and films in history.
In Japan, studies are underway to help create a dream-reading machine. Scientists have discovered how to use an MRI machine to help identify the images we dream about using hormone signatures. Hopefully, this technology is nothing more than an idea at the moment, but would you want to use it anyway? Dreaming is one of the most curious situations we experience as human beings, and I don’t think I want to turn that into reality yet.
I find it hard to review a book after one read. I have some issues with The Dream Master, only because it's a story I feel I do not understand yet! However, the books I do write about are the ones that will stay in my collection forever and will be read numerous times in the years ahead. I enjoy writing these reviews because I can go back and see how my view of the book changes over time. Plus, I have no idea what other people think of this book? After this is finished and people comment, it lets me see the story in a completely different light. I am just trying to apologise if you believe this review is all over the place, which it is. Selfishly, it's where it belongs.
The Dream Master takes place in the future, a world that involves talking canines and self-driving cars. Charles Render specialises in neuroparticipant therapy, where a patient is set into a dream simulation where Render can control the host's dream state. Render can manipulate the patients' underlying neuroses and turn nightmares into pleasant dreams. Thus, helping people take control of their life in the real world. Charles meets Eileen Shallot, who asks Render to train her how to become a neuroparticipant therapist herself. Eileen wants to understand what her patients will have to go through, even though she is blind. Charles Render, always one for pushing boundaries, agrees to help his client.
I will admit, The Dream Master is not the book I was expecting. After watching Dreamscape, I envisioned the story to be darker, gritty and more realistic. What I got was something that felt satirical, intelligent and confusing. The confusion could be down to my intelligence because there are some big words in the story, plus big names in philosophy, classical music, and all manner of highbrow entertainment. The thing is, I enjoyed the confusion. I’m still a bit lost on what moments took place in a dream state or reality, which only adds to the appeal of the book.
As I said earlier, there is a talking dog in the story, and it was a bit of a kick in the nuts to accept. However, there is a passage about a man walking onto a freeway into oncoming traffic, and it is beautiful in a strange way. I still do not know who that man was or if he was even real? The dog even drove a car, and my childish imagination went straight to the Wacky Races. Still, Charles Render's character is so multi-layered and well written that you forget about the jarring moments in the story. Render comes across as a confident well-regarded man of the community, but you soon learn that his character can't accept the death of his wife and daughter. I think Charles finds control in his work, and somehow that makes him feel like he can control life itself. His son was a little weak in the story, and I felt his arc fell at the waist side somewhat. I suppose his character is just there to show how Render does everything possible to protect him from any harm.
I don’t like taking notes about how and when things happen in the story because a story should be good enough that you can remember all those moments instantly. I could discuss the ending, but again, I think my understanding of what happened was not what I expected. It was left to the last minute, without any real conclusion. But then again, I could be wrong, so that’s why I will go back and give it a second try. Maybe, because I have watched Dreamscape and watched so many films that cover this subject, the Dream Master didn’t have the grand ending that I expected. However, at one hundred and fifty-seven pages, it's pretty dam tight.
I suppose this review sums up where I am with this book! I didn’t love it, but I did? There are passages I did not enjoy, but I feel like that is my fault somehow. It is one of the most curious books that I have ever read. It was so cryptic and appealed to my very nature. A book within another book; that is hiding another book on a shelf in an office somewhere in Delaware is my best way to describe it. Sometimes it felt like the future, and other times was like the roaring twenties. If you are reading this and have never heard of the book before, I highly recommend it. I wish I could add more about the story, but I want all my knowledge of the story to come from the pages and not google. It felt reminiscent of a heavy night of drinking. Waking up and having flashbacks appear to you for weeks after, some moments will make you cringe, and others will make you want to go back and do it all again.
As for Roger Zelazny, I am not familiar with his other work, but The Chronicles of Amber looks pretty fantastic. I will check his other books out in the future. I did not know what to expect when I started this site. I wanted to find somewhere I could get some enjoyment and fulfilment. I guess I found it because I didn't know about Dreamscape until I found it on My Journey into Science-Fiction Project. I have now watched the film and read the book, and it has been a great experience. I can't ask for much more in life. It's just pure enjoyment, and there is so much more to come in the future.
December 29, 2025
Ursula Le Guin nella prefazione di un suo racconto ha citato il racconto che dà origine a questo romanzo come uno dei migliori racconti di fantascienza. Probabilmente è molto meglio il racconto originale, perché il tema è accattivante, una macchina in grado di manipolare i sogni a scopo terapeutico, ma il romanzo sembra diluito e perde un po’.
September 15, 2011
I originally read this book back in the early 80's and remembered it fondly.
I just reread it and was sadly disappointed.
Maybe they just floated over my head when I read them as a young adult, but the endless obscure literary references got increasingly annoying, and I kept wondering what they had to do with the story. It was as if Zelazny was trying to impress his readers with his vast knowledge and understanding of science, music and literature... like it was a job interview.
Dude... what happened to the story?
Three quarters of the way through the book, I kept wondering when something interesting was going to happen. The chain-smoking did little for me, as did the faux ballet/theater/whatever it was.
Showing a blind woman colors and animals through a shared dream, and being able to discuss it with her intelligent, talking dog seems like to promising premise to a good, involved storyline... but it did not pan out that way (at least for me).
I was left befuddled, speed-reading through the mishmush to try to find the story I remembered.
Maybe it is best to leave those books I read long ago alone, as my perspective has changed... but they have not.
I just reread it and was sadly disappointed.
Maybe they just floated over my head when I read them as a young adult, but the endless obscure literary references got increasingly annoying, and I kept wondering what they had to do with the story. It was as if Zelazny was trying to impress his readers with his vast knowledge and understanding of science, music and literature... like it was a job interview.
Dude... what happened to the story?
Three quarters of the way through the book, I kept wondering when something interesting was going to happen. The chain-smoking did little for me, as did the faux ballet/theater/whatever it was.
Showing a blind woman colors and animals through a shared dream, and being able to discuss it with her intelligent, talking dog seems like to promising premise to a good, involved storyline... but it did not pan out that way (at least for me).
I was left befuddled, speed-reading through the mishmush to try to find the story I remembered.
Maybe it is best to leave those books I read long ago alone, as my perspective has changed... but they have not.
April 20, 2021
На жаль, тут було значно менше снів, ніж хотілося б... Все одно загальна атмосфера дуже класна. Сюжет не вирізняється динамічністю, проте на фоні більшості фантастів Желязни дуже талановитий письменник, а все інше не має значення
Найбільше порадували вівчарки, що розмовляють і водять машини ;)
Найбільше порадували вівчарки, що розмовляють і водять машини ;)
November 4, 2024
Sharp, poignant, and philosophical—The Dream Master is a book that doesn’t hold the reader’s hand. It poetically and succinctly explores death, dreams, psychological pain and pleasure, and the unknown with multilayered characters and psychological themes rarely touched upon by science fiction.
At only 155 pages, this book is an easy read, yet it’s filled with so many ideas. And despite talking dogs, virtual reality sets, and self-driving cars, it’s quite grounded in its conceptual framework. It’s cerebral without sacrificing the human experience.
And the ending? Even though I saw it coming a mile away, it hit just as hard as I’m sure Zelazny intended.
Right now, for me, it’s 4/5 stars. But I think this is the kind of book that really could benefit another read—perhaps another after that—to get the full scope of what’s inside this powerful little book.
At only 155 pages, this book is an easy read, yet it’s filled with so many ideas. And despite talking dogs, virtual reality sets, and self-driving cars, it’s quite grounded in its conceptual framework. It’s cerebral without sacrificing the human experience.
And the ending? Even though I saw it coming a mile away, it hit just as hard as I’m sure Zelazny intended.
Right now, for me, it’s 4/5 stars. But I think this is the kind of book that really could benefit another read—perhaps another after that—to get the full scope of what’s inside this powerful little book.
October 11, 2025
Interesting book. Maybe there's too many mythic and psychology references but some chapters or parts were so confusing I couldn't quite get them. The ending was pretty obviously foreshadowed but the ending itself was a bit confusing... weird. Very much liked the light sci-fi elements while some more "casual" parts were very current day and relatable. I think it probably was a bit too difficult for me in general so maybe I'll revisit it some other time or do some extra reading and research.
October 15, 2025
“Сон же з юрби незчисленних синів своїх кличе Морфея,—
Він-бо міг будь-яку постать майстерно вві сні зобразити;
Краще від нього ніхто б не зумів передати так тонко
Вигляд — обличчя, ходу, навіть голос; в такій же одежі
Він появлявсь уві сні, та ще й слів добирав таких самих.
Міг він, однак, лиш людину наслідувать. Другий робився
Звіром, чи птахом, чи то довжелезною вився змією.
Ікелом бога цього називають боги несмертельні;
Люди — Фобетором звуть. Від цих двох відрізняється третій —
Фантас: той бог залюбки перевтілитись може у землю,
Воду, поліно чи скелю — у будь-яке тіло бездушне.
Всі вони звикли царям і вождям серед ночі являти
Лиця свої. А до простого люду приходили інші.”
Публій Овідій Назон “Метаморфози”
Переклад Андрія Содомори
“Нехай це буде наука для всякого формотворця — твори мудро, але не перестарайся.”
Я взявся за книгу з великими сподіваннями. Перш за все тому, що Желязни для мене безперечно один з найкращих інтелектуальних фантастів в історії літератури, а по-друге – з усіх усюд чув на скільки ж сильною є ця книга: повість що лягла в її основу виграла найпершу премію Ньюбла в своїй категорії. Цим романом надихався Ніл Ґейман, створюючи культову серію “Сендмен”. І напевно найголовніше для мене – це фантастика нової хвилі, коли автори писали дійсно складно і багато і наповнювали свої твори численними алюзіями та покликаннями.
” -Ви навіть не уявляєте, як це бути позбавленій цілої сфери стимулів! Розуміти, що навіть якийсь недоумок може переживати дещо, чого тобі не пізнати ніколи… Але оцінити не може бо, як і ти, він дістав пренатальний вирок у суді біологічної випадковості, де справедливістю і не пахне, де панує чиста фортуна.
-Всесвіт справедливості не винаходив. Це зробила людина. На жаль, людям доводиться жити у всесвіті.
-У всесвіту я не прошу допомоги. Прошу у вас.”
В цій цитаті Айлін Шалотт – сліпа від народження лікарка, намагається переконати головного героя Чарльза Рендера відкрити для неї зір уві сні. Справа в тому, що в світі, який описує Желязни спеціально навчені лікарі-психіатри можуть за допомогою апарата проникати в сни своїх пацієнтів, формувати ці сни і таким чином лікувати психіку. Але що станеться, якщо з’єднати дві свідомості, одна з яких незряча і намагатись таким чином винайти зір, незнану сенсорну систему? Як невролог дам свій вердикт – нічого не вийде. Якщо впродовж перших років життя дитина не отримуватиме світлових подразників, то зорова кора не розвинеться, і людина буде сліпа. Те ж саме стосується людей із вродженою сліпотою – в їх мозку не існує локуса, який відповідає за цю функцію, створити його з нуля неможливо. Але звернімось до логіки апарату Снів, який описує Желязни – він дозволяє не просто творити в чужій свідомості, а поєднати дві в одну. Звідси моторошні наслідки експерименту з мавпою, чи сугестія, коли Рендер одного разу заразився від пацієнта клаустрофобією. Це злиття двох свідомостей і не просто так тут часто з’являтиметься символ двох поєднаних облич – Трістан та Ізольда, Ланселот і Леді Шалотт, двоголовий кліпотичний демон Тауміель. А поєднує їх – Чаша.
“-Святий Ґрааль, урочисто оголосив Рендер. — Це, дорогенька, зветься енантіодромія. Цикл замикається. Досягнувши початку, іде по спіралі. Хто я такий, щоб судити? Хтозна, чи не схований у машині Грааль. Із плином часу речі мають тенденцію мінятися на протилежні. Друзі стають ворогами, а недоліки перевагами. Але я ще трохи затримаю час і перекажу вам коротку байку віддячу за грецьку історію про Дедала. Ту байку мені розповів пацієнт на прізвище Ротман, знавець кабалістики. Грааль, що перед нами, цей символ світла, чистоти і святості, яке його походження?
-Ніхто не знає.
-Так, але є традиційна легенда, що її я й дізнався ві�� Ротмана: Грааль, мовляв, заповів нащадкам Мелхиседек, ізраїльський первосвященник, наказавши віддати в руки Месії. Та звідки він узявся в самого Мелхиседека? Той вирізав Грааль із величезного смарагда, знайденого в пустелі. А камінь випав із корони Самаеля, Янгола Пітьми, коли його скинуто з Височини. Ось вам і Грааль: зі світла до пітьми, назад до світла, знову до пітьми, а звідти а хтозна… То до чого я вів? Оце і є енантіодромія, моя мила.”
Також тут багато музики, психології, численні цитати з Шекспіра, не обійшлось без Данте і античних трагікі�� – класичний розумний текст для уважних та начитаних читачів.
З приємністю я знайшов місток до мого улюбленого роману Желязни “Цей Безсмертний” – в обох цитується Джойс, а також в обох Желязни покликається на Фрейзера. Наприклад нижче згадується контагіозна (контактна) магія:
“Він високоспеціалізований спеціаліст у дуже вузькій галузі, тож мені трудно як слід оцінити ті інформаційні крихти, що їх він мені вділяє. Інколи я й сама хочу мати можливість позазирати в чужі думки звісно, аби побачити, що думають про мене. Але навряд чи я довго витримала б у чиємусь розумі. Особливо… Джилл театрально здригнулася, у розумі когось, хто має… проблеми. Боюся, мене від такого тісного контакту взяло б надмірне співчуття, я б надміру перелякалася чи щось таке… І тоді, як ото пишуть, — бац! Чужі проблеми стали б моїми. Така собі контактна магія…”
Ну і куди ж без Біблії. Більшість цитат і алюзій пояснені, окрім найкращої та найкмітливішої. Велетенське задоволення, коли її відкриваєш самотужки. Ось вона:
“Нехай бережуть тебе тіні Фройда і Юнґа на шляху крізь долину пітьми.”
Це парафраз із загальновідомого псалма:
“Коли я піду хоча б навіть долиною смертної темряви, то не буду боятися злого, бо Ти при мені, Твоє жезло й Твій посох вони мене втішать!”
(Псалми 22.4 переклад Івана Огієнка)
Цікаво, що перероблену цитати вимовляє до Рендера, його вчитель Бартельмець, який вже в свою чергу згадує свого бого-вчителя Адлера. В той час за інверсією для Рендера роль богів виконують Юнґ і Фройд – чиї концепції (Юнґ – енантіодромія, апеляція до міфологічних архетипів, “Вотан”, Фройд – Епідіпів комплекс, комплекс кастрації, Ід, Еґо і Супер Еґо, Лібідо і Мортідо, Ерос і Танатос) найбільше цитуються в книзі.
Я кілька разів перечитав фінал. Його можна інтерпретувати по-різному. Очевидно, що Ейлін грає роль Ізольди. Але якої з двох? Чи дійсно в неї добрі наміри, чи вона просто хоче відбити Рендера у Девіл?
Друге – поява у сні Зіґмунда, як Фенріса це просто символ, чи собака дійсно під час сеансу прорвався в кулю до Ейлін чи в маніпуляційну до Рендера?
Далі, чи помирає Ейлін вкінці?
Питання, питання, питання. Відповіді на них точно не дасть ніхто. Будуть просто версії.
Ось – моя.
Щоб розгадати останній, дійсно геніальний епізод, нам потрібні три компоненти: знання базових принципів Кабали, опис підсвідомості та процесу патологічної сугестії від Бартельмеца (Постулати Шанкари), відомості про той предмет у якому вперше опинилася метаморфозована уві сні Ейлін. Підемо від останнього і до найпершого.
Буквальна цитата:
“Ейлін обрала маленьку вербу. Верба гойдалася від вітру; гілки звисали до води”.
Рендер змушує жінку-вербу поглянути на себе у воду. Після цього вона стає людиною, а мить перед тим це були два дерева – явне і його підводний двійник”.
Для того щоб застерегти Рендера від роботи зі сліпою, Бартельмец викладає Катехізис Шанкари:
“Один із Шанкариних постулатів звісно, без жодного стосунку до психотерапії! – полягає в наявності справжнього «я» і несправжнього «я». Справжнє – це те в людині, що має безсмертя й потрапить колись до нірвани. Можна сказати, душа. Чом би й ні? Ну й, відповідно, друге, несправжнє «я» звичайний розум, обплутаний ілюзіями. Свідомість, як у мене, у тебе, у всіх пацієнтів. Зрозуміло? Гаразд. А те, з чого зроблене «я» несправжнє, називається скандгами. До них належать відчуття, сприйняття, схильності, сама свідомість і навіть фізичне тіло. Дуже ненауково, так. І ні, скандги— це не те саме, що й неврози чи, скажімо, Ібсенова «житейська брех-ня», чи галюцинації. Аж ніяк, хоча скандги теж фальшиві, бо за своєю природою є складовими несправжнього.
П’ять скандг і утворюють ексцентричність, яку ми називаємо ідентичністю. А зверху накладаються неврози й усі інші капості, що дають заробіток нашому братові. Уловлюєш? Добре. Цю лекцію я читаю, бо потребую драматичного терміна для того, що зараз скажу, адже скажу я дещо драматичне. Уявімо, що скандги лежать на дні озера. Тоді неврози- хвильки на воді, а «справжнє я», якщо воно таки існує, зарите глибоко в пісок на дні. Хвильки заповнюють… як би сказати?.. Zwischenwelt (проміжний світ) між об’єктом і суб’єктом. А скандги належать до суб’єкта, вони неповторні та невіддільні; це те, з чого створена його суть… Ще не заплутався?
-За думкою стежу, але є чимало «але».
-Гаразд. Коли ми вже сяк-так означили термін, я ним скористаюся. Ти заграєш зі скандгами, а не з якимись неврозами. Намагаєшся скоригувати загальне уявлення тієї жінки про саму себе й про світ. І застосовуєш нейротрансивер. Це все одно, що лізти до божевільного чи до мавпи. Усе спершу йде ніби добре, але повсякчас є ризик, що якась твоя дія, щось уперше показане, нововивчений спосіб бачити завалять саме ії «я», пробивши одну зі скандг, і тоді що? Бабах! Дно озера проломиться. Утвориться вир і засмокче тебе, а куди? Не хочу я, о юний друже, юний майстре, тебе за пацієнта, тож раджу облишити експеримент. Нейропричетність не для такого.”
А тепер третій компонент – Кабала. Дерево з першої цитати і його нижній двійник, якими була Шалотт це очевидна алюзія на Дерево Сфірот і його підземний антипод Кліпот. Проміжний світ – той у якому Рендер мав владу дав тріщину і відбулося те, чого так боявся Бартельмец – він потрапив у вир Сліпого єства Ейлін.
Демон в такому випадку може символізувати двох його мертвих – доньку та дружину, або ж роздвоєність його власної душі через злиття з Ейлін. Від демона він тікає в печеру – місце темряви і небачення – підземний світ Ейлін. Очевидно, що в Кліпоті Снотворець не має влади, бо це і є те місце куди він виганяв травми та неврози, він опинився у власному персональному пеклі, а тікає від нього в оману отруєну напоєм – світ сліпоти Ейлін.
Тут слушно буде згадати хтонічних підземних богинь – скинутих матріархальних володарок природи.
“-У важкому повітрі зазміїлися жовті вогні. Обвили Рендерові гомілки. І тоді крізь імлу наблизився Супротивник -величезний, як вежа, і двоголовий.
З гуркотом покотилися камінці. Крізь ніздрі просто в голову всвердлився диявольський сморід.
-Формотворцю! заревла одна голова.
-Ти повернувся, щоб ми поквиталися! договорила друга.
Рендер дивився й пригадував:
-Тауміель… Поквиталися? Я ж давно подолав тебе й ув’язнив на прохання… як його? Ротмана, кабаліста, – і, накресливши в повітрі пентаграму, Рендер звелів: -Забирайся назад у Кліпот. Виганяю тебе.
-У Кліпоті єсьмо.
-…Камаелем, янголом крові, воїнством серафимів, Ім’ям Елогіма Гібора заклинаю тебе: пропади!
-Цей раз не вийде! – зареготали голови.
Велетень рушив у наступ.
Рендер поволі відходив, але заважали ті жовті змії, що пообвивали ноги. Відчув, як іззаду роззявилося провалля. Світ, немовби мозаїка, фрагментувався. Проміжки більшали на очах.
-Пропади!
За відповідь правив оглушливий регіт обох циклопічних голів.
Рендер спіткнувся.
-Сюди, мій любий!
Ейлін зазивала праворуч, у невелику печеру.
Рендер хитнув головою, позадкував до провалля.
Тауміель простяг руки.
Рендер звалився за край.
-Чарльзе! – заволала вона, і світ остаточно розсипався під її лемент.
-Ну, то Vernichtung’, на льоту відгукнувся Рендер. – Я приєднаюсь до тебе в пітьмі.
Усьому настав кінець.”
В останньому епізоді Бартельмец-челядинець намагається врятувати Рендера-Трістана. Желязни відіграв символіку з брошкою Далі, всі нитки прийшли сюди. Лицар наглухо закутий в обладунки, хворобливий соліпсисзм його настільки сильний, що навіть вітрила корабля в його світі завжди білого кольору. Такого могутнього божевільного Снотворця його учителеві буде дуже важко, а то й неможливо повернути в яву (читай у Малкут).
Підсумовуючи, скажу, що книга не підвела. Так, це дуже складно, психоделічно та хитромудро. Чого лиш вартує сцена в якій Рендер створює світ! Не зовсім зрозумілою є лінія самогубця і сина, від постійних перестрибувань наратив стає фраґментарним, нема цілісності, але як не як – це оповідь про сни і напевно це найкраща для неї форма.
Дивуєшся сміливості з якою Желязни писав цю річ. На скільки ж це було складно, зараз ніхто з фантастів на таке не наважиться, хіба що Пітер Воттс, але йому явно бракує письменницького хисту Роджера.
За чудовий переклад дякую амбасадору Желязни в Україні – Денису Дьоміну, а за численні примітки Михайлові Назаренку.
July 13, 2014
Es por esto que amo la ciencia ficción. La necesad de Zelazny de meter mitología para todo a veces resulta muy molesta, pero logré que no me molestara mucho asumiendo que era parte del ejercicio de Render. Quizás los diálogos eran algo forzados (leí una traducción bastante mal editada, quizás eso no ayudó) y se pecaba un poco de "veamos cuantas referencias puedo meter por parrafo" pero aún así funcionaban o por lo menos funcionó para mí. La trama me fascinó. El mundo que nos presenta, un mundo de emociones controladas y una comodidad que busca domar lo que hace a un humano, me pareció muy relevante para el mundo de hoy. Adoré a Eileen Shallot y el conflicto de ella y Render por controlar sus emociones es lo que vendió todo para mí. Tanto en el plano profesional como personal, los personajes tratan de controlar sus psicosis y usarlas para su beneficio pero encuentran que una emoción es eso, algo imposible de controlar. Al final son sus mismas necesidades y sus pasiones, por la vida o la belleza o por otras personas que los destruyen al no poder domarlas. El romance implícito entre los dos también fue genial. Dos personas profesionales que no saben que hacer ante los sentimientos que comparten. Tenían momentos dulces y de muy buena química, pero se siente que ellos mismos no quieren tenerlos. Son adultos y quieren trabajar, pero no pueden evitar simpatizar entre ellos. Quizás por eso mismo pasó lo que pasó, el profesor de Render lo dice, eran demasiado similares.
No le puedo dar las cinco estrellas por algunos problemillas que vi en la historia. Las escenas de Sigmund y de Peter terminan involucrándose en la historia pero aún así se sienten como "filler". ¡Ni siquiera vimos la plática entre Jill y Eileen! La historia es Render y Eileen, es de ellos de quien queremos leer y a veces se siente que nos dan algunas escenas no necesarias en vez de darnos unas escenas que si se necesitarían. El final fue... interesante. Definivitamente en la rama ya clásica de la ciencia ficción del final del "¿qué mierdas estoy leyendo?", pero como es un libro sobre sueños, es apropiado. Creo que entendí lo que sucedía y creo entonces es un buen final. Lo que sí es que es demasiado brusco. Estaba en las últimas veinte páginas y pensaba "como va a cerrar tantos personajes" y al final si hay un cierre en lo más importante, pero las mismas historias que se sentían como "filler" no se les da una escena final. También siento que las escenas más "surreales" no logran crear el impacto que pudieran tener. En parte es porque cuando tiene que ponerse onírico, Zelazny solo hace copy-paste de diversos mitos y ya se va a dormir, siento que un maneja más profundo de las imágenes oníricas hubiera dado a las escenas de las sesiones de Eileen más fuerza. Qué eran buenas, sí, pero tenía que usar más mi imaginación para dar la sensación que deberían tener...funcionaban, pero no daban el "plus".
En general, este libro me encantó. Algo le faltó para ser de mis favoritos de todos los tiempos y siento que hubo partes donde la escritura no estaba a la altura pero lo recomiendo a cualquiera que quiera leer ciencia ficción interesante.
No le puedo dar las cinco estrellas por algunos problemillas que vi en la historia. Las escenas de Sigmund y de Peter terminan involucrándose en la historia pero aún así se sienten como "filler". ¡Ni siquiera vimos la plática entre Jill y Eileen! La historia es Render y Eileen, es de ellos de quien queremos leer y a veces se siente que nos dan algunas escenas no necesarias en vez de darnos unas escenas que si se necesitarían. El final fue... interesante. Definivitamente en la rama ya clásica de la ciencia ficción del final del "¿qué mierdas estoy leyendo?", pero como es un libro sobre sueños, es apropiado. Creo que entendí lo que sucedía y creo entonces es un buen final. Lo que sí es que es demasiado brusco. Estaba en las últimas veinte páginas y pensaba "como va a cerrar tantos personajes" y al final si hay un cierre en lo más importante, pero las mismas historias que se sentían como "filler" no se les da una escena final. También siento que las escenas más "surreales" no logran crear el impacto que pudieran tener. En parte es porque cuando tiene que ponerse onírico, Zelazny solo hace copy-paste de diversos mitos y ya se va a dormir, siento que un maneja más profundo de las imágenes oníricas hubiera dado a las escenas de las sesiones de Eileen más fuerza. Qué eran buenas, sí, pero tenía que usar más mi imaginación para dar la sensación que deberían tener...funcionaban, pero no daban el "plus".
En general, este libro me encantó. Algo le faltó para ser de mis favoritos de todos los tiempos y siento que hubo partes donde la escritura no estaba a la altura pero lo recomiendo a cualquiera que quiera leer ciencia ficción interesante.
October 18, 2014
"The universe did not invent justice. Man did. Unfortunately, man must reside in the universe."
A little hard to review this one. It's one of those books that I like even though it makes me feel very intellectually diminished. It makes me feel like a ape trying to figure out sarcasm, to put it simply.
You see, even though I clearly missed a lot of references to a lot of things, I feel I did understood more than less of what was going on, but some parts I just didn't understand. Some simply seemed unnecessary. This book was originally a short Story called He Who Shapes and I intend to read it in the future. Maybe I'll be able to comprehend it more by then.
That being said, I still enjoyed the book a lot. That's Zelazny for you. Even if you don't understand something, he makes you just go with it and days after you get this delayed epiphany and all is a bit clearer.
The book deals with a "neuroparticipant therapist" name Charles Render. Render does his thing by shaping shared dreams with his patients. In these dreams he exerts his will to do as he wishes and is omnipotent. I found this concept very cool, but that just shows my lack of vocabulary.
Render is a strong willed man, will personified, if you may. He's a very successful doctor in a prestigious field. But he's kind of bored. Then Elaine Shallot enters the scene. She wants do become a neuroparticipant therapist too. The problem is that she's blind from birth. Having never seen, she has never dreamt like ordinary people. She asks render to take her as a patient and basically show stuff to her, so that she be acclimatized to seeing and, in so, being able to perform as a therapist herself.
The problem is that this is a very dangerous thing and since the beginning Elaine is able to exert control over the dreams that she shouldn't. Despite this and advice from his former teacher, Render continues with the treatment. Be it by the challenge and opportunity to do an unheard thing is his area or because he was physically and intellectually attracted to her. I think the latter is more like it.
Also, there's a genetically engineered talking dog with the intelligence of an ape and vocabulary of 400-500 words. His name is Sigmund (at least this Freud reference I caught) and he's Elaine's guide dog.
"—And if something that strong should break, in a timeless moment of anxiety." smiled Barlelmetz sadly, "may the shades of Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung walk by your side in the valley of darkness."
A little hard to review this one. It's one of those books that I like even though it makes me feel very intellectually diminished. It makes me feel like a ape trying to figure out sarcasm, to put it simply.
You see, even though I clearly missed a lot of references to a lot of things, I feel I did understood more than less of what was going on, but some parts I just didn't understand. Some simply seemed unnecessary. This book was originally a short Story called He Who Shapes and I intend to read it in the future. Maybe I'll be able to comprehend it more by then.
That being said, I still enjoyed the book a lot. That's Zelazny for you. Even if you don't understand something, he makes you just go with it and days after you get this delayed epiphany and all is a bit clearer.
The book deals with a "neuroparticipant therapist" name Charles Render. Render does his thing by shaping shared dreams with his patients. In these dreams he exerts his will to do as he wishes and is omnipotent. I found this concept very cool, but that just shows my lack of vocabulary.
Render is a strong willed man, will personified, if you may. He's a very successful doctor in a prestigious field. But he's kind of bored. Then Elaine Shallot enters the scene. She wants do become a neuroparticipant therapist too. The problem is that she's blind from birth. Having never seen, she has never dreamt like ordinary people. She asks render to take her as a patient and basically show stuff to her, so that she be acclimatized to seeing and, in so, being able to perform as a therapist herself.
The problem is that this is a very dangerous thing and since the beginning Elaine is able to exert control over the dreams that she shouldn't. Despite this and advice from his former teacher, Render continues with the treatment. Be it by the challenge and opportunity to do an unheard thing is his area or because he was physically and intellectually attracted to her. I think the latter is more like it.
Also, there's a genetically engineered talking dog with the intelligence of an ape and vocabulary of 400-500 words. His name is Sigmund (at least this Freud reference I caught) and he's Elaine's guide dog.
"—And if something that strong should break, in a timeless moment of anxiety." smiled Barlelmetz sadly, "may the shades of Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung walk by your side in the valley of darkness."
September 8, 2013
I feel I should give this rating a disclaimer. If this book were not a re-read, if I had come into it completely new, it would have been a 3 to 3.5 for me. But the memories I have of this book are so pervasive and so revolutionary back when I read it that I can't give anything that formative less than five.
Honestly, these recollections were not all The Dream Master. I just started cutting my teeth on "adult" sci-fi at the time, and threw myself recklessly at anything that purported to be a classic. This is why I had the fortuitous luck of reading Zelazny's The Dream Master right up against Ursula Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven. Both dealt with dreams, albeit it in different ways. One was a tool consciously then unconsciously wielded, the other was an unconscious wildness that others sought to tame. Both ended in a manner that was both tragic and suitable.
What I remember was the description of the son as he described how an inventor dreamed of efficient machines while he pulled off the legs of grasshoppers and how the metal gears must have sounded like the shrieks of all those murdered grasshoppers. I remembered comparing it to the Kafka-esque descriptions of lacquered shells in The Lathe of Heaven, the otherness of nature and how it is molded. I remembered cars that drove themselves and didn't stop when someone walked into traffic, and deep set eyes of a guide dog who could speak but not exactly like a human nor howl like the dogs he had been mutated from.
I remember glancing at the computer for practically every other scene, looking up things like Eloise and Abelard (which I still remembered) and enantiodromia (which I did not), fascinated at how symbols played out while the language and structure unraveled. The references and scenes helped me to better appreciate the rest of the scenes, and the narration of dreams kept my imagination going at full throttle to picture it.
So essentially what I am doing is justifying why I love this novel even though it can feel padded with the many threads and does not come qualitatively close compared to Zelanzy's other works. Because this is a book that can work like Render's machine, and it has left its mark when so many other novels are completely forgotten; although this mark may be malleable and refitted with a new awareness, it lingers the same way a particularly memorable dream will retain flashes and remnants even when you wake.
Honestly, these recollections were not all The Dream Master. I just started cutting my teeth on "adult" sci-fi at the time, and threw myself recklessly at anything that purported to be a classic. This is why I had the fortuitous luck of reading Zelazny's The Dream Master right up against Ursula Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven. Both dealt with dreams, albeit it in different ways. One was a tool consciously then unconsciously wielded, the other was an unconscious wildness that others sought to tame. Both ended in a manner that was both tragic and suitable.
What I remember was the description of the son as he described how an inventor dreamed of efficient machines while he pulled off the legs of grasshoppers and how the metal gears must have sounded like the shrieks of all those murdered grasshoppers. I remembered comparing it to the Kafka-esque descriptions of lacquered shells in The Lathe of Heaven, the otherness of nature and how it is molded. I remembered cars that drove themselves and didn't stop when someone walked into traffic, and deep set eyes of a guide dog who could speak but not exactly like a human nor howl like the dogs he had been mutated from.
I remember glancing at the computer for practically every other scene, looking up things like Eloise and Abelard (which I still remembered) and enantiodromia (which I did not), fascinated at how symbols played out while the language and structure unraveled. The references and scenes helped me to better appreciate the rest of the scenes, and the narration of dreams kept my imagination going at full throttle to picture it.
So essentially what I am doing is justifying why I love this novel even though it can feel padded with the many threads and does not come qualitatively close compared to Zelanzy's other works. Because this is a book that can work like Render's machine, and it has left its mark when so many other novels are completely forgotten; although this mark may be malleable and refitted with a new awareness, it lingers the same way a particularly memorable dream will retain flashes and remnants even when you wake.
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