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Dreamer
Things are looking great for Greg Donner, a Chicago freelance writer. He's got a terrific project, and he's met the woman of his dreams -- literally, his dreams (though they're rather odd ones). But then, one night, he falls asleep and awakes . . . to the beginning of a nightmare he just can't seem to wake up from. . . .
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 15, 1988
35 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Quinn
53 books1,895 followersI had and did the usual things -- childhood, schools, universities (St. Louis, Vienna, Loyola of Chicago), then embarked on a career in publishing in Chicago. Within a few years I was the head of the Biography & Fine Arts Department of the American Peoples Encyclopedia; when that was subsumed by a larger outfit and moved to New York, I stayed behind and moved into educational publishing, beginning at Science Research Associates (a division of IBM) and ending as Editorial Director of The Society for Vision Education (a division of the Singer Corporation).
In 1977 I walked away from SVE and this very successful career when it became clear that I was not going to able to do there what I really wanted to do...which was not entirely clear. A few months later I set my feet on a path that would change my life completely. It was a path made up of books -- or rather versions of a book that, after twelve years, would turn out to be ISHMAEL.
The first version, written in 1977-78, called MAN AND ALIEN, didn't turn out to be quite what I wanted, so wrote a second, called THE GENESIS TRANSCRIPT. Like the first version, this didn't satisfy me, so I wrote a third with the same title. THE BOOK OF NAHASH, abandoned unfinished, was the fourth version.
When I started writing version five, THE BOOK OF THE DAMNED in 1981, I was sure I'd found the book I was born to write. The versions that came before had been like rainy days with moments of sunshine. THIS was a thunderstorm, and the lines crossed my pages like flashes of lightning. When, after a few thousand words I came to a clear climax, I said, "This MUST be seen," so I put Part One into print. Parts Two and Three followed, and I began searching for the switch that would turn on Part Four... but it just wasn't there. What I'd done was terrific -- and complete in its own way -- but at last I faced the fact that the whole thing just couldn't be done in lightning strikes.
And so, on to versions six and seven (both called ANOTHER STORY TO BE IN). I knew I was close, and version eight was it -- the first and only version to be a novel and the first and only version inhabited by a telepathic gorilla named Ishmael.
ISHMAEL was a life-changing book. It began by winning the Turner Tomorrow Award, the largest prize ever given to a single literary work. It would come to be read in some 25 languages and used in classrooms from mid-school to graduate school in courses as varied as history philosophy, geography, archaeology, religion, biology, zoology, ecology, anthropology, political science, economics, and sociology.
But in 1992, when ISHMAEL was published, I had no idea what I might do next. My readers decided this for me. In letters that arrived by the bushel they demanded to know where this strange book came from, what "made" me write it. To answer these questions I wrote PROVIDENCE: THE STORY OF A FIFTY-YEAR VISION QUEST (1995).
But there were even more urgently important questions to be answered, particularly this one: "With ISHMAEL you've undermined the religious beliefs of a lifetime. What am I supposed to replace them with?" I replied to this with THE STORY OF B (1996).
The questions (and books) kept coming: Why did Ishmael have to die? This gave rise to MY ISHMAEL: A SEQUEL (1997), in which it's revealed that Ishmael was not only far from being dead but far from being finished with his work as a teacher. The question "Where do we go from here?" was the inspiration for BEYOND CIVILIZATION: HUMANITY'S NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE (1999), a very different kind of book.
With these questions answered (and 500 more on my website), I felt I was fundamentally finished with what might be called my teachings and ready to move on.
I had always taken as my guiding principle these words from André Gide: "What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it, written as well as you, do not write it.
In 1977 I walked away from SVE and this very successful career when it became clear that I was not going to able to do there what I really wanted to do...which was not entirely clear. A few months later I set my feet on a path that would change my life completely. It was a path made up of books -- or rather versions of a book that, after twelve years, would turn out to be ISHMAEL.
The first version, written in 1977-78, called MAN AND ALIEN, didn't turn out to be quite what I wanted, so wrote a second, called THE GENESIS TRANSCRIPT. Like the first version, this didn't satisfy me, so I wrote a third with the same title. THE BOOK OF NAHASH, abandoned unfinished, was the fourth version.
When I started writing version five, THE BOOK OF THE DAMNED in 1981, I was sure I'd found the book I was born to write. The versions that came before had been like rainy days with moments of sunshine. THIS was a thunderstorm, and the lines crossed my pages like flashes of lightning. When, after a few thousand words I came to a clear climax, I said, "This MUST be seen," so I put Part One into print. Parts Two and Three followed, and I began searching for the switch that would turn on Part Four... but it just wasn't there. What I'd done was terrific -- and complete in its own way -- but at last I faced the fact that the whole thing just couldn't be done in lightning strikes.
And so, on to versions six and seven (both called ANOTHER STORY TO BE IN). I knew I was close, and version eight was it -- the first and only version to be a novel and the first and only version inhabited by a telepathic gorilla named Ishmael.
ISHMAEL was a life-changing book. It began by winning the Turner Tomorrow Award, the largest prize ever given to a single literary work. It would come to be read in some 25 languages and used in classrooms from mid-school to graduate school in courses as varied as history philosophy, geography, archaeology, religion, biology, zoology, ecology, anthropology, political science, economics, and sociology.
But in 1992, when ISHMAEL was published, I had no idea what I might do next. My readers decided this for me. In letters that arrived by the bushel they demanded to know where this strange book came from, what "made" me write it. To answer these questions I wrote PROVIDENCE: THE STORY OF A FIFTY-YEAR VISION QUEST (1995).
But there were even more urgently important questions to be answered, particularly this one: "With ISHMAEL you've undermined the religious beliefs of a lifetime. What am I supposed to replace them with?" I replied to this with THE STORY OF B (1996).
The questions (and books) kept coming: Why did Ishmael have to die? This gave rise to MY ISHMAEL: A SEQUEL (1997), in which it's revealed that Ishmael was not only far from being dead but far from being finished with his work as a teacher. The question "Where do we go from here?" was the inspiration for BEYOND CIVILIZATION: HUMANITY'S NEXT GREAT ADVENTURE (1999), a very different kind of book.
With these questions answered (and 500 more on my website), I felt I was fundamentally finished with what might be called my teachings and ready to move on.
I had always taken as my guiding principle these words from André Gide: "What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it, written as well as you, do not write it.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 1, 2021
I'd put off reading Daniel Quinn for years, as I'm not big on novels that hit the reader over the head with messages and spiritual lessons, and my preconceived notions were that ALL of his books were like that. But this one always called to me. Being a horror fan, the concept of being stuck in an illusory world, not knowing if it's real or not, is one of the most terrifying things I can think of.
Without giving too much away, the basic scenario is that Greg is a freelance writer in Chicago who's been having strange, unsettling dreams of a beautiful woman, who doesn't exist in reality as far as he knows. One night he somehow actually runs into her at a social gathering, and they hit it off. Her name's Ginny, and they're happy together. But one morning he wakes up to an entirely different life, with a different past, and his perfect life with Ginny was just a dream. Or was it? Which is reality and which is the dream? Is he insane, or is there something more sinister going on? Creepy weirdness ensues.
This kept me entirely absorbed from beginning to end. I actually had to force myself to put it down a couple times so I could get at least a few hours of sleep. It's horrifying, and yet the mystery is so intriguing and, well...fun, that I didn't want it to end. Normally with horror novels, I find that the eerie atmosphere can rarely be sustained for 300-plus pages. There's usually too much padding, too many extraneous viewpoint characters constantly being introduced. Not so here. The focus is almost entirely on Greg's plight, and the tension and weirdness hardly ever lets up. The fact that he's so well-drawn only increases the mind-bending horror of his situation, since it's hard not to put yourself in his shoes.
After finishing this I ordered several more books of Quinn's, and I'll be reading them sooner rather than later, even if some of them do seem to be the preachy sort. He's won me over, so I don't mind maybe learning a thing or two from him.
Without giving too much away, the basic scenario is that Greg is a freelance writer in Chicago who's been having strange, unsettling dreams of a beautiful woman, who doesn't exist in reality as far as he knows. One night he somehow actually runs into her at a social gathering, and they hit it off. Her name's Ginny, and they're happy together. But one morning he wakes up to an entirely different life, with a different past, and his perfect life with Ginny was just a dream. Or was it? Which is reality and which is the dream? Is he insane, or is there something more sinister going on? Creepy weirdness ensues.
This kept me entirely absorbed from beginning to end. I actually had to force myself to put it down a couple times so I could get at least a few hours of sleep. It's horrifying, and yet the mystery is so intriguing and, well...fun, that I didn't want it to end. Normally with horror novels, I find that the eerie atmosphere can rarely be sustained for 300-plus pages. There's usually too much padding, too many extraneous viewpoint characters constantly being introduced. Not so here. The focus is almost entirely on Greg's plight, and the tension and weirdness hardly ever lets up. The fact that he's so well-drawn only increases the mind-bending horror of his situation, since it's hard not to put yourself in his shoes.
After finishing this I ordered several more books of Quinn's, and I'll be reading them sooner rather than later, even if some of them do seem to be the preachy sort. He's won me over, so I don't mind maybe learning a thing or two from him.
May 27, 2013
Dreamer originally came out 25 years ago, and it's something of a crime that I didn't read it until now.
This is a book that's right up my alley - full of twists and turns and unexpected ideas. It starts out a little slow, a story of Greg Donner, a freelance writer having some troubling dreams and finding himself falling in love with the girl of his dreams, literally. The dreaming doesn't stop there, though. In fact, as he gets to know Ginny, the beautiful woman with the flaming red hair and the lime green dress, the dreams continue, and get even stranger. Until one day, he wakes up as another man, in another life.
As Richard Iles, he finds himself committed to a sanitarium, with no memory of who Richard was but with some very familiar faces around him. His doctor tells him that his life as Greg Donner is the dream, and Richard Iles the reality, and Greg does his best to come to grips with that. But his dreams, and the connections between the lives of Greg Donner and Richard Iles, keep pulling him back into that world, until it becomes impossible to tell which is the dream, and which reality.
The best part of Dreamer is Quinn's masterful use of subtle hints and misdirection to keep the story moving. Like the film Inception or the short-lived television show Awake, though predating both of those, the story of Dreamer deftly weaves back and forth between two worlds without giving away which is which until the very end.
Dreamer isn't just style with no substance, though. Daniel Quinn's characters are brought to life with real charm and wit, in simple yet intelligent prose. The struggle of Greg/Richard to sort out his life and his mind is presented in down-to-earth terms. After the slightly slow start, I found myself drawn to turn page after page, blazing through most of the book in less than a day, and closing it feeling satisfied and thoughtful.
Dreamer is a delight of a book - suspenseful, unpredictable, approachable, and intelligent. I might have taken 25 years for me to find it, but I couldn't be happier that I did find it eventually, and very pleased that its re-release made it possible.
I received a free copy of Dreamer for review purposes.
This is a book that's right up my alley - full of twists and turns and unexpected ideas. It starts out a little slow, a story of Greg Donner, a freelance writer having some troubling dreams and finding himself falling in love with the girl of his dreams, literally. The dreaming doesn't stop there, though. In fact, as he gets to know Ginny, the beautiful woman with the flaming red hair and the lime green dress, the dreams continue, and get even stranger. Until one day, he wakes up as another man, in another life.
As Richard Iles, he finds himself committed to a sanitarium, with no memory of who Richard was but with some very familiar faces around him. His doctor tells him that his life as Greg Donner is the dream, and Richard Iles the reality, and Greg does his best to come to grips with that. But his dreams, and the connections between the lives of Greg Donner and Richard Iles, keep pulling him back into that world, until it becomes impossible to tell which is the dream, and which reality.
The best part of Dreamer is Quinn's masterful use of subtle hints and misdirection to keep the story moving. Like the film Inception or the short-lived television show Awake, though predating both of those, the story of Dreamer deftly weaves back and forth between two worlds without giving away which is which until the very end.
Dreamer isn't just style with no substance, though. Daniel Quinn's characters are brought to life with real charm and wit, in simple yet intelligent prose. The struggle of Greg/Richard to sort out his life and his mind is presented in down-to-earth terms. After the slightly slow start, I found myself drawn to turn page after page, blazing through most of the book in less than a day, and closing it feeling satisfied and thoughtful.
Dreamer is a delight of a book - suspenseful, unpredictable, approachable, and intelligent. I might have taken 25 years for me to find it, but I couldn't be happier that I did find it eventually, and very pleased that its re-release made it possible.
I received a free copy of Dreamer for review purposes.
April 5, 2021
Hat tip to Jack Tripper
I had a great time reading this. Very well written. Good prose, good characterization, good world building, good story, unexpected twists all the way to the end. No theme.
Are we at the mercy of our own dreams or someone else's?
I had a great time reading this. Very well written. Good prose, good characterization, good world building, good story, unexpected twists all the way to the end. No theme.
Are we at the mercy of our own dreams or someone else's?
June 4, 2013
This book takes you on a ride between dream and reality. Our main character Greg goes back and forth from dream to reality that at one point I wasn't even sure I could tell the difference. It was a well written story that had me guessing from first to last page and now that I'm done I'm still trying to figure out if the character was living a dream or reality it was that good. I definite page turner. If you enjoy suspense/mystery/paranormal type books this is a good one to get.
April 24, 2013
The world-renowned author Daniel Quinn’s deep-seated interest in abstract expressionism, which first came to light most clearly in his 1988 novel, Dreamer, has once again come to the fore in the reissuing of this cult classic. Despite his intentions that were voiced most adamantly up until a decade ago that he was not overly keen on having the work republished, undoubtedly at least in part being due to its fairly sluggish initial reception, he has now allowed it to be so, as a result of his urging from his strong fan base, which has largely been drawn to his work by his much more widely acclaimed, Turner-award winning novel Ishmael.
Unlike the serious, educative effort of said later novel, Quinn’s debut novel is more of a deeply disturbing psychological thriller, in which the major protagonist drifts from sleeping into waking and back again in a cycle of deepening despair and soul-searching. Having much in common with two of Quinn’s later novels, The Holy and After Dachau, the anguish experienced by Greg Donner (his subconscious self, revealed in sleep) embodies the existentialist negativity and sense of destructive psychosis that beleagues and belabours modern man, in his search for self and integrity. The identity of Richard Iles (the protagonist’s waking self) is held captive, firstly, by his turbulent marriage to the emotionally draining and demanding Ginny Winters, and, secondly, by his incarceration in a sanatorium for those suffering from emotional and mental breakdowns. But who is Greg Donner, and who is he not? As his sleeping and waking personae mesh into one, and nightmare seems to become his everyday existence, the real person struggles to emerge from the imagined one, bringing a realisation of being to the central character that is both insightful and intriguing.
Set in Chicago, in which city Quinn spent over two decades working in editing and publishing prior to his completion of the novel, Dreamer is imbued with the spirit of the place, to which reference is made throughout the novel, but which exemplifies any modern, over-commercialised city in America. Its “dark, deserted streets” bear echoes of other crass cities that essentially rob one of one’s soul if one fails to have the presence of mind to resist their undermining of the spiritual components of one’s being. In a sense, Dreamer figures forth the Everyman of the modern day, and thus has relevance for all those living within a Westernised environment and milieu.
The economic collapse of the presentday world, concomitant with the shattering of the dreams of so many, has come to make Dreamer as relevant today as it was when first issued over two decades ago. Perhaps it is now that its importance as a seminal novel of provocative thought and questioning of the existing status quo will be recognised, in keeping with Ellen Datlow’s listing of it as one of the year’s best in her annual review of works of fantasy and horror, and its inclusion in the New York Review of Science Fiction’s “Horror at the End of the Century.”
Unlike the serious, educative effort of said later novel, Quinn’s debut novel is more of a deeply disturbing psychological thriller, in which the major protagonist drifts from sleeping into waking and back again in a cycle of deepening despair and soul-searching. Having much in common with two of Quinn’s later novels, The Holy and After Dachau, the anguish experienced by Greg Donner (his subconscious self, revealed in sleep) embodies the existentialist negativity and sense of destructive psychosis that beleagues and belabours modern man, in his search for self and integrity. The identity of Richard Iles (the protagonist’s waking self) is held captive, firstly, by his turbulent marriage to the emotionally draining and demanding Ginny Winters, and, secondly, by his incarceration in a sanatorium for those suffering from emotional and mental breakdowns. But who is Greg Donner, and who is he not? As his sleeping and waking personae mesh into one, and nightmare seems to become his everyday existence, the real person struggles to emerge from the imagined one, bringing a realisation of being to the central character that is both insightful and intriguing.
Set in Chicago, in which city Quinn spent over two decades working in editing and publishing prior to his completion of the novel, Dreamer is imbued with the spirit of the place, to which reference is made throughout the novel, but which exemplifies any modern, over-commercialised city in America. Its “dark, deserted streets” bear echoes of other crass cities that essentially rob one of one’s soul if one fails to have the presence of mind to resist their undermining of the spiritual components of one’s being. In a sense, Dreamer figures forth the Everyman of the modern day, and thus has relevance for all those living within a Westernised environment and milieu.
The economic collapse of the presentday world, concomitant with the shattering of the dreams of so many, has come to make Dreamer as relevant today as it was when first issued over two decades ago. Perhaps it is now that its importance as a seminal novel of provocative thought and questioning of the existing status quo will be recognised, in keeping with Ellen Datlow’s listing of it as one of the year’s best in her annual review of works of fantasy and horror, and its inclusion in the New York Review of Science Fiction’s “Horror at the End of the Century.”
July 18, 2016
I loved this book.
It is about a man caught in a dream. Bu which life is real and which is the Dream?
It begins as a story about Greg Donner, a freelance writer who is having some troubling dreams. They seem to be consecutive dreams - one begins where that last one ended. He meets a girl in his dream and finds himself falling in love with her. The dreams don't stop there, though. In fact, he meets Ginny in real life - Ginny the girl from his dreams. She has flaming red hair and they begin to see each other in real life The dreams continue, and get even stranger. Until one day, he wakes up as another man - Dick Isles - , in another life, in another town. This other life is in a mental hospital - and the Dr. tells him his story and how he came to be there
A fascinating concept for a book
It is about a man caught in a dream. Bu which life is real and which is the Dream?
It begins as a story about Greg Donner, a freelance writer who is having some troubling dreams. They seem to be consecutive dreams - one begins where that last one ended. He meets a girl in his dream and finds himself falling in love with her. The dreams don't stop there, though. In fact, he meets Ginny in real life - Ginny the girl from his dreams. She has flaming red hair and they begin to see each other in real life The dreams continue, and get even stranger. Until one day, he wakes up as another man - Dick Isles - , in another life, in another town. This other life is in a mental hospital - and the Dr. tells him his story and how he came to be there
A fascinating concept for a book
March 23, 2018
Interesting that I read Quinn’s later books before the turn of the century before finally reading his first this year. Dreamer is unique as it shares all but none of Quinn’s later themes of over-food production and the imminent end of human culture (it will happen); yet maintains the thriller element that is found in the Holy and lighter so, Story of B.
Dreamer was engaging and made me want to pick it up whenever I put it down though the end resolution kind of dropped off in a rushed “let’s get this done” fashion.
So happy to read Daniel Quinn one last time which was so great of a time. Rest In Peace, Daniel Quinn, thank you for affecting my life so and making me realize I am not alone in feeling the world is burning away even in culture because of “us.”
Dreamer was engaging and made me want to pick it up whenever I put it down though the end resolution kind of dropped off in a rushed “let’s get this done” fashion.
So happy to read Daniel Quinn one last time which was so great of a time. Rest In Peace, Daniel Quinn, thank you for affecting my life so and making me realize I am not alone in feeling the world is burning away even in culture because of “us.”
January 21, 2023
Disappointment
I was very hooked by the story in the first chapter. But as it went on it lost its luster. I wanted an ending, not a nightmare. I thought it would at the least let me know which identity was his. But in the end I was only disillusioned. I gave it a 4 because it had potential for many different endings. I would read a sequel to this book just to see an ending to his story.
I was very hooked by the story in the first chapter. But as it went on it lost its luster. I wanted an ending, not a nightmare. I thought it would at the least let me know which identity was his. But in the end I was only disillusioned. I gave it a 4 because it had potential for many different endings. I would read a sequel to this book just to see an ending to his story.
September 16, 2017
What a great great story. If you like strange fantasy, if you like Neil Gaiman or if you like tales that question reality this is your tale. So what is dream and what is not. Even after you finish the book your still not sure.
July 24, 2019
Molto inquietante!
March 10, 2021
So many plot twists! Ende hätte nur noch etwas überraschender sein können
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2016
REVIEW:
The author Daniel Quinn is best known for his international best-seller ISHMAEL. It was an award winning novel that challenged and changed lives. The book ISHMAEL took the author twelve years to write. in the ninth year of the struggle, DREAMER was written, Mr. Quinn's first novel.Published originally in 1988, DREAMER was a psychological horror. The book was an eerie thriller that satisfied, offered humor, mystery, romance and a little of the "strange" put in.
The book takes you on a journey between dreams and reality. I enjoyed the part where Greg Donner falls in love with the woman of his dreams, and I mean of his dreams. One night Donner fell asleep and wakens to find his life is a nightmare and there appears no way out. Greg Donner was the main character and goes from dreams to reality. At times you might wonder if it''s a dream or reality? I find it amazing to think that you can sleep in a dream and then you can dream in a dream. Which is reality? Have you ever had a dream or nightmare and when you awoke you weren't sure if it was real or not? I have and it's creepy.
DREAMER in 1995 was included in the New York Review of Science Fiction's "Horror at the End of the Century" reading list. Quinn was persuaded and delighted to bring his first novel back into print. I was delighted to learn that Mr. Quinn is a dreamer and an interpreter of such. I believe that is why the book is so darn good. A dreamer writing a book called DREAMER. The story was well written and keeps you turning those pages thinking you may have it figured out if the character is living a dream of reality. Somehow, you are left not knowing for sure. I've never read a book like this before. It is a page turner that won't let go of you. If you are a mystery or paranormal lover than you will definitely love this book. This book is a keeper. It will definitely go on the shelf to read again. Be careful when you go to sleep, there may be a dream in that dream!
I would give this book a solid 5 STARS.
I received a complimentary copy of DREAMER from the author, Daniel Quinn for this unbiased review.
The author Daniel Quinn is best known for his international best-seller ISHMAEL. It was an award winning novel that challenged and changed lives. The book ISHMAEL took the author twelve years to write. in the ninth year of the struggle, DREAMER was written, Mr. Quinn's first novel.Published originally in 1988, DREAMER was a psychological horror. The book was an eerie thriller that satisfied, offered humor, mystery, romance and a little of the "strange" put in.
The book takes you on a journey between dreams and reality. I enjoyed the part where Greg Donner falls in love with the woman of his dreams, and I mean of his dreams. One night Donner fell asleep and wakens to find his life is a nightmare and there appears no way out. Greg Donner was the main character and goes from dreams to reality. At times you might wonder if it''s a dream or reality? I find it amazing to think that you can sleep in a dream and then you can dream in a dream. Which is reality? Have you ever had a dream or nightmare and when you awoke you weren't sure if it was real or not? I have and it's creepy.
DREAMER in 1995 was included in the New York Review of Science Fiction's "Horror at the End of the Century" reading list. Quinn was persuaded and delighted to bring his first novel back into print. I was delighted to learn that Mr. Quinn is a dreamer and an interpreter of such. I believe that is why the book is so darn good. A dreamer writing a book called DREAMER. The story was well written and keeps you turning those pages thinking you may have it figured out if the character is living a dream of reality. Somehow, you are left not knowing for sure. I've never read a book like this before. It is a page turner that won't let go of you. If you are a mystery or paranormal lover than you will definitely love this book. This book is a keeper. It will definitely go on the shelf to read again. Be careful when you go to sleep, there may be a dream in that dream!
I would give this book a solid 5 STARS.
I received a complimentary copy of DREAMER from the author, Daniel Quinn for this unbiased review.
April 1, 2013
Author and cultural critic Daniel Quinn is best known for his international bestseller Ishmael — an award-winning novel that challenged and changed lives through its Socratic exploration of how our species might save the planet.
Most people don’t know that Ishmael took Quinn twelve years to write, as he struggled with multiple ideas and iterations. During the ninth year of that struggle, in an effort to prove himself as a writer, Quinn wrote Dreamer, his first novel.
Originally published in 1988 by TOR, Dreamer has been described as an “offbeat first novel of psychological horror,” a satisfyingly eerie thriller that offers humor, mystery, romance, and “more than a pinch of the bizarre.” Dreamer is a strange tale that occurs at the intersection dreams, reality, and dreams within dreams.
Protagonist Greg Donner is a Chicago freelance writer who falls in love with the woman of his dreams — literally. Then one night Donner falls asleep and awakes to the beginning of a nightmare he can’t seem to escape.
Out of print, Dreamer retained an underground notoriety. In 1995, the New York Review of Science Fiction included the book in its "Horror at the End of the Century" reading list. Recently, fans persuaded Quinn to bring his first novel back into print. The author was delighted to comply. It turns out, that Quinn himself is a prolific dreamer — and an avid interpreter of dreams.
Quinn’s other works include Providence, The Story of B, My Ishmael: A Sequel, Beyond Civilization, After Dachau, The Holy, and more. His most recent book, At Woomeroo: Stories was published last year.
Most people don’t know that Ishmael took Quinn twelve years to write, as he struggled with multiple ideas and iterations. During the ninth year of that struggle, in an effort to prove himself as a writer, Quinn wrote Dreamer, his first novel.
Originally published in 1988 by TOR, Dreamer has been described as an “offbeat first novel of psychological horror,” a satisfyingly eerie thriller that offers humor, mystery, romance, and “more than a pinch of the bizarre.” Dreamer is a strange tale that occurs at the intersection dreams, reality, and dreams within dreams.
Protagonist Greg Donner is a Chicago freelance writer who falls in love with the woman of his dreams — literally. Then one night Donner falls asleep and awakes to the beginning of a nightmare he can’t seem to escape.
Out of print, Dreamer retained an underground notoriety. In 1995, the New York Review of Science Fiction included the book in its "Horror at the End of the Century" reading list. Recently, fans persuaded Quinn to bring his first novel back into print. The author was delighted to comply. It turns out, that Quinn himself is a prolific dreamer — and an avid interpreter of dreams.
Quinn’s other works include Providence, The Story of B, My Ishmael: A Sequel, Beyond Civilization, After Dachau, The Holy, and more. His most recent book, At Woomeroo: Stories was published last year.
June 2, 2014
Quinn’s novel
After Dachau
made a big impression on me a while back, and I've wanted to read something else by him since then. This title had been languishing in my Amazon wish list until I needed an extra purchase there to qualify for free shipping. That probably sounds like I was lukewarm about reading it, but not so. On the contrary, when it arrived I put aside the one I was already reading for the few days required to race to the end.
And progress through Dreamer is just about guaranteed to be rapid. I cannot think of another novel in which every single page, right up to the last page, keeps the reader so fascinated and yet uncertain of what to expect. Early on, I saw the story as a Kafka-meets-The-Twilight-Zone sort of thing, which in the wrong hands could turn into a mess. The concept of a character who wakes up inhabiting another person's life brought to mind a potboiler by Charles de Lint, but whereas that one was forgettable this is sure to provoke some thought, perhaps even speculation as to how productive an effort might be to pursue conscious dreaming. So while the subject matter ought to interest just about anyone (seems to me), the main thing to say is simply that this is wonderfully effective writing.
And progress through Dreamer is just about guaranteed to be rapid. I cannot think of another novel in which every single page, right up to the last page, keeps the reader so fascinated and yet uncertain of what to expect. Early on, I saw the story as a Kafka-meets-The-Twilight-Zone sort of thing, which in the wrong hands could turn into a mess. The concept of a character who wakes up inhabiting another person's life brought to mind a potboiler by Charles de Lint, but whereas that one was forgettable this is sure to provoke some thought, perhaps even speculation as to how productive an effort might be to pursue conscious dreaming. So while the subject matter ought to interest just about anyone (seems to me), the main thing to say is simply that this is wonderfully effective writing.
September 24, 2013
DREAMER by Daniel Quinn is an interesting,fast paced Psychological Thriller. It has many twists and turns with few predictable moments. A surprising Psychological Thriller related to all things....dreams. What is reality and what is a dream or nightmare as the case may be. Is reality a dream,a nightmare or a little of both? You must read "Dreamer" to find out as you follow,Greg Donner/Richard Iles,and Ginny Winters on a journey of danger,and finding answers that could change Greg/Richard's life forever as well as Ginny's. Move over "Silence of the Lambs" here comes the "Dreamer". Fast paced! But be warned DO NOT read late at night...An intriguing read! Received for an honest review from the publisher.
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: MILD
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: MILD
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
December 29, 2018
This book is underrated and undernoticed, both by fans of Quinn's other works (Ishmael et. al) and by other fans of Dreamer's genre. It has a plot that is reminiscent of 2 of his other works, The Holy and After Dachau, but there is no obvious intention to spread his message as in those books. This is simply pure, exciting, entertaining, and psychological thriller material. Fans of Neil Gaiman or Quinn's other thrillers will definitely enjoy Dreamer.
June 17, 2013
Daniel Quinn pens "Dreamer" in a plot that weaves between two different worlds and is filled with mystery, romance, thrills and a touch a humor. With his well developed characters and very vivid descriptions, I was hooked from the beginning to the end. A fantastic read that is highly recommended to all horror and thriller fans.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the author which was provided for an honest review.
June 28, 2013
This is an outstandingly constructed horror thriller, which gained cult status many years ago when it was in print.
Initially confusing to begin with, Greg a freelance writer starts having strange dreams which start to come to life. He meets and falls for Ginny but all is not what it seems in Ginny's world. With much of the action in this thriller taking place in dreams deciding what is real and what is dream is the key to unravelling what is happening to Greg.
Not a thriller to miss!
Initially confusing to begin with, Greg a freelance writer starts having strange dreams which start to come to life. He meets and falls for Ginny but all is not what it seems in Ginny's world. With much of the action in this thriller taking place in dreams deciding what is real and what is dream is the key to unravelling what is happening to Greg.
Not a thriller to miss!
June 3, 2012
Daniel Quinn's non-fiction books are among my favorites, but I just can't get into his fiction. The Holy was over-my-head with its vague symbolism. This one I understood. It was a page turner at times, but nothing profound or entertaining enough to recommend to others. I'd normally give it 2 stars, but I'm giving 3 (extra points for thinking up the plot to Inception, before its time).
January 12, 2014
A fascinating story about dreams, control, and the fragility of the human mental condition, I was pretty sure this was going to be a five-star book from my perspective until about three-quarters of the way through. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in it, but did feel like the story and the writing both fell apart somewhat toward the end.
April 15, 2013
I never even knew that Quinn was writing fiction until I came across this book at the thrift store. I have to say it took me a minute to get into it but once I did I couldn't put it down until finished.
July 3, 2015
Cool book! Highly recommend. It's has an Inception type of story that will leave you guessing until the end.
Read
September 3, 2017(found read date in diary)
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