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alexclare's review against another edition
3.0
A sustained piece of imagination but was less keen on the constant focus on sex.
mikewhiteman's review against another edition
5.0
This one is a collection of short stories and novellas set in Priest's fantastic Dream Archipelago world. [b:The Affirmation|9732202|The Affirmation|Christopher Priest|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346641984s/9732202.jpg|3518] and [b:The Islanders|13592818|The Islanders|Christopher Priest|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344725559s/13592818.jpg|15135900] are two of my favourite books I've read in recent years, so I was looking forward to this one a lot and it didn't disappoint.
The collection starts off with a couple of shorter stories and two brief vignettes that give some detail of the world we are in and show some of the effects of the constant war which surrounds and crosses the archipelago. The interaction of art and war is explored throughout the book and begins in "The Negation", although later stories take up the theme in more detail. "Whores" is short, but the images and implications of a soldier suffering from synaesthetic poisoning will stick with me.
The last four stories make up over two thirds of the book and contain some of the most memorable passages. I wanted to read "The Miraculous Cairn" again immediately after finishing it. It's about returning to a place from your childhood and how familiar memories can have changed, but also a lot more. "The Cremation" captures the bewilderment of being among a group whose customs you do not entirely understand and ends on a moment of brilliant horror (the thryme have been popping into my mind since I read The Islanders and will be coming back for some time now, I'm sure).
"The Watched" is enigmatic and builds an atmosphere of doubt and suspicion superbly, bringing out everyday anxieties into its drama. "The Discharge" is a fine finish to the collection, giving us art, war, memory and sex in a journey that crosses and re-crosses the Archipelago to discover lost memories and build a new life.
There are very few concrete answers in The Dream Archipelago but the mystery here is part of the appeal. It's impact on me was less than The Islanders and The Affirmation but that may be because I came in knowing what to expect this time. Nevertheless, I loved it.
The collection starts off with a couple of shorter stories and two brief vignettes that give some detail of the world we are in and show some of the effects of the constant war which surrounds and crosses the archipelago. The interaction of art and war is explored throughout the book and begins in "The Negation", although later stories take up the theme in more detail. "Whores" is short, but the images and implications of a soldier suffering from synaesthetic poisoning will stick with me.
The last four stories make up over two thirds of the book and contain some of the most memorable passages. I wanted to read "The Miraculous Cairn" again immediately after finishing it. It's about returning to a place from your childhood and how familiar memories can have changed, but also a lot more. "The Cremation" captures the bewilderment of being among a group whose customs you do not entirely understand and ends on a moment of brilliant horror (the thryme have been popping into my mind since I read The Islanders and will be coming back for some time now, I'm sure).
"The Watched" is enigmatic and builds an atmosphere of doubt and suspicion superbly, bringing out everyday anxieties into its drama. "The Discharge" is a fine finish to the collection, giving us art, war, memory and sex in a journey that crosses and re-crosses the Archipelago to discover lost memories and build a new life.
There are very few concrete answers in The Dream Archipelago but the mystery here is part of the appeal. It's impact on me was less than The Islanders and The Affirmation but that may be because I came in knowing what to expect this time. Nevertheless, I loved it.
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