Reviews

Upon a Waking Dream by J.S. Bailey

beans_are_green's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

boundhobbies's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

4.0

I absolutely loved this collection of short science fiction stories. They would make me sit and think, which is what I like most about these types of tellings. This book contained 12 short stories and each one had interesting concepts. There were even a couple I would have read as a novel. 
 
1.    Letter from Glomsuet - 4 stars
·      This one was such a fun point of view. The idea of an abducted Flat Earther having to come to terms that he was indeed wrong and now writing a letter to his old Earth sweetheart, was just too funny IMHO. The end had me think ‘wtf?’ but also get a good chuckle in.
2.    The Man of Her Dreams – 3.75 stars
·      I like a good time travel story. The concept for this one was interesting, but its execution fell somewhat flat. I understood the message it was conveying but I guess I just wanted more from a celebrity type romance. 
3.    Jay - 4 stars
·      A serial killer on the loose when a strange kind man appears in this town. This was fairly well done. 
4.    Daily Log from Outpost #602 - 4.25 stars
·      This made me laugh out loud at the end. I was so tickled by the outcome of this story. I suppose I have a weird sense of humor. 
5.    No Good Reason - 3 stars
·      What the heck? Seriously, what on earth? Haha. I just felt bad for the guy. In the notes, I like where the author drew inspiration for this. 
6.    How to Make Money Fast - 4 stars
·      Both terrifying and well…awwwwwwwww. Let’s just say, family is important. You might think you’re on a game show…but then again, maybe you’re not. 
7.    The Family Name - 4 stars 
·      This was an excellent story. Really makes you think and genuinely think why our society has had this mentality. 
8.    Larry - 3.75 stars
·      Cute story. 
9.    Thirteen - 3.5 stars
·      This one was a fun debate. 
10. Inheritance - 5 stars
·      Oh, now this one was my absolute favorite. I cried. What an amazing concept. I’d love to have this kind of pen pal. So sweet. 
11. The Last to Pass - 3.75 stars
·      Spaceship breaks down and lands on a planet with a secret. It was a very interesting story and I think it could be extended into a full-length novel. I would have liked to know more of the planet and maybe more of some of the natives’ experiences with the issue at hand. So much potential with this one. 
12. The House with an Inside but No Outside - 4 stars
·      I love stories that have children with wild imaginations, but it is really their reality. 
 
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

triangulartoaster's review

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lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

giuls02's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 Ringrazio NetGalley per la copia ARC che mi ha mandato in cambio di un'onesta recensione.
"Upon a Waking Dream" è una raccolta di 12 storie brevi per lo più fantasy e fantascientifiche.
Non è un libro lungo e si legge molto velocemente, perfetto per un pomeriggio noioso e per staccare la mente per qualche ora.
E' un libro scritto bene e anche il linguaggio in inglese non è difficile. Quasi tutte queste storie hanno dei passaggi velati di satira e divertimento, ma alcuni danno anche un insegnamento. 
Nonostante alcune storie le ho trovate un pò tanto lunghe e mi hanno un pò annoiato, mentre altre erano talmente corte che sembravano non avere sostanza, è stata una lettura piacevole che mi ha porttao in mondi assai strani e bizzarri.
Che aspettate ad essere rapiti dagli alieni, a vivere una vita con il vostro attore preferito o ad avere un amico immaginario che stravolgerà la vostra vita?

🇬🇧: I thank NetGalley for the ARC copy he sent me in exchange for an honest review. 
"Upon a Waking Dream" is a collection of 12 short stories mostly fantasy and science fiction. 
It’s not a long book and it reads very quickly, perfect for a boring afternoon and to take your mind off for a few hours. 
It’s a well-written book, and even the language in English is not difficult. Almost all of these stories have passages veiled with satire and fun, but some also give a teaching. 
Despite some stories I found a bit long and I was a bit bored, while others were so short that they seemed to have no substance, it was a pleasant reading that brought me into very strange and bizarre worlds. 
What are you waiting for to be kidnapped by aliens, to live a life with your favorite actor or to have an imaginary friend who will upset your life? 

marairish's review

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
 This is an imaginative collection of short stories. There's a lot of variety here and I liked the overall concept as well as the way the author was able to mix genre. The stories themselves are an interesting blend of sci-fi, fantasy and speculative fiction genres. 

I think there's a lot of interesting ideas here, but my overall reaction is a little underwhelmed. The stories typically have an intriguing start, but some end very abruptly, or become too long, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion. 

I received a digital early copy of the book from a StoryGraph giveaway.  

juffnstuff's review

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reflective fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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forbearance's review

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Book won in a giveaway. Honest review to come!

libertyreads789's review

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funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Before I get into the review for this anthology, I want to say a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the author for giving me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review, Upon a Waking Dream is a 12 short story collection about Sci-Fi misadventures, magic, and what happens when you stumble into the chaos and wonder the world has for you. The stories range from a Flat Earther accidentally getting taken to another planet, to a woman’s life getting help from her imaginary friend who just happens to wear a toga and bunny slippers, to a girl discovering a house with an inside but no outside in the woods. Upon a Waking Dream is set to release on March 7th and is available for preorder now.

I’ll start with explaining my numbers a bit. I took a rating for each story and averaged it out for the overall book rating. The highest rated story for me was the first one, Letter from Glomsuet, which got a 4 star rating. The lowest rated story for me was around the middle of the book, Thirteen, which got a 2 star rating from me. I’ll explain the two star first. Overall, I liked the concept of this story which is set in a hotel where two characters meet and disagree about which floor is missing. Is the 13th floor unlucky so they skip it? Or is it really the number 6 like the man from the bar is suggesting? We watch the two of them explore the hotel with no clear answer. But the problem for me was two fold. I didn’t like the ambiguity (which is part of the reason most of these stories landing in the 3 to 4 star range) and it felt so short. I wanted more weird or creepy things to happen. I wish most of these stories had taken creepier turns really. But the story I enjoyed so, so much was Letter from Glomsuet.  I can not explain to you how funny it was to see this Flat Earther get proven wrong and seeing how he changes based on his own experience. There’s also a hilarious turn at the end that really bumped this story up for me.

Overall, I think if you’re a Sci-Fi fan, a short story fan, or someone who enjoys being in on the joke before the main character, you’ll really like this one. I also really enjoyed the little bit of art from the chapter headings and the separation between major scenes. I think that will probably look amazing in this gorgeous book.

thegreatblueheron's review

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adventurous funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

piarat's review

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funny mysterious relaxing sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5