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the_sunken_library's review against another edition
3.0
This tried hard but didn't deliver much.
The message was delivered in a brick to the face fashion with little subtlety; 'working selfishly as individuals, the human race will fall. Stand together and fight for the common good and you will succeed. Also, the best type of heroes are the ones who don't receive the glory'.
The main problem with this novel was the the protagonist and the fact the story was told from his first person perspective. The guy is an ass. Selfish, deluded and quick to anger. Unfortunately, so are most of the other characters surrounding him bar the frog man who I presume is provided in stark contrast to show how other animals might have evolved into better people given half the chance. Bill the pretend prostitute is a user, Alun is a drunk and coward, Anna has no emotion and all the rest of the motley crew he interacts with are just gits. While i know they are supposed to be products of this new manipulative London it makes it rather difficult for me to care and I spent most of the time hoping they would all go to hell in a handbasket. SPOILER - they don't but in the end I didn't care.
The only decent bits were the character Honey Peppers; a foul-mouthed cockney 6 year old girl who takes great delight in pursuing and punishing Captain James (the protagonist) flanked by some over-grown flunkies AND the moment she follows through on her threat to have him raped by some massive monkeys with purple butts if he refuses to obey her orders. Which he does and therefore, for once, the threat is carried out. In front of a massive audience. So even though the protagonist omits this event and explains 'oh dear this never happened I definitely talked my way out it' for the rest of the novel people continuously comment on his monkey-semen filled bum.
I liked the absurdity of this little girls character and while I am not saying i am entertained by rape what I liked was the author's refusal to buy into the whole 'but magically the hero manages to avoid the terrible thing that might happen to him' and therefore slashed in two the cookie-cutter James Bond figure some male heroes inevitably become. It showed that Tony Ballantyne was not afraid to hurt his main character which made me warm to him as an author.
Overall this is an incredibly imaginative book with a few moments of greatness that made me plough through till the end. However, the main idea was poorly executed and the message a little old hat.
The message was delivered in a brick to the face fashion with little subtlety; 'working selfishly as individuals, the human race will fall. Stand together and fight for the common good and you will succeed. Also, the best type of heroes are the ones who don't receive the glory'.
The main problem with this novel was the the protagonist and the fact the story was told from his first person perspective. The guy is an ass. Selfish, deluded and quick to anger. Unfortunately, so are most of the other characters surrounding him bar the frog man who I presume is provided in stark contrast to show how other animals might have evolved into better people given half the chance. Bill the pretend prostitute is a user, Alun is a drunk and coward, Anna has no emotion and all the rest of the motley crew he interacts with are just gits. While i know they are supposed to be products of this new manipulative London it makes it rather difficult for me to care and I spent most of the time hoping they would all go to hell in a handbasket. SPOILER - they don't but in the end I didn't care.
The only decent bits were the character Honey Peppers; a foul-mouthed cockney 6 year old girl who takes great delight in pursuing and punishing Captain James (the protagonist) flanked by some over-grown flunkies AND the moment she follows through on her threat to have him raped by some massive monkeys with purple butts if he refuses to obey her orders. Which he does and therefore, for once, the threat is carried out. In front of a massive audience. So even though the protagonist omits this event and explains 'oh dear this never happened I definitely talked my way out it' for the rest of the novel people continuously comment on his monkey-semen filled bum.
I liked the absurdity of this little girls character and while I am not saying i am entertained by rape what I liked was the author's refusal to buy into the whole 'but magically the hero manages to avoid the terrible thing that might happen to him' and therefore slashed in two the cookie-cutter James Bond figure some male heroes inevitably become. It showed that Tony Ballantyne was not afraid to hurt his main character which made me warm to him as an author.
Overall this is an incredibly imaginative book with a few moments of greatness that made me plough through till the end. However, the main idea was poorly executed and the message a little old hat.
timinbc's review against another edition
2.0
Toppled by the weight of its own ideas, this is.
We're in a Miévillean London, but William Burroughs or someone also slipped in. There are 80 weird things going on where 20 would have been plenty.
It became clear quite early that any kind of explanation for this was going to involve some major hand-waving, smoke and mirrors - and sure enough it did.
Our antihero drifts from event to event, becoming less and less relevant and rarely having a choice in what happens next.
People have scrolls that tell their future, and this may or may not be related to why London has gone weird. Meanwhile we are supposed to believe that the rest if the world is still watching "Survivor" and going to Walmart as usual, just watching with concern as London turns into an LSD trip made real.
The ending, such as it was, dragged on, and eventually became just a version of having the audience clap to save TInkerbell. Ptui.
What's the Daddio? Explained with nonsense. What's with the foul-mouthed little girl? Never explained. What's at the top of the tower? No spoiler here, because if I told you you'd laugh anyway (hint: think of Pratchett's Hex) And so on.
There seem to be some smart people involved, even a few who actually understand what's going on. But they are kept offstage, or appear to discuss something far more trivial. Perhaps because James is too dim to understand anyway.
Interesting ideas here, enough for a series. But they're all jammed into one book and it just doesn't work. Your mileage may vary.
We're in a Miévillean London, but William Burroughs or someone also slipped in. There are 80 weird things going on where 20 would have been plenty.
It became clear quite early that any kind of explanation for this was going to involve some major hand-waving, smoke and mirrors - and sure enough it did.
Our antihero drifts from event to event, becoming less and less relevant and rarely having a choice in what happens next.
People have scrolls that tell their future, and this may or may not be related to why London has gone weird. Meanwhile we are supposed to believe that the rest if the world is still watching "Survivor" and going to Walmart as usual, just watching with concern as London turns into an LSD trip made real.
The ending, such as it was, dragged on, and eventually became just a version of having the audience clap to save TInkerbell. Ptui.
What's the Daddio? Explained with nonsense. What's with the foul-mouthed little girl? Never explained. What's at the top of the tower? No spoiler here, because if I told you you'd laugh anyway (hint: think of Pratchett's Hex) And so on.
There seem to be some smart people involved, even a few who actually understand what's going on. But they are kept offstage, or appear to discuss something far more trivial. Perhaps because James is too dim to understand anyway.
Interesting ideas here, enough for a series. But they're all jammed into one book and it just doesn't work. Your mileage may vary.
rui_leite's review against another edition
1.0
"I'd had enough. I made to slap her face with the back of my hand - that's the sort of thing Captain James Wedderburn usually does to keep his women in order..."
Having on account that Captain James Wedderburn IS the f-ing narrator and protagonist of this f-ing story, talking about himslef in the third person yet again, in yet another deeply irritating moment (and "irritating" is an euphemism, it's more like, "I don't condone burning books, but I'd turn my face if someone got Dream London soaked in alcohol and approached a match to it" moment) this is where I get off...
Good job on totally ruining a great idea, Tony, just because you were pissed at your girlfriend or something of the sort and don't know the difference between an "anti-hero" and a right down worthless bastard...
May Captain James Wedderburn die in hell and someone rip off your original concept for a setting, because... heck... it totally deserved to be written in a readable book...
There.
Having on account that Captain James Wedderburn IS the f-ing narrator and protagonist of this f-ing story, talking about himslef in the third person yet again, in yet another deeply irritating moment (and "irritating" is an euphemism, it's more like, "I don't condone burning books, but I'd turn my face if someone got Dream London soaked in alcohol and approached a match to it" moment) this is where I get off...
Good job on totally ruining a great idea, Tony, just because you were pissed at your girlfriend or something of the sort and don't know the difference between an "anti-hero" and a right down worthless bastard...
May Captain James Wedderburn die in hell and someone rip off your original concept for a setting, because... heck... it totally deserved to be written in a readable book...
There.
nick_27's review against another edition
5.0
I have never read anything like this! It was so different, every step was a new discovery. I recommend this novel to anyone who wants a change from routine, or who needs to remember what it means to be human again.
patremagne's review against another edition
3.0
Probably a 3.49. Very weird.
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/10/dream-london-by-tony-ballantyne-and-the-violent-century-by-lavie-tidhar.html
Tony Ballantyne’s Dream London jumped out in Solaris’s catalog instantly with its cover. The blurb was also interesting – a London that constantly changes, buildings grow of their own volition every day, very weird things happen on a daily basis. People with tongues that have eyes, potty-mouthed little girls, and an orange frog-man. Captain Jim Wedderburn is caught up on a mission to find out why London has changed. The book had some good characters, especially the frog-man, had a lot of great humor, but the plot was somewhat damaged by its eccentricity and in the end it left me feeling that it was alright, but not great.
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/10/dream-london-by-tony-ballantyne-and-the-violent-century-by-lavie-tidhar.html
Tony Ballantyne’s Dream London jumped out in Solaris’s catalog instantly with its cover. The blurb was also interesting – a London that constantly changes, buildings grow of their own volition every day, very weird things happen on a daily basis. People with tongues that have eyes, potty-mouthed little girls, and an orange frog-man. Captain Jim Wedderburn is caught up on a mission to find out why London has changed. The book had some good characters, especially the frog-man, had a lot of great humor, but the plot was somewhat damaged by its eccentricity and in the end it left me feeling that it was alright, but not great.
kimal25's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, even though I really don't know what to think about it. This was a very weird book, but weird in a good way. Captain James (Jim) Wedderburn was not a nice character, but he was likeable nonetheless. Dream London seemed like a terrible place but also very interesting. I liked the strange grittiness of the city and the people, as well as the adventure of everything. A much, much different story than anything I'm used to.
powder_and_page's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted on Powder & Page
First off, I just want to say that I sorta picked up this book based on the cover, which is gorgeous. I do judge books based on their covers after all, even though it might be frowned upon by some readers. Anyway, the cover was really cool so I read the little blurb on the back and it sounded pretty neat too. I decided that I would buy this book and see if it was as interesting as it sounded and, long story short, it was SO weird but also SO awesome! Dream London is certainly nothing like what I normally read and it was totally worth it.
Tony Ballantyne created an image of London that is mind-blowing. Streets move, buildings stretch and shrink, strange creatures arrive from parts unknown, and for God’s sake, there are no decimals! Captain James Wedderburn (who isn’t actually a Captain) has profited from the changes of Dream London. He runs a whorehouse and has made a name for himself in this strange new reality. Of course, this doesn’t last and he gets in over his head trying to find out who caused London to become Dream London and then stop them. Captain Wedderburn is torn between two rival groups- the Cartel, who want to stop the changes and the Daddio, who takes over people by infecting them with tongue worms. Tongue worms are the stuff of late-night pizza fueled nightmares.
The characters are as unique and crazy as Dream London itself. Captain Wedderburn is a bit dashing, but also arrogant and a bit of a dick. Honey Peppers is an adorable little girl with a particularly creative sailor’s vocabulary. I laughed out loud at little Honey Peppers and her vile litany of profanities. Mr. Monagan is a frog that wishes to be a man – he’s one of the more normal characters.
It gets a bit philosophical eventually, with talk of why being individual isn’t always good and sometimes being part of a larger group is good. When everyone only thinks of themselves and plays lone wolf they lose the power that being a pack holds. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives (thank you Game of Thrones).
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different than their regular read. Okay, well maybe a LOT different to me. Based on the absurdly fascinating storyline and the mostly likeable characters, this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I would also like to mention that a second book titled Dream Paris will be released August 25!
First off, I just want to say that I sorta picked up this book based on the cover, which is gorgeous. I do judge books based on their covers after all, even though it might be frowned upon by some readers. Anyway, the cover was really cool so I read the little blurb on the back and it sounded pretty neat too. I decided that I would buy this book and see if it was as interesting as it sounded and, long story short, it was SO weird but also SO awesome! Dream London is certainly nothing like what I normally read and it was totally worth it.
Tony Ballantyne created an image of London that is mind-blowing. Streets move, buildings stretch and shrink, strange creatures arrive from parts unknown, and for God’s sake, there are no decimals! Captain James Wedderburn (who isn’t actually a Captain) has profited from the changes of Dream London. He runs a whorehouse and has made a name for himself in this strange new reality. Of course, this doesn’t last and he gets in over his head trying to find out who caused London to become Dream London and then stop them. Captain Wedderburn is torn between two rival groups- the Cartel, who want to stop the changes and the Daddio, who takes over people by infecting them with tongue worms. Tongue worms are the stuff of late-night pizza fueled nightmares.
The characters are as unique and crazy as Dream London itself. Captain Wedderburn is a bit dashing, but also arrogant and a bit of a dick. Honey Peppers is an adorable little girl with a particularly creative sailor’s vocabulary. I laughed out loud at little Honey Peppers and her vile litany of profanities. Mr. Monagan is a frog that wishes to be a man – he’s one of the more normal characters.
It gets a bit philosophical eventually, with talk of why being individual isn’t always good and sometimes being part of a larger group is good. When everyone only thinks of themselves and plays lone wolf they lose the power that being a pack holds. The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives (thank you Game of Thrones).
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different than their regular read. Okay, well maybe a LOT different to me. Based on the absurdly fascinating storyline and the mostly likeable characters, this book deserves 4 out of 5 stars. I would also like to mention that a second book titled Dream Paris will be released August 25!
ek_reads's review against another edition
4.0
At the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was going to like Dream London. The opening scene, which begins with Captain James Wedderburn listening to salamanders eat a beetle at the foot of his bed, was a bit more odd than I was prepared for. The first few chapters are One, Red, Two, Blue, (The Feeling of Setting Out On a Journey), and Three. Maybe I haven't read enough fantasy books to have been prepared. But as the story began, I couldn't help but be endeared to Captain Jim as he started to wonder if perhaps Dream London hadn't changed him more than he thought it had.
Most of the characters Captain Jim meets appear to be fairly one-dimensional, but it's intentional. The people in the city have been changed by the same force that changes the buildings and the roads. And several of the characters have surprises in store.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read! I was thoroughly engaged in Ballantyne's world, and I was sad to leave it when the book was over.
Most of the characters Captain Jim meets appear to be fairly one-dimensional, but it's intentional. The people in the city have been changed by the same force that changes the buildings and the roads. And several of the characters have surprises in store.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read! I was thoroughly engaged in Ballantyne's world, and I was sad to leave it when the book was over.
lyndiane's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I mean... no, really....wow!!!!
After starting (and abandoning) this book nearly two years ago, I finally re-started it on 6 July 2016.
A twisted blend of 'Dark City' and 'Inception' on speed, this story is so much more than the sum of its parts. Set in an alternate-reality London, the story is a chilling indictment of the perverted evolution of the concepts "you can be anything you want to be" and rampant individualism, and serves as a frightening indication of the depraved realities we would write for ourselves and our environment if the power to do so existed.
The main character barely qualifies as a decent person, being a pimp ("hey, I look after my girls") and a drug runner ("have you got any candy?") but his own perception of self is that of Mr Nice Guy. How we mislead ourselves!!!!
A true masterpiece.
After starting (and abandoning) this book nearly two years ago, I finally re-started it on 6 July 2016.
A twisted blend of 'Dark City' and 'Inception' on speed, this story is so much more than the sum of its parts. Set in an alternate-reality London, the story is a chilling indictment of the perverted evolution of the concepts "you can be anything you want to be" and rampant individualism, and serves as a frightening indication of the depraved realities we would write for ourselves and our environment if the power to do so existed.
The main character barely qualifies as a decent person, being a pimp ("hey, I look after my girls") and a drug runner ("have you got any candy?") but his own perception of self is that of Mr Nice Guy. How we mislead ourselves!!!!
A true masterpiece.
invisibleninjacat's review against another edition
2.0
The writing was fine, but there author made a lot of boring choices when it came to choosing how to change London into Dream London. In a book where Dream London literally warps reality so that buildings move and grow daily and an orange frog the size of a person comes to Dream London to learn how to be human, nearly every woman is a whore, a housewife, or a mother. He could have made literally any other decision (women transforming into trees, into statisticians, into anything really), and he chose that. Non-white characters are explicitly being reduced to stereotypes of their cultures. Further, the main character is a pimp who claims he isn't really, who naturally avoided dishonorable discharge for being involved with his commander's daughter, and who might be involved with underage girls. And he's presented as a hero/anti-hero of Dream London. Really?