A review by libertyreads789
Upon a Waking Dream by J.S. Bailey

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.