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A review by mjwerts
Dark Volume by Gordon Dahlquist
2.0
Having enjoyed this book's predecessor, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, I would not have imagined how much I would dislike and be frustrated by this second chapter in the exploits of Miss Temple, Cardinal Chang, and Doctor Svenson.
Despite being together at the end of Dream Eaters, the protagonists are inexplicably apart at the opening of the novel, leaving the reader to discover in fits and starts where they each are and what they are up to. This denies the reader the pleasure of seeing them interact with each other, which felt like something that was earned by sticking with them in the first novel.
Next on the list of frustrations is that no one stays dead, while our heroes have more dumb luck than one could possibly fathom. Granted, I'm not advocating for our protagonists to die, but how many times can one be captured and still escape. Apparently, a lot. This is actually good insight into the novel's plot: It repeats itself incessantly while failing to go anywhere.
Despite being together at the end of Dream Eaters, the protagonists are inexplicably apart at the opening of the novel, leaving the reader to discover in fits and starts where they each are and what they are up to. This denies the reader the pleasure of seeing them interact with each other, which felt like something that was earned by sticking with them in the first novel.
Next on the list of frustrations is that no one stays dead, while our heroes have more dumb luck than one could possibly fathom. Granted, I'm not advocating for our protagonists to die, but how many times can one be captured and still escape. Apparently, a lot. This is actually good insight into the novel's plot: It repeats itself incessantly while failing to go anywhere.