Dream World: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Dream World: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Dream World is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Lafferty, R. A. (1914–2002).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Dream World" by R. A. Lafferty is a surreal science fiction novel written during the early 1960s. The narrative revolves around the concept of shared dreams, specifically a grotesque and nightmarish world that many individuals begin to experience simultaneously. The story explores themes of reality versus illusion, societal panic, and the interplay between dreams and the waking world. In "Dream World," the protagonist, Bascomb Swicegood, discovers that he shares a horrific dream with a stranger, Teresa Ananias, leading to a widespread phenomenon where an entire population is plagued by nightmarish visions. As people report encountering repulsive images—like wart-hogs and strange bodily experiences—they sink into despair and confusion about the nature of their reality. An influential figure urges society to make a decision about which world is real, resulting in a mass return to a more mundane existence. Ultimately, the nightmarish shared experience fades, leaving a sense of eerie normalcy, as the characters are left to reconcile their memories of horror with their everyday lives.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Dream World
- Author credits: Lafferty, R. A. (1914–2002)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Dreams -- Fiction
- Science fiction
- Short stories
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Novels
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
- Science Fiction
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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