Colorado Book Review

5 Stars

Summoner of Sleep is the product of a brilliant and vivid imagination that entraps you in its horrible and disturbing world that you somehow don’t want to leave until you figure out what’s really going on. The characters are relatable and, at first, preoccupied with the very human problems of troubled sleep, impending divorce, nosey neighbors, dissatisfaction with life and the like. I was quickly drawn in and found myself sympathizing with the characters’ suffering. But as soon as the characters become familiar to us, we are transported, along with them, to the completely unfamiliar, supernatural, terrifying and mind-bending netherworld of Marble Woods.

Whether intended or not, the book presents some interesting parallels with today’s societal problems, such as our obsession with pharmaceuticals, our intensifying “us vs. them” mentality, and our deeply rooted inability to truly know or trust one another. The book questions some deeply held human notions like family over friends, the necessity of forgiving family for wrongdoings, our trust in science and Big Pharma to know what’s best for us, and even our obsession with always wanting more—never satisfied with what we have and what is. The story does not address any of these topics head-on; rather, through relatable storytelling and a fascinating and eerie tale, readers are invited to reflect on how we feel about all these elements of 21st century American society.

The book is a fun and thought provoking read. It is different than lots of horror out there in its complexity, intensity, and vividness of description. Just to see the wretched creatures described in the book played out on the big screen would be fascinating. I think anyone who enjoys reading horror, fantasy, science fiction and the like would enjoy this book, whether an uninitiated teenager trying out horror for the first time, or a long-time Stephen King veteran. I anxiously await the book’s sequel and hopefully the screenplay!