Book Review – Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy
Author: M. Jerry Weiss, Helen S. Weiss
Publisher: Starscape Books
Binding: Hardcover
Publication Date: March 2006
Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy, a wonderful collection of fantasy and science fiction stories by both children’s and young adult authors, opens with Joan Bauer’s “Blocked.” In it, Chloe is having a terrible time finishing up yet another story involving one of her beloved princesses and the deadline is closing on in. Normally she has no problem filling out her characters, giving them life and words and, above all else, a reason for purpose. But not this time. Luckily, some of her secondary characters step forward to speak their minds. A fun tale with just the right pinch of humor, Bauer’s story, which within itself trembles at the idea of being the opening tale, is perfectly placed.
“Jameel and the House of Djinn” by Suzanne Fisher Staples is a coming-of-age story starring Jameel, or as he likes to be known as in America, Jimmy. Before he can even kiss the girl he so wants to kiss, Chloe, Jameel is swept away to Pakistan via airplane because his grandfather has had a stroke. Jameel is visited by his grandfather’s spirit while aboard the plane and he knows that the old man has died. Once in Pakistan, he learns that he is to become the next leader of the people. Now Jameel must decide whether to follow with his family’s traditions or follow the types he’s learned since living in America. Staples weaves a strong story, but ends it with a promise that everything will work out for the better. With a house full of djinn and a teenage boy at the center of command, I doubt this will actually be the case.
In “Dharma” by Charles de Lint, a Muslim boy newly nicknamed Dharma has run away from his home to join the hippies and beatniks of his generation. At a musical organization during the last week of August, Dharma meets a young girl named Button. They share the same love for music, for life, and for just being. As the night progresses, Dharma begins to worry that Button might be overdosing as she’s grown cold and tired. Dharma wakes the next morning to discover she’s vanished. None of his friends really remember anything about the girl. Was she a ghost? A spirit? A dream? It’s these questions that de Lint leaves the reader to answer. As per his style, de Lint mixes the real and the fantastic with ease, creating a world that is both familiar and strange. This is the best story of the anthology, by far.
“Dry Spell” by Michael O. Tunnell, at first, appears to be nothing more than a witch-burning-gone-wrong story, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised by how it turned out in the end. Both Martin’s sister and mother are dead, and he has reason to believe neither were accidents. After he is visited by the spirit of his mother, the task of revenge is placed on his shoulders. Martin will learn the truth of matters, but it might not be a truth he is ready to digest. Tunnell presents a dark twist at the end, one that justifies the events prior. Strong story, but not the most uplifting.
Craig and Jessica are on the track team together and both share the same amount of love for the sport in “Allegro” by Rich Wallace. One day Craig discovers that Jessica has dropped a small ring of hair. He keeps it for good luck, wearing it on his pinky toe when he runs track. As the training furthers, Craig begins to fall for Jessica more and more. But did they already have a connection before meeting, maybe in prior lives? Wallace leaves the answer up to the reader, but I felt the evidence that Craig was possibly Jessica’s horse to be too weak to be substantial. I understand we’re supposed to stretch our imagination a bit here, but I just had trouble seeing the point of it. And there’s a small subplot involving another boy that kind of fizzled at the end. Either way, I enjoyed how Wallace portrayed Craig’s voice, which helped fuel the story forward at more than just a gallop.
I absolutely loved “Depressing Acres” by Patrice Kindl. In the community development Refreshing Acres (scornfully picked on as Depressing Acres for the simple fact that every house is the same and stacked one against the other), children are going missing and their parents are even forgetting they had children. Mona is convinced this is because of Mrs. Duck, their new neighborly neighbor with a vernacular containing such words as “eat,” “sweet,” and “children.” Eventually, Mona and her family are the only ones left in the community, and Mrs. Duck is coming for them. This one’s a lot of fun, and there’s an easy comparison to Hansel and Gretel except for the fact that the nasty witch moves into your neighborhood instead of the other way around. Mona’s very realistic, even if her parents’ reactions aren’t, but once you get lost in the story nothing else really matters. The ending, devilishly amusing, is perfect.
The world is on fire in “Red Sky” by S. L. Rothman. Literally. From the group of children running, Kief and Hybream are the only two to make it to the water’s edge. The others dropped out quickly. There’s very little time for rest or eating or anything. They’re running on instincts alone. Rothman presents a very dark tale of survival and friendship. In the little time we share with Kief, we watch him make very hard decisions and accept even stranger answers. I think there’s more to the story, especially considering the creepy but mesmerizing ending, but I don’t know if it’ll ever be told.
In “Abra-Ca-Deborah” by David Lubar, everyone can be a magician. Except for girls. There’s a local contest going on and Deborah’s promised herself to win it, not just for herself but for all girls that want to do magic. And Deborah is excellent at magic, both the name-a-card kind and the one where voicing a command executes the command. When her stage props are ruined by a purposely spilled soda, Deborah seeks revenge on the young brat who did it to her. But can she still win the competition? While the moral of the story is a bit heavy-handed, Lubar still presents a fun adventure with Deborah.
“Ryan and Angel in the Green Room, a Heavenly Fantasy; or, the Ultimate in High-stakes Testing” by Mel Glenn is the story that truly stands out in Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy if only for the fact that it’s written in free verse. Ryan’s now in a coma after crashing his car, and while unconscious in that eternal dark place thingy, he is visited by Angel (not to be confused with “by an angel,” but I’ll let the reader make the connection). Angel informs Ryan that he’ll have to take part in a special test to decide what is to happen with him. Unfortunately, Ryan’s not too good at tests. The way Glenn jumps from one view point to another is interestingly done and the language sharp and, more times than not, clever without being too obvious. Ryan isn’t too likeable as a character, but there’s always that glimmer of hope that these life/death tales offer and I’m willing to take a chance on the idea that, in the end, things will be just fine.
Jessica finds a lumpy toad in the middle of the street one day in “The Youngest One” by Nancy Springer. She’s a sad girl, having no father around, an alcoholic mother, and brothers that are simply never there. The only person Jessica has any real contact with is old Mrs. Warty, and everyone else in the neighborhood teases the geriatric. But Jessica hears her muttering something about toads and Shakespeare and cures for poison. Can she piece together the clues? A good story, but a bit predictable in the end and there was very little character development between Jessica and her mother. Since it was such a pivotal part of the piece, I was expecting more to it other than some background information. But the addition of Shakespearian lore was enough to make me happy.
“Baseball in Iraq (Being the True Story of the Ghost of Gunnery Sergeant T.J. McVeigh)” by John H. Ritter is very interesting. A recently deceased soldier in Iraq is visited by the ghost of Timothy McVeigh, the same McVeigh infamous for the Oklahoma bombing atrocity. It’s a haunting ghost story, one where McVeigh shows the young soldier what evil really is, and by doing so, assigns his new role in the afterlife. I liked it a lot, but I’m just not sure if I’m supposed to pity such a man like McVeigh or not. I guess that’s a judgment call I’ll have to make on a reread.
“An Interview with the Actress Celeste; or, the Dreamer and the Dreamed” by Sharon Dennis Wyeth centers around the prediction of the local oracle. Celeste’s mother is blinded, and after her father dies, she herself succumbs to a sleeping disorder that causes their lives to be that much more difficult. As Celeste’s mother’s health begins to fail, Celeste finds herself in immediate danger. But who will come to her rescue? This felt a lot like a fairy tale passed down by family members, and Wyeth handles her characters with care. Celeste, obviously revealed by the story’s ending, has a lot to her past, which might be just enough for a sequel. I’d read it, that’s for sure.
In “Majority Rules” by Neal Shusterman, a young thief is given the final say of the fate of the world. An ominous voice questions him, tests him, and shows him things he might never have seen before. But it all boils down to one simple question: if there’s life on other planets, is that life hostile or friendly? Shusterman presents an interesting tale that unfolds at a good pace and ends on a high note. This one is very recommended.
The last story of the anthology is “The Hidden Girl” by Tamora Pierce. Teky and her father, a priest with a yearning to teach those uninformed, are traveling the countryside of Hartunjar and spreading the words of forbidden texts. They face death penalties after being discovered by local priests. When Teky discovers she’s all alone, it is up to her to continue her father’s work. Will she survive long enough to do so? Pierce is able to craft a world where, even though the idea of subservient women and the men who make them feel small has been done before, is alive with culture and codes. A very strong piece and a perfect way to close out Dreams and Visions: Fourteen Flights of Fantasy.
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