Dream World

Raphael Aloysius LaffertyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 14K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Dream World by R. A. LaffertyAuthor: Lafferty, R. A., 1914-2002,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 6, 2016

Editor's review

R. A. Lafferty's Dream World is a science fiction work tinged with whimsy and satire, continuing the author's signature style of wrapping social observation in absurd premises. The story unfolds around the boundary between dreams and reality, using light, ingenious narration to create layer upon layer of reversals, letting readers realize, amid the laughter, the logical holes and human weaknesses beneath the setup. Lafferty's language is playful and brisk; he excels at driving the plot through seemingly casual dialogue, and the short length makes the book an easy read. Its value lies not in hard-tech extrapolation but in holding fantasy up as a mirror to the desires and self-deceptions of reality. It suits segmented reading on a commute or before bed—treat it as a thought game; while reading, watch for the flaws the narrator deliberately leaves, and savor the author's parody of science fiction conventions. For readers who prefer tightly built worlds and hard SF premises, the book's looseness and erratic leaps may feel unsatisfying.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Science fiction readers who enjoy absurd satire and whimsical premises
New readers who want an easy entry into Lafferty's work through a short piece
Readers interested in parody of SF conventions and metanarrative
Commuters or bedtime readers looking for light material

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction fans seeking tightly built worlds and hard technological premises
Readers who prefer serious literature and realistic narrative
Readers unaccustomed to jumpy narrative and absurd logic

Reading tips

Read the first few pages to get a feel for the narrative tone, then decide your reading pace
Watch for puns and irony in the dialogue and slow down to read closely
After finishing, revisit the key turns to map the correspondence between dream and reality
Read alongside other satirical SF shorts and compare their parodic techniques

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a short story?

Judging by length and narrative pace, it is closer to a brisk short work, suitable for reading in one sitting or over two or three. Don't expect elaborate world-building; the point is to follow the absurd situations and reversals the narrator sets up and savor the satire.

Can I understand it without having read other Lafferty works?

Yes. The book does not depend on prior setups and stands alone without difficulty. Lafferty's style is rather erratic, though, so first-time readers may need a few pages to adjust to the narrative tone; if it interests you afterward, seek out his other works to better grasp his habitual whimsy and irony.

Are the science fiction elements strong in this book?

The SF elements are more premised than technical; the focus is not on scientific extrapolation but on using fantastical situations to create satire and speculation. If you expect hard tech and tight logic, you may be disappointed; if you accept absurd premises and brisk narration, you can find reading pleasure in it.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Raphael Aloysius Lafferty Author · American · 1914–2002

R. A. Lafferty (Raphael Aloysius Lafferty, 1914–2002) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, born in Iowa and long resident in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He worked as an electrical engineer and served in the Pacific theater during World War II, and did not begin writing until his forties. Over his career he produced more than thirty novels and over two hundred short stories. His style was idiosyncratic and singular, marked by absurdity, ingenuity and a strong relish for language, giving him a distinctive place in genre fiction. He won the Hugo Award in 1972 for "The Devil Is Dead" and received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1990. Six of his works are held in the collection, including "The Six Fingers of Time," "The Weirdest World" and "Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas"; other representative works include "Dream World," "Aloys" and "All the People."