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The Loved, The Lost, The Dreaming

by Michelle Browne

The Loved, The Lost, The Dreaming Anthology
Editions:Paperback
ISBN: 1482361507
Pages: 638
KindleePub

Nightmares bleed into the waking world.

A city of shadows lurks underground.

Restless ghosts, eerie dolls, and spiteful stepmothers.

Haunting stories of love, madness, and small disasters.

Featuring a full-length novel and eleven stand-alone short stories, this collection blends fairy tales, horror, and science fiction. The Underlighters is a dystopian horror coming-of-age adventure that follows the life of Janelle Cohen from insignificance to bitter-sweet triumph. Footsteps in the Snow is a Lovecraftian nightmare set in a Canadian winter. A Shot of Vodka, a darkly realistic exploration of life after trauma, rounds out the collection. More and stranger stories fill in the gaps.

Gender and sexual mores are rewritten, primal fears take physical form, and dreams and reality merge. Prepare yourself: nothing is safe.

Published:
Editors:
Genres:
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Tropes: Abandoned Place, Becoming a Monster, Conspiracy, Dying World, Dystopian Governments, Found Family, Humanity is Dangerous, Humanity is Good, I See Dead People, Magic Talisman, Powerful Artifact, Reluctant Hero, Waiting/Sleeping Evil
Languages Available: English
Tropes: Abandoned Place, Becoming a Monster, Conspiracy, Dying World, Dystopian Governments, Found Family, Humanity is Dangerous, Humanity is Good, I See Dead People, Magic Talisman, Powerful Artifact, Reluctant Hero, Waiting/Sleeping Evil
Languages Available: English
Excerpt:
Reviews:Georgie on http://www.whatshereads.co.uk/ wrote:

Wow, just wow. there is so much wonder behind the words written in this book. This book is not one for rushing, it takes time to read but you'll want to read every word through every breath. The first half we are in a dystopian horror novel, where everyone lives underground through tunnels, above ground they are faced with conflict of going mad because of the dust that took over the world many years ago. Not only that, we are faced with nightmares coming to life. This novel explores sexual relationships in deeper detail, as well as the intricate goings on of the mind.

The second half we are faced with eleven short stories, only really lasting a length of a chapter. We're forced into the mind of the writers, telling stories of how unreal our fairy tale stories we grew up with are wrong and the conflicts of mad men.

The cover is so simple and beautiful, i love the symbolism of the flower showing how delicate the human mind truly is. It is definitely something you would not expect considering it's contents.

I give this a rating of...5*

Orchard Book Club on Goodreads wrote:

A very intriguing novel and such a refreshing change from the usual books I read. These stories cover everything dark, thrilling and the stuff of nightmares.

I love how Michelle Brown has combined a full length novel and several short stories together. The full length novel "The Underlighters" was absolutely fantastic and deserves 5 stars on its own!

I enjoyed the short stories especially the "fairy tale" ones which shows you a very different view to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty that you might have grown up with.

"A shot of vodka" the last short story, was again a fantastic story. This short story had everything. Love, deceit, betrayal of the worst kind and eventually forgiveness.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good horror book and anyone who especially enjoys a good anthology! This is definitely the one to read!

Laura (Orchard Admin)

Kirstin Stein Pulioff on Goodreads wrote:

What a book!!! First, I have to say, I was impressed with the way this story developed. It was a natural progression of discover, unveiling, and growth. The character development transformed in with each passing detail about the world, the struggles, and the mystery of the dust. This dystopian fantasy focuses not only on the coming of age story of Janelle, but an interesting mystery about “dust” and missing kids.

Second- what great storytelling. I was impressed with Michelle Browne’s writing style when I read her short stories, The Stolen. What I was not expecting was how brilliant it would be in a full length novel. When I think of her writing style two images come to mind… Xena the warrior princess and a mad scientist. Her style is unique, strong, and precise, with a darker edge.

There is no confusion as to the feelings she wishes to convey. She chooses her words carefully, sets up her characters in the right way, and introduces you to her world in a refreshing way. There is no doubt about it, she pulls you in with her words, twists your mind with the story, and leaves you hanging onto the end with that bittersweet longing for more… and then she give you more. A complete set of short stories that showcase her ability and her range.

This book, The Loved, The Lost, the Dreaming, leaves you dreaming of more. Keep those books coming!!!

Sara Celi on https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/539106124?book_show_action=false wrote:

came across this book in part because Michelle released on the same day I did mine. Something about the cover and the title immediately intrigued me, and I actually bought it long before I ever heard this would be on a blog tour through CBL Tours. I couldn't wait to read it because the synopsis seemed so different from other books I have seen around the internet lately. I wanted to read something different. I got it.

The Loved, The Lost, The Dreaming is a captivating, well written anthology that contains one long work, The Underlighters, and several other short stories. All of them are creepy, sad, and play on the uncomfortable nature of the topics they employ.

Michelle has a gift with the written word. She writes engaging, ground breaking prose that is not afraid to test the reader’s boundaries. She did a great job in the anthology of showcasing her talent in a variety of tales, each one of which stands out from the others. In short, I would recommend this book to anyone. It’s memorable, and unique.

My rating: 5 stars (download it now!)


About the Author

Michelle Browne is a sci fi/fantasy writer. She lives in Lethbridge, AB with her partners-in-crime and their cats. Her days revolve around freelance editing, knitting, jewelry, and nightmares, as well as social justice issues. She is currently working on the next books in her series, other people's manuscripts, and drinking as much tea as humanly possible.