Due to an experimental medical program, Charlie has developed severe narcolepsy. This narcolepsy has lead her into the world of “dream hacking.” Using her strange skills, she can walk into another sleeping person’s dreams and help fight their boogie monsters or strange fears. Sometimes, this leads to incredibly uncomfortable dreams. When her ex-boyfriend approaches her with the dream troubles of his new girlfriend, Charlie is less than thrilled. The girlfriend is a stunningly gorgeous musician who is being hunted by a strange man in her dreams, dreams which try to cause self-harm. Charlie does her best, but soon learns that this strange man is an outside force. She will have to rely on a bizarre grouping of friends and acquaintances to keep her from falling asleep at the wrong time, and keep her alive.
With an incredible cast of characters and stunning writing style, Sweet Dreams is perhaps one of my favorite Science Fiction pieces to cross the desk this year. Charlie is smart, but flawed. She is not blessed with wealth or prestige, and has to rely on her limited support network to get through major issues. Her roommate, a former decoder with many connections, is by far my favorite character in this book.
Tricia Sullivan’s writing style makes Sweet Dreams a page turner. It is difficult to put back down, and made for a late night of satisfying reading. The book has some points that are truly dark, but subtle humor keeps the book from diving too hard into the realm of horror.
Sweet Dreams is available now from Titan Books.
