Dreamlike States

This collection by Brian James Freeman features dark stories that are a little different from his other works. Some focus on unusual characters; some are simply told in unusual ways. The last two are closely linked pieces, although the connection is hidden under the surface.

• Kathy has a great deal on her mind as “Tomorrow Could Be Even Better” opens, but mostly she’s thinking about how quickly life can change when you’re least expecting it… and today a brief encounter with a stranger will send her life changing very quickly and spiraling toward madness.

• When it comes to “The Temperament of an Artist,” sometimes you just have to let the paint fly onto the canvas and see what the results are… even if that paint looks a little too much like blood.

• “The Gorman Gig” is definitely not going like the others, and Mike and Jimmy have no idea how badly this job’s going to end for everyone involved…

• As “One Way Flight” takes off, the man in seat 36-B awakens to find everyone else on his plane is dead, including the pilot. Now the clock is ticking and he doesn’t have much time to figure out who he is, what has happened, and most importantly, how to get off the plane alive…

• Assuming Michael manages to escape the punishment room by surviving for “One More Day,” he isn’t sure he’ll be able to live with the knowledge of what he did, but then again, that’s a dilemma he wouldn’t mind confronting, given the finality of the alternative.

• In “The Silent Attic,” Amy is haunted by the memory of her mother’s last days, but will one last trip to the room where her nightmares were born set her free?

• And finally, “Danny Dreams” introduces readers to Danny Walker, who knows all too well that the life of the dead is often placed in the memory of the living…

These thought-provoking stories show why David Morrell called Freeman’s writing “elegant and haunting” and why Michael Koryta said Freeman writes “a taut, memorable tale.”


Genre: Horror