Review of the Ultimate Songs of a Dead Dreamer -- Part 1: Dreams for Sleepwalkers

[dr. locrian]

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the enhanced SoaDD last week and have spent most of my stolen free time alone (of which there is precious little these days) absorbing it. In point of fact, I’ve been huddling over the stories in the first third of the collection (“Dreams for Sleepwalkers”), reading each story twice over, poring over the text of an earlier edition in the second go round to note the differences between the older and newer versions of the text.

Many of you know my experience with Ligotti’s work—and particularly with my discovery of Songs of a Dead Dreamer—from my recent TLO interview with Aetherwing. In short, the Carroll & Graf paperback edition of this collection was my introduction to Ligotti’s work, and—for me—the stories contained within were something akin to discovering the holy grail of creative prose (and these stories literally changed my life in the process of that discovery). Although Ligotti was still a comparative youth (authorially speaking), the tales within that now legendary tome were scintillating, lush, haunting and, in many moments, masterful. There are, in fact, stories from Songs that—in retrospect—are true classics of their kind, both in terms of style and content (e.g., “The Chymist,” “Dr. Voke & Mr. Veech,” “Vastarien,” “Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story”). We all have our favorites.

Back in 1991 or so, it would have been difficult to convince me that more than one story in the collection (i.e., “Eye of the Lynx”) could use some more editing, let alone heavy revisions. In fact, my former self would likely argue (ad nauseum for many hours) against such an assessment. I can hear former-me asking even now: given the tremendous quality and authorial care that went into this work, is it possible that these stories—some of which are absolute models of their kind—can be enhanced without harming their quintessential essence? According to a recent correspondence with Ligotti himself, that indeed was his goal: “I wanted to make the stories more like what they already were. And whatever changes I made in a given story were intended to be in the style of my prose during the time I wrote that story and [would] not reflect later develop[ments] in the way I write.”

That seems like a tall order even to present-me. Would Ligotti be able to pull off this improbable magic trick? Would he be able to virtually project himself as an author a quarter of a century or more into the past to (sometimes heavily) revise these tales while simultaneously maintaining the manner in which he originally wrote them?

Had a lesser author attempted this time-bending feat, I would have had my serious doubts about the wisdom of taking on such a project. But it’s important to remember that Ligotti is a world-class editor—every bit as skilled and talented in the editing world as he is in the writing world (which, after all, really should go hand in hand).

And I’m delighted to state that the stories in (at least the first third of) the enhanced (or—more accurately—the ultimate) Songs of a Dead Dreamer are remarkably superior, tightened and subtly adjusted versions of the originals (particularly in stories like “Alice’s Last Adventure” or “Drink To Me Only With Labyrinthine Eyes”).

Moreover—in at least one case (“Eye of the Lynx)—Ligotti was able to correct significant problems with the original and deftly write into the story, generating a wholly new first paragraph which established the protagonist’s MO from the outset, all perfectly in integration with the rest of the tale. I should state that "Eye of the Lynx" was the only story in previous editions of SoaDD that didn't work for me. The revised version is a revelation. It now has a razor sharp focus, grittiness, and wit which it never had before—in addition to some brand new, magnificent (and haunting) images. Most significantly, the story's tone is now consistent throughout the piece (and throughout the other two stories in the trilogy). I love the story now, and it is a fitting and worthy conclusion to the entire Nyctalops Trilogy.

Although no other tale I’ve read so far gets the top-to-bottom refurbishment that “Eye of the Lynx” does, every story in Dreams for Sleepwalkers is adjusted to one degree or another—and these adjustments have remarkable results. Reading them side by side with the originals, I’m struck by the sheer depth and breadth of Ligotti’s editing skills. Again: the man is an immensely experienced and peculiarly talented editor.

Take "Notes on the Writing of Horror: A Story," a brilliant piece of metafiction which I’ve always revered. Every substituted word; each additional (or deleted) bit of text is spot on. The story was wonderful before, but now it's simply masterful—and, again, gritty with a new, overtly sexual (and—to my sick mind—hilarious) element. You’ll see.

It strikes me that—as significant as the revisions are in quality if (often) not quantity—the SOUL and NATURE of the stories seems unchanged. Ligotti wanted to revise these tales so that they would be “more like they already were,” and he succeeded with flying colors: the results are fascinating and exciting. The stories are still the same stories you’ve read before… but, yes, they are truly enhanced—and superior—versions of themselves.

Damn. I’m running out of time. I can't WAIT to really absorb every story in the new Songs, and I’ll be sure to share my reactions with all of you when I do. Before I finish for now, I must mention that the book itself looks (and feels) wonderful (even the PB advance uncorrected proof I now own), and Aeron’s artwork is perfect (again—perfect).

A final thought: if I had never read these remarkable stories before, I know this collection would hook me somehow even more deeply than the original did. So far, the ULTIMATE Songs of a Dead Dreamer has indeed exceeded even this Ligotti fan’s absurdly high expectations.

You will be amazed.

[Ascrobius]

It's phenomenal. Like I have stated before, I know all of these stories inside out after having read them multiple times over the course of time. There is no question that this is the "ultimate" SoaDD and honestly, those who love Tom's work should consider themselves lucky that this edition will become available. When I began re-reading the "new" stories I had a discussion with Tom about some of the changes that I noticed in the revised text. I told him that I had the urge to pick up my copy of TNF to compare notes, which was right next to me on the side table, and told him that I resisted that urge and just kept reading. He said "keep resisting and just read", so I did. I have decided that I like the sense of there being something slightly different about what I'm reading, but that it is often elusive enough to not really be able to nail it down exactly. As a result, I have found that part of the enjoyment of reading the new text is that sense of surprise that you experience at times when reading certain passages. It's hard to imagine something of legendary stature being made better. Only a writer as gifted as Thomas Ligotti could pull that off. It's both a gift from Tom and a reflection his status as writer who is undoubtedly in a class all by himself.

	TNF The Nightmare Factory

	SOADD Songs of a Dead Dreamer   Songs of a Dead Dreamer was the first book published featuring a collection stories by Thomas Ligotti. Original Printing Revised Printing

[starrysothoth]

Thank you for the detailed review. I had guessed that the story undergoing the most significant revision was "Eye of the Lynx." It has always been puzzling to me in its meaning, despite some great imagery captured in it. I doubt I'm alone in saying it struck me as one of Ligotti's more experimental pieces. It's nice to know that TL must have detected some of the same issues and moved in swiftly to polish it.

I can't wait to see what's been done with it.

[The New Nonsense]

Thanks for the great review, Jon. I trust your keen eye on the subject. I also have absolute trust in Ligotti for putting out a superior edition. Other authors may be tempted to rework their earlier writings simply for the sake of tinkering, or perhaps inflate them to meet a certain page count. However, with Ligotti, I sense he truly had the creative genius to perfect something that was already near-perfect -- perhaps just polishing the gems.

One can only imagine what would have happened if Lovecraft had lived long enough to be given the chance to revisit his work later in life, review the stories with a wizened eye, and work with Derleth to create definitive (and perhaps superior) versions of his masterpieces.

[matt cardin]

Sorry, but I don't believe a word of it. It's not possible to improve on perfection.

Well, okay, maybe it is for Tom.

This isn't fair. You're all making me drool on my keyboard.

[The Silent One]

Geez, now I'm going to have to proactively look for money to buy this! As if I wasn't going to already...

I'll admit that upon re-reading it, I've actually come to really enjoy "Eye of the Lynx", but actually being able to grasp what is actually going on would be a massive boon. Considering what you have said, I think that Tom has clarified this. Hence, I am grasped with a kind of dissociated envy, which I am sure will hit full on in a few moments.

Hmmm... Yes, there it is.