What Dreams May Come

By: Richard Matheson

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens to us after we die? Chris Nielsen had no idea, until an unexpected accident cut his life short, separating him from his beloved wife, Annie. Now Chris must discover the true nature of life after death.

But even Heaven is not complete without Annie, and the divided soul mates will do anything to reach each other across the boundaries between life and death. When tragedy threatens to divide them forever, Chris risks his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair.

©1978 Richard Matheson (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the most important writers of the 20th century." (Ray Bradbury)
"Matheson is one of the great names in American terror fiction." ( Philadelphia Inquirer)

I loved the movie and now love the book

What Dreams May Come is one of my favorite movies and I recently purchased a copy. The book isn't exactly the same and, being written in the 70s, it has a couple old fashioned ideologies. It also has many parts that would be considered progressive in a few areas of the US. It's a wonderful book and does give a feeling of peace about what comes next for us all.

Not your typical novel

Part travelogue, part philosophy book, part textbook, part novel, What Dreams May Come is a little bit more than a simple adventure story. That high school English teacher who advised you to show, not tell would no doubt have a fit as Matheson rambles on for page after page with Chris asking his guide questions about the afterlife, and his guide answering them. The novel is very talky. Much of the book has a New Age/Eastern spiritual bent and it may seem airy fairy to some readers. On the other hand, other readers might find here a core text to study as they think about theology. Still a third reader might tune in and out of paying attention and just focus on the story of the protagonist and their situation. My guess is, they will love the book less than the former people, but may still find a cool fantasy story here. This book has a lot to like - just know that it will feel bloated by exposition and tangents according to traditional standards.

Superb!

Excellent read! I loved the movie so much and love this even more! So much to ponder

philosophy as literature

...or spirituality as literature, rather!

I was moved by this movie in 1998, and a quarter century later, am moved by this book!

I encounter Ayn Rand fans quite frequently, and I understand the appeal; I was once a self-centered early twenty-something who struggled with the structure of society and the individuals place in the world around us. "Self determination" and "Objectivism" are essentially means for reconciling this convergence of society and the individual. But, it's superficial, requires strawmen motives of hyperbolic 2, and even 1, dimensional characters. In simple, Rand and her philosophy - dictated as literature in Atlas and Fountainhead - are juvenile. Her work, despite having mass appeal, barely scratches the surface of the purpose of the existence of an individual... of all individuals, universally.

This book, though, dares to delve beyond the surface, and presents ancient notions through a modern universally accessible medium! Though not extensive in acknowledging each and every Creation and After-life belief system, there is a respect paid to every possible interpretation of religious or otherwise spiritual foundation!

I wish I had read this book before I read Atlas Shrugged so as not to be so vulnerable to the self-centeredness of the ideas, but at the same time, I wonder if I would've been ready to consider death - and life as a cyclical dynamic at an individual level - at age 19 vs now at age 43.

Whether the ideas in this book are "true" or not, the idea that what dreams may come, for all of us, is a unifying power vs self-determination as an isolating encouragement, lends to idea that The Individual and Society are both manifestations of our own abilities to interpret AND conflicts that we all must wrestle with. And instead of fretting over the malfeasance of Society over an Individual, one can view the triumph of an Individual within the context, or collective dream, of a Society. After all, the human experience may be better described as simply the shared awareness of existence ON THIS PLANE and in the dreams of what may be in/on other planes of existence?

Some Christians may find offensive

It's an odd story told in an odd way. I feel compelled to note that it seemed to go out of it's way to talk about "the church" in a somewhat negative tone but not other religions. It seems to embrace Hindi, and Buddism, which is fine but there isn't much of a balanced approached in my view. All in all it was okay. Vivid depiction of the story as it's told. I only listened at bed time. I must say I had weird/interesting dreams that week.

Beautiful

So much better than the movie. I hung on every word. I stayed in my car longer to listen.

Fantastic!

One of my top favorite books of all time. I liked the movie but the book puts the movie to shame! I will be listening to this many times! Fantastic book!

This book has given me strengths i never knew!

I can walk away grom this experience feeling empowered and capable of facing my life journey. I am pleasantly surprised and honered that my adventure has brought me here. Such a profound and compelling read; I am forever changed.

A Love Story of Life and Love after mortal death

I don’t know when I first became aware of Matheson as an author and playwright, but it’s been many years now, and I’m still amazed at his body of work. And how many of his stories have been translated into notable movies. I loved Somewhere in Time, but this one is on my list of top 5 most romantic movies ever.
The book is amazing in itself; and much more intellectual in its explanations of death, life after death, energy, reincarnation, and many other challenging topics. It’s one of those books you end up reading many times to get most of what the author tries to communicate. I’m guessing this book hasn’t received more mainstream recognition because of the density of the story; and the thought and heart required to “get it”. Amazing.
Dean does a good job of narration.

Genuinely thought provoking

I love this book so much and there were moments that had me crying. I would definitely recommend it if you are open to consider an afterlife