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)

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?

Tragically beautiful

Richard Matheson is a Master Storyteller and shines yet again.
Until I came across this audiobook, I had only seen the movie with Robin Williams starring. I loved the movie instantly and it never has failed to bring tears to my eyes. The original book is always better than a movie, in my opinion and this book is no different.
I have always mourned at not having found love. A true love. A Corinthian kind of love. A love like in this story where Chris loves Ann.
This will Always be my favorite story. Book, audio, or film.

Deeply touching and timeless

This book has such intense imagery, emotion and imagination. You're left asking your own questions and contemplating life and death in the best way. What an incredible journey! I can't wait to take it again.

Whoever said the movie is better is wacko

I enjoyed this book. It’s was very emotional and intriguing. Trying to watch the movie after and couldn’t handle it. Some one commented about how the movie was better for once. No way!

Outstanding on all levels!

This is me and my wife. I'd go to the hell for her and find her through it all. Eternity could not separate us.

riveting

I could hardly put it down. I listened to this nonstop and I feel this to my core. I will be recommending this book to people, and hope they like it too

Meh

I'm a big fan if Matheson and I have to wonder if I would have felt differently about this book if I'd read it rather than listened. It was tedious to get through. It felt more like a droning lecture than an interesting story. Part of it was likely the reader but there was a definite lack of suspense or wonder for such an intriguing subject matter.

The performance was rough

Of course this book is almost a modern classic with the famous Robin Williams movie being based on it. The story is top notch, but the voice and pentameter of the performer almost put me to sleep. No excitement conveyed at all.