“It’s called the Friends of the Restful Soul. Ness has a sort of cynical resignation to the whole thing which is at times dryly humorous and at other times, well, horrifying. People clamor to watch one of the city’s superheroes defeat the latest monster du jour and then get autographs from them signed in the monster’s blood. No one even blinks when the mayor’s pet pterodactyl gobbles up a journalist who asks a prying question. Newham is corrupt to an almost hilarious extent.

The entire premise – turning into your worst nightmare – is inventive and enthralling. It seems to be set in a sort of 1920s era with Prohibition and speakeasys and flapper hats. But when her latest assignment goes sideways, she’s forced to face her fears – if she can survive them. Even the thought of one makes her cower and hide so it’s not a surprise she’s terrible at all the assignments the Friends give her. Eight years later, Ness is still terrified of Nightmares, constantly wearing gloves to prevent contagion and taking extra pills just in case. She fell in with the Friends of the Restful Soul after getting therapy from them and her tiny brick-walled room is the only safe space she knows. Ness ended up in the big city of Newham after her sister turned into a Nightmare and killed her father and several others in their small town. “It’s hard to stop being afraid when the whole world is literally full of monsters.Īnd anyone could become another one whenever they go to sleep.” People regularly take pills to prevent dreams. Sometimes it means you turn into a lizard man but are otherwise still the same mentally, while some turn into giant spider monsters. If you dream, you have a chance of turning into a Nightmare, a representation of the thing you fear the worst.

It’s a quirky story but one I very much enjoyed.įor over a hundred years, people have been afraid of Nightmares. Look, when the book’s blurb starts out with “ever since her sister became a man-eating spider”, how in the world could I not pick up this book? And while I was initially put off by the cover (seriously, it doesn’t not match the book at all), I’m so glad I picked this up.

Rebecca schaeffer city of nightmares