History Literature / TheGlassBooksOfTheDreamEaters

* NotSoDifferent: The Contessa insists this is true for Celeste and herself.

'''The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters''' is a 2006 novel by Gordon Dahlquist. It was followed by the sequel ''The Dark Volume'' (2008), and concluded by ''The Chemickal Marriage'' (2012).

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* ActionGirl For a sheltered heiress from an island, Miss Temple kicks some serious ass.

* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler: Poor Lydia.]]
* AppliedPhlebotinum: The Indigo Clay
* ChekhovsGun: Cardinal Chang's trauma.
* CollapsingLair: [[spoiler: More like collapsing airship]]
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Crabbe, though technically he is a corrupt minister

Into this stumbles our [[EnsembleCast ensemble]], consisting of two gentlemen (to use the term quite loosely, scandalously even), and one young lady. Our trio start off with seperate reasons and in fact do not cross paths for a considerable amount of time. The unlikely adventurers in question are as follows:

* Cardinal Chang, the man with a bright red coat and scars from a riding crop that give him his nickname. His real name is never revealed, in fact, nor the full extent of his motives. Chang is what one might call a hitman, if a noble one, someone with loose morals yet a defined code of honour. He, out of principle, wants to know who killed his latest mark ahead of him and why...

* LesYay: Whenver the Contessa is around another woman. And you wonder what she did with the whores in her hotel room...

'''The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters'' is a 2006 novel by Gordon Dahlquist. It was followed by the sequel ''The Dark Volume'' (2008), and concluded by ''The Chemickal Marriage'' (2012).

The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters is a 2006 novel by Gordon Dahlquist. It was followed by the sequel The Dark Volume (2008), and concluded by The Chemickal Marriage (2012).

The Glass Books Of The Dream Eaters is a 2006 novel by Gordon Dahlquist. It was followed by the sequel The Dark Volume (2008).

Imagine you had the means to bend and form another person's will as easily as plasticine, or the knowledge of how to conserve your memories in a way to relive them again and again, as intensive as the first time. Better yet, what if you could relive the most debauched memories of others as if they were your own? What could you do with such a valuable ability - [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the world]]? Well, why not - this, especially, if you're a party of bored, rich nobility and bourgeoisie with nothing better to do.
Into this stumbles our [[EnsembleCast ensemble]], consisting of two gentlemen (to use the term quite loosely, scadalously even), and one young lady. Our trio start off with seperate reasons and in fact do not cross paths for a considerable amount of time. The unlikely adventurers in question are as follows:

After finally meeting up under most curious circumstances, they band together in order to get their answers and finding themselves discovering much more than they ever wanted to know - or were ever meant to.

!!This book provides examples of the following tropes:
* ActionGirl For a sheltered heiress from an island Miss Temple kicks some serious ass.
* AllMenArePerverts All princes in this novel at least.
* AmbitionIsEvil Roger Bascombe could be a posterboy for this trope.
* AndIMustScream [[spoiler: poor Lydia]]
* AppliedPhlebotinum The Indigo Clay
* ChekhovsGun Cardinal Chang's trauma.
* CollapsingLair [[spoiler: More like collapsing airship]]
* CorruptCorporateExecutive Crabbe, though technically he is a corrupt minister
* DarkAndTroubledPast Dr.Svenson and Chang led no easy life either
* {{Determinator}} Chang, as well as [[spoiler: Francis Xonk]] in the second book.
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer While still searching for her fiancé, Miss Temple can't help getting all tingly in the Contessa's presence.
* EvilGenius Oskar Veiland's [[spoiler: the Comte d'Orkancz]] paintings suggest he is this.
* EyeScream Chang had a nasty run-in with a noble.
* FemmeFatale The Contessa di Laquer-Sforza, probably the most beautiful and dangerous person you'll ever meet.
* HitmanWithAHeart Cardinal Chang, who has a fondness for poetry and one particular whore at the brothel whom he goes to great lengths to rescue.
* HumanoidAbomination The [[spoiler: 'glass women']].

* LesYay Whenver the Contessa is around another woman. And you wonder what she did with the whores in her hotel room.
* ManchurianAgent The people who have undergone the process.
* MyCountryRightOrWrong The doctor tries hard. [[spoiler: Though he still fails in the end.]]
* NotQuiteDead Chang more than once, also [[spoiler: the Contessa and Francis Xonk in the second book]]
* OnlyMostlyDead [[spoiler: The Comte d'Orkancz gets a new body from the soul within his book in the sequel]]
* NotSoDifferent The Contessa insists this is true for Celeste and herself.
* PhlebotinumHandlingEquipment Touch a glass book without gloves and you'll get sucked in.
* RansackedRoom more than one, on both sides.
* ScarsAreForever Played straight with Chang's eyes to which he owes his name and Miss Temples bullet scar. The Process however leaves no marks that don't fade over the course of a few days.
* SecretCircleOfSecrets The cabal – only their leaders know what is going on exactly.

* TheAtoner Doctor Svenson still can't forgive himself for not being there when his cousin was ill, [[spoiler: only to discover later that the disease killing her was part of the Cabal's plan.]]
* TransferableMemory The titular glass books serve as memory containers.
* TriggerPhrase Every victim of the Process has own [[spoiler: but only the Contessa knows about them]]

Imagine you had the means to bend and form another person's will as easily as plasticine, or the knowledge of how to conserve your memories in a way to relive them again and again, as intensive as the first time. Better yet, what if you could relive the most debauched memories of others as if they were your own? What could you do with such a valuable ability - [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the world]]? Well, why not - this, especially, if you're a party of bored, rich nobility and bourgeoisie with nothing better to do.

* Cardinal Chang, the man with a bright red coat and scars from a riding crop that give him his nickname. His real name is never revealed, in fact, nor the full extent of his motives. Chang is what one might call a hitman, if a noble one, someone with loose morals yet a defined code of honour. He, out of principle, wants to know who and why killed his latest mark ahead of him...
* Captain-Surgeon Dr. Abelard Svenson is the superego of the group. Querulous at times, Svenson nonetheless as a military man has a good sense of survival. His reasons for becoming embroiled are his charge, a wayward, libertine Prince of his country who has gone rather, well, missing...

* AllMenArePerverts all princes in this novel at least.

* AppliedPhlebotinum the Indigo Clay

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer While still searching for her fiancé, Miss Temple can't help getting all tingly in the Contessa's presence

* FemmeFatale The Contessa di Laquer-Sforza, probably the most beautiful and dangerous person you'll meet.
* HitmanWithAHeart Cardinal Chang who has a fondness for poetry and one particular whore at the brothel.

* ManchurianAgent the people who have underwent the process
* MyCountryRightOrWrong The doctor tries hard [[spoiler: he still fails in the end]]

* ScarsAreForever Played straight with Chang's eyes to which he owes his name and Miss Temples bullet scar. The Process however leaves no marks, that don't fade over the course of a few days.

* TheAtoner Doctor Svenson still can't forgive himself for not being there when his cousin was ill. [[spoiler: only to discover later that the disease killing her was part of the cabals plans who spread the disease]]

* TriggerPhrase every victim of the Process has own [[spoiler: but only the Contessa knows about them]]