In setting out his stall, the author constructs a convincing version of an early industrial age in an imagined European city. Given that this is also a time of moral repressiveness, he adds an element of eroticism, craftily providing a hint of the forbidden. The three main protagonists are Miss Celeste Temple, an heiress with a troubled love life, Cardinal Chang, an assassin who is neither of the things that his name suggest, and Dr. Abelard Svenson, an aging, former army field-surgeon, now tasked with minding a libertine Prince. It's an interesting mix of characters who, on the surface, have nothing in common. Bubbling away around all the trio attempt, is a bilious brew of alchemy, perverted religion, and lust for supreme power. Elements which are hardly original, yet imbued with a sumptuousness crossed with brittle violence, and brushed by a dark undercurrent. On occasions this felt like a nod to "The Story of O." Although, I must make it clear that the erotic content here is infinitely more subtle. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters earns its plaudits as a book influenced by the styles of an earlier day, but with the advantage of imagination informed by the twenty-first Century.

The narrative tends toward a slow, slow, quick, quick, slow format, which will not be to everyone's taste. Nevertheless, for those willing to wade through the occasional patch of literary treacle, the rewards are many. Celeste Temple, Cardinal Chang and Dr. Svenson take diverse paths toward their very different goals, which are ultimately facets of the same mystery. The dialogue sometimes meanders a little too much, and in so doing flirts with dullness, but mostly avoids tumbling into boredom. The Glass Books themselves are a fascinating concept, loaded with intrigue and dark promise. Ultimately, the three adventures are woven together into a thoroughly immersive, patchwork quilt of a story, which cleverly and creatively melds its themes. The only real negative here, is that the book is a little too long-winded, and could have done with more vigorous editing. That said, for those who prize fiction over science, The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters has all the dash and flair needed to make it stand out from the crowd.