"Are you a fan of H.P. Lovecraft's writing, but not his misogyny or racism? Are you looking for a sci-fi novella that doesn't center around another young, attractive, white man? Enter Vellitt Boe, a professor of mathematics at Ulthar Women's College and a retired dream-walker. She is called upon to go adventuring when one of her most gifted students—and daughter of a mad god—elopes with a dreamer from the waking world. Vellitt's quest will take her through the deepest regions of the dream-world, a place where Lovecraft fans will recognize and delight in the re-imagining of classic horrors, and out into the waking world, where her journey of self-discovery comes to an astonishing close. Johnson's prose is lush without being overwhelming, and her unique take on a classic Lovecraftian adventure is a refreshing addition to the canon."
Publisher Tor.com
Publication Date 2016-08-16
Section Science Fiction / All Staff Suggestions / Fiction Suggestions / Kat M.
Format Paperback
ISBN 9780765391414
One of NPR's Best Books of 2016 and a Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell, and Locus Award finalist for Best Novella Professor Vellitt Boe teaches at the prestigious Ulthar Women’s College. When one of her most gifted students elopes with a dreamer from the waking world, Vellitt must retrieve her. "Kij Johnson's haunting novella The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe is both a commentary on a classic H.P. Lovecraft tale and a profound reflection on a woman's life. Vellitt's quest to find a former student who may be the only person who can save her community takes her through a world governed by a seemingly arbitrary dream logic in which she occasionally glimpses an underlying but mysterious order, a world ruled by capricious gods and populated by the creatures of dreams and nightmares. Those familiar with Lovecraft's work will travel through a fantasy landscape infused with Lovecraftian images viewed from another perspective, but even readers unfamiliar with his work will be enthralled by Vellitt's quest. A remarkable accomplishment that repays rereading." ?Pamela Sargent, winner of the Nebula Award
