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| Author | Manly Wade Wellman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy,Weird Fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | January 1983 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback &Paperback) |
| Pages | 175 |
| ISBN | 0-385-18253-8 |
| OCLC | 9555403 |
| 813/.54 19 | |
| LC Class | PS3545.E52858 W48 1983 |
| Preceded by | Lonely Vigils |
| Followed by | The School of Darkness |
What Dreams May Come is afantasy novel by American authorManly Wade Wellman.[1] It is the second of three books featuring supernatural investigatorJohn Thunstone. The book derives its title from a line inHamlet's famous "To be, or not to be..." soliloquy.
The character of John Thunstone had previously appeared in a series of short stories by Wellman. Originally published in popular pulp magazines of the day, several of them were collected and reprinted in an anthology,Lonely Vigils. Wellman decided to follow the anthology with the character's first book-length adventure. In his introduction to the novel Wellman mistakenly states that, while many of the locations he mentions have real-life counterparts, Claines is an entirely fictional locale, and such a place has never existed in England. However, a small community namedClaines exists, north ofWorcester.
While visiting London, John Thunstone hears strange stories concerning the nearby hamlet of Claines, a pair of ancient pagan artifacts, and the annual ritual that accompanies them. As the date of the ritual is only a few days away Thunstone decides to travel to Claines and witness the ritual for himself. While there he experiences strange visions of the distant past and gradually realizes their significance to the present.