To all the dreamers out there on spaceship earth, anything is possible.
So starts Tom DeLonge's first novel, Poet Anderson... Of Nightmares. This imaginative first novel from Tom, co-written by best-selling author Suzanne Young, plumbs the depths of his fascination with fantasy and the notion of other worlds. With a cast of shambolic but relatable characters, an out of this world storyline, and some truly nightmarish foes that threaten this world and the next, Of Nightmares is only the first of his ventures into a new realm of possibilities.
Orphaned teenager Jonas Anderson is a Lucid Dreamer, and in Tom's epic tale of good versus evil, he must travel into the dream realm to bring back his comatose brother, Alan. It's the start of a journey into unknown nightmares and a battle that will take all his wits to overcome. With the help of a Dream Walker, Jonas travels the dreamscape, meeting the 'Night Terror' on the way, a horrific creature – fear personified, and REM, an entity capable of devouring the soul of even the strongest dreamer. Jonas is the only one who can stop the nightmares from leaking into reality. But there's a Matrix/Nightmare on Elm Street style catch. Die in the dream world, and it's game over in real life.
Of Nightmares is packed with drama, and jumps from one action-packed scene to another from the very first pages and in a bid to add to the realism of its characters, this book has more than its fair share of expletives. As you emerge yourself in the tale and accompany Jonas on his journey, you get a real feeling of being his companion, walking with the guardian of the dream realm into the unknown.
Co-written by Suzanne Young, author of The Program series and New York Times Best Seller, Of Nightmares is often witty, with a dark, melancholic undertone, but also captures a feeling of hope, and of embracing a future that holds countless mysteries.
Tom's character Poet Anderson has already made a screen debut. The animated short film of the same name was the winner of Best Animated Short Film at the Toronto International Short Film Festival. Combined with the EP's that accompanies the animated short and the book, don't be too surprised if the next step in this multimedia experience is on the silver screen. Tom will continue to expand the Poet Anderson universe with another short film due out later this year. Tyler Posey, star of MTV's Teen Wolf, is expected to play the main character.
Tom said the following regarding the upcoming short film: "It's a brief and modest look into the mythology of the Poet Anderson universe. Meant to be a bit ambiguous and artistic, the plot traces the edge of a girl having recurring dreams of a boy at her school. While the dreams are romantic, fun and adventurous, a real threat exists requiring someone there at all times to protect her."
All in all, Tom's book may borrow from an old formula, but it's a popular one and always up for a revamp. Of Nightmares is a cleverly written voyage of discovery, where dreams are made up of one shared conscious, and a frightened but determined young outcast must embrace his darkest nightmares and become who he was destined to be – Poet Anderson. Saving souls, one dream at a time.
Animated Excerpt From Of Nightmares
