Sadly, not as engaging as the movie

books:


	• What Dreams May Come: A Novel Richard Matheson Tor Books, 2004 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 197 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Interesting

Enjoyed the story and its concept. Very thought provoking. Not pleased with the ending, though.

Sadly, not as engaging as the movie

The movie made from this book is one of the few that makes me cry every time I see it. The line "Your mother's not in there Ian!" makes my chest hitch and tears well up in the corners of my eyes. In the film you see the dynamic of the family, and how tragedy has hit them time and time again, and you feel the hope that in the afterlife, they can be together in love and happiness.

The book, though well written and easy to conceive, does not have the emotional pull that the film does. First there is significantly less tragedy involved and you never really get the sense of the bond and the love that they had for each other. The children are only mentioned and have little to no relevance in the book. Chris's journey through the afterlife reads more as a disembodied manual. First this happened, then this happened then this happened. It's much harder to fell engaged with the book. Also rather than being love lost and feeling the immediate need of the reuniting of Chris and Ann, Chris comes across as a whiner with a puppyish infatuation, rather than a man distraught over the separation from his wife.

On the whole this is a good book, and I believe that in more liberal schools it should be required reading to open up the discussion about the different beliefs of life after death. Matheson was nice enough to include a bibliography in the back so that you can track down the research he did. I believe that this is an enlightening book, but not the emotional story that the film was.

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This book saved my life

I read this book in the 70s and it saved my life. It made me take a look at what might happen to me if I ended my life prematurely. This book is very thought provoking if you take it a little deeper than for pure entertainment purposes only. This is especially true when you discover the research that the author poured into this work regarding the afterlife. Koodos to the author for being at the forefront of factual based fiction!

Excellent!

This is about the fifth or sixth Matheson book I have read and by far it is the best! What set Matheson apart is his excellent prose and compelling characters. In this one Chris, a family man and devoted husband, is killed in a car crash. In scenes reminicent of the hospital scenes in the movie Ghost, Chris's life expires (I am sure Ghost was inspired by this novel). Chris lingers around or should I say stumbles around observing everything including his funeral and tries to contact his loved ones to no avail until his son brings in a medium who can see Chris (again like the movie Ghost).

Eventually Chris is able to leave Earth and discovers the real meaning of what it is like to be dead when he ends up in Summerland (a type of Heaven). There he is watched over and instructed by one of his dead uncles. Though Chris' new existence seems ideal, he misses his wife and feels that she will not be able to cope in a world where Chris no longer exists. His fears come to pass as she commits suicide not too long after. Chris then learns that death has rules governing suicide and that his wife cannot be with him because she is sent to another place.

Chris has to decide whether or not to sacrifice Heaven, to try to aid his wife. However, even if Chris can locate her, there is no guarentee that she will even know him or that Chris will be able to escape from the dark place that she now resides in.

The book is impossible to put down and makes us examine our own inner selfs more thoroughly! There is a poor imitation of this book (A Brief History of the Dead) that was published recently but it nowhere hits the mark that this winner by Matheson is!

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MUCH better than the movie

Though Matheson writes this in fiction form, he uses a great deal of research in forming his theory of the afterlife. Anyone questioning their personal beliefs about this great unknown will find solace from reading "What Dreams May Come"... you don't have to believe this is how things are, but it offers a compelling and beautiful picture of what might be.

This book was more influential than the Bible in shaping my own spiritual beliefs. What I love most about it is that any and all religions, or people of no faith at all, can enjoy and be inspired by this tale. Even if you don't view this from a spiritual perspective, and you are just looking for a good read, you will be entertained. This is so well written and easy to read that it is hard to put down.

Most importantly, please don't judge this book by the movie. Though I'm a fan of Robin Williams, the movie really doesn't come close to conveying the deep spiritual journey the protagonist, (an atheist until death), embarks upon.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

The New York Times bestseller

A LOVE THAT TRANSCENDS HEAVEN AND HELL

What happens to us after we die? Chris Nielsen had no idea, until an unexpected accident cut his life short, separating him from his beloved wife, Annie. Now Chris must discover the true nature of life after death.

But even Heaven is not complete without Annie, and when tragedy threatens to divide them forever, Chris risks his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair.

Richard Matheson's powerful tale of life---and love---after death was the basis for the Oscar-winning film starring Robin Williams.

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