Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (2004), Edition: 1, 288 pages
Description
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 the divided soul mates will do anything to reach each other across the boundaries between life and death. When tragedy threatens to divide them forever, Chris risks his very soul to save Annie from an eternity of despair.
User reviews
LibraryThing member gkchandler
Having seen the movie years ago I decided it was time to read the book. As it turns out, the movie is very true to the book - for the most part. Both stand alone very well. The author must have put an enormous amount of thought into his ideas of heaven and hell. But more than that, his well thought
If you enjoyed the movie, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the book. There was only one part of the book I chose to skim over, and that was well towards the end. Otherwise, I found the book very enjoyable from cover to cover.
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out explanations for various issues, conundrums, limitations... make the book even mode interesting. If you enjoyed the movie, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the book. There was only one part of the book I chose to skim over, and that was well towards the end. Otherwise, I found the book very enjoyable from cover to cover.
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LibraryThing member sithereandread
This amazing book takes you on a journey that is so unexpected and exciting. Life after death can be one of the scariest concepts to wrap your head around because no one knows. It is inevitable yet we spend most of our lives fighting it.
It was interesting to read about many theories all put into
Richard also delves into the explanation of soul mates which is another greatly explored subject in the book. The main character, Chris (recently deceased) and wife Ann are determined by the higher powers to actually be “soul mates”. This makes matters complicated when Ann can no longer live in a world where her other half does not exist. Chris never waivers in his determination to be with Ann again which makes this a heartbreaking tale of love lost. But after the journey has ended, it leaves great hope that life does go on, just not as you think it may.
It was interesting to read about many theories all put into
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one cohesive book that makes it so possible its very eerie. Through much research, Richard Matheson takes you on his journey of discovering what everyone wants to know, what happens after we die?Richard also delves into the explanation of soul mates which is another greatly explored subject in the book. The main character, Chris (recently deceased) and wife Ann are determined by the higher powers to actually be “soul mates”. This makes matters complicated when Ann can no longer live in a world where her other half does not exist. Chris never waivers in his determination to be with Ann again which makes this a heartbreaking tale of love lost. But after the journey has ended, it leaves great hope that life does go on, just not as you think it may.
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LibraryThing member Venqat65
I enjoyed this book. The protagonist, Chris, dies in a tragic accident but finds that Heaven is not complete without his wife, Annie. Annie's life is also incomplete without Chris, and she becomes depressed and suicidal without him.
This is the story of a man who is willing to go to Hell and back in
Better and different than the movie, although the movie was good in it's own right.
This is the story of a man who is willing to go to Hell and back in
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order to save the woman he loves... Better and different than the movie, although the movie was good in it's own right.
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LibraryThing member nevusmom
What happens after we die? Who knows. The author of this book takes us on a look at what might happen...there is a heaven and a hell, but they are what we make them to be. For firm believers in the afterlife, you will really enjoy this book. Even if you don't, you may enjoy it, if you are able to
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accept this as one man's fantasy. The fact is, NOBODY knows what happens after our bodies die. The author may be closer to the truth than any of us know. Show Less
LibraryThing member Radaghast
I'm a big fan of Matheson's classic horror novel I Am Legend. I was intrigued then when I discovered Matheson had written the novel, the movie What Dreams May Come was based on. I consider that movie among my favorites, though it was largely panned by critics. I hoped the source of that excellent
Matheson tells the story from the perspective of an average man named Chris just after he has had a deadly car accident. The novel is told in flashback through a letter Chris has dictated to a psychic from beyond the grave. We are taken on a journey, as Chris proceeds through the afterlife and tries to reunite with his wife. We get to see flashbacks within flashbacks (sounds confusing, but it works well) as Chris recounts some of the most memorable moments with his wife and family. Not all of these memories are pleasant, and the novel does a good job of examining the reality of life rather than our preferred vision.
Matheson lists several resources as justification for his view of the afterlife at the end of the novel. He makes it clear this is a fictional story about a nonfictional subject. Matheson is projecting what he believes is the most realistic account of what happens when we die, based on his research into near death experiences and multiple religious perspectives. The fact that Matheson isn't just making all this up lends the book credence even if you ultimately reject his view of the next world.
The story itself starts very slow. Part I is the most difficult and least interesting part to read. In fact, the story doesn't really get good until Part 3, but once it does, it is gripping in true Matheson fashion. The ending is satisfying, and somewhat unexpected even if you've seen the movie. Enough is different here that the whole book feels fresh even if you've watched the film. The book and film are trying to do two different things, and I didn't see anything wrong with that. Staying strictly to Matheson's work would have been impossible as key parts are unfilmable.
The book is not without its drawbacks. I didn't particularly care for his treatment of religion, which had a level of certitude that was ridiculous for someone asking us to be open-minded about the afterlife. Yet ultimately, Matheson's message is one I approved of. His vision is believable and while the afterlife is undoubtedly unlike anything Matheson or anyone else can possibly imagine, Matheson's guess is as good as any.
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film would not disappoint. Reading Matheson's departure from horror and his take on the afterlife, I was very pleased.Matheson tells the story from the perspective of an average man named Chris just after he has had a deadly car accident. The novel is told in flashback through a letter Chris has dictated to a psychic from beyond the grave. We are taken on a journey, as Chris proceeds through the afterlife and tries to reunite with his wife. We get to see flashbacks within flashbacks (sounds confusing, but it works well) as Chris recounts some of the most memorable moments with his wife and family. Not all of these memories are pleasant, and the novel does a good job of examining the reality of life rather than our preferred vision.
Matheson lists several resources as justification for his view of the afterlife at the end of the novel. He makes it clear this is a fictional story about a nonfictional subject. Matheson is projecting what he believes is the most realistic account of what happens when we die, based on his research into near death experiences and multiple religious perspectives. The fact that Matheson isn't just making all this up lends the book credence even if you ultimately reject his view of the next world.
The story itself starts very slow. Part I is the most difficult and least interesting part to read. In fact, the story doesn't really get good until Part 3, but once it does, it is gripping in true Matheson fashion. The ending is satisfying, and somewhat unexpected even if you've seen the movie. Enough is different here that the whole book feels fresh even if you've watched the film. The book and film are trying to do two different things, and I didn't see anything wrong with that. Staying strictly to Matheson's work would have been impossible as key parts are unfilmable.
The book is not without its drawbacks. I didn't particularly care for his treatment of religion, which had a level of certitude that was ridiculous for someone asking us to be open-minded about the afterlife. Yet ultimately, Matheson's message is one I approved of. His vision is believable and while the afterlife is undoubtedly unlike anything Matheson or anyone else can possibly imagine, Matheson's guess is as good as any.
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LibraryThing member zombiemusicangel
Matheson's What Dreams May Come shot to the top of my list as soon as I picked it up. Very different from the film, I found I couldn't stop reading it and finished it on a Sunday afternoon. This was one of those "change my life" reads that only comes around every so often.
I absolutely loved this
I absolutely loved this
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one - 5 stars only because its the limit! Show Less
LibraryThing member andyray
do not see the movie until you have read the book. they are two different art forms, but you will expect more from the book if you do not read it first. Matheson chose a difficult but simpler lioterary form, the epistolary novel, to present the reader with his view(s) of the afterlife. but the
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movie will spoil it some. yet the concepts of GOD IS LOVE and the first commandment are well held in the plot. Show Less
LibraryThing member DeDeNoel
This novel literally changed my life. I have a hard time putting into words what it meant for me. My recommendation is that you read it. I know this may not be helpful, but I'm at a loss for what to say about it.
LibraryThing member sharlene_w
A bit difficult to get into the book in the beginning, but I did find Matheson's depiction of life after death interesting. I guess we will all know sooner or later whether he was on the mark or not. Listened to audio read by Robertson Dean.
LibraryThing member patrickmalka
As extreme as a love story can possibly get. That's what I love about Richard Matheson in general, giving up simply isn't an option for his characters even when life (with a touch of the supernatural) just won't let them win. Some say they would go through hell for the one they love, the main
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character of this novel actually does. Brilliant. Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
A strange story about the nature of life and death and communication between the two, and about the nature of love and devotion. It was very haunting and even frightening in places, very inspiring in others, but I am not sure whether I really liked it. I suspect this may benefit from a re-read at
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some point, if I feel inspired to do so. 4/5 Show Less
LibraryThing member AlmondJoy
When an accident tears Chris Nielson from his wife, Annie, he discovers that even the secret world of the afterlife is meaningless without his true love. An amazing story of love and eternal hope. Highly recommend. Made into a movie with Robin Williams, but book was much better.
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
Richard Matheson prefaces What Dreams May Come by explaining that he had performed extensive research on the subject of life after death, and although the novel is obviously a work of fiction, he believes that based on his research, that much of what he wrote about is accurate. In the novel, Chris,
In the afterlife, Chris is able to see what is occurring with his adult children and his wife. His wife is in a terrible state, suffering through depression and eventually becoming suicidal. In the novel, suicide is the worst thing a person can do, and the repercussions to the person's soul are quite severe. Despite the rules against such things, Chris feels that he must intervene.
What Dreams May Come is at times fascinating. At other times the book drags. I appreciate the thought and research that Matheson has put into the subject, and it is evident in the tale. The writing is quite good. The novel isn't terribly long, and based on the content, it was wise on the author's part not to try to make it longer, as many other writers do. Although not great, this is a novel worth reading.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street
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the main character, dies. After death he enters another state of being. This state is primarily a mental world, where the landscape and setting are largely formed by the minds of the people residing there. In the afterlife, people work on mental exercises that couldn't be accomplished during life. There are also many rules that the author painstakingly, often too much so, explains.In the afterlife, Chris is able to see what is occurring with his adult children and his wife. His wife is in a terrible state, suffering through depression and eventually becoming suicidal. In the novel, suicide is the worst thing a person can do, and the repercussions to the person's soul are quite severe. Despite the rules against such things, Chris feels that he must intervene.
What Dreams May Come is at times fascinating. At other times the book drags. I appreciate the thought and research that Matheson has put into the subject, and it is evident in the tale. The writing is quite good. The novel isn't terribly long, and based on the content, it was wise on the author's part not to try to make it longer, as many other writers do. Although not great, this is a novel worth reading.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street
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LibraryThing member Anbarrineau
I have always been really moved by the storyline from the movie, and when I realized this was a book I had to read it. So I finally did and I loved it! The concept was very interesting, definitely different from the movie, in a good way. The descriptions in the book are just as lush as the imagery
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from the movie, if not better since my head spins it uniquely. Show Less
LibraryThing member slavenrm
"I picked this book up at ye olde used bookstore because I had a substantial credit and figured I would give it a shot. In the end... I could have done better with my $5.99.
This book has been reviewed to death so I will dispense with my usual Positives/Negatives format. To me this book was just way
The basic descriptions of heaven were entertaining enough, I suppose, and would have done well enough on their own but the problem really came about when the author tried to add reasoning to the whole thing. Things work in some magical and mysterious way in the afterlife. Why? Well let's construct an unlikely and complex framework around why it's this way! No, actually, it was too much.
In summary, Matheson, as has been proven over and over is a great author of pulp. You'll find yourself on the edge of your seat every time. The caveat in this case though is that the reader is advised to ignore about 10% of the story. Our author attempts to explain much that should remain unexplained."
This book has been reviewed to death so I will dispense with my usual Positives/Negatives format. To me this book was just way
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too soft and fluffy. It meandered too much into the ethereal plane of voodoo witchcraft randomness. Rather than trying to tell a story it spent much of the text trying to explain how things work complete with the 'silver cord' connecting body to soul and all the standard hocus pocus.The basic descriptions of heaven were entertaining enough, I suppose, and would have done well enough on their own but the problem really came about when the author tried to add reasoning to the whole thing. Things work in some magical and mysterious way in the afterlife. Why? Well let's construct an unlikely and complex framework around why it's this way! No, actually, it was too much.
In summary, Matheson, as has been proven over and over is a great author of pulp. You'll find yourself on the edge of your seat every time. The caveat in this case though is that the reader is advised to ignore about 10% of the story. Our author attempts to explain much that should remain unexplained."
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
Read it after the movie. Both versions are flawed but I think I prefer the movie.
LibraryThing member clark.hallman
What Dreams May Come, by Richard Matheson, is a book about the afterlife. Chris Nielson dies in an automobile accident, but he doesn’t realize that he is dead for a while. He tries to speak to his beloved wife (Annie), but she doesn’t seem to hear or see him. Eventually he finds himself in a
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beautiful place (Summerland), which he is surprised to learn is in the afterlife. However, he cannot bare to leave his wife suffer without him and he becomes obsessed about needing to be with her. He has been informed that they will be together in the afterlife when her life ends, 24 years in the future. However, things go badly for her and he must try to help her. This book is a love story that provides a very interesting version of life-after-death. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Huh. I cannot now guess why I wanted to read this. I got about 1/3 through trying to give it an honest effort, but it was boring. And I cannot connect with the theme at all. I *might* enjoy the movie, based on the image on the back cover. Dunno, doesn't matter.
LibraryThing member AugustvonOrth
I’ve often been disappointed by a movie based on a book I like. However, when I find that a movie I like is based on a novel I haven’t read, I often find I like the novel. After the death of Robin Williams, I thought about his movie What Dreams May Come. I love this movie, which is based on the
The book is told from the point of view of Chris Nielsen, a man who has just died. It begins by chronicling his journey from death into the afterlife. Being a good man, Chris eventually finds himself in a place that most readers will recognize as heaven. These opening scenes are classic Matheson, very tightly focused on Chris, very fast moving, and with a tense and thrilling atmosphere.
Once Chris reaches heaven, however, I was very surprised to find the book bogged down over the course of the middle section of the novel. Matheson did a lot of research for this book about the nature of afterlife, which he references in a bibliography at the end, and he uses this middle section to basically deliver what he feels the afterlife must be like. By itself, I have no problem with an author doing this. In fact, when done well, a novel can be the perfect vehicle for bringing an author’s concept of reality to readers in an exciting and engaging way. Unfortunately, and much to my surprise, Matheson’s attempt at this felt very forced. The whole middle section felt like a confusing mish-mash of new age concepts.
In the final section Matheson pulls out of his nosedive and finishes strong. In fact, the end section is Matheson at his best. In this section Chris finds that the beloved wife he left behind has committed suicide and damned herself to hell. Chris is told that there is noting he can do for her, but he cannot accept this and decides to try and rescue her. He is told that not only is this impossible, but that he himself could well end up damned by even attempting it. But he won’t be dissuaded, and journeys to hell to find her.
He does find her, but she doesn’t recognize him and cannot be pulled out of the fatal depression that caused her suicide and has damned her. Chris is relentless, but the longer he is with her the more he is overwhelmed by her despair. This is what he was warned about, that he would be swallowed by despair and end up trapped in hell by it. At the last moment, when he realizes that he must leave now or be damned, he consciously decides that he would rather be with her in hell than without her in heaven. This moment of decision, in both novel and movie, is stunning.
I’ve thought about Chris’s decision over and over. I am repulsed by the idea of someone abandoning their loved one to hell while enjoying heaven. In fact, I find it hard to believe that such a person could ever be worthy of heaven. It seems the only moral decision is the one Chris makes. What a conundrum! In the story, this sacrifice is the catalyst to finally rouse his wife from her despair and save them both. The reader, however, is left pondering many hard questions. Given the way Robin Williams end up, it just adds more fuel to the moral fire.
Overall, because of the middle section, I find that the movie was better than the novel. I can’t remember ever saying this before (excluding, of course, the always awful novels written to rehash a successful movie). However, if one considers just the beginning and ending sections of the novel, one gets the excellence expected from Matheson. In the end, I’d recommend seeing the movie first and only consider the novel afterwards. But be ready for some serious moral turmoil.
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novel by Richard Matheson. I’ve loved everything I ever read by Matheson, but had never read What Dreams May Come. So naturally I decided to finally read it.The book is told from the point of view of Chris Nielsen, a man who has just died. It begins by chronicling his journey from death into the afterlife. Being a good man, Chris eventually finds himself in a place that most readers will recognize as heaven. These opening scenes are classic Matheson, very tightly focused on Chris, very fast moving, and with a tense and thrilling atmosphere.
Once Chris reaches heaven, however, I was very surprised to find the book bogged down over the course of the middle section of the novel. Matheson did a lot of research for this book about the nature of afterlife, which he references in a bibliography at the end, and he uses this middle section to basically deliver what he feels the afterlife must be like. By itself, I have no problem with an author doing this. In fact, when done well, a novel can be the perfect vehicle for bringing an author’s concept of reality to readers in an exciting and engaging way. Unfortunately, and much to my surprise, Matheson’s attempt at this felt very forced. The whole middle section felt like a confusing mish-mash of new age concepts.
In the final section Matheson pulls out of his nosedive and finishes strong. In fact, the end section is Matheson at his best. In this section Chris finds that the beloved wife he left behind has committed suicide and damned herself to hell. Chris is told that there is noting he can do for her, but he cannot accept this and decides to try and rescue her. He is told that not only is this impossible, but that he himself could well end up damned by even attempting it. But he won’t be dissuaded, and journeys to hell to find her.
He does find her, but she doesn’t recognize him and cannot be pulled out of the fatal depression that caused her suicide and has damned her. Chris is relentless, but the longer he is with her the more he is overwhelmed by her despair. This is what he was warned about, that he would be swallowed by despair and end up trapped in hell by it. At the last moment, when he realizes that he must leave now or be damned, he consciously decides that he would rather be with her in hell than without her in heaven. This moment of decision, in both novel and movie, is stunning.
I’ve thought about Chris’s decision over and over. I am repulsed by the idea of someone abandoning their loved one to hell while enjoying heaven. In fact, I find it hard to believe that such a person could ever be worthy of heaven. It seems the only moral decision is the one Chris makes. What a conundrum! In the story, this sacrifice is the catalyst to finally rouse his wife from her despair and save them both. The reader, however, is left pondering many hard questions. Given the way Robin Williams end up, it just adds more fuel to the moral fire.
Overall, because of the middle section, I find that the movie was better than the novel. I can’t remember ever saying this before (excluding, of course, the always awful novels written to rehash a successful movie). However, if one considers just the beginning and ending sections of the novel, one gets the excellence expected from Matheson. In the end, I’d recommend seeing the movie first and only consider the novel afterwards. But be ready for some serious moral turmoil.
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LibraryThing member nancynova
rabck lovesou; fabulous fiction book about "what happens when we die". Chris is killed in a car accident, leaving behind his beloved family. Frantically worried about his wife, Ann, who doesn't believe in heaven, he's desperate to make contact with her. Intriguing account of heaven, the lower
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realms and vibrations/thought that's reminiscent of The Celestine Prophecy. Show Less
LibraryThing member book.nug
much, much better than the film.
LibraryThing member dandelionroots
A husband dies young and his death is too much for his wife to bear so she commits suicide convinced there is no afterlife. After an introduction to the glorious Summerland (heaven) he goes in search of his soulmate in her own personal hell, not willing to leave her there alone until she's able to
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ascend to the higher realm. The book was better than the movie, which is almost always the case (my exceptions are Stardust and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas). It is a beautiful concept for a love story and is fairly well executed. I enjoyed pieces of it, mainly the ending and his trek through the bottom crater of hell. Overall I wouldn't recommend it. "People are not punished for their deeds but by them." Show Less
LibraryThing member echo_echo
This changed the way I think about metaphysics, as Matheson states that he strongly belives the metaphysical aspects of the book to be true.
LibraryThing member sarcher
I was willing to say this book just wasn't to my taste, until I hit the part near the end where the main character, without any plot related reason, muses (paraphrased to avoid spoilers) that people from india have a difficult time becoming doctors. I'm guessing the author didn't mean for it to be
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casually racist (I mean, does he think that doctors don't exist in india?), but it speaks to a laziness in characterization, writing, and editing that plagues the whole book. Thousands of words were dedicated to how people in the afterlife can warp from place to place, but not that place, and sometimes to another place, and sometimes to places they think of. And dogs go to the same afterlife and I guess birds do too. Thousands of words that could have been better spent on why the main character doesn't like indian doctors. Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1978
Physical description
288 p.; 5.48 inches
ISBN
0765308703 / 9780765308702