Book Review: The Collected Nightmares

As someone who suffers from nightmares, Fred Wiehe was convinced by his therapist that putting them into writing would be helpful to his mental state. Hence, this book lives up to its title – a collection of scary dreams about bad people, bad spirits, evil creatures, bad deeds, and the consequences that await. There are two novellas, 12 short stories, and 17 poems that tackle the dark side of the world. It’s a mix of reality and the supernatural where bullies, criminals, witches, monsters, ghosts, and other mythical beings can invade a person’s dreams. Fred shows through his stories that you can either fight these bad dreams, or sink into the darkness, and let the nightmares take you.

The Collected Nightmares is a horror and thriller fantasy that was enough to scare me, and at the same time, be fascinated by the author’s writing style. I’m the type with the faintest heart, that anything would easily frighten me, but I think this book didn’t mean to just scare people – it was meant to teach values, lessons, and entertain readers. My personal favorites are The Reckoning, a short story about bullying, and The In Between Part 2, a short story about the shadow demon. I also found Under the Protection of Witches amusing; it was very entertaining that I could imagine it as an action-packed, suspense thriller movie.

Overall, this book is no doubt, 5 out of 5 stars. It was scary, fun, entertaining, and teaches that no good can come from evil, so we all better be nice. I recommend it to ALL mature readers who love dark stories and poetry. In this turbulent time, this book is a good diversion; it’s a definite must-have.