This week Story Time Reviews Kate O’Connor’s “The Land of Dreams.” This short story first appeared in August 2013 in the online magazine, The Colored Lens.
The Centropic Oracle published the audio version of “The Land of Dreams” August 17, 2018. Narrated by Larissa Thompson with music by Kyle Ohori and Ryley Kirkpatrick, this story runs 37 minutes.
The Narrator
Larissa Thompson is an actor and filmmaker living and working in Vancouver, BC (Canada). She’s a big fan of make-believe and will find any excuse possible to dress up in costume. No stranger to independent productions – or being interviewed on video or audio formats – she has a passion for sharing stories she loves with the world. (Thanks to Larissa’s website for this information and image.)
Larissa does a pretty good job of reading the story. Male voices were a bit similar, but they were never confusing. She did a decent job at a country farmer accent. Though the accent skated toward cliché it was never a turn-off.
The Author
Kate O’Connor’s website gives this bio:
Kate O’Connor was born in Virginia in 1982. She graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott in 2009 and now lives (and occasionally works) in the New York area.
Kate has been writing science fiction and fantasy since 2011. In between telling stories, she flies airplanes, digs up artifacts, and manages a kennel full of Airedales.
Her books include Mermaid, Salt and Sand, and Better to have Loved.
You can find Kate on goodreads and other social media. Her books are available on Amazon. (Thanks to Kate’s website for her bio and for her goodreads author page for her photo.)
Story Time Reviews
“The Land of Dreams” is a story about dream pigs and a farmer’s daughter, pheromones, and dreams of another life.
The main character, the farmer’s daughter, longs to expand the limits of her world on the farm controlled by her father.
I would like to know more about the dream pigs and the consequences referred to in the story. Those details aren’t necessary to enjoy the story, but I’m intrigued.
In a short story there isn’t room for a lot of character development so only the protagonist had the feel of a fully realized character. Pop came next but not nearly as well. The other two characters, three if you count the pig, were spear-carriers or place holders only.
It is a simple and mostly well-told story that left me a little unsatisfied. The story kept my interest the entire recording.
No spoilers, but my dissatisfaction comes from a rule laid out by the story and later violated without explanation. Let me know if you agree with me or if this did not affect your enjoyment of the story.
The Podcast
The story appeared on The Centropic Oracle which “publishes and showcases the artistic works science fiction/fantasy short story writers and voice over actors in an audio-only format.”
The Centropic Oracle: Thoughtful science fiction and fantasy short and flash audio stories can be found at centropicoracle.com or on Facebook.
The recording was high quality to my ears.
Rating
Story Time Reviews gives this story and performance 4 out of 5 stars.
This is the second Story Time Reviews post. You will find the first one, Story Time Reviews Ray Bradbury here.
Did Story Time Reviews “The Land of Dreams” by Kate O’Connor help you decide if you’d like to read or listen to this story? Is there something else you’d like included in the review? If you have a story you’d like featured in Story Time Reviews, list it in the comments below or email Lynette.
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