My Rating
“Dreamers of Dreams – Part 02 of 03: The Face Not Seen, The Voice Not Heard”
Cologne, Germany, 1276 A.D. A heavy winter storm slows a nobleman’s carriage as it struggles along the mountain road. Snow and bitter winds punish the horses, but several hours later the weary traveler finally arrives at the gates of an isolated castle.
Inside, Albertus De Groot works patiently on several experiments while waiting for his guest. The delay hardly concerns him. Albertus—better known as Albertus Magnus—has learned the value of patience over the centuries. What difference can a few additional hours possibly make to a man who has watched generations come and go?
There has been a breakthrough in Albertus’ work, and this one could change the course of mankind. Over the years, the mysterious scholar has been credited with numerous discoveries and inventions, including the pistol, the cannon, and even the legendary Philosopher’s Stone. Impressive accomplishments, indeed. None of them, however, compare to what Albertus is preparing to unleash upon the world.
Elsewhere
San Francisco, 1997. The nightmares continue to flood the mind of August Ferrill. The faceless invaders demand that he fear them, but the infamous “Campus Cannibal” fears no man—or monster.
August understands only one thing.
Hunger.
Everyone around him is meat waiting to be harvested. Whatever intelligence controls the creatures invading his dreams may believe it can manipulate him, but August has desires of his own. No nightmare will stop the cannibal from feasting again. Meat must be harvested. The hunger must be fed.
Meanwhile, inside the offices of the San Francisco Tribune, Baron Winters has quietly arranged another piece upon his supernatural chessboard. Jack Gold unexpectedly finds himself reunited with Vanessa Van Helsing.
The two haven’t seen each other since 1987, but ten years apart haven’t completely extinguished their feelings. Jack and Vanessa were once deeply in love. Unfortunately, Vanessa’s unusual “abilities” frightened Jack more than he was willing to admit. Faced with a relationship he couldn’t understand, Jack did what Jack seems to do best.
He ran.
Now Baron Winters has brought them together again, and something tells me romance isn’t the only thing he has planned.
What exactly did Albertus Magnus create more than seven centuries ago? Can the agents of Night Force survive the nightmares spreading across the nation? Will the dream invaders finally bend the Campus Cannibal to their will? Can Jack and Vanessa put ten years of emotional baggage behind them long enough to survive? And will Baron Winters uncover the true conspirators before their nightmare becomes reality?
Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
“Dreamers of Dreams” continues with part two, and Night Force is definitely moving back into the type of horror territory I enjoy. We have medieval experiments, nightmare creatures, an insane cannibal, supernatural conspiracies, and a centuries-old mystery slowly beginning to take shape. That is much closer to what I want from this series.
A word of warning: this book is definitely not for children. Things get rather graphic, and there is also some sexual content. Yes, boys and girls, we even get a little ca-chunk, ca-chunk along the way. This certainly isn’t your Saturday morning Super Friends version of DC Comics.
I will admit that the story becomes a little difficult to follow in places. Wolfman is juggling several plot threads across different characters and centuries, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly how all the pieces fit together. The artwork also has a noticeably different flavor this time around, with Shawn Martinbrough taking over the visuals. His darker, heavily shadowed approach fits the nightmare sequences particularly well. If you enjoy that moody, horror-oriented style of comic-book artwork, there is plenty here to appreciate.
Most importantly, I’m interested in Night Force again. “Dreamers of Dreams” is weird, violent, supernatural, and slightly confusing. In other words, we’re finally getting back to business.