Night Worms Book Party: CAPTAIN CLIVE'S DREAMWORLD by Jon Bassoff

CAPTAIN CLIVE'S DREAMWORLD by Jon Bassoff

Published by Eraserhead Press

"After becoming the suspect in the death of a young woman he was investigating, Deputy Sam Hardy is "vanished" to a town in the middle of the desert called Angels and Hope. A company town built to support a magnificent amusement park (one to rival Disneyland) known as Captain Clive's Dreamworld. When he arrives in Angels and Hope, Hardy begins to notice some strange happenings. Virtually no customers ever visit. None of the townsfolk ever seem to sleep. And girls seem to be going missing with no plausible explanation. As Hardy begins investigating, his own past is drawn into question by the town, and he finds himself becoming more and more isolated. The truth—about the town and himself—will lead him to understand that there’s no such thing as a clean escape."

The Night Worms have been looking forward to sharing our thoughts with readers for this unusual book! Our reviews fall all across the spectrum and we hope you find this mini-review round-up informative as you make your choices to buy books for the remainder of the year. 2020 has been a firecracker year for horror. A horrible year for our mental health but at least we had a plethora of quality horror titles to lean into.

"This book was described as David Lynchian mixed with Stepford Wives and it definitely is! An unsettling horror story that will have you side-eyeing the suburbs.⁣
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⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⁣" @readswithdogs

"We all have demons. We all have secrets. How we manage to get punished or how we punish ourselves for these can sometimes come about in the most unexpected ways. Bassoff writes so viscerally, that I can see why one of his books have been opted for adaptation. I will certainly be keeping my eye out for more by this author. Can someone please pass me some moonshine "medicine"? 4 Stars" @wherethereadergrows

"This book is wild... and highly addictive. I definitely recommend it! 4⭐ Thanks to Eraserhead Press and Night Worms for this advance copy for our book party!" @findingmontauk1

"There are some serious Stepford Wives and Twin Peaks vibes in this book, and it’s glorious. The vivid, descriptive language really paints the picturesque scene like technicolor in your mind. There is a such thing as being too nice and Bassoff does a great job building the apple pie, cookie cutter, nobody locks their doors, kind of a place. Trust me, it’s a nightmarish place you wouldn’t want to be caught dead in. CAPTAIN CLIVE’S DREAMWORLD is not a dreamworld I would ever want to visit, but I certainly enjoyed reading it. Highly recommended!" @shereadswithcats

"DREAMWORLD itself seems loosely based on what we know as 'The Happiest Place on Earth' except there is something really wrong with it in a Twilight Zone(ish) way. Bassoff injects this small-town horror with social commentary in the style of a crime-noir drama mashed with transgressive horror and it really works. I'm a huge fan of Bassoff's imagination and flair for the unexpected. You need this book." @mother.horror

"The book is painfully weird in the best way possible. Every time I thought that I had my head wrapped around what exactly was going on, the book beat me over the head with another outlandish and increasingly disturbing event. ⁣
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If you are a fan of small-town cult horror, you will love this one. 4⭐⁣" @teamredmon

"Captain Clive’s Dreamworld is a two night upset stomach followed by repeated paper cuts and lime juice. Under that colorful, upbeat cover is a tar-pit black quagmire with no ropes, no lifelines. Just a series of boots trying to kick your teeth in. Imagine Mr. Hood’s Holiday House, expanded into a town, and ruled by unscrupulous family bound by image and starving for wealth and you’ll have gained a one-way entrance into Dreamworld. Don’t forget your souvenir wings.

4.5/ 5" @zakk.madness

"I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book and how you could literally read this any time of the year. When you read it you’ll understand. I did feel for the main character as he struggled with the past and present situations. The only reason I knocked this one down half a star because I wasn’t happy with the ending. This is all on a personal level like I wanted something more I guess but regardless the book just builds and builds. It is so layered with current issues that it makes you think (which is scary!) and it’s fast paced. So I gave it 4.5 ⭐️" @shereadshorror

"I hate to use statements in reviews where I am comparing one book to another to sell you the one I am talking about, however this may be a compliment to the author in that this read like early Stephen King to me. It was like Quitter's Inc. met Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes and had a lovechild that is Captain Clive- This was eerie and creepy in all the right ways...This story has a masterful blend of horror and mystery that is sure to tantalize your senses and have you devouring this novel with a devilish smile. Superb writing and world building! Highly recommend to those who enjoy mystery, horror, bizzaro and madness with a lovely shade of blood red. 4 Stars" @kamiskorner

"Overall the book is a lot of fun. The pacing is great, slowly building the dread with long moments of unease punctuated by instanced of shocking vulgarity. While reading I found myself thinking about the best parts of Hot Fuzz, Bioshock Infinite, mother!, Black Mirror, and basically any good cult film. It’s quite a trip, and for the most part it’s worth the ride 🎢
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Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️" @reading.vicariously

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