Barbie, a young woman living in a New York apartment building, returns to the secondary reality of the Land, a dreamscape she inhabited during her childhood. This internal world is under assault by a malevolent force known as the Cuckoo, threatening the lives of its talking animal inhabitants and leaking into the waking world. Accompanied by her diverse neighbors—including an pre-operative trans woman named Wanda and a witch named Thessaly—Barbie must navigate the Hierogram and confront the environmental collapse of her imagination. Morpheus, the King of Dreams, eventually intervenes to dismantle the realm according to ancient law.
Readers of urban fantasy and dark folklore look to this volume for its specific focus on identity and the boundaries of internal mythology. It appeals to those interested in the psychological underpinnings of escapism and the technical mechanics of world-building within a fictional universe. The audience gains a perspective on how personal trauma and societal expectations shape the monsters people face. By the end, the reader sees how a person's private history and their community's reality intersect when dreams are no longer sustainable.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1992
- Language
- EN
