Temple of Dreams

 Temple of Dreams

Reviewed By  Ian Banks       December 12, 2019

 

Author  Carolyn Matthews

Distributor:      Roundfire
ISBN:                 978-1789042009
Publisher:         John Hunt Publishing
Release Date:   October 2019  

   Website:   http://carolynmathews.co.uk

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In a change of style from her Pandora trilogy Carolyn Matthews has set her latest novel Temple of Dreams between modern day Britain and ancient Greece, which as a setting for a tale between two worlds is ideal.

The main character Sebastian (Seb) is trying to come to terms with the death of his adopted parents in a Motorway pile up. He has no real idea about his birth parents: the only clue he does have is a distinctive broach left pined to his blanket at the Maternity Hospital.

It is fairly obvious that he has a somewhat different ability in his life, as when he is first met, he is stuck in a narrow lane due to a vehicle breakdown. He uses his strength to singlehandedly move the car out of the way, thinking nothing of this ability, other than it was needed to get him to his destination on time.

He is on his way to undertake a course in natural medicine which has been modelled on ancient Greek healing. After spending the night in the Temple in the gardens of the Clinic, he dreams he has returned to Greece, which eventually leads him into unchartered and undiscovered realms.

When he meets Fliss, who saw him shift the car, a relationship begins to be established that means a lot to them both. As his birth past is a mystery, she encourages him to try and discover who are his birth parents, to consider whether it may have any bearing on the dreams and time travel he is experiencing.

The pace of the work tends to be set for a slow read, but can be either undertaken as a cover to cover, or little by little, which is perhaps the preferred option, as it gives the script time to settle, become established and therefore the nuances, which in some instances are somewhat subtle, time to be absorbed.

Much evolves in this storyline which can almost be overwhelming and therefor, runs the risk of becoming dysfunctional as a work that appeals largely to a broad imagination. Perhaps Temple of Dreams could have been created as a trilogy as many of the scenario’s are such that they would make an ideal standalone book.

Fiction, New Age & Spiritual