I get that this preceded Inception by at least a decade. Still, Inception did it way, way better.
Felt like this author muddled metaphors way too much ( )

I was lucky enough to receive an advance reader's copy of The Deep Sea Diver's Syndrome. It's Brussolo's first book translated into English, so I'm hopeful that more will follow. Much like how the character David created a tangible world in his dreams, so Brussolo created such a world in this book. A world in which works of art literally come from the minds of dreamers, with rules and hazards all its own. From the very first page, I was drawn into the world of the story by the author's juicy language, so full of substance. The words he chose made the world of dreams come to life. There's more to this novel than the dream world, however. The world of reality had its own set of laws, wonderfully laid out throughout the story. It's definitely a sci-fi novel, but it has qualities of crime noir as well. And Brussolo does a fantastic job fusing the two, especially in the scope of David's internal conflicts. I also have to commend the translator, Edward Gauvin, who so skillfully brought this novel (originally published in 1992) to a new audience of readers. ( )

-- This novel was written by a Frenchman. Cast of characters is small, & they're memorable. Instead of writing an essay or an editorial Monsieur Brussolo uses a novel to discuss importance of Art/ist. I don't know if I would have appreciated & understood DEEP SEA DIVER'S SYNDROME a decade or two ago but now je l'adore. -- ( )

Brussolo had never been translated into English before. I was surprised when I found out - long time ago I read his "Le Carnaval de fer" (The Iron Carnival) and fell in love with his imaginary. The Bulgarian publishers never published anything else; the English and American ones apparently never got around to Brussolo. Until now.

"The Deep Sea Diver's Syndrome" has a weird start - in the dream world. Because it is the story of a dreamer, David, in a world where dreamers (for a lack of better word) go into their dreams and bring back ectoplasm - which is considered art. All other types of art had been forgotten and this new one has special properties - it calms and it is different for everyone.

And as fascinating as all this sounds, this is not the story here - it is the background. Or so it feels. The real story is the dream world of David - a place where he is a master thief and where art contains living people; a place that is controlled by his mind, a place that everyone claims not to exist but that seems to be more real to him than the real world is. And the imaginary world of every dreamer is different - David's is the depth of the ocean for example.

In a way, it is the story of every artist in the world. In a way it is the story of the relationship between society and artists; in a way it is just another of those weird stories that Brussolo is so good at. And his explanation of what those dreams are is interesting and logical and sad. And satisfying.

I wish it was longer and we had seen more from both worlds - some elements are just sketched and hiding in the shadows. But you cannot get everything. ( )