I went on a bit of a binge this past summer and read way too many books at one go. I think at a point I was reading a book a day, and this was definitely one of them.
I’ve read other Malorie Blackman books – I read Thief! when I was much younger, and I remember reading two or three books from the Noughts and Crosses series, although I don’t remember which ones and I definitely didn’t follow up on the series. I got this book from somebody for free, a friend who used to work in a library who would sometimes donate books that were going to be thrown away to her friends. And quite honestly, though I finished it in a day because it is, in fact, an easy read, I did quite enjoy it.
The Stuff of Nightmares is a young adult fiction novel, which is to say that I 100% anticipated what was happening and how the story would play out. It is quite predictable, however I really enjoyed reading it anyway because sometimes predictable can be good. Kyle, the main character, is on a school trip with his classmates and teacher. They all board a train that ends up in a horrible accident, almost getting derailed. While on the train, Kyle manages to stay conscious, and finds himself hopping from one unconscious person on the train to the next, delving into their inner thoughts and nightmares. And they are all absolutely terrifying.
Some of the characters have nightmares about murder, others about nuclear war. Some have nightmares about family members, others about crime. Each person, while unconscious on a train that could very quickly tip over and kill everyone, is experiencing their worst nightmare unfold in their sleep, and Kyle witnesses every single one of them. And as he does this, a mysterious dark figure stalks him down the train, a figure that seems intent on making sure that Kyle is the only person on the train that remains dead.
There are two twists in the book that I saw coming from a while away. This is a spoiler alert for those who do not want to see how this plays out. The first is that Kyle’s father killed himself – even though it isn’t mentioned in the beginning, there are a lot of dropped hints that Kyle’s father not only died, but committed suicide. The second big twist is that the girl who is supposedly helping Kyle on the train is not to be trusted, because she’s actually the grim reaper, not the dark figure stalking him on the train. Spoiler ends.
Despite the predictable twists, I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it to teenage readers who maybe have a taste for thrillers. It can be rather touchy-feely, especially towards the end, but that is to be expected from young adult fiction.
Final rating is 4/5. I did greatly enjoy reading it, and I think other people should too if they’re looking for something quick and easy that doesn’t take ages to read.
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CW: Suicide

1.5 Stars ( )

Not bad, but it reads like a set of short stories - just as it was originally published. I don’t think it quite works.
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Couldn't finish this book. I'd heard of Malorie Blackman and knew second-hand that she was a very good author, but I just didn't like her style.
The plot, now that I think of it, was quite interesting, but I thought it could have been done better, or in different circumstances. Most of all I just didn't like the way it was narrated. Too much first person, far too much. Most of it wasn't even necessary, though I suppose since all the nightmares were personal then it made sense, but not if Kyle was actually inside their head and watching them. Then the first person nonsense was rather redundant.
I'm actually disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book, and rather confused that I couldn't even make myself finish it. I did make it past half-way, however, and, naughtily, I read the last page. Probably wouldn't have been worth it, anyway. ( )

When Kyle is in a train crash, he finds himself drawn into the nightmares of fellow passengers, some who are strangers, some his friends. This allows for a collection of short stories - these are varied, but most are about death, and some are a little disturbing. This is definitely not for younger readers, it's not explicit as such, but there are some disturbing scenes.

The writing is good, and it's a gripping, fast paced book, and I'm going to put a couple more of hers on my wish list.