Reviews for 77 Mnemons: Shepherding Dreams of Compassion

The average rating for 77 Mnemons: Shepherding Dreams of Compassion based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-06-13 00:00:00 Jack Off Bad Dreams is a modestly engaging mystery, but the concept of a haunted four-poster canopy bed is what makes it a worthy contribution to eerie literature. Few items of furniture evoke better gothic atmosphere, and devoting an entire novella to such a concept is not a waste. Frankly, I would have preferred lengthier descriptions of the bed's wood carvings, the frills of the pink canopy, and feelings conjured while resting within. As it is, we don't get much more than this: "There it stood. A beautiful, old-fashioned four-poster canopy bed. Dark, polished wood. And with a pink canopy on top." To be fair, the four-poster bed is so iconic--so instilled in our minds--that describing one more fully might contradict the reader's fantasy image. I certainly had no trouble picturing a bed of wild grandeur based on this measly description plus reaction from characters. And Stine does have plot to get to. There's actually a lot going on in this one. The story opens with an intriguing issue, high class North Hills sisters must relocate to a ratty house on Fear Street after the death of their father. High income versus low income dilemmas are frequent in the Fear Street universe. The Silent Night series is a notable example of the greedy mentality of the wealthy. Dead dad and a drop in social class turn out to be just background noise, however, because the real issue eventually becomes clear: the two sisters don't get along. They're constantly at each other's throats over the smallest things. Tensions really escalate when they discover the four-poster bed left behind in one of the girl's rooms. After a fight over who gets to sleep in the fancy bed, it's quickly revealed that the bed seems to be haunted. Whenever Maggie sleeps in it she has a reoccurring nightmare. A nightmare with origins to the house's unfortunate past... The reader is then left to wonder if Maggie is mentally unstable because of an upcoming swim competition or is her mean sister up to pranks? Could her boyfriend be involved? One of the other girls on the swim team? Or is this an honest-to-goodness haunting? I'll never tell which or if none of the above are true. But I will say the mysterious circumstances does well to keep the pages turning. The thrills are mediocre compared to other occurrences on Fear Street, but even mediocre in this series means a can't-put-it-down, have-to-finish-in-one-sitting good time. Not a must-read book in the series, but not one to skip either. Especially if you like fancy beds. Some fun Bad Dreams facts: -First published in March, 1994 -26,462 words long -One of the few Fear Street titles to get audiobook treatment -Cover art is by Bill Schmidt, the genius behind the majority of original Fear Street covers -How the hell did they move that giant bed into the tiny attic?

Review # 2 was written on 2018-12-02 00:00:00 Nicky Dark After the death of their father, Maggie and Andrea are moving to Fear Street. With money being tight, the house on the poorest side of town is all their mum can afford. Maggie is thrilled to find a king size canopy bed in her designated room, until the nightmares start of a girl being stabbed to death. Is the bed haunted and why won’t anyone take Maggie’s dreams seriously. It felt like a great idea that was poorly executed, I was invested in the mystery element itself but the resolution seemed weak. The bereavement of their father was a nice addition to the story, it help drive the story forward and gave a legitimate reason for the move. But the sibling rivalry also felt closer to something from a Goosebumps book. One of the weakest in the series, a shame as had potential.