The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe

An enjoyable rewrite of, or sequel to, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath in which the protagonist is a woman from Ulthar - the dreamers' side. It parallels DQOUK quite a bit, with trouble with ghouls and ghasts, a sea-voyage, and Vellitt Boe is an excellent character, an ageing adventurer turned academic who sets off on one last adventure. And being a mirror image of DQOUK, a refreshing view of our world and the possibly not so utopian Dreamworld in contrast to it. 

The only Lovecraft book I've read is The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. I thought it was an interesting world, but I didn't like the writing. I enjoyed The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe more. Kij Johnson nails the tone and style and expands the world a little bit.

Most of this book was just a quest story through an interesting world. The last 20 pages or so, though, took it to a new level and that was my favorite part of the story.

It's a delight to read a book in which the main character is an older woman. She sets out from her quiet university life to save her student -- and the women's college -- resolutely. As you read, you realize that she was an adventurous traveler in her youth, and has the skills and contacts to negotiate the perils in her world.

The world is a wildly imaginative one. It's the land we go to in dreams -- or at least some of us do. I really enjoyed it. And I laughed out loud when Vellitt made sure to get her expense report back to the Bursar.

Another Tor.com novella that knocks it out of the park. It seems like they are becoming must reads.

http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2016/10/to-sleep-perchance-to-dream.html