[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]

Strange Horizons, October 18, 2021

“Bespoke Nightmares” by Carolina Valentine

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The narrator of “Bespoke Nightmares” by Carolina Valentine is able to create clothing that brings either nightmares or pleasant dreams, but has a sign that says “Dreams Not Sold Here.” The pleasant ones, unlike the nightmares, take an extremely long time and a lot of hard work to make.

A rich man comes into the shop demanding a dream, and is willing to pay the very high price. He becomes addicted to dreams, losing his money and having to resort to threats, leading to the story’s final conflict.

Narrated in a realistic, matter-of-fact style, this tale reads almost like a crime story. The man comes across both as a drug addict and a criminal kingpin, used to getting what he wants through bribes or force. Like a crime story, there is violence, which some readers may find too extreme for the situation.

It is difficult to understand why the narrator makes clothing with nightmares, so cheaply and easily that one hundred can be created in a day. Would there be such a demand for these things? (Perhaps people give them to others they don’t like, but the story offers no hint of this possibility. If so, it would make the narrator a truly unsympathetic character, and I believe this is not the author’s intent.)

Victoria Silverwolf almost forgot to review this issue.