I don't usually read short stories, but I am glad I gave this collection a shot. The stories were very creative and showed the range the author has. However, I felt as though some of the stories fell short and ended almost abruptly. Overall, this collection is perfect for those who love the fantasy/sci-fi genre and like books they can finish in one sitting. This book is also perfect for those trying to get into reading and need something to begin with.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this collection of short science fiction stories. They would make me sit and think, which is what I like most about these types of tellings. This book contained 12 short stories and each one had interesting concepts. There were even a couple I would have read as a novel.

1. Letter from Glomsuet - 4 stars
• This one was such a fun point of view. The idea of an abducted Flat Earther having to come to terms that he was indeed wrong and now writing a letter to his old Earth sweetheart, was just too funny IMHO. The end had me think ‘wtf?’ but also get a good chuckle in.
2. The Man of Her Dreams – 3.75 stars
• I like a good time travel story. The concept for this one was interesting, but its execution fell somewhat flat. I understood the message it was conveying but I guess I just wanted more from a celebrity type romance.
3. Jay - 4 stars
• A serial killer on the loose when a strange kind man appears in this town. This was fairly well done.
4. Daily Log from Outpost #602 - 4.25 stars
• This made me laugh out loud at the end. I was so tickled by the outcome of this story. I suppose I have a weird sense of humor.
5. No Good Reason - 3 stars
• What the heck? Seriously, what on earth? Haha. I just felt bad for the guy. In the notes, I like where the author drew inspiration for this.
6. How to Make Money Fast - 4 stars
• Both terrifying and well…awwwwwwwww. Let’s just say, family is important. You might think you’re on a game show…but then again, maybe you’re not.
7. The Family Name - 4 stars
• This was an excellent story. Really makes you think and genuinely think why our society has had this mentality.
8. Larry - 3.75 stars
• Cute story.
9. Thirteen - 3.5 stars
• This one was a fun debate.
10. Inheritance - 5 stars
• Oh, now this one was my absolute favorite. I cried. What an amazing concept. I’d love to have this kind of pen pal. So sweet.
11. The Last to Pass - 3.75 stars
• Spaceship breaks down and lands on a planet with a secret. It was a very interesting story and I think it could be extended into a full-length novel. I would have liked to know more of the planet and maybe more of some of the natives’ experiences with the issue at hand. So much potential with this one.
12. The House with an Inside but No Outside - 4 stars
• I love stories that have children with wild imaginations, but it is really their reality.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Upon a Waking Dream is an apt name for this book. I absolutely loved reading these short stories. Some I loved more than others and there were a few that I really didn’t want to end. I read this in one sitting and overall found this a really enjoyable reading experience.

Some things are better kept short but sweet. This anthology of short stories did exactly that!

A fantasy lover looking for a brief escape from being heavily emotionally invested in a five-part novel should read these short stories.

I gave this 4/5 because there was no clear theme to this collection and a few of the stories stuck out like a sore thumb.

All in all a fun read and like you are putting your hand in a jar of candy, not sure what you will get each time.

This book was provided as an ARC from NetGalley.

This collection of stories were somewhat of a world I do not often dive in, but decided to give this a try. I do not often read short stories but these were fun and cool, since I do enjoy fantasy and sometimes science fiction as well. Some of them, however, felt like it ended abruptly even though they are short stories. Despite that, I cannot deny that these are quite creative!

I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy, science fiction, and short stories.

This was my first time reading a book of short stories, I now know they are not for me. All of the stories were enjoyable to read I just wanted more, some of them would be great expanded into a full length book. A lot of them kept me thinking for awhile which was fun. If you like short stories this is definitely a good one to read.

A varied, thought-provoking, and sometimes funny collection of short stories. I don’t read in this style of book very often, but I loved all of these. Some were only tangentially science fiction or fantasy based, but all had that aura of mystery and unintended consequences, as many good short stories do. I loved the simplicity of the words that managed to convey heft and nuance. And in the story Larry, one of the early lines from the main character Molly reminded me of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. A few of the darker tales reminded me a bit of that old TV show “Unsolved Mysteries,” or even “The Twilight Zone.” Overall, these were fun and a little dark and a lot interesting.

This short story collection was full of really fun and creative ideas, many of which I thought were really interesting and cool, the downside was in the execution. While the ideas were great, it felt as though they weren't written to their full potential. Many of the stories felt oddly short and as if they stopped suddenly right as they were starting to get interesting and about to pick up, they went by so fast that to me it felt as though I just breezed through an outline and not the actual story. While the concepts were genuinely really fun and highlighted the creativity of the author the execution didn't really do the ideas justice. I think I would have preferred if the book contained half the amount of short stories but have them be double the length they were so that the concept could be fully explored and realized and so that the characters felt a bit more rounded. The author clearly has a lot of potential because the idea is there, I just think that next time I would love to see her explore these ideas more to create a more engaging narrative and also flesh out the characters a bit since in most of the stories they were pretty one note and ended up falling flat due to the limiting length. This was a very quick read but I think I ended up enjoying the concepts more than the execution, that being said I would still give this author another chance since it's clear she has a lot of fun ideas that she enjoys exploring which I would love to see more of.

This book was offered from NetGallery for an honest review.

An interesting collection of short stories. I downloaded this book thinking it would be more like the authors other books. I was sadly disappointed, they were solid stories just not to my liking.

I hope that others enjoy this collection of sci-fi short stories.

ARC provided to me by NetGalley!!

This is a really great collection of short sci-fi stories. Unlike a lot of sci-fi things, these stories were easy to follow and not at all dense. If you’re the type of reader who loves open ended stories, and you enjoy short stories, give this a shot! It was really enjoyable to read and I definitely recommend it

My personal favorite out of this collection would have to be “Jay” - here’s my review on that: A strange man arrives in town with piercing eyes. Something about him sets everyone uneasy. A very vague (in an intriguing way) story. I love the way this showed the different ways people might react to this sort of situation, and how quickly people judge and form their own judgments without knowing anything at all- 4 stars

My second favorite would have to be “Inheritance” but I’ll let you read the book to find out more on that.

I felt an immediate connection with this author as I read the forward. When they explained that Anne McCaffrey, Madeline L’Engle, and the deleted Star Wars EU had inspired these stories, I thought of how much I loved those stories as a young reader.

This collection feels a bit like episodes of The Twilight Zone, in a good way. Each short story builds up a premise. By the conclusion, the main character begins to doubt their understanding of reality or change their perspective. There isn’t always a “twist” per se, but each conclusion feels like the story took a turn that leaves readers considering its possibilities.

I’d consider using some of these short stories in my high school literature lessons. They make some connections to our modern culture that I think students would find interesting. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy through NetGalley.

This was a charming set of short stories! They all had a bit of a whimsical tone to them, not quite out there in the science fiction realm, like with lasers and beams, but it was enough to dip your toes in. I found that some stories really stuck to me and I wanted more, but others fell short for me. When the stories fell short, I struggled to read through them.

Saying that, however, I thoroughly enjoyed most of the ones I read! I found The Man of Her Dreams to be pretty relatable, especially for my teenage self, which I think was my favorite story in the whole batch. I also liked how there was an afterword from the author, explaining why she wrote that particular story.

Upon a Waking Dream contains twelve science fiction and fantasy short stories. I came into this blind, and I’m pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed 8 out of the 12 stories.

I feel like some stories could have been excluded from this collection though. The Daily Log From an Outpost, Thirteen, No Good Reason, and Family Name… I didn’t really see the point in these stories and I rated them 1 or 2 stars.

But I do have my favorites, my 4-5 star reads. Letter from Glomsuet was so funny and entertaining especially the twist in the end. The Man of Her Dreams is a fan girl’s dream turned into reality. Inheritance, Larry, and The House with an Inside but No Outside were warm, cozy reads. I applaud the J.S. Bailey for her creativity in these stories.

Overall, this is a good book to get into, especially for science fiction and fantasy lovers or those who want to get back into reading.

thank you Net Galley and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great short story collection! Definitely brought me back to my teenage years, reading classic sci-fi collections my dad would give me.

The stories cover a great range of topics and themes, so I think everyone can find a favourite. They also vary in length, and I really appreciated the short ones that leave you chuckling to yourself before you move on to the more lengthy ones. I'd struggle picking a favourite myself!

All in all, this was a fun, easy read. Don't skip the author's notes at the end!

Thanks to NetGalley for for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest feedback.

Many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this as an ARC. I appreciate it!

I feel like I don’t have enough words to express how much I love the cover. Blue and gold covers have a choke hold on me. Something about the color combination just makes me feel so called to the contents of the book. I would love to have the physical copy someday to stock in my personal library.

This collection of short stories was absolutely a fun read! It was quick and went by fast. I definitely would like to read a longer portion of the author’s work.

One of my favorite short stories was about the flat earther being abducted by aliens on accident. I love how he goes through an entire redemption arch and the journey he takes as well. And then the end made me laugh because now he’s in the perspective of the friend he once mocked. I thought that short story was so clever and enjoyed it a lot.

Also the ending of the logs made me laugh too. I did not expect that ending. This author has a fun imagination and I thoroughly enjoyed each piece I read. It’s definitely worth the read. Plus it doesn’t take long to fully read the book. It’s like a couple hours worth to finish. Would recommend gifting this to friends as well because of how it makes you

I have a kind of love/hate relationship with short stories, but before I get to that must say I have the utmost respect for authors who are able to create quality short stories. Managing to craft entertaining short stories is an incredible skill. I’ve read plenty of authors who can create wonderful novel length fiction, and yet their short pieces are disastrous. I’m more than pleased to say J.S. Bailey’s collection of sci-fi and fantasy stories in Upon a Waking Dream show she’s more than capable of crafting wonderfully entertaining short stories. Now back to my love/hate comment. My issue is that often times when I love a short story I want more. While it may be a self contained story, I can’t help wanting more, wondering about the characters beyond what we are told or about the larger world in general. Take the first story in this collection for instance in which a Flat Earther gets accidentally ‘abducted’ by aliens. It’s an entertaining tale, but the truth is there is so much more I’d loved to have known about the world/society he ends up in. (Though some that I have read it might argue that the ending makes it totally self contained because … well, I won’t deeper into that comment since I think it might be a spoiler depending on how you take the story.) But that’s how it was with many of the stories within this book, they sparked my imagination to the point I would have been more than happy to have read entire novels if the stories had been expanded. And if a story sticks with me, makes me think/wonder (not in confusion, that would be the hallmark of bad fiction) about the worlds these stories take place in or about the characters, then that’s a sign of a quality story teller. I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work in the future. Thanks so much to the author and NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of Upon a Waking Dream.

A delightful collection of stories that are out of this world! Each story introduces readers to a unique world created by the equally unique mind of J.S. Bailey.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the arc.

I will start by saying that this was not a short story collection for me. While I do enjoy short story collections, I found that most of these stories i didn't really enjoy. Many were short and ended abruptly. Even the longer ones still didn't feel finished to me.

I think most of these had unique and interesting premises, I just found my reading experience lack luster.

My favorite of the stories was by far Inheritance - a sweet and sad story about a grandmother that has recently passed.

Overall, this was just not for me but I can see the potential for others to enjoy it.

I found this collection of short stories very interesting! I love how different each story is. My particular favorites were Daily Log from Outpost #602 (I wish it was longer!) and The House with and Inside but no Outside. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to review this book.

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @jsbailey_author for an early copy of Upon a Waking Dream. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Upon a Waking Dream is a collection of short sci-fi and fantasy stories, including stories where a flat-earther gets abducted by aliens, a magic pen that bridges the gap between generations, a story where Jesus is alive at present, and many more.

Each story is unique, very interesting, and well-thought of. They are beautifully created and imaginative with lots of plot twists. The stories made me think a lot of what-if scenarios, which was fun!

I would recommend this if you’re a fan of sci-fi and fantasy stories, or if you want to take a short break reading between genres. Rating this ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. Releases March 7th, 2023!