The Astronaut Dream Book

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The narrator was fantastic as always and I love the they had Connor Brannigan as a constant through the series! This story was probably my least favorite out of The Bedlam Bible series, but I still enjoyed it immensely! You can’t really go wrong with any of these books if you’re a horror fan! It was definitely original and graphic at parts, with descriptions so intense you feel like you’re right there in his crazy astronaut dream. I am definitely a fan of this author and will continue to read whatever else he puts out!

The Bedlam Bible really starts to come together nicely in this insane work. Eight Block is still just as terrifying as in the first volume., ‘The Tower’. What seem like disconnected short stories start to congeal into an awesome work of gory, bizarre literature. Though, each story could stand alone on its own like a modernist Lovecraft nightmare. Title seems strangely appropriate. As I mentioned in my review of the first volume of the series; this a wicked fever-dream. Looking forward to reading more!

I have read the first two books in this series and I loved them both. They are delightfully weird and completely engaging. So when I saw the audiobook available for review on NetGalley, I knew it was time to revisit Eighth Block Tower. And while I do own the kindle version, my kindle suffered an accident yesterday and no longer works. Seeing this book on NetGalley almost felt like a sign from the cosmos reminding me that even though I did most of my reading on that kindle, it’s going to be okay. So I’m sitting here in my office listening to the audiobook and following along on the kindle app on my phone.

I’ll start with a note about the narrator. I found Connor Brannigan’s narration to be quite enjoyable. His voice is deep and smooth and just really pleasant. I could listen to him speak far longer than the two-ish hour run time of this book. Fortunately for me, he narrates several of Pauley’s books that are already on my tbr.

If you’ve read the first two Bedlam Bible books, you are familiar with the strange things that go on in the Eighth Block Tower. Each book is a bunch of stories that are not one cohesive story, but they are intertwined. Everything that goes on in that tower is interconnected. This book is much the same. In the beginning, we learn of the prison deep within Eighth Block Tower that has only one prisoner. The stories that follow are his dreams about astronauts. The chapter called Apokalypsis. Wow. It’s a letter of warning to anyone who may find themself at the Church of Death and Nothingness detailing the astronaut’s journey leading up to the point where he is writing that letter and waiting for death. I found the letter to be quite moving.

But are these stories really dreams? Part 2 will have you wondering as the over arcing story comes full circle. The boy who encountered the prisoner in the beginning is back and his mother is ready to confront the “dog man” who bit her son. But in the words of the astronaut in his letter or warning, their journey didn’t stop there. Instead, things got weird. What the hell is going on in that tower? All I know is that I want more.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. If you’re into the weird and absurd, you’ll love William Pauley III‘s doom fiction. He’s a fantastic writer with the ability to write stories that are sometimes absurd, horrifying, and touching.

You can read The Astronaut Dream Book as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Or just buy the book. The eBook is only a couple bucks and the print version would look great on your shelf. Do yourself a favor and grab the audio companion while you’re at it.

A man is poisoned, and he begins to dream terrifying dreams of astronauts. It's a creepy, adventurous book. Each chapter feels like its own story. I was drawn into the story constantly, and I'd be interested in reading more from this author.

[3.5]
Just like any of Pauley's books, the Astronaut Dream Book is wild as fuck. I really love the psychedelia in this book, the atmosphere and weird but ethereal images,, ough it's just so beautiful in a way. This book is pretty different from the first two, but it still has that Eight Block Tower feel and that fucking whirlwind of an ending sent me reeling. Again (positively). But there was just something about this book that I can't put my finger on, and I got bored at times. I love the descriptions though, and I still enjoyed reading this :D

I got a audio version of this book because I’ve listen to many other books from this author and the stories are good, creepy, strange and weird and somewhat scary, and actually, all at the same time, is like you’re having a nightmare that you really can’t stop wanting more hahah I know it is weird but it really sums this well.

From all the books this one was my least favourite, I mean, I still enjoyed it, (I will officially give it a 3,4 stars to the stories but with Brannigan reading I will boost it to 4), I got really lost in how the stories came together, it started as a very strange tale of a man that was inside a cage and went far and beyond, the best of this book was like always Brannigan reading it, his voice really brings the story to life, even if in the end I get the feeling, what did I just listen to.

If you like weird horror stories, then this book and this author is for you, like always, the themes can get a bit for adults so I wouldn't recommend it for a young audience.

Thank you NetGalley and Doom Fiction for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

I wish I had known this was the third installment of a series and not a stand alone novella.
That aside I found the writing captivating. This is definitely a creepy story and while I did not read the two previous novellas, I could definitely gather the premise.
It seems a bit post apocalyptic, and it has hints of history repeating itself and individuals trying to break the cycle.
All in all, a good quick read especially if you’ve read Pauley’s previous work.
I received a digital copy as a good reads giveaway as well as an audio copy through NetGalley. Both are great options.

The Astronaut Dream Book by William Pauley III is delightfully weird and I enjoyed the ride. Pauley is an original voice in horror and this is my 4th book by this author, they are officially an auto-buy for me. This is a short story but it packs a huge punch. Storytelling at its best.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Another odd tale in Eighth Block, this time a strange astronaut and his dreams and warnings, followed by a mother's attempts to confront the dog-man who bit her son.
I can't really say much more than that about the plot of this book without spoiling the wonderful weirdness of the whole thing. I think (which is a bit dangerous to do while in the depths of Pauley's books) this is the first signs of the overarching theme of the series (which personally I am happy is currently taking a back seat in favour of mostly self-contained stories).
Great for fans of Clive Barker, Will Self and Franz Kafka (but with more accessible language than Self!)

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

First, I really enjoyed this narrator. His voice was nice and he had clear annunciation and a nice pace for listening.
Second, this story was strange but so good. I wish I had known it was an installment to a series. I’m not sure if I missed anything big by jumping into book 3.
That being said, I think I am going to look up the previous novels and read them, just to make sure.

The Astronaut Dream Book by William Pauley III was another banger!! LOVED IT! I felt so lucky to get a copy for myself! I have shared on my goodreads, bookstagram, and booktok!

I am obsessed with this series. After I read the first two I knew I had to read the rest. I was not at all disappointed. I told my husband he has to read them! In this one a poisoned man dreams of astronauts. It definitely fevered dreams. It is crazy and dark. I could not put it down. I highly recommend reading this series for fans of horror and the strange. Thank you to NetGalley and Doom Fiction for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick listen but a deeply strange and unsettling story. The chapters linked in a way and the ending was incredibly disturbing and linked all the strange stories really well. This is a great listen if you like sci-fi mixed with horror, the narrator read the story well and is was an enjoyable, if somewhat unsettling novella.

This audiobook right here has become my second favorite of Pauley's, a close second right behind God Damn Electric Nights and the Doom Magnetic Trilogy (because those two are tied for 1st). Highly enjoyable listen, with characters so complex but at the same time so flawed that you can't help but feel for all of them. Absolutely loved this one.

What a dark and freaky book! The short storys are connected like a big scary Spiderweb and they are as spooky as one. The whole boo is very engaging even at those times when you can`t fully understand all the references.
It was my first book from Pauley but i would definetly recommend it and will read more from him.

A man in a cage is poisoned by a visitor. He dreams of astronauts as he dies. One battles against negative waves. One finds a church on the moon. Another writes a letter of warning to a mysterious church. And outside of the dreams a woman, after trying to find someone to spend the night with, watches a battle between two mysterious creatures.

I’ve read several of the authors short books at this point and this one is in a battle to be my favorite one. The writing is amazing. The book is very short so I finished it in basically one sitting and I loved every second of it. I think my favorite story is about the warning letter. It had a very cosmic horror vibe to it that I just loved. Negative Waves is very short but is def my second favorite. Overall I loved every story included though.

While not nearly as dark and gross as the authors other stories they still do get violent at points. This doesn’t require as strong of a stomach as other books by the author I’ve read but I still don’t recommend this for younger readers. I however whole heartedly recommend this for readers of appropriate age. I loved this and I wish some of his other books were more like it. I hope the other books I have by him that I have yet to read are more like this too.

I listened to the audio version of this and I recommend it. The narrator does an amazing job and really brings the story to life.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I'm reading a sci-fi- fantasy-thriller. I haven't read the other books but I didn't feel unconnected. The narrator did a good job of bringing the essence and spooky atmosphere. I might read the other books in the Bedlam Bible series. I felt the creepiness, is it a dream or is it actually happening?

First, I want to say how much I’ve enjoyed the audiobook versions of the Bedlam Bible series for the work of Conor Brannigan. His voice makes the story tense, a pronunciation of doom.

Pauley is by far one of the most creative horror writers working. His approach is measured, his prose varied and direct. There are not many who can create a sense of the weird or truly horrifying.

I didn't realize until the end that this was the third in the series, but given the nature of the interconnected short stories, I didn't really lose much. Though knowing this, I am interested in going back and reading the others. I loved the first half, but the latter half felt a bit disjointed from the rest of it, but maybe if I read the first two, I'll understand something better. The descriptions often teeter into gross territory and I really enjoyed that the author didn't shy away from getting grotesque. I listened to the audiobook version and it was very trippy in some parts.

The Astronaut Dream Book is such a fever dream. This little book is a part of the bedlam bible series. I again listen to this on audio. It was really short. The narrator did an amazing job. It was spooky and weird just like other stories. I really enjoyed it. This is the third book in the bedlam bible stories but they can be read as a standalone. But I think I'll read from the beginning to understand the connections. Thanks to the publisher for the audio arc.

I'm still processing what I just listened to. As with the other books in the series, this one is part horror, part gore and probably a lot more WTF then the rest of the series. LOL Even at the end, I was like NO there has to be more, that can't be the ending. Of course, I still loved the story telling and the narrator is as amazing as always and now I'm off to download the next book in series because I apparently need more WTF in my life.