• The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe

  • By: Kij Johnson
  • Narrated by: Kij Johnson
  • Length: 4 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (190 ratings)

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The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe  By  cover art

The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe

By: Kij Johnson
Narrated by: Kij Johnson
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Publisher's summary

One of NPR's Best Books of 2016 and a 2016 Nebula Award finalist for Best Novella

Professor Vellitt Boe teaches at the prestigious Ulthar Women's College. When one of her most gifted students elopes with a dreamer from the waking world, Vellitt must retrieve her.

©2016 Tor.com (P)2017 TalkingBook

Critic reviews

"Kij Johnson's haunting novella The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe is both a commentary on a classic H.P. Lovecraft tale and a profound reflection on a woman's life. Vellitt's quest to find a former student who may be the only person who can save her community takes her through a world governed by a seemingly arbitrary dream logic in which she occasionally glimpses an underlying but mysterious order, a world ruled by capricious gods and populated by the creatures of dreams and nightmares. Those familiar with Lovecraft's work will travel through a fantasy landscape infused with Lovecraftian images viewed from another perspective, but even readers unfamiliar with his work will be enthralled by Vellitt's quest. A remarkable accomplishment that repays rereading." (Pamela Sargent, winner of the Nebula Award)

What listeners say about The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe

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SO AMAZING!

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No joke one of my favorite sci fi books today. Dreamy all the way through!

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1 person found this helpful

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Wow! Awesome!

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This was great. Loved every chapter and every word. Good job to the author in narrating her book.

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    5 out of 5 stars

from your listener, June

This was quite a lovely story! The narration was decent, and the descriptions very colorful.

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3 people found this helpful

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Amazing Story - Read It, Though

This story was wonderful - Johnson weaves a mystical world that you can’t help but be interested in. Unfortunately, while her voice is pleasant, her narration lacks any emphasis that would really draw one into the story. I found myself surprised halfway through what should be dramatic sequences to find that they were actiony. Definitely read this book, but I wouldn’t suggest listening.

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Simply amazing!!

I couldnt stop listening. Finished in one sitting. Best scifi I've listened to in a long time!

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5 people found this helpful

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Exactly the right amount of fantasy

A subtle mix of heroic journey and a coming of age, with just a hint of Mythos to keep you peering behind the edge of words.

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Awesome Scifi!

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It's so awesome a book like this gets so much love. Great story and great narration from the author!

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Sci Fi fantasy at its best

I can see why Kij Johnson was nominated for a Hugo award. This book is so wonderfully imaginative and it feels like I've been there. Definitely one of the good ones.

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Setting Extraordinaire

True to its nature, this quest story has amazing landscapes narrated in detail for Dreamlands and the waking world alike. The end might surprise you.

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Awesome Sci Fi

Vellitt Boe is one of the coolest science fiction stories I've read/heard in a long time. Congrats to Kij Jonson for pulling this off! AWESOME!

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2 people found this helpful