Dream worlds in fantasy novels

QUOTE (superkick @ Feb 9 2009, 18.50)

I dont know, the dream world in robert jordans wheell of time "Tel'Aran'Rhoid" is pretty badass. But then again people can get killed there, time flows differently, its basically a more dnagerous reflection of the actual world...which makes it much cooler.

Like many things in jordan's world, it was cool (or kinda cool) at the start. Like all things in Jordan's world, its grown very tired and played out (or was simply never used to its full potential). I swear that fucker must have never had an orgasm in his life. His entire series past book 4-5 or so (some say 6, but even with high points, that novel was bloated) was all about pleasure denial. Keeping us away from the characters we actually gave a shit about, avoiding the storylines that we were actually interested in outside of the very occasional brief glimpse here and there. Want to see more of the Black Tower? Fuck that. Have a thousand more nameless, redundant AesSeanWiseKnittingFolk bitching and bickering to eachother about nothing. Thought the annoying Shaido Aiel were done with? Fuck that, we're gonna drag that pointless storyline out for 3 more books because I don't have the rest of the pieces in the proper place yet to actually advance the overall plot towards the inevitable.

QUOTE (Datepalm @ Feb 9 2009, 16.45)

I haven't read that, but I hate dream worlds, dream sequences, mystical visions, drug induced hallucinations, fevered imaginings, etc, etc, blah.

I suppose these things are supposed to be evocative or surreal or something, but usually they're just flat out boring and a way for the author to slather on themes or foreshadowings s/he isn't managing to actujally get to appear in the story.

The only ones I forgive are ASOIAF's, becuase they usually do have fairly cool imagery (Though i'm still not immensely fond of them) and the only i've ever like was Dany in the House of the Undying, which wasn't a dream and was completely awesome.

More or less my thoughts on it. I treat it like the songs in LotR, something to skip over. I always worry about missing something important, but I just can't be asked to bother. If the sequence lasts no longer than a paragraph, fine. But when I see 2 to 3 pages of italicized 'dreaming' coming up I absolutely dread it.