The Architect of Sleep

This book has haunted me since the day I finished it. I am compelled to read it every 3 years or so and long for the day when a sequel appears. Boyett's characters are proper human and their trials are realistic and they suffer and triumph (sometimes)like real people. In supernatural situations they react not with super powers and spells, but with the fortitude and ethos that we wish we had in real life.

I first read _The Architect of Sleep_ in the mid-80s, when it first came out, and I was a college underclassman. I was also a serious sci-fi/fantasy addict. Even back then, I knew Boyett's style -- not to mention his originality -- was something special (the same thing applies to his first novel, _Ariel_, which, even though it has a few flaws, is an extremely well-narrated book that has obviously had a deep impact on many of Boyett's fans).Now that I'm getting close to my mid-30s, I've lost interest in most fantasy literature, because most of it is pulp. Ninety percent of it is franchised, soap-opera tripe. The David Eddings, Robert Jordans, and Dragonlance authors of the world (not to mention a whole lot of others I won't bother to list) have destroyed the field. True originality of the Tolkien or C.S. Lewis type got choked out of the field a long time ago.Except for rare deviations from the norm like Boyett. Probably everyone reading this review knows about Boyett's quarrel with his publishers. As a published author myself (in a totally different field), I can attest to the frustration that any author feels when he/she has to bow to the almighty dollar. To revive fantasy/sci-fi literature, buy back copies of Boyett, see what _real_ writing is like, then send letters to the corporate stooges who run the publishing houses to tell them that we'd like to see some _real_ authors on the bookshelves for a change. And if you're reading this, Mr. Boyett, don't give up hope -- and do your best to provide a sequel to a book that many people love and admire!

I first read this wonderful piece over 10 years ago. I have since read it several times over. Recently I have read it to my children who enjoyed it greatly. I have waited for the sequel, checking book stores web sites to no avail.

For more information on Boyett and this book, check http://www.msen.com/~yorick/srb_taos.ht

It's too bad that Boyett was never able to publish any sequels to this work. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, he manages to make an alternative world of intelligent, evolved raccoons seem both plausible and interesting. I suggest we all call Ace up and insist that they dig out the next volumes and rush them into print. I read this book when it was just out eleven years ago and have been yearning for follow-ups ever since. It's just a damned shame