Illustrator(s)
Publication date
2012
Publisher
WSOY
Format info
Fantasy – 330 pages

Sweet Haven of Nightmares

Painajaisten lintukoto

A unique and magical work of fantasy

Puffin is a boy who is not exactly real – but nor is he a lie, just something in between the two. This is the story of him and his adventures on his journey to the real world after years of dreaming about it in his sleep.

In her agony, Puffin’s mother, the powerful Night Weaver, has ended up making changes to the world by bending the fiber of reality to her will through her dreams. Only when Puffin does the unimaginable and escapes from the confines of his home tree to experience the real world, does he realize the impact of
the changes they have been making. The power he and his family have wielded on the world has resulted only in death and terror. People experience nightmares of such unimaginable horror that no-one dares to sleep anymore. Cries for help can be heard from a nearby village and Puffin realizes that he must return to the
home tree to try to fix what he has started.

When searching for his way back , Puffin meets a mechanical girl called T23. With her blue skin and white hair, she is as alluring and beautiful as the sky at night, and equally avoid of human feelings. But Puffin is already in love. T23 dreams of becoming a real girl with feelings of her own and she joins Puffin on his journey. Puffin is determined to help her as well as to save the world from the madness of his mother.

Siiri Enoranta’s style of writing is as alluring and beautifully unique as Puffin’s new love, T23. The vibrant portrayal of nature creates an essential element in the oppressive yet magical mood in this dreamlike work of fantasy.

Nominated for the Kuvastaja Award

Read a mini review on Books from Finland

Praise for the Work

Siiri Enoranta is a skilled writer and an impressive creator of alien worlds. While the ingredients are fundamentally classic ones, they combine to make an inventive, completely new whole.– Pohjalainen

Enoranta uses language beautifully, with a sensitive ear for birds’ names, and she is an assured storyteller. The ending of Sweet Haven of Nightmares is an excellent combination of beauty and terror. – Helsingin Sanomat