On January 26th of this year, headlines were made for all alternative rock fans and Blink-182 fans alike. Thomas Delonge, the vocalist and lead guitarist of the pop-punk band Blink-182, announced that he was taking an indefinite hiatus from the band in order to pursue other non-musical endeavors. This wasn’t Tom’s first time taking a break from Blink-182, as shown by his two musical side projects, which are Boxcar Racer and Angels and Airwaves. However, this was the first time that Blink-182 carried on without Tom. In order to replace Tom, Blink 182’s bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker replaced him with Matt Skiba from the band Alkaline Trio. Skiba has been performing with Hoppus and Barker for a few months, but almost nothing has been heard from Tom- until now. Instead of progressing further in his almost completely synthesized band, Angels and Airwaves, Tom’s been trying his luck at writing and has just revealed his latest creation. Tom, Suzanne Young, and To the Stars Inc. have just released a young adult dystopian novel called Poet Anderson… of Nightmares, and it promises to take readers on a journey that has never been experienced before.

While Tom is definitely an accomplished lyricist, penning hit songs like Blink’s “First Date” and “Stay Together for the Kids” and Boxcar Racer’s “I Feel So” and “Cat-Like Thief”, Poet Anderson… of Nightmares is his first hint of venturing into the written world of fantasy. Tom already has a cinematic release under his belt; last year, he released a short film called “Poet Anderson: Dream Walker”. Tom claims that the inspiration for this eccentric storyline came from a documentary that he watched on dreams and the sleep cycle, leading to this novel concept. The protagonist of the short film, Poet Anderson, is a lucid dreamer who is led into an alternate universe made up of “humankind’s shared unconscious thoughts”. This new world is called the Dream World, where he meets his guardian angel, the Dream Walker. Unfortunately, he also meets his greatest fear, the Night Terror, and Poet Anderson is implored to face his fears, confront his demons, and fulfill his destiny. With the addition of music composed by Angels and Airwaves, the film was 15 minutes long and received considerable approval. Instead of stopping there, though, Tom decided to extend this project with new characters, but the same underlying ideas and messages. This time, he teamed up with the renowned Suzanne Young, who is known for her trilogy of The Program, and created a vibrant addition to the Poet Anderson series.

The new book, Poet Anderson… of Nightmares, follows the journey of two orphan brothers, Jonas and Alan. Jonas and Alan are also lucid dreamers, much like the original Poet Anderson. While Alan is employed and successful, Jonas (who was inspired by a combination of Tom’s characteristics and Tom’s nine year old son, Jonas Rocket Delonge) is still attempting to navigate the terrain of high school. As Jonas suffers through unrequited love and the trials of being a teenage boy, unknown forces are simultaneously battling the brothers. After Alan falls into a coma because of a freak car accident implemented by these dark forces, Jonas sets out into the Dream World to revive Alan. Instead of finding Alan, Jonas (who now becomes known as “Poet” in the Dream World) finds his greatest fear, which is the Night Terror that stemmed from the original novel. With the help of a Dream Walker, Jonas has to save his brother and become the dreamer that he was destined to be. Although a sparse handful of critics believe that the plot sounds cliche and bland, especially with the element of teenage romanced added in, many other reviewers are excited for this fresh creation.

Poet Anderson… of Nightmares is currently available in stores such as Barnes and Noble, Target, and Amazon, making it easily accessible for those who want to explore the worlds of Jonas and Alan. Whether the primary idea of the book has piqued your curiosity or if you are just a fan of Tom Delonge’s projects, if you want to delve deeper into some of humankind’s greatest dreams and fears, you should pick up this book as soon as possible. While Tom stated that he would enjoy solidifying his name as a fantasy writer by gaining a widespread audience, he thinks that it is more about the lasting effects that literature can have on a young, impressionable selection of readers. When asked about the reaction he hoped to elicit from audiences, Tom said, “I want them to be entertained… to think about the possibilities… to have an escape.  If I can provide one, I would be very honored. People have tough lives and sometimes things like this get them to feel inspired and get them to be a little hopeful and to dream a little bit. That’s a good thing. I hope this is a good addition to people’s lives in some way.”