Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland

noreply@blogger.com (Olívia) — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 12:04:00 +0000

Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland

Labels: novel, fantasy, dreams, parallel worlds
Edition: Kinde Edition, 564 pages

Published: 2012 by PenForASword
Find it on Goodreads
Find it on Amazon

What if it were possible to live two very different lives in two separate worlds? What if the dreams we awaken from are the fading memories of that second life? What if one day we woke up in the wrong world?

Every night, a woman on a black warhorse gallops through the mist in Chris Redston's dreams. Every night, she begs him not to come to her. Every night, she aims her rifle at his head and fires. The last thing Chris expects—or wants—is for this nightmare to be real. But when he wakes up in the world of his dreams, he has to choose between the likelihood that he’s gone spectacularly bonkers or the possibility that he’s just been let in on the secret of the ages.

Only one person in a generation may cross the worlds. These chosen few are the Gifted, called from Earth into Lael to shape the epochs of history—and Chris is one of them. But before he figures that out, he accidentally endangers both worlds by resurrecting a vengeful prince intent on claiming the powers of the Gifted for himself. Together with a suspicious princess and a guilt-ridden Cherazii warrior, Chris must hurl himself into a battle to save a country from war, two worlds from annihilation, and himself from a dream come way too true.

I've been following K.M.Weiland's blog for years now because it's one of the best resources for writers out there. Her first two books (A Man Called Outlaw, Behold the Dawn) didn't really picked my interest, but when Dreamlander came out I knew I had to read it. And I wasnt't disappointed: K.M Weiland isn't just talking about how to write, she puts her advice to practice and she does it perfectly.

My only fear was that by keeping in mind all those rules for writing, the story would lose its soul and become dull. At first I had trouble identifying with the characters, so my concern seemed valid, but at one point, I couldn't pinpoint exactly where, I got sucked into the story and really started to care about what will happen to the people in it.

The ending was in the air all along and it didn't take me by surprise at all, but the book is so well-written that I didn't enjoy it any less because of it. The tension is high throughout the whole story and when you think things couldn't possibly get any worse, you have to realise that trouble is still waiting on the next page. There are no redundant scenes or characters, everything has a purpose, so my biggest problem was deciding when to stop reading without going crazy not knowing what happens next.

So if you feel like studying those writing rules you've been reading about put into pracitce, this book might be the perfect choice for you. Forget that, Dreamlander is perfect for everyone who likes fantasy and wants to read something not in the young adult genre for once (Yep, that's me. YA is taking over my life, and I love that, I really do, but this book was still a welcome change).

All right, I'm taking off the writers glasses now, okay? Okay.

Chris Redston
Source

The main character, Chris Redston is a journalist, but he hasn't written anything worth reading lately. His days are just passing by, he lives in his best friends apartment and he hasn't payed the rent in weeks. Having to bail his alcoholic father out of jail doesn't even surprise him anymore. Chris is stuck, and having the same nightmare every night isn't helping him either. The dreams feel way too real, and Chris can't seem to be able to get rid of them.

Then a crazy guy shows up who seems to know about his dreams. Before Chris could get anything out of him though, the guy is shot and Chris is hit on the head from behind. From here on, Chris doesn't just suspect that he is going crazy, he is sure of it. Because when he wakes up, he literally finds himself in the world of his dreams.

Chris's dilemma about whether he lost his mind is well-written, the doesn't just accept in a heartbeat that what he thought of as dreams are in fact glimpses of life in another world and he himself is some kind of Chosen One. He seriously considers the possibility of being crazy, and he tries everything to make the hallucinations stop.

Naturally, our poor protagonist being shocked doesn't mean that this other, very real world, Lael, will come to halt. Even though Chris doesn't yet know the rules, they still apply to him and he still has to take responsibility for his actions. While desperately trying to get home, Chris makes a terrible mistake, and he has to pay a price far too great for it throughout the book.

Stories that take place in two worlds often fall into the trap of making the scenes in the new, exciting fantasy world far more interesting than the ones happening in the real world. I felt some of that with this book, but the reason for that isn't that the author did a poor job making the scenes in Chicago count, but that I was just more interested in finding out what happens next in Lael.

Skycar
Source

The world of Lael is well-developed, it's clear that the author knows far more about it than what she shares with her readers. A little detail here and there makes the setting come alive, but I was still left with the feeling that I would like to know more about the inner workings of this world. From all the things that Chris learns we only get to know those that are vital to the plot. That's fine, but I think some interesting tidbits porbably wouldn't have caused the story to go sideways automatically.

The characters, especially the three most important ones - Chirs, Allara, the woman from Chris's dreams, and Orias, a Cherazii warrior - are all realistic. Chris's feeling of responsibility, Allar's fear, Orias's guilt are so basic and understandable that we can't condemn them for their choices even when those choices are the wrong ones. At the end, even the villain Mactalde's crazyness is seen in a new light.

There is a romantic subplot in the story, but it's so minor that we never see it truly bloom. It's not rushed at all and gives sweet hope in a hopeless situation.

The ending is bittersweet. I knew this would happen for the start, but I still couldn't prepar myself for it. It was the right way to end this story, I know that, but still... Chris and Allara would have deserved the perfect happy end.

If you are still curious about the world and characters of Dreamlander, you should check out K.M. Weiland's Pinterest boards where she collected lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Have you read Dreamlander? If so, how did you like it?

Reader Made in Hungary

Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland