Dreamhunter : Book One of the Dreamhunter Duet
Author(s): Elizabeth Knox
Laura comes from a world similar to our own except for one difference: it is next to the Place, an unfathomable land that fosters dreams of every kind and is inaccessible to all but a select few, the Dreamhunters. These are individuals with special gifts: the ability to catch larger-than-life dreams and relay them to audiences in the magnificent dream palace, the Rainbow Opera. People travel from all around to experience the benefits of the hunters' unique visions.
Now fifteen-year-old Laura and her cousin Rose, daughters of Dreamhunters, are eligible to test themselves at the Place and find out whether they qualify for the passage. But nothing can prepare them for what they are about to discover. For within the Place lies a horrific secret kept hidden by corrupt members of the government. And when Laura's father, the man who discovered the Place, disappears, she realizes that this secret has the power to destroy everyone she loves . . .
In the midst of a fascinating landscape, Laura's dreamy childhood is ending and a nightmare beginning. This rich novel, filled with beauty, danger, politics, and intrigue, comes to a powerful crescendo, leaving readers clamoring for Book Two.
Dreamhunter is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
"It is like nothing else I've ever read." -- Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga
Review(s):
“It is like nothing else I've ever read. The characters are so real, you'll feel like you know exactly what they look like and how their voices sound and what they would say or do in any given situation. More than that, you'll want to hang out with them. Then the world is so amazing and unique. You will want to go there. You will want to walk into ‘the Place.' And you will want to sleep in a dream opera.” —Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga
“Fascinating . . . will surely lure readers back for multiple readings.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“A lyrical, intricate and ferociously intelligent fantasy . . . satisfies fully while pointing to the promised sequel. Provocative and compelling.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Readers pining for a fantasist to rival Philip Pullman or Garth Nix may have finally found what they seek in New Zealander Knox.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“Attention-getting.” —Chicago Tribune
“This series opener is a satisfying soap opera for young fantasy readers who enjoy intricate prose.” —Voice of Youth Advocates
“Powerfully portrayed . . . It will appeal to lovers of fantasy set in the real world, who will eagerly await the resolution in the second volume.” —School Library Journal
“An engrossing blend of Edwardian civility, family love, and powerfully imagined dreamscape. . . . Knox's writing is rich and interesting.” —The Horn Book Magazine
“Knox effectively evokes the curious intersections and distances between the ordinary, earthly world and the parched otherworldly landscape of the Place . . . the adventures of the Dreamhunters are pleasingly harrowing.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Dreamhunter will find a large and enthusiastic audience among those who've grown up with Margaret Mahy, grown out of Harry and Hermione, or run out of Lyra and Will . . . Knox hits all the marks of adolescent fantasy fiction: gifted young people, powerful but absent parents, a mysterious place that both nurtures and threatens, a frightening conspiracy to be unraveled en route to maturity . . . This time next year, we'll all be queuing for the sequel.” —Jolisa Gracewood, New Zealand Listener
“Dazzlingly inventive . . . In a book that is full of tenderness and family affection as well as presentiments of corruption and horror, Knox beguiles with vibrantly realized detail . . .A tantalizing feat of imaginative fiction.” —Katharine England, Magpies magazine (Australia)"
Long-listed Booklist Editors' Choice, Long-listed Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, Winner CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI), Long-listed ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ISBN: 9780312535711