| Dreamhunter | Contributor: Beck | Posted: 06/03/07 | 19:44 |
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page 1 of 3  Dreamhunter
Author: Elizabeth Knox Publisher: Voyager Out: Feb 2007 Pages: 368 ISBN-13: 9 780 73228 193 9 Class: Fantasy Niche: High Romance Set in yet another alternate history, Dreamhunter begins in a 1906 that never was, where dreams come alive in the evocatively named The Place, which only a select few can enter. Such people are known as Dreamhunters, named after their ability to catch dreams and perform them for the public. Some dreams have calming properties, some can heal, others are pure entertainment. Most Dreamhunters make their living performing their dreams in hospitals to help cure the sick or strut their stuff in theatres around Southland for the enjoyment of the general public. The younger, inexperienced Dreamhunters are mostly employed to boost the effect of their colleagues’ dreams. Yes, we've seen this concept before. No, it wasn't in a fantasy novel aimed at adults, in was in Roald Dahl's BFG, where the eponymous giant would search the wastes of the dream world catching dreams, which he would then give to children. With this memory of your childhood reading constantly knocking at your subconscious, can Elizabeth Knox pull off a "serious" version? Dreamhunters are effectively controlled by a group known as the Dream Regulatory Body. Hunters have to register their intentions when they go into The Place and most are bound by contracts that dictate where they can sell their dreams. The Regulatory Body also conducts (also imaginatively named) Tries, which people can attend to see if they have the ability to enter The Place. Most people attempt to cross the border and are disappointed, but a special few cross over and vanish, marking their first Entry into The Place. Yep, this is a novel where Ordinary Words get Capital Letters to indicate something Important has Happened. Or perhaps that there has been a Happening. The successful candidates are then tested to see whether they have the ability to catch dreams and what kind of dreams they work with best. Some Dreamhunters have larger ranges than others, some can send dreamers into a deep sleep as soon as they nod off, and others can implant suggestions in their audience’s minds. The latter talent is strictly forbidden under the Dream Regulatory Body. |
