Dreamer: A Novel Of the Silent Empire [Kindle Edition]

Steven Harper (Author)

Book Description

It is through first contact with an alien species that humanity learns of the Dream. It is a plane of mental existence where people are able to communicate by their thoughts alone--over distances of thousands of light-years. To ensure that future generations will have this ability, human genetic engineering produces newborns capable of finding and navigating the Dream.

They become known as the Silent.

Rust is just one planet among many in the Empire of Human Unity. It's nothing special, nothing unusual...except for the fact that it is home to an unknown boy who may be the most powerful Silent telepath ever born--a Silent with the ability to possess the bodies of others against their will. This mysterious child may be causing tremors within the Dream itself.

For now, only the Children of Irfan know about him. A monastic-like order of the Silent, the Children protect their members even as they barter their services with the governments and corporations that control known space. But power like that cannot be hidden, and soon every Silent in the universe will know about the boy--and every government will be willing to go to war to control him.

And if the Children of Irfan cannot find him first, the Dream itself may be shattered...

Product Details

• File Size: 490 KB
• Print Length: 370 pages
• Publisher: Penguin/Putnam/NAL (October 1, 2001)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002DML10G
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #198,525 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #75 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Science Fiction > Galactic Empire

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable June 20, 2009

By C. Cole

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Thanks to the author's posting in Amazon's forums I discovered Dreamer and I'm glad I did. Great sci-fi story with action and a unique, engrossing world. I loved the characters and can't wait to read more about them as I understand the other books are coming to Kindle also. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Start to a Series September 2, 2009

By Lynn ODell

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 Stars

Most scenes forward the storyline quite nicely.

Some of the scenes involving The Dream were a bit drawn out. It just seemed as though a few of them were a bit redundant and unnecessary.

There is some political intrigue in this novel. However, I enjoyed the fact that the author did not harp on it or go into too much detail. That the author chose to focus on the human aspect of it was a refreshing surprise.

While it moved a bit slowly at times, overall, this was a fascinating novel of huge scope. The universe created in the pages of this novel is vast and immensely interesting.

The ending is edge-of-your seat action. I love the way the author tied up all of the loose ends. It was a very satisfying conclusion.

Character Development: 5 Stars

The characters in this novel are extremely well imagined and written. The powerful young man, Senjal, is depicted as a flawed, emotional, gullible teenager. You love him and wish him well, but at the same time you feel that he needs a good spanking (or some discipline, for the anti-corporal punishment crowd).

Kendi, another major character, evokes similar feelings in that he needs to become more mature. For a different twist, he is in love with another man who recently rebuffed him.

Writing Style: 4 3/4 Stars

The writing style of this author is terrific. The sentences are well structured with no choppiness. The dialogue is interesting and realistic. He speaks well in the voices of many types of characters from female to male to child.

The descriptions are somewhat overdone in unnecessary places. The action, however, is portrayed succinctly, something I especially enjoy.

Editing/Formatting: 2 Stars

There were many editing type errors throughout this work. Mostly they were typographical type things, such as missing words. Having a verb missing from a sentence can be a bit distracting. One error that really stood out was a misspelling of the word `kidnapping'. This word appeared quite frequently throughout the novel, but was spelled `kidnaping' every time.

The Kindle formatting was also a big issue. At odd moments, a capital letter would replace a space and another letter. The letter `J' was the most common and it replaced 'space a' often.

Rating: R for some language, violence, and prostitution references

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great world building, interesting idea, likeable characters, story that builds January 15, 2012

By Susan I'net Marketer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is the first book I read by this author, and new authors always kinda scare me. Are they good? Will I enjoy them? Will I get into their world, and care about their characters?

The answer to all those questions is YES. The premise of this book is interesting, that some people can communicate telepathically through the "dream". That they are rare and special. Scary, but realistic: that they can be bought and sold in some cultures. And an interesting zen-like religion has grown up around it for some of the dreamers.

The characters in the book each have distinct personalities, and they are likeable, or not... like real people. Some you instantly like, others you have to think about. I enjoyed the mix of cultures, something you would expect in a spacefaring future. I also enjoyed the acceptance of different cultures and lifestyles.

I gave this book 4 stars (rather than 5) just because it started a little slow. However, after the first few chapters, I was totally hooked and had trouble putting it down.

One warning: if you are rabidly homophobic, this book is not for you. Two of the characters who are romantically linked are both male. That said, all the romantic relationships are handled tastefully, as this book is about story. There are no graphic sex scenes, which I like.

When I finished this book, I immediately bought the sequel - one of the joys of Kindle reading. I would recommend this book to other sci-fi readers.

More About the Author

Steven Harper Piziks was born in Saginaw, Michigan, but he moved around a lot and has lived in Wisconsin, Germany, and (briefly) Ukraine. Currently he lives with his sons in southeastern Michigan.

His novels include In the Company of Mind and Corporate Mentality, both science fiction published by Baen Books. Writing as Steven Harper, he has produced the Silent Empire series and has written books based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and The Ghost Whisperer. He recently finished the four-book series the Clockwork Empire steampunk for Roc Books and is now hard at work on other projects.

Booklist calls his novels "fast, furious, and absorbing," and "intelligent enterntainment." Strange Horizons says his work is filled with "fast-paced adventure filled with intrigue and populated with characters you care about," and The Romantic Times writes that "Harper . . . creates a compelling universe."

Mr. Piziks currently teaches high school English in southeast Michigan. His students think he's hysterical, which isn't the same as thinking he's hilarious. When not writing, he plays the folk harp, dabbles in oral storytelling, and spends more time on-line than is probably good for him. Visit his web page at http://www.theclockworkempire.com or his blog at http://spiziks.livejournal.com