Dreamhunter (The Dreamhunter Duet, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Knox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9–Laura Hame and her cousin Rose, 14, live in a recognizable early-20th-century society, realistically portrayed but for one thing: the Place, discovered about 20 years earlier by Lauras father. It lies outside geographical boundaries, and only select people are able to enter and experience dreams there. These dreamhunters then perform their received dreams for large theater audiences, and those in attendance go to sleep and experience them. At the time of this story, dreams have become big business and are embroiled in issues of social control (especially the control of prisoners) and power politics. When Lauras father disappears, the girl takes enormous risks first to try to find him, and then to complete his mission. While the author leaves tantalizing clues throughout the novel, the plot moves slowly at first. However, patient readers will find themselves rewarded by the riveting action in the final third of the book. Relationships between the characters, especially Laura and Rose, are given center stage, but their interaction flags in the middle of the book. Particularly touching is the relationship between Laura and a golem-type creature sculpted out of sand in the magical world of the Place. Dry, unchanging, with nothing either fully living or dead, no wind or sounds, it is eerily suffused with atmosphere and powerfully portrayed. This novel, the first of a duet of books, concludes neither with a cliffhanger nor at the end, but in the middle of the action. It will appeal to lovers of fantasy set in the real world, who will eagerly await the resolution in the second volume.–Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 10-12. Readers pining for a fantasist to rival Philip Pullman or Garth Nix may have finally found what they seek in New Zealander Knox, the author of numerous novels for adults. Knox sets her first YA novel in a fictional nation called Southland, where turn-of-the-century society is coming to terms with a geographical marvel called "the Place," a harvesting ground for dreams that can be caught and sold to sleeping customers. Fifteen-year-old cousins Rose and Laura belong to a first family of dream hunting: Laura's father discovered the Place 20 years before, and Rose's celebrity mother is a sought-after dream-palace performer. When a test reveals that only reluctant Laura, not pert, confident Rose, has inherited the gift, Laura must contend not only with her shaken relationship with her cousin but also with the disappearance of her father, who has left behind puzzling messages about the true nature of dreams. Although Laura's transformation from wilting violet to intrepid avenger seems too abrupt, Knox's wide-angle narrative convincingly explores the nuances of the charismatic extended family and the personal and political implications of the dream-hunting phenomenon. Questions are not so much answered as deepened in anticipation of book 2 in the highly promising Dreamhunter Duet. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (February 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374318530
• ISBN-13: 978-0374318536
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning fantasy that will leave all readers wanting more, May 31, 2006

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamhunter (The Dreamhunter Duet, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Laura Hame and Rose Tiebold's 15th birthdays are approaching. While many people their age would be excited about parties and presents, this birthday is different for the two cousins. They are eligible to test themselves at the Place and see if they're qualified to be Dreamhunters. The Place is a vast, extraordinary land where dreams of every kind are only accessible to Dreamhunters. A Dreamhunter is a person who can cross over and catch impressive dreams that can be relayed to other people.

Dreamhunting runs in the cousins' families. Laura's father Tziga and Rose's mother Grace are famous Dreamhunters whose collections of dreams bring large audiences far and wide to experience them at the Rainbow Opera, a famous dream palace. Despite the fame and wealth, dreamhunting is not always a glamorous occupation, and oftentimes a dreamhunter is on a different schedule from that of their own family. On many occasions, Grace's husband Chorley is the primary caretaker of the Hame-Tiebold household.

When it is the girls' turn to try, they each have different expectations. Laura feels anxious while Rose hopes to be a famous dreamhunter like her mother. When the day arrives, both are surprised at the results. Rose doesn't cross to the Place, but Laura does. However, for Laura the occasion is bittersweet; instead of having a pleasant dream called the Wild River, she has a nightmare, and her father has mysteriously disappeared after going on an official job for the government.

The family is baffled by the Dream Regulatory Body's explanation and doesn't understand why Tziga would decide to enter the Place without telling his family. Meanwhile, strange events have been occurring that defy explanation. Laura and Rose begin their own investigation, but when Laura continues having unusual dreams and discovers a mysterious letter from her father in the Place, it becomes apparent that there's a far bigger and deadlier secret involving corrupt government officials and their families that no one ever could have dreamed.

Set in the beginning of 20th-century Australia, DREAMHUNTER tells the story of a family whose members make surprising discoveries both in and beyond their world, while changing within themselves. A stunning fantasy set in a world of high society, politics and intrigue, it is destined to be a classic that readers anxiously will want to see continue.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle ([e-mail])

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegantly awesome book!, May 10, 2006

By 

Dances with lemurs "Tay" (Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dreamhunter (The Dreamhunter Duet, Book 1) (Hardcover)

"Dreamhunter", wow it sounds so mysterious. Elizabeth Knox has really outdone herself. She wrote a 365 page book (hardcover), and made it sound like a fairytale written in perfect english.
Laura Hame's father, Tziga Hame, is a famous dreamhunter. He takes dreams from a magical place called the "Place" and performs them to people to either entertain them, or heal them. There are very few dreamhunters, each with their own special talents. However, not all is as it seems. Laura must learn the truth about her father when he disappears, and what she learns could change the course of the future.
Through magic, fiction, and politics, Elizabeth Knox writes an elegant fantasy that keeps READERS ENTERTAINED! READ IT!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They discover a dark secret hidden in the Place..., March 21, 2006

By 

Gary H. Cassel "Flamingnet Teen Book Reviews" (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dreamhunter (The Dreamhunter Duet, Book 1) (Hardcover)

The Place, a land that seems utterly different from the real world, but it is so close. Laura and her cousin, Rose, are both fifteen. At fifteen they are qualified to go into the Place but they must past the test first, the Try. But before they could enter, they discover a dark secret hidden in the Place. As Laura and Rose try to figure out the secret, Laura's father disappears. Now Laura and Rose have to find Laura's father and the secret before time runs out...

I thought this book was fairly good. I loved the plot and how the setting connected with the story line. All the characters had their distinct features and personalities about themselves. However, I wish the story was told in someone's point of veiw, not third person. It was a little difficult to get a sense of their emotions. Overall, Elizabeth Knox kept the story in line and did not go off track. It was a good book!

Reviewed by Flamingnet Book Reviews.
www.flamingnet.com
Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations.