In this novel, Laini Taylor aggressively shatters male stereotypes, and as someone who opposes gender discrimination, I love that.
The male hero is a librarian turned secretary. He’s not physically attractive or muscular. He has a crooked nose, in fact, because it broke after a book fell on it from a library shelf. He’s been cast into a low socioeconomic class, so he’s poor and has no apparent economic prospects. His expertise is fairy tales. His passion is an area of learning that the scholars of his day consider dead. He’s selfless and service-oriented. He can’t help but show concern for others even if they don’t appreciate it or reciprocate. He’s utterly without ego, cooperating instead of competing. His greatest strengths are dreaming and loving. He doesn’t try to dominate any woman or man around him. He isn’t a professional killer, or in a profession that involves killing, or violence, nor is he driven to slay, or even prone to occasional, angry outbursts. He doesn’t drink or roughhouse, or think a great night out involves harassing women at bars. He isn’t trying to become wealthy through some impressive, high-flying career that might not actually accomplish much for the world, the way the novel’s Sisyphean alchemist is. Lazlo, in fact, tries to help another man become wealthy without expecting anything in return, specifically because he knows how much stress the pressure to “succeed” has produced in this acquaintance.
So you should like Lazlo, right? He’s a great guy. He works diligently to protect and advance the bank of scholarship which serves society and provides it with hope. If he’s poor, it’s because others created a class, put him in it, and are trying to keep him there. He’s ever helpful and polite, doesn’t beat anyone or get into fights, and never stabs anyone in the back.
The novel's heroine comes to love this man by entering his dreams. That is to say, she learns who he is on the inside, and discovers that his inner world is far more appealing than her outer one. That’s why their relationship grows into love before they ever physically touch.
Lazlo may be contrasted with the character of his lover’s father, a testosterone-filled warrior who fought bravely for his people, and who committed atrocities in doing so that caused him to be estranged from his own daughter. Outwardly, he appears strong, brave, noble, and heroic, if repressed and a tad rough around the edges. In reality, his past experiences have left him broken and ruined inside. He is a tormented shell of the man he might have been had he approached life in a different way.
This is healthy fare, then, for men thinking about who they are and what their values should be, and for women thinking about interacting with men and what makes for a good man. Wherever you may come down on these matters as a reader, there is plenty to consider, because in the end Lazlo is revealed as a complex person who demonstrates as much genuine heroism as any hero in literature.
Strange the Dreamer is categorized as a young adult novel, but it’s suitable for adults of any age. The lovers are Lazlo and Sarai. Lazlo is the main character, but it did not surprise me to learn that Laini Taylor originally envisioned a different main character for this book, and presumably that was Sarai. Sarai is the daughter of the Goddess of Despair and of a human man whom the goddess raped. The author stresses that one cannot learn about strangers by looking at them; Sarai has the gift of being able to look inside them, and it is this which drives the story, so I can see why Sarai would have made a compelling main character. Personally, I happen to love complex supernatural characters, so I am sure I would have liked that.
But I think Ms. Taylor had to shift the focus more to Lazlo, because some of the most entrancing and beautiful parts of the book take place inside his dreams, where Sarai is a visitor. So instead of focusing on the trials and tribulations of a supernatural being whose existence is altered when an unusual human appears, this is presented more as the story of a man’s gradual self-realization and personal growth.
I can also see why the author expanded the book, which she initially planned as a standalone novel, to a duology; having created a world so beautiful, one would want to allow one's readers to linger in it. That is, after all, one of the reasons why we sometimes choose to read an extended story when we could have watched a two-hour film or seen a television show.
I would advise you not to worry if it initially feels like you’re not following the story. Go with the flow as in a dream, and you'll be rewarded as the events and characters coalesce and the story becomes clearer. Then you won’t want to put the book down.
The novel has a certain Romeo and Juliet-esque quality in that the lovers become progressively divorced from their own societies as they grow closer to one another. There are strong messages about control and freedom; the more certain characters seek to control others, the more rapidly the social orders upon which their control depends erode. This leads to some satisfaction as certain selfish or dysfunctional characters get their comeuppances, but it produces a running tension generated by hatred on both sides which goes unresolved. There are clear messages about the futility of ongoing conflict, war, and hate, as contrasted with the transcendence (and sometimes the tragedy) of love. The author goes out of her way not to trivialize death, and characters do not die for entertainment in this novel. Death has consequences, and the consequences play a major role.
Naturally, dreams also play a major role: When societies collide, whose dreams control? Who dreams whom, and why, and how? This is a “Western society-meets-other society” fantasy, so as I was reading, it called to my mind the Adventures of Esplandián, the myth of El Dorado, and tales of the Fountain of Youth in which Europeans invented fairy tale creatures and fanciful places while pondering life beyond the horizon.
Initially, Lazlo is destined to be a monk, presumably within Christendom, but as he heads east he encounters a polytheistic world. The pantheon there is complicated. Deities have their ups and downs, and strengths and weaknesses. The eastern city is enmeshed in an ancient conflict which seems incapable of resolution. Its populations live in close proximity, but separately, and look upon one other with mutual hostility stemming from horrific events they experienced during early conquests. In this respect the fantasy has a clear basis in reality, providing food for thought and reflection. The neglected city that Lazlo is driven to see for himself has been stricken by the Goddess of Oblivion, who has devoured its name. Now that no one can remember the city's name, its people call it Weep. This resonates with me in the context of colliding cultures, where conquerors have often sought to erase indigenous societies and cast them into oblivion. Again, what happens to the dreams of the invaded?
My favorite quote from this novel encapsulates much of what it is ultimately about: “For what [are people] but the sum of all the scraps of their memor[ies] and experience[s]: a finite set of components with an infinite array of expressions[?]” In Strange the Dreamer, personalities are malleable, dreams are strange, strange is good, and the passions and obsessions that spring from our dreams are our destinies, not our choice.
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Popular Highlights in this book
Here was the radical notion that you might help someone simply because they needed it.Highlighted by 645 Kindle readers- “Good people do all the things bad people do, Lazlo. It’s just that when they do them, they call it justice.”Highlighted by 572 Kindle readers
- Lazlo owned nothing, not one single thing, but from the first, the stories felt like his own hoard of gold.Highlighted by 568 Kindle readers
From the Publisher
Strange the Dreamer
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| Muse of Nightmares | Daughter of Smoke & Bone | Days of Blood & Starlight | Dreams of Gods & Monsters | Night of Cake & Puppets | |
| Get lost in the visionary epic fantasy of National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor! | The highly anticipated, thrilling sequel to Strange the Dreamer, from Laini Taylor, author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. | In a nation on the brink of war, a young art student's star-crossed love begins to bloom in the start of this epic fantasy trilogy. | A monster's apprentice must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people in this riveting sequel to Daughter of Smoke & Bone. | Two worlds threaten to crumble in the face of a common enemy in the epic conclusion to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. | In this stand-alone companion to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series comes the story of Mik and Zuzana's fantastical first date. |
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Fantastic Story that Felt Like I Was Dancing with Words
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017
This was an incredibly beautifully told part of a story (It is a dualogy so consider this the first half). The writing was impressive, full of wonder, elegance and felt like I was dancing with words. It was beautiful and terrible and full of monsters.Laini Taylor writes like I think other people dream. There are stories within her stories. I adore her prose and the way she can turn something ordinary into something completely extraordinary. Her writing is lyrical and like music you either love it or hate it. I’m firmly in love with the way she builds her characters, the world and the wondrous breadth of emotions she makes me feel.*** Sometimes a moment is so remarkable that it carves out a space in time and spins there, while the world rushes on around it. This was one such. ***I’d like everyone to meet Strange the Dreamer my new book boyfriend. I feel in love with him when he was just a boy and was kidnapped by the library. But he won me even more that he thinks like this.*** I lived seven years inside these books. My body may have been going about its duties in the library, but my mind was here. Do you know what they called me? Strange the dreamer. I was barely aware of my surroundings half the time.” […] “I walked around wondering what kind of wings I would buy if the wingsmiths came to town, and if I’d prefer to ride dragons or hunt them, and whether I’d stay when the mist came, and more than anything else by far, how in the world I was going to get to the Unseen City.” ***He is a boy/man after my own heart in his love of books and everything they have inside of them. His mind is open and full of the possibilities of the world. It is his dream to help the people of weep a city that has lost its name in any way he can.When he meets Sarai he sees her differently than she has ever even seen herself and I utterly adored the beginning of their love story.*** She asked in a hesitant whisper, “Do you still think I’m a… a singularly unhorrible demon?” “No,” he said, smiling. “I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And…” His voice grew bashful. Only in a dream could he be so bold and speak such words. “I hope you’ll let me be in your story.” ***Through Sarai we get a look into the history of the people of weep and understand like she does why hate blooms in the city and the pain of various character of the story. I loved that she could show both sides of a conflict because she understood them due to her gift and knows the people in the city better than she might even know her own family. Her time with Lazlo is some of my favorite.This was a story full of wonders, horrors, love and beautiful prose. A story where there isn’t a right side and a wrong side. Everyone is flawed in some way and the would be villains aren’t terrible and horrible people but just people who in some horrible circumstances made devastating decisions. I understood why they did the things they did and I loved the way the information was doled out slowly and seductively to draw you into the story even more.*** Vengeance. Sarai heard the way he said it, and she understood something. Vengeance ought to be spoken through gritted teeth, spittle flying, the cords of one’s soul so entangled in it that you can’t let it go, even if you try. If you feel it—if you really feel it—then you speak it like it’s a still-beating heart clenched in your fist and there’s blood running down your arm, dripping off your elbow, and you can’t let go. Feral didn’t speak it like that at all. It might have been any word. Dust or teacup or plum. There was no heat in it, no still-beating heart, no blood. Vengeance was just a word to him. ***Lazlo isn’t the only one on his way to help the city there has been a collection of various skilled people to come and help the city with their ‘Problem’ there was just no way they would have ever guessed what that problem was. I’m not even going to tell you because I want you to read the book and discover it the same way I did when we crested the hill leading into the city. Laini Taylor’s imagination is incredible.There is so much I could say. So much I want to say but half the wonder of this story is the way it is laid out and shown to the reader. I will say that I had every emotion during this story. There were some extremely fantastic things that happened and so many questions going into the next book which is on my most anticipated list for whenever it is coming out.I have over 200 highlights with some of the most beautiful writing I’ve found in a long time. I can’t wait for the conclusion to this magical story. I wanted to stay in this world much longer than the 2 books it is currently slotted to have.I’m off to stalk Laini to read every scrap of info I can find about this book and the next.
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2017
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 25, 2017
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2017
Laini Taylor writes like I think other people dream. There are stories within her stories. I adore her prose and the way she can turn something ordinary into something completely extraordinary. Her writing is lyrical and like music you either love it or hate it. I’m firmly in love with the way she builds her characters, the world and the wondrous breadth of emotions she makes me feel.
*** Sometimes a moment is so remarkable that it carves out a space in time and spins there, while the world rushes on around it. This was one such. ***
I’d like everyone to meet Strange the Dreamer my new book boyfriend. I feel in love with him when he was just a boy and was kidnapped by the library. But he won me even more that he thinks like this.
*** I lived seven years inside these books. My body may have been going about its duties in the library, but my mind was here. Do you know what they called me? Strange the dreamer. I was barely aware of my surroundings half the time.”
[…]
“I walked around wondering what kind of wings I would buy if the wingsmiths came to town, and if I’d prefer to ride dragons or hunt them, and whether I’d stay when the mist came, and more than anything else by far, how in the world I was going to get to the Unseen City.” ***
He is a boy/man after my own heart in his love of books and everything they have inside of them. His mind is open and full of the possibilities of the world. It is his dream to help the people of weep a city that has lost its name in any way he can.
When he meets Sarai he sees her differently than she has ever even seen herself and I utterly adored the beginning of their love story.
*** She asked in a hesitant whisper, “Do you still think I’m a… a singularly unhorrible demon?”
“No,” he said, smiling. “I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And…” His voice grew bashful. Only in a dream could he be so bold and speak such words. “I hope you’ll let me be in your story.” ***
Through Sarai we get a look into the history of the people of weep and understand like she does why hate blooms in the city and the pain of various character of the story. I loved that she could show both sides of a conflict because she understood them due to her gift and knows the people in the city better than she might even know her own family. Her time with Lazlo is some of my favorite.
This was a story full of wonders, horrors, love and beautiful prose. A story where there isn’t a right side and a wrong side. Everyone is flawed in some way and the would be villains aren’t terrible and horrible people but just people who in some horrible circumstances made devastating decisions. I understood why they did the things they did and I loved the way the information was doled out slowly and seductively to draw you into the story even more.
*** Vengeance. Sarai heard the way he said it, and she understood something. Vengeance ought to be spoken through gritted teeth, spittle flying, the cords of one’s soul so entangled in it that you can’t let it go, even if you try. If you feel it—if you really feel it—then you speak it like it’s a still-beating heart clenched in your fist and there’s blood running down your arm, dripping off your elbow, and you can’t let go.
Feral didn’t speak it like that at all. It might have been any word. Dust or teacup or plum. There was no heat in it, no still-beating heart, no blood. Vengeance was just a word to him. ***
Lazlo isn’t the only one on his way to help the city there has been a collection of various skilled people to come and help the city with their ‘Problem’ there was just no way they would have ever guessed what that problem was. I’m not even going to tell you because I want you to read the book and discover it the same way I did when we crested the hill leading into the city. Laini Taylor’s imagination is incredible.
There is so much I could say. So much I want to say but half the wonder of this story is the way it is laid out and shown to the reader. I will say that I had every emotion during this story. There were some extremely fantastic things that happened and so many questions going into the next book which is on my most anticipated list for whenever it is coming out.
I have over 200 highlights with some of the most beautiful writing I’ve found in a long time. I can’t wait for the conclusion to this magical story. I wanted to stay in this world much longer than the 2 books it is currently slotted to have.
I’m off to stalk Laini to read every scrap of info I can find about this book and the next.
Fantastic Story that Felt Like I Was Dancing with Words
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2017
This was an incredibly beautifully told part of a story (It is a dualogy so consider this the first half). The writing was impressive, full of wonder, elegance and felt like I was dancing with words. It was beautiful and terrible and full of monsters.Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 6, 2017
Laini Taylor writes like I think other people dream. There are stories within her stories. I adore her prose and the way she can turn something ordinary into something completely extraordinary. Her writing is lyrical and like music you either love it or hate it. I’m firmly in love with the way she builds her characters, the world and the wondrous breadth of emotions she makes me feel.
*** Sometimes a moment is so remarkable that it carves out a space in time and spins there, while the world rushes on around it. This was one such. ***
I’d like everyone to meet Strange the Dreamer my new book boyfriend. I feel in love with him when he was just a boy and was kidnapped by the library. But he won me even more that he thinks like this.
*** I lived seven years inside these books. My body may have been going about its duties in the library, but my mind was here. Do you know what they called me? Strange the dreamer. I was barely aware of my surroundings half the time.”
[…]
“I walked around wondering what kind of wings I would buy if the wingsmiths came to town, and if I’d prefer to ride dragons or hunt them, and whether I’d stay when the mist came, and more than anything else by far, how in the world I was going to get to the Unseen City.” ***
He is a boy/man after my own heart in his love of books and everything they have inside of them. His mind is open and full of the possibilities of the world. It is his dream to help the people of weep a city that has lost its name in any way he can.
When he meets Sarai he sees her differently than she has ever even seen herself and I utterly adored the beginning of their love story.
*** She asked in a hesitant whisper, “Do you still think I’m a… a singularly unhorrible demon?”
“No,” he said, smiling. “I think you’re a fairy tale. I think you’re magical, and brave, and exquisite. And…” His voice grew bashful. Only in a dream could he be so bold and speak such words. “I hope you’ll let me be in your story.” ***
Through Sarai we get a look into the history of the people of weep and understand like she does why hate blooms in the city and the pain of various character of the story. I loved that she could show both sides of a conflict because she understood them due to her gift and knows the people in the city better than she might even know her own family. Her time with Lazlo is some of my favorite.
This was a story full of wonders, horrors, love and beautiful prose. A story where there isn’t a right side and a wrong side. Everyone is flawed in some way and the would be villains aren’t terrible and horrible people but just people who in some horrible circumstances made devastating decisions. I understood why they did the things they did and I loved the way the information was doled out slowly and seductively to draw you into the story even more.
*** Vengeance. Sarai heard the way he said it, and she understood something. Vengeance ought to be spoken through gritted teeth, spittle flying, the cords of one’s soul so entangled in it that you can’t let it go, even if you try. If you feel it—if you really feel it—then you speak it like it’s a still-beating heart clenched in your fist and there’s blood running down your arm, dripping off your elbow, and you can’t let go.
Feral didn’t speak it like that at all. It might have been any word. Dust or teacup or plum. There was no heat in it, no still-beating heart, no blood. Vengeance was just a word to him. ***
Lazlo isn’t the only one on his way to help the city there has been a collection of various skilled people to come and help the city with their ‘Problem’ there was just no way they would have ever guessed what that problem was. I’m not even going to tell you because I want you to read the book and discover it the same way I did when we crested the hill leading into the city. Laini Taylor’s imagination is incredible.
There is so much I could say. So much I want to say but half the wonder of this story is the way it is laid out and shown to the reader. I will say that I had every emotion during this story. There were some extremely fantastic things that happened and so many questions going into the next book which is on my most anticipated list for whenever it is coming out.
I have over 200 highlights with some of the most beautiful writing I’ve found in a long time. I can’t wait for the conclusion to this magical story. I wanted to stay in this world much longer than the 2 books it is currently slotted to have.
I’m off to stalk Laini to read every scrap of info I can find about this book and the next.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
Sarah (Feeling Fictional)
Strange the Dreamer
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 29, 2017
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Sensational and Magical
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drawingmad
Is everything you want and more
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 18, 2019
little bookworm
Wonderfully imaginative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 5, 2018J. Ang
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