Stephen Lawhead writes very good historical/fantasy books with Celtic settings. He’s a sure thing; all of his books are quite enjoyable. So when I borrowed another of his books from a friend that wasn’t a Celtic fantasy book, but rather an outer-space sci-fi book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would Lawhead prove as adept at writing in a very different genre? Would I enjoy the book as much?In The Dream Thief, humanity has built a working space station called Gotham. Gotham is a city in space, where scientists perform different kinds of experiments, where a telescope is based for deep space observation, and where missions to Mars (which is in the very early process of terraforming) are launched.Dr. Spencer Reston is a sleep scientist who is performing experiments on his own sleeping and dreaming patterns when he begins to have blackouts and to do dangerous things to himself (although he never actually hurts himself really badly, he does come close on several occasions). Reston realizes that he is being controlled in his sleep by a malevolent outside force, so he attempts to escape by joining the next mission to Mars. Of course, there’s a lot more that happens, but I don’t want to give anything away!The Dream Thief was a good book, but I didn’t like it as much as I’ve liked Lawhead’s other fantasy books. It had a Stargate SG-1 feel to it, in that it was set in the present/very near future and in its mixing of science fiction and mythology. I liked the characters well enough, but the villains were cheesy, and not the good kind. Overall, I thought the book was good, but I did get bogged down in the middle, and the climax was not as exciting as I had hoped. Kudos to Mr. Lawhead for branching out and trying something new, but I think I’ll stick with his fantasy works; I’m much more confident that I’ll like them.
This book had been sitting on my mom's bookshelf for a couple months before I finally picked it up and by that time, I was pretty psyched to read it. And the first half of the book really intrigued me. But the second half really let me down. All of the characters, who I thought got pretty good characterization in the first half, were suddenly downgraded to stereotypes. The best friend stayed his wise, all-knowing self and the chick stayed the innocent, helpless chick. Ugh. It really disappointed me, especially because they could've been great characters! But the author just bit off way more than he could chew. The world, characters, plot, and spiritual theme thingy were all painfully underdeveloped. I got the feel that the author wrote the first half in a jubilant burst of inspiration, but got burnt out during the second half and just gave up. *SPOILERS* I mean Martians? Really? It was kind of a cool concept, but the way it was executed made me cringe. *END SPOILERS*Whatever, the book disappointed me, and I wouldn't recommended it to anyone.
What do You think about Dream Thief (1996)?
I didn't read past "There are aliens posing as Hindu gods". Thanks. Thanks for spoiling the book for me. Please, click the button that hides your review due to spoiler so people can opt to read it by choice.
—Jonathan
"Fast-paced adventure?" Maybe for religious fiction in 1983. "Cliff-hanging suspense?" With all due respect, the story was dragged out to almost 500 pages. That's hardly suspenseful. I can't help but wonder if Lawhead were writing this novel today if it wouldn't be a much faster read. If this were adapted as a screenplay, the story would have to be much faster paced to keep a 21st century audience's attention.I ended up skipping ahead from chapter 19 to chapter 30 or so. The plot for C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet was pulse-pounding in contrast to this tome. (heavy sigh of resignation) I'm sorry, Mr. Lawhead. (sad look)Oct. 7, 2011.
—Jay Michaels
This is the first Lawhead book I've ever read, and I've got to say I was totally blown away. I have not been this captivated and in love with a book since the Harry Potter series. I opted out of my usual TV time to get in more reading, and had to force myself to close the book when it was time for bed. The author crafted a complex, highly-believable futuristic setting (he avoided the common sci-fi error of giving the date of the future time period). His vocabulary was exstensive, and his descriptions vivid. The plot was original and interesting, and the main character (Spencer) really grew.I did not even realize Lawhead was a Christian until a little less than halfway through the book. That shows how good he is. Most Christian authors give stilted dialogue, predictable outcomes, and far-too-perfect characters (people outside of seminary do not pray some of the complex and holy prayers I have seen "everyday characters" give in books). The authors set out with a specific message to give, and often stumble in the story itself. Lawhead puts plot first, then faith; it works brilliantly. He makes his point without ever giving a monologue sermon. Spencer coming to the realization of the futility of his life is delivered in a chilling and effective way. Yet this is not an overtly Christian book- I am sure non-Christians can enjoy it just as much from the story point of view.If you love intense, imaginative storytelling, you should read this. You don't even have to be a lover of sci-fi. I'm not, as a general rule, and look how I reacted to this book!
—Brooke
