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Dreamer (The Silent Empire #1)

by Steven Harper (Goodreads Author)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 173 ratings · 11 reviews

The Dream......is a plateau of mental existence where people are able to communicate by the power of their thoughts alone.

The Silent...

These people -- known as the Silent -- find that the Dream is threatened by a powerful Silent capable of seizing control of other people's bodies against their will...and may be causing tremors within the Dream itself.

The Risk...

And if the...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published September 1st 2001 by Roc

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Jun 11, 2010 Karen Field rated it 3 of 5 stars

The prologue showed a world in chaos after civil wars and battles for leadership between planets. It showed a couple's attempt at survival in a world where there was little food or water. And...in a world where money meant the difference between life and death, they had none. It was a strong piece of writing and I quickly grew attached to the characters and setting.

When chapter one started with different characters and an obviously different time period, I was utterly disappointed. I wanted to k...more The prologue showed a world in chaos after civil wars and battles for leadership between planets. It showed a couple's attempt at survival in a world where there was little food or water. And...in a world where money meant the difference between life and death, they had none. It was a strong piece of writing and I quickly grew attached to the characters and setting.

When chapter one started with different characters and an obviously different time period, I was utterly disappointed. I wanted to know what became of the couple and wasn't particularly interested in the new characters. But I read on and with time the new characters grew on me and I eventually gave up trying to work out where the couple fit in to the story and just went with the flow.

Kendi is a brother in a religious order called Children of Irfan (no, it's not a religious story). Sejal is a rebellious teenager living on planet Rust. Their paths cross when something strange starts happening in the Dream – a place where certain people can meet and communicate, no matter where they are located, even if they are light years apart. A darkness is ascending into the usual tranquil Dream and a black hole is swallowing the minds of the people who can go there. This leaves them emotionless which in some cases turns violent, forcing some people to take their own lives or the lives of others.

It seems that Sejal is the key, he is a powerful Silent (person who enters the Dream), but has no idea about any of it until Kendi takes him under his wing and starts training him. But the Children of Irfan were not the only ones looking for Sejal. He is being sort by many. All have an agenda of their own. All want to use him to achieve their goal. Sejal is unsure who he can trust and flees. Meanwhile the chaos caused in the dream is affecting many worlds and is becoming increasingly dangerous.

It's an interesting story, with a different look on Australian Dreamtime. My only issue with this particular area of the story was that it felt vague and unsure – hesitant, may be the better word. In fact, I had read a huge chunk of the book before I realised Kendi was an Australian aboriginal. I have since researched the author and found that he is not an Australian and doesn't live in Australia, so I suspect this is the reason for the vagueness.

This small point aside, Dreamer is a book that will make the reader confront issues such as sexuality and death. There are some graphic scenes concerning suicide too. And, of course, the couple at the beginning of the story were there for a reason.

Dreamer is the first book of the Silent Empire Series. I have the second book and look forward to finding out where it will take me.

Recommended.(less)

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Jan 26, 2010 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The premise is that our minds create a landscape that some people can enter. The "Dream" is the answer to instantaneous communication between governments as well as individuals, as once you have entered the Dream, you create your surroundings and that can include talking to others in the Dream no matter where in the universe they're physically located. Naturally those capable of entering the Dream, the "Silent," are identified, exploited, and enslaved by some, and the object of great hope for ot...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Better than I expected. Lots of depressing things happen, it's very dark in its particulars, but the overall tone is upbeat. The ending is a surprising alteration of the universe the author has gone to a lot of trouble to set up - not something you expect for the first book in a series.

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Jul 08, 2008 Katilian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbfriendly, recommended

Interesting premise (that there is a psychic "dream" that some people can reach and communicate through), interesting characters, fun plot: what more could you ask for in a novel? Well, what you get is characters who seem real, who have a life and history beyond what's portrayed in the book. In particular, the secondary characters are well-developed; even better, there are several women among them who are strong, interesting characters in their own right. There's a bit of (m/m) romance, but not...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a bit creeped out by the author's name and the book is kinda trashy, but it is enjoyable SF/fantasy trash.

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Jul 16, 2010 Bradley rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ick. I am tossing this one back to the library. This one was weird and icky. Don't like it. =(

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May 03, 2013 Ryan Mcfadden rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my favorite series of books!

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Jun 05, 2011 Kelrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Solid story - LGBT charaters.

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Mar 19, 2011 Simeen added it

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Oct 17, 2012 Cynthiaj rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

A very nice concept (an alternate plane of mental activity that links all sentient beings, with those able to reach the plane called "Silents") but only a so-so kind of delivery. It was good enough to keep me reading but not enough to make me rush down to the LL to get another by the same author.

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Jan 28, 2008 Jday rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good space opera. Interesting idea and the writing was very engaging. I will read the other books in this series.

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May 16, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 09, 2013 Emelie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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May 05, 2013 Lynn Atkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

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May 01, 2013 Bluecat marked it as calibre

Apr 26, 2013 Fenice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 26, 2013 Suaine rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Shelves: science, fiction, fantasy, gay

Apr 20, 2013 Jerry Kolarik marked it as to-read

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Apr 12, 2013 Steve rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Dreamer (The Silent Empire #1)

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