Strange the Dreamer

Strange the Dreamer

First edition (US)
Author	Laini Taylor
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Little, Brown (US) Hodder & Stoughton (UK)
Publication date	March 28, 2017
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
Pages	544
ISBN	978-0316341684
Followed by	Muse of Nightmares

Strange the Dreamer is a 2017 young adult fantasy novel written by American author Laini Taylor and the first in the Strange the Dreamer duology, followed by Muse of Nightmares. The story follows Lazlo Strange, a war orphan and librarian in the world of Zosma who undergoes an expedition to the mystic lost city of Weep but discovers it is more than he believed it to be. It was published on March 28, 2017 by Little, Brown Books.

Plot[]

Lazlo is an orphan by a war that struck his country, who was brought there by mysterious circumstances. He holds the words of his priests dearly, dreaming of finding adventure and uncovering lost cities. In his teenage years and early adulthood, he becomes an apprentice librarian. One day, he encounters a group of adventurers led by Eril-Fane, the so-called Godslayer who are charting an expedition to the seemingly devastated city of Weep. He manages to get his way on the expedition and helps them recruits other fighters to join their journey and the arrogant son of Zosma's Queen, Thyon Nero. They encounter many oddities in their trip, and Eril-Fane tells the history of Weep: once a grand city, it was the place of retribution by vengeful fallen angels. They reach Weep and find that it is not destroyed, and that a giant floating Citadel shaped like an angel hovers over it. Lazlo and the explorers meet the despondent villagers, who are frightened by the shadow the Citadel casts over the city. Years earlier, blue-skinned gods called mesarthim used the metal mesarthium to take over the city. They demanded young men and women to be used for unknown reasons. Eril-Fane, angry that his wife Azareen was taken, managed to kill Skathis and the gods but the Citadel never left. All the slaves who were brought back afterwards had no memory of what happened.

In the Citadel, several godspawn, the children of the gods, still live unbeknownst to the citizens of Weep. Sarai, daughter of Isagol, is under the leadership of Minya, the oldest godspawn who has the appearance of a young child. Under Minya's orders, she uses her power to infiltrate dreams by touching a moth to their skin and torments them with nightmares of those they have lost. Minya has the ability to tether herself to the dead and infuses herself with ghosts in order to do her bidding. Sarai enters Lazlo's dream, but finds he can see her and remember her. They develop a quick romantic relationship as they share legends and fairy tales, manipulating their dreams to be blissful and wondrous. The other explorers attempt to find away to take down the Citadel, and Nero uses alchemy to find the perfect elixir that will allow them to destroy mesarthium. One day, they manage to take down one of the spires on the ground keeping the Citadel upright, and it tilts downwards preparing to strike the city. Nero discovers that using Lazlo's blood caused the mesarthium to be disturbed, and Lazlo sees that when he touches the metal his skin develops blue rashes. As the Citadel tumbles, Lazlo uses the broken mesarthium to turn his skin blue, revealing he is a godspawn himself. He crafts beasts to carry him to the Citadel, but Sarai slips and falls, impaling herself and dying instantly, becoming a ghost. Lazlo uses his powers to keep the Citadel in the sky and flies up to meet those who are within.

Development[]

The novel was Taylor's first since Dreams of Gods and Monsters, the third and final book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. The story was written several months after the prior novel had been finished. According to Taylor, the process of finding Strange the Dreamer came from "auditioning all the ideas that have been jostling for space in my head for years...I couldn’t decide...I kept vacillating....I chose the one with a heavy historical component and threw myself into research. Four or five months later, I had piles of notes but the story wasn’t really coming together and I panicked and jumped ship to the other pitch, which was a little more in my comfort zone, being fantasy." The most important aspect to Taylor was a focus on the characters' emotional arcs, with Taylor saying: "for me, it’s all about the emotional journey—or rather, all the characters’ interweaving emotional journeys and how they color each other."^[1]

Reception[]

Strange the Dreamer was nominated for a Michael L. Printz Award for Best Novel in 2017.^[2] Kirkus Reviews took note that the novel explored "slavery, trauma, memory, and appropriation" with the conclusion that "lovers of intricate worldbuilding and feverish romance will find this enthralling."^[3] Publishers Weekly found the novel to be 'gorgeously written in language simultaneously dark, lush, and enchanting" noting the third act's pacing as "love blossoms between two young people from warring factions, mysteries of identity develop, and critical events unfold in dreams."^[4]

References[]