THE BOOK OF NODD: The Dreamwalker is a dark fantasy set largely in a richly-developed dream-world, full of bizarre new creatures, new stories, and new sights around every corner. The hero, Edward Nodd, is a young man who feels out of place in a world that doesn’t seem to fit him, with no family, no real home, and only two close friends, also outsiders – Brianna, badly scarred by the housefire that killed her family, and Cassius, a mysterious and cryptic young boy found wandering in the woods at the age of six. Alienated from our reality, they soon find themselves stumbling almost accidentally into another- the world of Dreams, I’draea. The new world is vividly and beautifully described, both in the backstories Edward gets from other characters and in the images and experiences he has there. There are woods and towns full of strange and fascinating people and creatures there, cities made from the sand of forgotten dreams, and dangerous enemies with believable and intelligent motives and purposes of their own.
It’s almost as easy for the reader to get lost in this well-crafted world as it is for Edward and his friends, and quite enjoyable as well. Edward’s growth from an uncertain and self-questioning boy into a mature and capable fighter and leader is clear throughout the book, and his good heart and strong will make him a likeable protagonist that readers will find it easy to root for. The ending has enough resolution to satisfy, but still has at least one surprising revelation up its sleeve to keep the reader curious enough to want the story to continue (perhaps in a sequel?). There are a few parts of the book that could use a bit more exploration and development – Cassius, for example, kind of slips in and out of the story, and his two best friends seem to barely even think about him even when he’s missing in a dangerous world. The book might be improved with a bit more proofreading – the author does have a tendency to mix up possessives and contractions in particular (“you’re” and “your,” “it’s” and “its,” etc.), for example. Still, THE BOOK OF NODD is an engaging and beautifully-written dark fantasy, promising to captivate readers who love dreams and imagination.
An engaging dark fantasy set in a rich, lively, and vivid dream-world, THE BOOK OF NODD: The Dreamwalker will captivate fans of the imaginative and the sublime.
~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader