Strange the Dreamer: the stunning 5th anniversary edition Paperback – 1 Dec. 2022

Lazlo Strange has dreamed of the mythical lost city of Weep since he was a young boy playing make-believe in the orchards of the monastery where he was raised. Now a librarian in the Great Library of Zosma, Lazlo spends his days still dreaming of journeying to the lost City, until that is the day arrives when his dreams look set to turn into reality. Suddenly he finds himself one of a group of delegates accompanying a mysterious stranger known as the Godslayer as well as a group of legendary warriors from the lost city. What awaits them there is even more extraordinary than anything even Lazlo could have dreamed!I found myself completely immersed in this imaginative and captivating read, drawn into the vividly described fantasy world that Taylor has created. From the Great Library of Zosma, to the vast desert plains of the Elmuthaleth, and to the lost City itself, it was a joy accompanying Lazlo on his voyage of discovery.Lazlo himself makes for a wonderful fantasy book hero, with his nose always behind a book and his mind full of wonder; he's gentle and kind and very easy to like. Yet I thought that Taylor did a really good job of portraying a whole host of more complex characters too. There's Thyon Nero, the arrogant alchemist, who early on in the story seems set on being a clear villain; yet I was surprised to find that it wasn't quite so black and white. The Godslayer too is another prime example, a hero who saved his City and its people from a reign of terrible tyranny, and yet at a great cost too;such that he is haunted by the blood on his hands. Minya, again, is an intriguing character; controlling and manipulative, she might easily have been painted a pure villain, but the tragedy of her past and the great trauma she has witnessed can but render her in a more sympathetic light.I don't want to go into detail regarding the ins and outs of the story, but I thought that Taylor touched upon some great themes within the book, re-working them in an imaginative way. Its a story about the aftermath of tyranny and war, about hatred and how hard it can be to forgive and reach a reconciliation. I thought that Taylor did a good job of portraying two sides of a story; as a reader it is easy to appreciate the suffering that the people of Weep have endured, but by allowing us to get to see things from the Godspawns' points of view, and Sarai's in particular, we gain an insight into what they - the orphans of war - have endured too.I personally found the idea of the Mesarthim and the Godspawn, with their mystical powers, intriguing; and there are still so many unanswered questions regarding them. Who were the Mesarthim, where did they come from, and what happened to all those Godspawn children over the centuries?Sarai's power is a particularly interesting one and obviously shapes a lot of the story; with dream elements becoming more prominent as the book goes on. I really liked the depiction of the dream sequences in which Lazlo and Sarai interact; and thought Taylor really managed to capture that whimsical and magical quality that dreams have. The romance between the two central characters was I thought sweetly rendered; and whilst some people have complained that it felt too instantaneous and also took up too much time I would disagree on both accounts. I think the secluded nature of the lives that both Lazlo and Sarai have lived, makes it believable that they might develop feelings so quickly for each other; and I think the ending of the book makes it quite clear why so much time was invested in their relationship.Certainly the book ends on a cliffhanger, with some very interesting dynamics being set up;such that I can't wait for the sequel.I did guess at the ending of the story, but that didn't at all spoil it. I would also say that the book starts off quite slow, but if you stick with the first few chapters, things soon start getting interesting.A beautifully written book, with exquisite prose and imagery, this is certainly a story I won't be forgetting in a while.

OMG that ending!Anyway 4.5 stars.As usual Laini Taylor has produced a beautiful book with a richly imagined world, gorgeous prose, engaging characters and a certain quirkiness that is all hers. I really loved this.Lazlo Strange was brought up a foundling and became a librarian but he always harboured a dream to unravel the secrets of the hidden and inaccessible city of Weep, which no one has visited in 200 years. When it seems that golden darling Thyron Nero is about to snatch Strange's dream, it galvanises the librarian to fight for the adventure he wants. Lazlo gets far more than he bargained for. Weep rightfully deserves its name (or rather its un-name) and Lazlo Strange is about to truly understand all the pains and pleasures of being young and becoming a legend.Taylor has many strengths as I've mentioned. For me the exquisite prose will keep me reading even when the pace has started to plod a bit. Taylor's characters are always fully rounded and interesting and Strange the Dreamer is no exception. If you like your fantasy more sword and sorcery or epic or high, then you may not enjoy this as much. It certainly felt slower to me than the author's other books and I can't decide if that's because I listened to the audio book or it was just less engaging for me than the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy.Taylor's fantasy is too literary to really fit other sub categories and too wonderfully quirky to be purely literary. It's really only like itself and it's wonderful.The author does examine some similar themes to her previous work here - war and it's cost, slavery and emancipation, personal freedom versus duty, love and grief and hatred. She has such a deft touch that you don't even realise that is the conversation you're having with the book until later.Ultimately this grabbed me less than Daughter of Smoke and Bone but I'm still looking forward to the second book. Lazlo is a wonderful character. Whatever this book lacks in fierce action it makes up for in pure whimsical imagination. And the ending is nail bitingly and heart rendingly satisfying.

Enjoyed this book. Loved all the descriptions of the city, beautifully painted. The main make character is interesting. The only thing that disappointed was that it was more a love story towards the end, which I don't go for so much. I prefer adventure and action over romance. But her books are always well written and the descriptions of the world's written about are always beautiful

Great read! The ideas and imagination behind the world created by the book are unusual and yet coherent. The characters are well-written and develop through the book.

Some books are such a surprise. I didn't know the author nor had I read about this book before, and I couldn't be more glad about it. This is one of those books that raises the fantasy genre to another level! The worldbuilding is great, the plot is fantastic, the descriptions of the world and scenes are amazing, the text flows nicely, and the characters are so rich and vivid. Really, this is such a beautiful and captivating book!It's the story of Lazlo, a war orphan raised by monks. As a child, he nurtured himself with the stories and legends of the Unseen City. He dreamt about it until one day the city's name was stolen from him and from the entire world. No one noticed it but him, and discovering the Unseen City's secret became his life's goal. I don't want to fall into spoilers, but yes, he reveals many of its secrets and following his journey is so nice!I need to mention the text itself. There are so many beautiful and fantastic descriptions throughout the book that just reading them would be enough reason to pick it up. The narrator is so fluid, changing the story's perspective from one character to another, from here to there, from now to later, that it is almost as if we were in ... a dream!Well, ok, there are some tiny pitfalls. It's a slow-paced story and some events were kind of out of place or unbelievable. But really, that doesn't impact the book as a whole in any significant way.All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's so rich and well-threaded, it easily became one of my top ten books of the year. I totally recommend it!

This is a 2 part series. It is one of the most beautiful reads I have had in a very long time. Every word, every expression, every detail is filled with magic. You enter into a completely different realm altogether so much so that you start wishing you were in it. If you want an escape from the daily life and dive into something extraordinary outwardly then definitely go for it. It won't have realistic issues of the world but it is full of intense emotions and feelings which we all go through at some point in our life.

This book was a marvelous surprise. It took me a while to get into it, but that might have been because I was going through a book hangover caused by the last few I had read. The storytelling was breathtaking and at no point was I bored with how things were progressing. I loved Lazlo and thought his personality was very endearing and refreshing. The last 150 pages or so had me constantly at the edge of my seat and the ending just about killed me. I loved it. Can’t wait to read the next one.

The author does a fantastic job with a story that sacrifices intricacy for a very deep and rich experience. Every chapter delivers a new hook or enigma that is not betrayed until the very moment it is meant to be revealed. Exquisite read.

Laini Taylor wollte immer Schriftstellerin werden. Sie zog nie in Betracht, etwas anderes mit ihrem Leben anzustellen und hatte keinen Plan B. Trotzdem erschien ihr erster Roman erst, als sie bereits 35 Jahre alt war. Obwohl sie immer wusste, dass sie schreiben wollte, kostete es sie viel Zeit, herauszufinden, WAS sie schreiben wollte. In jungen Jahren verfasste sie hauptsächlich Fantasy, wich jedoch davon ab, nachdem sie das College abschloss. Sie sagt, dass sie versnobt war und versuchte, „literary fiction“ zu produzieren, sich dabei aber nie wohlfühlte. Erst Ende der 1990er fand sie durch „Harry Potter“ zu ihren Wurzeln zurück. Wir verdanken J.K. Rowling also eine der besten Autor_innen fantastischer Jugendfiktion, deren Roman „Strange the Dreamer“ nach dem Erfolg ihrer „Daughter of Smoke and Bone“-Trilogie mit Spannung erwartet wurde.Schon immer träumt Lazlo Strange von einer wunderschönen, fernen Stadt. Einer strahlenden, schillernden Stadt der Wunder, einer Oase mitten in der Wüste. Jahrhundertelang erzählten Handlungsreisende zauberhafte Geschichten über das exotische Juwel, das nur Ausgewählte betreten durften. Dann blieben die Karawanen plötzlich aus. Die Geschichten versiegten. Niemand wusste, was geschehen war. Aber für einen kleinen Waisenjungen blieb die Stadt ein Mysterium voller Abenteuer, durch die er das strenge Mönchskloster auf den Schwingen seiner Fantasie verlassen konnte. Bis der Stadt ihr Name gestohlen wurde. Plötzlich war alles, was aus Lazlos Mund kam, verzweifelter Kummer: Weep. Der kleine Junge spielte nie wieder und verschloss seine Träume tief in sich selbst. Viele Jahre später träumt Lazlo noch immer. Er träumt davon, Antworten zu finden und Weep mit eigenen Augen zu sehen. Als überraschend eine Gesandtschaft aus Weep eintrifft und um Hilfe bittet, ist Lazlos Chance gekommen. Mutig schließt er sich ihnen an, um die Geheimnisse der verlorenen Stadt zu lüften. Doch der Traum wählt den Träumer und Lazlos Traum hat gerade erst begonnen…Ach, Laini Taylor und ich. Es ist eine Liebesgeschichte. Zugegeben, sie ist ein wenig einseitig, weil sie nicht weiß, dass ich existiere, während ich ihr seit unserer ersten Begegnung in „Daughter of Smoke and Bone“ verfallen bin, aber was macht ein kleines Ungleichgewicht schon, wenn die Beziehung so erfüllend ist? Es erleichtert mich unheimlich, dass der besondere Zauber zwischen uns ungebrochen ist und wir noch immer harmonisch auf exakt derselben Wellenlänge schwingen. Als ich „Strange the Dreamer“ aufschlug, war ich doch ein wenig besorgt, ob unsere Verbindung diesen Test unbeschadet überstehen würde. Nach der Lektüre ist sie stärker und intensiver denn je. „Strange the Dreamer“ ist ein wundervolles Buch, das mir noch einmal zeigte, dass Laini Taylors Fantasie ein zauberhafter Ort voller farbenfroher Wunder und atemberaubender Ideen ist, in dem ich mich dauerhaft häuslich einrichten möchte. Sie stimuliert meine Vorstellungskraft in einem Ausmaß, das nur sehr wenige Autor_innen erreichen. Ihr bildgewaltiger, poetischer Schreibstil treibt mein Kopfkino zu Höchstleistungen an, weil sie trotz des grundsätzlich femininen und verspielten Charakters des Romans nicht nur Licht, sondern auch Schatten gekonnt in Szene setzt und dafür Symbole verwendet, die mühelos zu interpretieren sind. Sie hat ein unvergleichliches Gespür für die exquisite Ästhetik von Tragik und Leid, berührt die gesamte Klaviatur meiner Gefühle und macht es mir daher unglaublich leicht, mich in ihren Geschichten zu verlieren. Ich beobachtete mich dabei, dass ich mich während der Lektüre von „Strange the Dreamer“ voll und ganz fallen ließ, die Kontrolle abgab, mich überraschen ließ und Taylor einfach vertraute, dass sie mir jede Frage beantworten würde, bevor sie mir überhaupt in den Sinn kommen konnte. Für meine Verhältnisse ist das bemerkenswert, weil eines der zentralen Motive des Romans das Geheimnis ist. Von der ersten Seite an stellt das Geheimnis um die verlorene Stadt Weep die Triebfeder der Handlung und des Protagonisten Lazlo Strange dar. Doch da Taylor einen stetigen Strom entscheidender Erkenntnisse und Offenbarungen aufrechterhält und somit auch den Spannungsbogen konstant gestaltet, grübelte ich nicht ungeduldig auf den Informationen herum, sondern genoss stattdessen die emotionale Nähe zu Lazlo. Lazlo ist eine dieser Figuren, die man sich real wünscht. Seine positive und liebenswerte Persönlichkeit verströmt eine sonnige Ausstrahlung, an der man sich wärmen möchte. Er ist arglos, aufrichtig, selbstlos, fantasievoll und auf so charmante Art verträumt, dass ich von ganzem Herzen hoffte, dass seine Träume wahr werden. Leider lehrt „Strange the Dreamer“ Lazlo, dass die harte, kantige Realität unseren weichen, fließenden Träumen nicht immer standhält. Ich bete dafür, dass er in der Fortsetzung „Muse of Nightmares“ erkennt, dass er es selbst in der Hand hat, Realität und Traum verschmelzen zu lassen.Es passiert nur noch selten, dass ich so voller Lob für ein Buch bin wie für „Strange the Dreamer“. Wenn es passiert, ist es meiner Meinung nach nur recht und billig, dass ich das auch in aller Deutlichkeit ausdrücke. Falls euch meine Schwärmerei für „Strange the Dreamer“ übertrieben und kitschig erscheinen sollte, müsst ihr euch vor Augen halten, wie wenige Bücher ich lese, an denen ich überhaupt nichts auszusetzen habe. Jedes Jahr ist es lediglich eine Handvoll, die diesen Ritterschlag erhält. Tatsächlich sind es so wenige, dass ich mich manchmal frage, ob es an mir liegt. Zum Teil ist das bestimmt der Fall, aber Laini Taylor beweist, dass mit meiner Begeisterungsfähigkeit alles in Ordnung ist, solange Autor_innen die richtigen Knöpfe drücken. Kaum jemandem gelingt das so mühelos und zielsicher wie ihr. Zwischen uns wird hoffentlich immer diese ganz besondere und rare Magie knistern, die uns als Autorin und Leserin verbindet. Ich sagte es ja: Es ist eine Liebesgeschichte.