Strange the Dreamer
Author: Laini Taylor
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Format: Audiobook
Publication Date: March 28, 2017
Grade Level: 9th and up
Category: Printz Honor book nominee
Strange the Dreamer is an epic fantasy novel about a librarian, Lazlo, who joins a band of legendary warriors for a chance to visit his childhood obsession: the mythical city of Weep. Laini Taylor's colorful prose craft a beautiful picture of a fantastical city under a dark shadow. Strange the Dreamer was nominated for a Michael L. Printz Award, and has received widely positive reviews from critics and readers on Goodreads. The story explores themes of romance, trauma, and slavery.
I read Strange the Dreamer as an audiobook through Libby. It was very convenient to be able to listen to it on my commute, while cooking, on a run, etc. However, I felt like I missed a lot of plot details and character moments by trying to multitask. I had to rewind the book frequently.
Plot. Lazlo travels with a troupe of warriors led by Eril-Fane to the mythical city of Weep to help with a problem that Eril-Fane keeps secret. Upon arrival to the city, it becomes clear that this problem is a giant floating citadel hovering over the city, once inhabited by gods that Eril-Fane defeated over 200 years ago. The inhabitants of Weep are frightened of the citadel and have sought foreign help to get rid of it. What follows is a romantic plotline between Lazlo and Sarai, one of several surviving gods still living on the citadel, and an eventual revelation that Lazlo, too, is a god. At the climax of the story, Sarai falls from the citadel and dies, only for her spirit to be captured by Minya, another surviving god, who wishes to manipulate Lazlo. Strange the Dreamer is the first book of a duology.
This plot takes a backseat to the characters emotional arcs, which is where the meat of the story really is. Despite this, the plot does not fell like it lags, the third act being particularly well paced and plotted. If a chapter does not advance the story line much, the time is being spent advancing character's emotional journeys, which makes relevant plot beats more impactful.
Character. The characters of Strange the Dreamer are artfully conceptualized and interwoven. Their emotional arcs intersect in satisfying ways and are the main thrust of the story. Almost all the characters, except for the most minor, are dynamic, being deeply changed by the end of the story.
Setting. Strange the Dreamer takes place in a fictional fantasy world, where certain people are born with magical gifts and labelled as "gods." Many parts of the story take place in the colorful dreamscape of Lazlo's mind, as most of Lazlo and Sarai's romance takes place in Lazlo's dreams. Most of the story takes place in the lost city of Weep, where a huge floating citadel, shaped like an angel, hovers menacingly overhead. The citadel acts as an obstacle for much of the story, as many of the characters are desperately searching for a way to either destroy or move the citadel. The citadel acts as a metaphor for the past trauma of Weep, previously enslaved by the gods who inhabited the citadel which casts a literal and symbolic shadow over the city.
References:
Taylor, L. (2017). Strange the Dreamer. Little, Brown and Company.
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