Dream Thief

Stephen R. Lawhead

On the space station Gothan Dr. Spencer Reston does dream research. But he wakes up exhausted after strange, seemingly directed dreams. That's not how the dream is designed. He also has the sense of impending danger from these dreams. Reston has been solitary most of his life, leaving his father and sister behind on Earth. He makes a few friends - Dr.Adjani, a specialist in connecting disconnected dots, and Ari, the beautiful daughter of the station governor.

Something wierd is going on and Spence begins to believe he's in danger. He begins to believe he is under attack in his dreams. He plots to get away from the station to figure out what is going on. There is a shuttle going to Mars to explore for a few weeks. Adjani knows the problems he's having with his dreams - and now Spence is sleepwalking from these dreams. So Adjani joins him as he slips off the station.

For a while he is fine. But then the Dream Thief finds him again. This dreams sends him out on the surface of Mars where he wanders longer than he should be able to survive. He wakes and is able to locate a tunnel and find enough moisture to survive. He discovers much more in the tunnels as well. He may have found the key to saving mankind from the Dream Thief...

Although Dream Thief starts slow, it picks up speed. By the second half I was enthralled. Stephen R. Lawhead keeps twisting this story around on its head. Each time I had a grasp on where it might be going, I was wrong again. Spence's character grows from a solitary scientist into a fully rounded person with new friends and beliefs.

The world Lawhead creates in our near future is believable. It's far enough that man has been on Mars for a while and is slowly trying to bring it to a livable planet. So it's plausible in Lawhead's rules that Spence could barely survive as he does. He creates a romance between Spence and Ari that keeps Spence going even when things look hopeless.

Lawhead also adds a spiritual realm to this science fiction novel. It adds a depth the characters as logical scientists with a belief in more.

Dream Thief is also a good action tale. Again, it's slow as the story builds on the station, but picks up as Spence believes something is threatening him. By the time he gets to Mars, I was thoroughly hooked in.

Notice: Non-graphic violence 

The Paradise War by Stephen R. Lawhead