Rating: 
Summary: '..Thief' not quite up to par
Review: 'Dream Thief' isn't as stunning as the rest of Lawhead's work, which is an accomplishment in and of itself given Lawhead's amazing writing ability.It's a nice sci-fi story, but there's nothing extraordinary about it that sets it apart from any other sci-fi novel. It's one of Lawhead's earliest works, so I'm sure it was a growing experience.
Rating: 
Summary: sterotypical potrayal of indians...
Review: As a northeastern Indian who read this book, it seems that the author knows jacksquat about the north east of India and Nepal. He seems to have an archaic and colonial view of india as "pitiful but redeeming". The story itself wasn't that great either.
Rating: 
Summary: The center of every man's existence is a dream - Chesterton
Review: Dr. Spencer Restron (his friends call him Spence) is a dream research scientist on the space station GM, also called Gotham. He's waited all of his life to be able to take the chance to be in his position. But now, every night he has terrible dreams, dreams he can't remember but he wakes up feeling exhausted and tired. He has this nagging suspicion that something is about to happen, something terrible. Little does he know that whatever he is experiencing has something to do with the mysterious creature called.. the Dream Thief. The Dream Thief has taken a special interest in Spence for some reason... some terrible reason which could mean the end of freedom for all civilization. Even with friends like Ari, Adjani, Packer, Kalkinov, and more, Spence knows it will be a miracle for them to find out the Dream Thief's plan and to stop him. Spence's views will be changed entirely on the subject of God as he journeys to save mankind. I have always loved reading "The Dragon King Trilogy" written by Stephen R. Lawhead so for my birthday, I decided to get "Dream Thief". And I've had a totally enjoyable time reading it! It has everything, exciting adventure, alien settings, lots of suspense, character development, well thought out plot, romance, and a great reference to God. I must say that one of the best things about the book are the amazing characters whom I just loved! There's Spence, Ari, Adjani, Gita, Kyr, Packer, Kalkinov, and plenty more. I can't tell you much more about the book, it would ruin the book. You're just kept in suspense till the very end! My suggestion to you is if you're looking for a good Christian science fiction book, get "Dream Thief". Best for teen and adults.
Rating:
Summary: Great Space Adventure
Review: Lawhead's exploration into space has captured where his Celtic stories never could go. Combining the aspects of an epic adventure and well worth reading. 3 or 4 times. I have yet to find someone, who was this creative in the use of Science fiction elements. I've read the book 4 times and would suggest you read it also.
Rating: 
Summary: X files from the future's standpoint.
Review: Mankind is on the verge of a Martian terraforming project a few hundred years from the present day. In a state-of-the-art satellite station Gotham (orbiting Earth) scientists prepare and research while special teams are regularly dispatched to Mars to establish the framework for a permanent colony. A Gotham-employed sleep researcher, Dr. Reston is plagued by a series of increasingly bizarre nightmares that give him uncomfortable premonitions about something sinister pending on Mars.
As a non-scientist, I was still able to appreciate with fascination what seems to be a very credible and realistic account of the future world in this universe. The logistics of a working space station and how humans adapt to it, the early stages of a terraforming project -- these are explained well enough to create a plausible backdrop for the story, but not detailed to death for more casual audiences like me. The looming mystery on Mars that culminates with a first encounter with an ancient Martian race is the real story as far as I'm concerned. The focus of Dream Thief is nicely character-driven.
Stephen Lawhead does a surprising departure from space about midway and takes us to an even more alien environment (for most of us Westerners): India. Seen through the eyes of a santized, educated man of the 23rd (?) Century, India is even more exotic and disturbing. Lawhead may be borrowing from some pretty standard SF mythos at this point in the novel as he ties in space visitors with certain aspects of humanity's religious and cultural heritage (Gee, where have I heard that before..?), but his interpretation of how that worked out from the aliens' standpoint is unique. He deserves credit for an original twist on that modern day Science Fiction convention.
Readers of Lawhead's Arthurian and fantasy series books will be very happy with his change to Sci Fi. His style is intact. New readers will just enjoy the good tale. And as in his other books, the Christian message is very subtle (ie, not "preachy"). In fact, the implications of the spiritual revelations from the Martian could just as easily be New Age as Christian, as no mention of Jesus is actually made (and believe me, I was watching for it). Whether or not that is a plus is up for you to decide, but I was a tad disappointed in Stephen for that.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating:
Summary: X files from the future's standpoint.
Review: Mankind is on the verge of a Martian terraforming project a few hundred years from the present day. In a state-of-the-art satellite station Gotham (orbiting Earth) scientists prepare and research while special teams are regularly dispatched to Mars to establish the framework for a permanent colony. A Gotham-employed sleep researcher, Dr. Reston is plagued by a series of increasingly bizarre nightmares that give him uncomfortable premonitions about something sinister pending on Mars.
As a non-scientist, I was still able to appreciate with fascination what seems to be a very credible and realistic account of the future world in this universe. The logistics of a working space station and how humans adapt to it, the early stages of a terraforming project -- these are explained well enough to create a plausible backdrop for the story, but not detailed to death for more casual audiences like me. The looming mystery on Mars that culminates with a first encounter with an ancient Martian race is the real story as far as I'm concerned. The focus of Dream Thief is nicely character-driven.
Stephen Lawhead does a surprising departure from space about midway and takes us to an even more alien environment (for most of us Westerners): India. Seen through the eyes of a santized, educated man of the 23rd (?) Century, India is even more exotic and disturbing. Lawhead may be borrowing from some pretty standard SF mythos at this point in the novel as he ties in space visitors with certain aspects of humanity's religious and cultural heritage (Gee, where have I heard that before..?), but his interpretation of how that worked out from the aliens' standpoint is unique. He deserves credit for an original twist on that modern day Science Fiction convention.
Readers of Lawhead's Arthurian and fantasy series books will be very happy with his change to Sci Fi. His style is intact. New readers will just enjoy the good tale. And as in his other books, the Christian message is very subtle (ie, not "preachy"). In fact, the implications of the spiritual revelations from the Martian could just as easily be New Age as Christian, as no mention of Jesus is actually made (and believe me, I was watching for it). Whether or not that is a plus is up for you to decide, but I was a tad disappointed in Stephen for that.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating:
Summary: Sweet dreams with early Lawhead sci-fi
Review: Stephen Lawhead's best works are the historical fantasy of his Pendragon Cycle and his Song of Albion trilogy. "Dream Thief" is one of his earlier works, with shadows of the brilliance that would emerge in those later writings. But unlike his later fantasies, "Dream Thief" is a science fiction story. While researching dreams on the space station Gotham, the protagonist Spencer Reston discovers that someone is trying to control his mind through his dreams. A fairly exciting plot develops, as the villain Ortu (an alien) and the sinister side-kick Hocking (in his pneumatic wheelchair) begin carrying out their plans for control of the world. Along with his lovely lady friend Ari, and his two fellow scientists Adjani and Gita, it is up to Spence to prevent their evil plans from succeeding. The main threat comes from a "tanti", a consciousness-altering device capable of broadcasting to the whole world and inducing dreams and manipulating minds. In the process of resisting the "Dream Thief" who is masterminding the plot, Spencer travels to Mars where he discovers remnants of Martian civilization and meets the Martian guardian Kyr. Amidst the action and excitement, Lawhead integrates an interesting premise by suggesting that the revered gods of Indian folklore and Hindu legends were in fact such Martians (p451-2).
In many respects this is stereotypical science fiction, with lots of rocket ships, alien spacecraft, Martians and an extended visit to Mars. The plot is not always as convincing and suspenseful as readers of later Lawhead might expect. But there are certainly flashes of Lawhead's later brilliance, emotion and creativity. Typical for Lawhead, there are also Christian overtones throughout, such the presence and involvement of a Divine Being, and a sacramental meal called the Essila much like the Lord's Supper (p408-414). Judging by the high standards of his later work, "Dream Thief" is an inferior work. But for readers looking for an interesting and thought-provoking science fiction story with lots of adventure and some subtle theology, this is still a good read. Sweet dreams! - GODLY GADFLY
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Summary: My favorite SF/Fantasy book of all time.
Review: This book got me involved from the first chapter. The characters are smart and believable. The description of the "communion" sequence was really profound. I've read this book 3 times now.
Rating:
Summary: Dream Thief is breathtaking.
Review: This book is a great addition to the collection of lawhead books. It has a strong christian background, and keeps the reader thourougly interested.
Rating:
Summary: Don't listen to the other people
Review: When I first read it, and even now, I consider this book one of the best that Lawhead has ever written. I have read many of his other books, and I still believe that this is second best, the best being Avalon. Lawhead has a gripping writing style that simply won't let you put the book down. Added to his wonderful style is an important message flowing through the book. If you're a fan of Lawhead, or of science fiction in general, *READ THIS BOOK!*
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