Dream Thief: Amazon.ca: Stephen R. Lawhead: Books

Product Description

Book Description

A research scientist who is studying sleep and dreaming--and suffering from strange and unsettling nightmares himself--goes aboard a space station and uncovers a plot by an alien being that would undermine the civilization of Earth in this thrilling science fiction novel.

From the Publisher

Sleep scientist Dr. Spence Reston is having trouble sleeping. His experiments are giving him dreams that haunt his waking hours. He has long periods for which he has no memory. Suicide is beginning to seem like a good idea. Is he losing his mind? Or is there another altogether more frightening explanation? Thus begins a battle for the future of the universe, in which the fate of humankind hangs on the fragile sanity of one man. Original and accomplished, bursting with suspense and intrigue, Dream Thief is science fiction on a grand scale. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
THE MAN IS SLEEPING. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars X files from the future's standpoint., Dec 6 2003

By

A. Ryan "Merribelle" (Westminster, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dream Thief (Paperback)

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

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4.0 out of 5 stars Science Fiction with a New Spin, Jun 30 2003

By

JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Thief (Paperback)

Who would have thought that a combination of science fiction christianity would ever exist in a book. Grant it, Star Trek and Star Wars have themes which touch on religion. However, neither bases the story on Chrsitianity. The Dream Thief addresses the question of religion's existance on other planets.

It is true that we know life does not exist on Mars. It is also unlikely that any life form is capable of producing the technology that exists in this book. However, if you suspend this disbelief, the book is enjoyable. The story includes a dream experiment which leads to the discovery of life on Mars, and the lead character's (Spence) discovery of his faith in God through his subsequent exploration of the Martian Christianity. Another sub-plot also demonstrates Spence falling in love which adds another sunstantial layer to the story.

All of these themes make a theme that is truly enjoyable. Even though I am not a fan of fiction, I enjoyed this book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The center of every man's existence is a dream - Chesterton, April 2 2002

By

Priscilla Stafford (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Thief (Paperback)

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.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to the other people
When I first read it, and even now, I consider this book one of the best that Lawhead has ever written. Read more

Published on Feb 14 2002 by Joel Kreisel

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring SciFi- Who Would Have Thought?
Wow! This was a *great* book. I don't exaggerate when I say this is the best Christian Sci-Fi I have ever read. Read more

Published on July 9 2001 by Jedidiah Palosaari