The thrilling conclusion to the multi-award-winning trilogy.
Will is the Dream Rider, the superhero who can walk in our dreams but never in the streets of his own city. Case is his girlfriend, a survivor of those streets who hears voices that warn her of danger. Fader, her brother, is very good at disappearing.
In The Hollow Boys, they defeated a body swapper and a witch to save the world. In The Crystal Key, they battled warring cults to protect an ancient artifact tied to Will's affliction.
The Chakana. The Crystal Key. But the key to what?
To finding answers, they hope, to the questions that rule their lives.
What gave them their strange astral powers? What caused Will's crippling agoraphobia? Can he be cured? What were their parents searching for in the jungles of Peru eight years ago? Are they still alive?
At the center of every question is the Chakana. What is the mysterious relic? Why will people kill to possess it? What hold does it have on Will?
As creatures from Inca myths hunt the three friends, another attack on the Chakana threatens Will's life. To save him and solve the mystery of the lost expedition, only one option remains.
Return to Peru. With the Chakana.
There, they will find friends and foes, both old and new. And behind it all, an unseen enemy moving them like pieces on a chessboard. To win this deadly game, the three friends must master new powers to defeat the most dangerous adversary they've ever faced. A god.
At stake this time? Every life, every world, every universe. Everything.
Indiana Jones meets Teen Titans in multi-award-winning The Dream Rider Saga, a fast-paced urban fantasy trilogy from “one of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction” (Library Journal).
Smith powers to an explosive conclusion in the finale of his Dream Rider series, a lavishly concocted ride brimming with magic, mystery, and mayhem. Seventeen-year-old Will Dreycott is still struggling with feeling imprisoned in his Dream Rider Tower high above the streets of Toronto, and his girlfriend Case, though more connected to Will than ever, feels out of place in his wealthy world. While the two struggle to make sense of their superhuman powers—Will can astral project while he’s asleep, and Case’s inner Voice serves as a harbinger—they feel a desperate urge to uncover the truth behind their missing parents and decipher the secrets of the Chakana, a hard-won, strange relic somehow connected to their powers—and to Will’s life. From there, their saga grows exponentially more dangerous—and hefty, as this concluding chapter is long, a novel for lovers of inventive fantasy-adventures to wallow in. With Case’s brother, Fader, who possesses superpowers in his own right, and Adi, the CEO for Will’s empire, the heroes must contend with Will’s growing powers but weakening health, in the midst of epic battles with rune-casting witches, supernatural beings that inhabit others’ bodies, and much more—Smith continually conjures surprises. At the heart of it all are Will and Case’s nagging suspicions that they’re “being moved like pieces on a board.”
The payoff for the group is worth it in the end, as they finally get the answers they’ve been searching for—about Case and Fader’s mother, the Chakana’s riddles, and surprising truths from Will’s own background. The road to those answers is decidedly rocky, bursting with dark magic, beastly protectors, and a slew of extraordinary fantasy characters—including a sinister presence whose roots can be traced back to Incan rule. Smith skillfully probes deeper messages behind all the fun, as the main players face the consequences of humankind’s disregard for the Earth—and each other. The series is best enjoyed when read in order.
Takeaway: Explosive conclusion to this spectacular fantasy joyride.
Comparable Titles: Amélie Wen Zhao’s Song of Silver, Flame Like Night, Laura Sebastian’s Ash Princess.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
The Hollow Boys, book 1 in The Dream Rider Saga, has won the 2023 Aurora Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the juried 2023 IAP Award for Best Young Adult Novel.
