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Dream a Little Dream
Nola and Tina are both girls with problems. They don’t know each other yet, but they will, because each is a Creator, with the magical ability to turn dreams into reality. It would be a great gift and a great power—if either knew she had it. But this world is hard on dreamers, whether they dream true or not.
Nola is trapped in a terrible, abusive relationship with a man she once loved; Tina is an orphan who makes her living on the street. All their dreams are slowly being ground into dust.
It’s a common enough tragedy, a sorrow and a grief and a shame upon the world, no matter whom it happens to. But when dreams themselves die, when the great dreamers stop dreaming, whole universes of imagination are lost. And the land of Nola and Tina’s dreams is fighting back. Into their miserable everyday world soars Esprit, a winged unicorn dark as the space between the stars. He is the vessel of Nola’s dreams, come to aid her in her battle with sordid reality. Following after him comes Prince Michael, whose quest it is to find the human dreamers who can save his land from ruin.
Nola is trapped in a terrible, abusive relationship with a man she once loved; Tina is an orphan who makes her living on the street. All their dreams are slowly being ground into dust.
It’s a common enough tragedy, a sorrow and a grief and a shame upon the world, no matter whom it happens to. But when dreams themselves die, when the great dreamers stop dreaming, whole universes of imagination are lost. And the land of Nola and Tina’s dreams is fighting back. Into their miserable everyday world soars Esprit, a winged unicorn dark as the space between the stars. He is the vessel of Nola’s dreams, come to aid her in her battle with sordid reality. Following after him comes Prince Michael, whose quest it is to find the human dreamers who can save his land from ruin.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 1998
13 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
Piers Anthony
441 books4,214 followersThough he spent the first four years of his life in England, Piers never returned to live in his country of birth after moving to Spain and immigrated to America at age six. After graduating with a B.A. from Goddard College, he married one of his fellow students and and spent fifteen years in an assortment of professions before he began writing fiction full-time.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
Piers is a self-proclaimed environmentalist and lives on a tree farm in Florida with his wife. They have two grown daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
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September 14, 2016This was the book that got me into fantasy as a kid. It was probably a little to advanced for my tender innocent eyes (that's what I got for mum randomly buying it at a bookstore to soothe my Harry Potter hangover) but I must have read it 5 times as a teenybopper. I'd be interested in getting my hands on a copy to reread.
June 9, 2017
This is a review about a book. The book is written very simply. It could be the work of a preteen. It could be the work of someone younger. It could also be a parody of bad writing. A parody is when someone makes fun of something by copying it.
This book starts with a sad woman with an angry husband. She knows he is angry and bad. He is bad, but she wants to die. This part of the book is scary, and -- okay I can't keep writing like this while also trying to say that the the writing style is too childish for the content. I guess I'm glad that the book starts with a woman recollecting rape and abuse, because otherwise someone might reasonably think this book was written for under-10s.
Seriously, there is a "unisus" -- when I was 8 I would have said a pegacorn -- that can shoot a laser from its horn to kill anything it wants, but only once a year. And the rainbow unisi rejected it (and a black unisus) for not being rainbow-colored. The white unisi and the hunky owner are the product of dreams of the abused woman from the book's opening. And that woman's also one of the few who can dream up dreamstone, which is invulnerable and what the castle is made of and I read to the 10% mark before DNFing.
This book starts with a sad woman with an angry husband. She knows he is angry and bad. He is bad, but she wants to die. This part of the book is scary, and -- okay I can't keep writing like this while also trying to say that the the writing style is too childish for the content. I guess I'm glad that the book starts with a woman recollecting rape and abuse, because otherwise someone might reasonably think this book was written for under-10s.
Seriously, there is a "unisus" -- when I was 8 I would have said a pegacorn -- that can shoot a laser from its horn to kill anything it wants, but only once a year. And the rainbow unisi rejected it (and a black unisus) for not being rainbow-colored. The white unisi and the hunky owner are the product of dreams of the abused woman from the book's opening. And that woman's also one of the few who can dream up dreamstone, which is invulnerable and what the castle is made of and I read to the 10% mark before DNFing.
August 4, 2010
Unreadably bad.
April 27, 2018
Dream a Little Dream is about a girl named Nola who escapes her abusive boyfriend into the land of dreams. She can do this because she is a Creator, someone who truly believes in dreams and therefore their dreams become real in dream world, which is called Kafka. Mich is a character her dreams created to be her one true love, but when she meets him she has trouble trusting him because of her history. They milk this for all it's worth, a lot of one step forward two steps back. Anyway, they meet another creator named Tina who is a suicidal drug addicted prostitute. The main villain is a guy call Reility who is turning Creators dreams into nightmares. As the world begins to disappear they have to find the other creators and bring them to Kafka from the real world so that they can fix things.
I did not like this book. The ideas and the imagination are actually quite good, in fact the imagination of the story was the only reason I managed to eventually finish this book. That is the only reason it got more than 0 stars. Unfortunately the writing is really awful. At first it’s okay, but the thing with the romance limps. Every time they make progress in their relationship the authors seem to forget that they made that progress until suddenly it switches and suddenly they’re in a perfect relationship. There is a lot of telling and very little showing. The dialog mocks itself (a child's response to having his arm cut off and then reattached is verbatim “Gee. That’s neat!” in chapter 25). And the mechanics of the worlds and the magic was inconsistent. But my biggest problem with the writing is that it is cowardly. They have to deal with some seriously dark things but instead of writing them with harsh truth and honesty, they turn it into caricature and cliche. For example, the mob boss and his employees. It’s like they stepped out of a PG movie but then the authors tried to make them darker by adding some swear words and a random naked woman on the floor for them to kick. (I read a lot of things like this in high school creative writing when other students were to afraid to commit to the darkness of a scene or story and would pull back instead.) It should have been dark and awful but it’s not. It’s 2D and cliche.
I did not like this book. The ideas and the imagination are actually quite good, in fact the imagination of the story was the only reason I managed to eventually finish this book. That is the only reason it got more than 0 stars. Unfortunately the writing is really awful. At first it’s okay, but the thing with the romance limps. Every time they make progress in their relationship the authors seem to forget that they made that progress until suddenly it switches and suddenly they’re in a perfect relationship. There is a lot of telling and very little showing. The dialog mocks itself (a child's response to having his arm cut off and then reattached is verbatim “Gee. That’s neat!” in chapter 25). And the mechanics of the worlds and the magic was inconsistent. But my biggest problem with the writing is that it is cowardly. They have to deal with some seriously dark things but instead of writing them with harsh truth and honesty, they turn it into caricature and cliche. For example, the mob boss and his employees. It’s like they stepped out of a PG movie but then the authors tried to make them darker by adding some swear words and a random naked woman on the floor for them to kick. (I read a lot of things like this in high school creative writing when other students were to afraid to commit to the darkness of a scene or story and would pull back instead.) It should have been dark and awful but it’s not. It’s 2D and cliche.
August 26, 2019
I decided to charitably give this book 2 stars, since there were some good ideas behind it. The execution is just...not there. The writing is very immature and could definitely have used more editing. Everything is very short, and the plot jumps quickly from one point to another, not really giving much time for any individual beat to really land. Problems and plot items are introduced and then overcome or nullified quickly (although a few things do wrap in at the end, to give some credit). A lot of large words are used that I think are supposed to make the writing sound more elegant and mature, but really are just distracting. The actual author, Julie Brady, is identified as having never written before, and I think it does show. Which is a bit of a shame, because as I said, a very similar story could have been done in a very interesting way. Or at least a 3 star way.
July 24, 2018
I'm unsure how to really review this book. The premise sounded wonderful, but the reality of the book sounded like it was written by a fourteen year-old who has a very vivid imagination and the real potential to be a good author, but who doesn't yet have the experience or maturity to write a good book... but I think that's more or less exactly what it was. I really wouldn't call this a Piers Anthony book... he just helped the author along a bit. The admittedly immature writing made me want to quit more than once, but I stubbornly stuck it out and I honestly didn't hate it as much as I thought I did or would (though the ending was a bit abrupt). Would I recommend it? Probably not, even to younger readers... but I do feel that older readers will be put off by the style (or lack thereof) and that younger readers might find it more palatable. Do I regret reading it or finishing it? Undecided on that one. Would I read it again? Definitely not.
PS - Using the word "orbs" for eyes makes you sound like you're writing terrible fanfiction.
PS - Using the word "orbs" for eyes makes you sound like you're writing terrible fanfiction.
October 23, 2022
I read this as a teen, as I like other fantasy series by this author. At the time, I found some of the themes a bit dark for my delicate young mind. I still enjoyed it but I query whether this would hold up in a re-read.
November 23, 2018
Kid of juvenile. Not his best for sure.
January 15, 2019
Dark, PG-13 for violence, suggested sexual content. Read if you own it, otherwise, meh.
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January 22, 2020One of my favourite books.
January 10, 2022
Piers Anthony, you can never go wrong with a good read from him.
March 26, 2011
This is a bit more adult than anything Piers Anthony I've read thus far. The two main humans have horrible lives: one is in a highly abusive relationship, the other is a street walker to stay alive. They are trying to save the human dreams that keep the world of Kafka alive.
I think this book deserves somewhere around 3.5. If I compare it to Ship Breaker, which I gave a 4, I prefer Ship Breaker...but I did get through this fairly quickly, which if you don't know by now, is one way I judge a book. The first 200 (of 300) pages flew by. After that though, I think I became bored of the twists and turns the story took. Bored, because it felt as if it could have easily and nicely ended around page 150 or sooner. Of course that wouldn't make for a very long book would it? The slow down at page 200 is, however, in large part because of work days going from 7am to 9:30pm.
A big problem I had was that I did not feel as much as I should have for the characters. At some point in the book I had the revelation that Mich is a whole LOT like my boyfriend. This is a good thing and I finally started identifying a little bit more with him, but I was not drawn in as much as I should have been, despite the revelation.
This is the second 'collaboration' book of Piers Anthony's that I have read; the first one I would probably rate a 2 of 5 (and may yet): The ESP Worm. It was obvious to me before reading this book what Piers' collaborations are (his name on a no name person's book in order to get it published), but in the authors' notes (they each have one), he actually goes so far as to say this. His note was much shorter for this book than his usually are, and was almost entirely about Julie B-something or other. Having said all that, this book was better than I thought it would be, given my previous experience with a PA collaboration.
The content of the book is exploring human dreams and saving them from being crushed, so, necessarily, many of the characters are coming from demoralizing, atrocious backgrounds (heavily abusive relationships, prostitution, child abuse, suicidal tendencies)...it can be some really heavy stuff. While some of this is dealt with well, the problem arises that the "Creators" seem to drop all their pain very quickly. All but Nola, of course. She agonizes and fusses over the smallest things and seems unreal in her reactions and...dare I say it? Stupidity. I think her characterization and actions are what bring this book down for me (though I love Spirit/Esprit and Heat and her interactions with them).
Ultimately, according to the authors' notes, this book is about the collaborator, whom apparently based the plot on a recurring dream of hers. Julie is, for all intents and purposes, Nola. So, this book could be called a "memoir" or perhaps an "anecdote" of a time in her life. If that's the case...I have a feeling that Piers is Esprit.
I think this book deserves somewhere around 3.5. If I compare it to Ship Breaker, which I gave a 4, I prefer Ship Breaker...but I did get through this fairly quickly, which if you don't know by now, is one way I judge a book. The first 200 (of 300) pages flew by. After that though, I think I became bored of the twists and turns the story took. Bored, because it felt as if it could have easily and nicely ended around page 150 or sooner. Of course that wouldn't make for a very long book would it? The slow down at page 200 is, however, in large part because of work days going from 7am to 9:30pm.
A big problem I had was that I did not feel as much as I should have for the characters. At some point in the book I had the revelation that Mich is a whole LOT like my boyfriend. This is a good thing and I finally started identifying a little bit more with him, but I was not drawn in as much as I should have been, despite the revelation.
This is the second 'collaboration' book of Piers Anthony's that I have read; the first one I would probably rate a 2 of 5 (and may yet): The ESP Worm. It was obvious to me before reading this book what Piers' collaborations are (his name on a no name person's book in order to get it published), but in the authors' notes (they each have one), he actually goes so far as to say this. His note was much shorter for this book than his usually are, and was almost entirely about Julie B-something or other. Having said all that, this book was better than I thought it would be, given my previous experience with a PA collaboration.
The content of the book is exploring human dreams and saving them from being crushed, so, necessarily, many of the characters are coming from demoralizing, atrocious backgrounds (heavily abusive relationships, prostitution, child abuse, suicidal tendencies)...it can be some really heavy stuff. While some of this is dealt with well, the problem arises that the "Creators" seem to drop all their pain very quickly. All but Nola, of course. She agonizes and fusses over the smallest things and seems unreal in her reactions and...dare I say it? Stupidity. I think her characterization and actions are what bring this book down for me (though I love Spirit/Esprit and Heat and her interactions with them).
Ultimately, according to the authors' notes, this book is about the collaborator, whom apparently based the plot on a recurring dream of hers. Julie is, for all intents and purposes, Nola. So, this book could be called a "memoir" or perhaps an "anecdote" of a time in her life. If that's the case...I have a feeling that Piers is Esprit.
June 16, 2017
"Yours is not the only reality. And not the only truth."
AH! This is one of my favorite books of all time! It's the book that I credit with getting me into science-fiction when I was young. I was little, I picked out this book for the same reason a lot of younger girls probably picked it out: there was a winged unicorn on the cover and it was pretty. But the book is so awesome. It literally tells you that, no matter how bad your life might get, or what darkness you might be going through, keep on dreaming. Keep you imagination going strong, keep thinking of fantastical things. What a message for a young, starry-eyed reader whose teachers tell to keep her head out of the clouds.
AH! This is one of my favorite books of all time! It's the book that I credit with getting me into science-fiction when I was young. I was little, I picked out this book for the same reason a lot of younger girls probably picked it out: there was a winged unicorn on the cover and it was pretty. But the book is so awesome. It literally tells you that, no matter how bad your life might get, or what darkness you might be going through, keep on dreaming. Keep you imagination going strong, keep thinking of fantastical things. What a message for a young, starry-eyed reader whose teachers tell to keep her head out of the clouds.
July 21, 2011
OMG...either I don't like high fantasy as much as I remember or this book is just terrible! Is Piers Anthony the Nick Cage of the fantasy publishing world? I couldn't force myself to finish this book. I got three-quarters through it and lost interest, didn't care what happened to any of the characters or how the storyline ended.
July 17, 2011
This book was one of my all-time favourites. I first read it in highschool and I believe I re-read it several times. I have never forgotton the title since then and it's been quite a long time since I first found it. I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, adventure and stories with a little bit more reality to it.
August 10, 2011
I remember vividly reading this on a plane from America to France when I was 15, and it was so alluring I wished the trip lasted even longer!! I remember the beautiful colors especially and extraordinary creatures especially, any youngster looking for a superb fantasy adventure should take a peek into this.
June 9, 2011
This was my first piers anthony book that i have ever read. the characters are described so well. You can actually feel what they are feeling. This is up there as one of my favorite books that i have read. I have read it a few times now. you can get throuh this book fairly fast.
December 27, 2012
One of my favorite books back when I was 15, my first of Piers Anthony's books. It was my first book that I also couldn't put down for long, I loved and still love it. To this very day, the storyline and characters I still remember.
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January 20, 2019This tale wasn't quite believable, and a bit cliche and predictable. Unless you're a hard core Piers Anthony fan, or don't have anything better to read, it's probably not worth the time it takes to read it.
November 25, 2010
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I love all the elements and characters of the story. A true pleasure to have stumbled upon.
August 3, 2011
This is the first Piers Anthony book I've read. Because of it I'm now a big fan
April 3, 2013
I read this book in my teens and never forgot it, I loved it so much. I forgot the title but not the story and I just found it on here by accident!!I'm going to have to reread this one
March 5, 2016
I loved this book as a teen.
February 19, 2016
One of my absolute favorite Piers Anthony novels. I could read this book over and over again!
May 3, 2017
got this in a bundle, realized 10% of the way through that I had zero interest in what happened next
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews