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Shadows of a Dream
Stephen’s existence has become a wash of malaise, from the job he despises to the life that somehow has spun out of his control. He has grown apart from his wife, her respect for him having faded many years ago. As an escape, once a week, he and his friends get together to play The Game, exploring the magical world of Taerh through role play. Stephen soon learns there is more to Taerh than he ever imagined.The Game, which he thought to be a construct of imagination, was actually based on visions of a world beyond his perceptions. In his dreams, Stephen sees the world of Taerh through the eyes of his ‘reflection’, Hollis, who lives a life which Stephen could only imagine. When tragedy strikes, Stephen must work with his reflection to unravel a mystery that spans both Taerh and Earth. New comrades in both worlds offer to aid them; although some are true allies, others are motivated by their own selfish desires. As Stephen draws closer to Hollis, he must track down the murderers of his closest friends before he joins them in death.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 28, 2021
7 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 12, 2021
Into the land of dreams.
Stephen and his friends travel into the land of dreams in this epic adventure by SL Harby. You find yourself enthralled by the need to reach out and help. You'll want to know who is behind it all. I liked it!
Stephen and his friends travel into the land of dreams in this epic adventure by SL Harby. You find yourself enthralled by the need to reach out and help. You'll want to know who is behind it all. I liked it!
November 16, 2022
“For fans of The Never Ending Story comes this even better series by S.L. Harby, you won’t ever get enough of it!” - Emily Ashlyn
My friend, Jenna got me intrigued a lot about this book and let me tell you, this book was even better than it was discussed! The author told me many different pitches through attending my events I hosted event, yet it got even better when I read it tonight. I cannot stop loving it and I’m ready for the sequel now! Just gotta get my hands on his novellas too!
My friend, Jenna got me intrigued a lot about this book and let me tell you, this book was even better than it was discussed! The author told me many different pitches through attending my events I hosted event, yet it got even better when I read it tonight. I cannot stop loving it and I’m ready for the sequel now! Just gotta get my hands on his novellas too!
October 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this book! After meeting the author at a local event and hearing about the series, I was sold. I got all four books in the series and plan to read them back to back.
As for why this is only a four star for me:
The book started a little slow for me. I was thrown off by the almost-30 and still-in-high-school dynamic of the Band of Four, and felt the beginning was slow to reach the point the blurb on the back cover begins at. I think the writing style of the beginning and the ample use of ellipses contributed to the slowness for me, as the ellipses automatically slow down the cadence of the li es. There are also a lot of characters, and I was finding myself having trouble keeping them straight until Stephen learns about reflection, and what that means for his worlds and his friends. There are also some fight scenes that are a little long for my taste that I found myself skimming through.
Although the start was a little slow for me, I could tell over the course of the book that the author’s confidence in the story and writing. I found myself hooked on Stephen, Hollis, and the other characters fates in the middle 50% of the book, and rapidly picking up speed in my read as I entered the last 25% of the book. After the bumpy start in pacing I feel like the rest of the story unfolds at a really satisfying pace, with the reader, Stephen, and Hollis figuring out what’s going on at the same time.
The character development, particularly between Stephen and Hollis, is really well done, and despite my reservations about the age gap in the beginning, I found myself appreciating the dynamic of the Band of Four at the end. I really enjoyed seeing Stephen grow as a character in the latter half of the book, and hope that is a trend that will continue throughout the rest of the series. Although I understand the necessity of Ronni’s negative foil to showcase Stephen’s growth, I do wish Ronni was presented as less of a stereotypical “sitcom bitchy wife”, and instead her necessary flaws and downfall be met with more depth. After all, there was something that Stephen loved about her at one point, and she him, and I wish that was reflected in the depth of her character and their interactions in more than a fleeting moment of grill.
Book one leaves off on a satisfying cliffhanger, making me glad I already have book two locked and loaded! Overall, this was a really enjoyable read for me, and if you find the blurb interesting, I would definitely recommend picking this one up (and sticking it out if the beginning is slow for you too!)
As for why this is only a four star for me:
The book started a little slow for me. I was thrown off by the almost-30 and still-in-high-school dynamic of the Band of Four, and felt the beginning was slow to reach the point the blurb on the back cover begins at. I think the writing style of the beginning and the ample use of ellipses contributed to the slowness for me, as the ellipses automatically slow down the cadence of the li es. There are also a lot of characters, and I was finding myself having trouble keeping them straight until Stephen learns about reflection, and what that means for his worlds and his friends. There are also some fight scenes that are a little long for my taste that I found myself skimming through.
Although the start was a little slow for me, I could tell over the course of the book that the author’s confidence in the story and writing. I found myself hooked on Stephen, Hollis, and the other characters fates in the middle 50% of the book, and rapidly picking up speed in my read as I entered the last 25% of the book. After the bumpy start in pacing I feel like the rest of the story unfolds at a really satisfying pace, with the reader, Stephen, and Hollis figuring out what’s going on at the same time.
The character development, particularly between Stephen and Hollis, is really well done, and despite my reservations about the age gap in the beginning, I found myself appreciating the dynamic of the Band of Four at the end. I really enjoyed seeing Stephen grow as a character in the latter half of the book, and hope that is a trend that will continue throughout the rest of the series. Although I understand the necessity of Ronni’s negative foil to showcase Stephen’s growth, I do wish Ronni was presented as less of a stereotypical “sitcom bitchy wife”, and instead her necessary flaws and downfall be met with more depth. After all, there was something that Stephen loved about her at one point, and she him, and I wish that was reflected in the depth of her character and their interactions in more than a fleeting moment of grill.
Book one leaves off on a satisfying cliffhanger, making me glad I already have book two locked and loaded! Overall, this was a really enjoyable read for me, and if you find the blurb interesting, I would definitely recommend picking this one up (and sticking it out if the beginning is slow for you too!)
January 17, 2022
This book was a huge departure from my typical genre and let me just say I was not even remotely disappointed. This story was well crafted and laid out in intricate detail, with incredibly descriptive, visceral scenes that made it easy to walk right into the pages and live the experiences along with the characters.
The main character, Stephen, is highly relatable and learning of his struggles with his boss, his marriage and some past traumas makes him an even more sympathetic character. It also lends balance to Hollis, his "reflection" in the other dimension of this story, as Hollis is everything Stephen is not.
To say I didn't want to put this book down is an understatement. There were large stretches of time that I was so fully immersed in the book that I was completely unaware of what was going on around me. (Full confession: I almost fell off the treadmill when I started reading it on Kindle, because my brain was too busy painting pictures to remember I needed to walk.)
The characters are complete and real, and the arc of the story is satisfying, leaving just enough room to explore several of the characters in a future installment. (More than one installment? I vote yes to all his future books!)
The main character, Stephen, is highly relatable and learning of his struggles with his boss, his marriage and some past traumas makes him an even more sympathetic character. It also lends balance to Hollis, his "reflection" in the other dimension of this story, as Hollis is everything Stephen is not.
To say I didn't want to put this book down is an understatement. There were large stretches of time that I was so fully immersed in the book that I was completely unaware of what was going on around me. (Full confession: I almost fell off the treadmill when I started reading it on Kindle, because my brain was too busy painting pictures to remember I needed to walk.)
The characters are complete and real, and the arc of the story is satisfying, leaving just enough room to explore several of the characters in a future installment. (More than one installment? I vote yes to all his future books!)
June 12, 2022
Shadows of a Dream is an outstanding debut novel from S. L. Harby. I am as excited to share it as I was to read it!
Without spoiling anything, the book is perfect for any veteran (or budding) players of Dungeons & Dragons as well as any fans of the fantasy genre as a whole.
If that isn't enough to sell you on it, I will say that this is a book of self-discovery and learning to stand by who you are. It is also a book about adventure, high stakes, and worlds beyond our own.
For an author to come out of the gates with a book of this size while his quality and heart remain in place throughout is rare. I am thrilled to have gotten the chance to read this adventure of Stephen and Hollis', and even more thrilled because I could tell the passion that went into telling their story.
Definitely don't let this one pass you by!
Without spoiling anything, the book is perfect for any veteran (or budding) players of Dungeons & Dragons as well as any fans of the fantasy genre as a whole.
If that isn't enough to sell you on it, I will say that this is a book of self-discovery and learning to stand by who you are. It is also a book about adventure, high stakes, and worlds beyond our own.
For an author to come out of the gates with a book of this size while his quality and heart remain in place throughout is rare. I am thrilled to have gotten the chance to read this adventure of Stephen and Hollis', and even more thrilled because I could tell the passion that went into telling their story.
Definitely don't let this one pass you by!
June 28, 2025
Loved the premise! Such a fun portal fantasy! I loved how different it was from what you might find in mainstream publishing. A down-on-his-luck normal guy with normal looks, a normal job, and an awful wife I really loathed. I loved how he came into his own and the quips were great.
And that ending really makes me want to see what happens next in this exciting series!
CW: coarse language, death and violence on the page, drug use.
And that ending really makes me want to see what happens next in this exciting series!
CW: coarse language, death and violence on the page, drug use.
December 31, 2022
Whew! This book starts off running and doesn't let you go until the last page!
I am a gamer, so I was very excited to get into this story about a player who can go into his game world - but this is such a fresh take on that idea. The players and avatars are "reflections," and I am trying not to say too much because I'm really bad at avoiding spoilers. :)
This was a fun book, and I would highly recommend it. Also, the author is a pretty nice guy - I can't wait to see what comes next for/from S.L. Harby!
I am a gamer, so I was very excited to get into this story about a player who can go into his game world - but this is such a fresh take on that idea. The players and avatars are "reflections," and I am trying not to say too much because I'm really bad at avoiding spoilers. :)
This was a fun book, and I would highly recommend it. Also, the author is a pretty nice guy - I can't wait to see what comes next for/from S.L. Harby!
September 14, 2021
The affect of the "game" reality and fantasy the fine line on coping and how role playing and the stories we share influence our lives.
September 22, 2023
The build up is a little slow but necessary to understand the bigger picture. Over all it was enjoyable and I'll be reading the next in the series.
December 9, 2023
This is a wonderful introduction to the series and I very much enjoyed it! It is a very clever concept. Harby is an excellent story teller and for me the story is what makes this book stand out.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews