What do you think?
Rate this book
The Silent Empire #2
Nightmare
Rescued from slavery by the Children of Irfan, Kendi Weaver, a Silent with an innate gift for dream communication, journeys with his rescuers to their planet, Bellerophon, only to find a world tormented by a vicious serial killer who is stalking Silents like Kendi in their telepathic dreams. Original.
48 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Steven Harper
53 books119 followersA pseudonym of Steven Piziks
Steven Harper Piziks was born with a name that no one can reliably spell or pronounce, so he often writes under the pen name Steven Harper. He lives in Michigan with his family. When not at the keyboard, he plays the folk harp, fiddles with video games, and pretends he doesn’t talk to the household cats. In the past, he’s held jobs as a reporter, theater producer, secretary, and substitute teacher. He maintains that the most interesting thing about him is that he writes books.
Steven is the creator of The Silent Empire series, the Clockwork Empire steampunk series, and the Books of Blood and Iron series for Roc Books. All four Silent Empire novels were finalists for the Spectrum Award, a first!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 11, 2023
Really liked this one and will now try to get the other books of the quartet and read them all at some point. :)
January 21, 2023
While reading I was almost ready to give this 5 stars, but some things near the end, made me decide against it. I still really enjoyed this one very much and have already ordered the next one.
This review will contain untagged spoilers for Dreamer, the first book in The Silent Empire series. Anything that could be considered spoilery for this book will be under a cut.
I was surprised to find out, that the sequel to Dreamer was actually a prequel. I didn't mind at all though, because I was super interested in how Kendi found his way to the monastery, how he was as a teenager and how he met Ara and Ben.
After the prologue, which doesn't seem to have much to do with what comes after at first, just like in the first book, we witness the slave auction where Kendi's family got torn apart. It was heartbreaking and set the tone for the first part of the book. We see Kendi and his mother accept their fate as a slaves and how Kendi's life changes after he and - more importantly the people around him- find out he's Silent.
Once there, we get a much closer look into Bellerophon's society and the Children of Irfan this time. The latter part of the book foremost takes place there and reads more like a crime novel. Someone is killing Sisters and the book keeps us guessing till almost the very end. Take note, crime novels and thrillers!
This is mostly Ara's plot, but of course Kendi manages to get himself stuck right in the middle of the drama by accident - while also figuring out his love life on the downlow.
You see, Kendi is actually allowed to have crushes and figure out some things before he meets Ben, who seems perfect for him. I thought that was refreshing. And Ben is a good character in general and I hope future books will have more of him.
Kendi also found friends and I'm somehow disappointed now that most of them didn't show up in Dreamer. I liked them and the group scenes. They made the school setting feel more realistic.
I also continue to find The Dream fascinating. Seeing the pupils learn how to navigate it and how they had fun with it was a joy to read and the gruesome dream murders were truly scary. After some time, I always expected something awful to happen as soon as a named character entered The Dream.
As to the reasons why I substracted a star:
- The end felt rushed, almost as if the author only had a certain amount of pages left he was allowed to fill and then tried to squeeze everything onto the last 15 pages.
- Looking back at Dreamer, now Kendi's non-reaction to Pitr's death makes no sense. He's one of the few (I'm currently counting three, maybe four) side characters I remembered from Dreamer and I was surprised to find out that he was one of Kendi's crushes. They were at least friends. You'd have never guessed after the first book.
Another thing that bothered me requires talking about the murderer. I won't tell you who it was, but I feel like you could maybe guess who it is if you're currently reading it or remember it when you're starting this book. Therefore, open with caution:
I also would have liked more of Kendi and Ben. They were cute, but I thought significant stuff about their relationship happened off screen.
All in all I was pretty satisfied with this book, though and I can't wait to read the next one, which is an actual sequel this time. I want to know what happened to Kendi's family - especially his brother!
This review will contain untagged spoilers for Dreamer, the first book in The Silent Empire series. Anything that could be considered spoilery for this book will be under a cut.
I was surprised to find out, that the sequel to Dreamer was actually a prequel. I didn't mind at all though, because I was super interested in how Kendi found his way to the monastery, how he was as a teenager and how he met Ara and Ben.
After the prologue, which doesn't seem to have much to do with what comes after at first, just like in the first book, we witness the slave auction where Kendi's family got torn apart. It was heartbreaking and set the tone for the first part of the book. We see Kendi and his mother accept their fate as a slaves and how Kendi's life changes after he and - more importantly the people around him- find out he's Silent.
Once there, we get a much closer look into Bellerophon's society and the Children of Irfan this time. The latter part of the book foremost takes place there and reads more like a crime novel. Someone is killing Sisters and the book keeps us guessing till almost the very end. Take note, crime novels and thrillers!
This is mostly Ara's plot, but of course Kendi manages to get himself stuck right in the middle of the drama by accident - while also figuring out his love life on the downlow.
You see, Kendi is actually allowed to have crushes and figure out some things before he meets Ben, who seems perfect for him. I thought that was refreshing. And Ben is a good character in general and I hope future books will have more of him.
Kendi also found friends and I'm somehow disappointed now that most of them didn't show up in Dreamer. I liked them and the group scenes. They made the school setting feel more realistic.
I also continue to find The Dream fascinating. Seeing the pupils learn how to navigate it and how they had fun with it was a joy to read and the gruesome dream murders were truly scary. After some time, I always expected something awful to happen as soon as a named character entered The Dream.
As to the reasons why I substracted a star:
- The end felt rushed, almost as if the author only had a certain amount of pages left he was allowed to fill and then tried to squeeze everything onto the last 15 pages.
- Looking back at Dreamer, now Kendi's non-reaction to Pitr's death makes no sense. He's one of the few (I'm currently counting three, maybe four) side characters I remembered from Dreamer and I was surprised to find out that he was one of Kendi's crushes. They were at least friends. You'd have never guessed after the first book.
Another thing that bothered me requires talking about the murderer. I won't tell you who it was, but I feel like you could maybe guess who it is if you're currently reading it or remember it when you're starting this book. Therefore, open with caution:
I also would have liked more of Kendi and Ben. They were cute, but I thought significant stuff about their relationship happened off screen.
All in all I was pretty satisfied with this book, though and I can't wait to read the next one, which is an actual sequel this time. I want to know what happened to Kendi's family - especially his brother!
November 6, 2010
Nightmare is more of a prequel and I must say that I really enjoyed this book. It was excellent in all ways.
The story takes us back to Kendi’s childhood. We see how he is split up from his family when he’s sold into slavery. We share the life that follows. It’s a hard life, a subservient life but Kendi is unwilling to forget his past. When the Children of Irfan rescue him some years later, he can hardly believe he’s free, let alone safe. But it turns out he’s not safe; no Silent is safe because there’s a serial killer on the loose.
The hesitation I felt from the author in book one was non-existent in this book. It was so much more believable. The characters came alive on the page. The setting was three dimensional. The plot was sort of like a fantasy/science fiction mystery thriller, which I considered to be well thought out and written. There were some gory descriptions but nothing that wasn’t absolutely necessary for the storyline.
The thing that stood out the most was the fact that I started reading and with no time at all, I was finished! For me, this is a sign that I’ve been totally absorbed by what I’m reading. The words flowed effortlessly, the storyline unfolded without any jarring occurrences and the resolution was more than just acceptable.
Again, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I certainly will be purchasing the next book in the series.
The story takes us back to Kendi’s childhood. We see how he is split up from his family when he’s sold into slavery. We share the life that follows. It’s a hard life, a subservient life but Kendi is unwilling to forget his past. When the Children of Irfan rescue him some years later, he can hardly believe he’s free, let alone safe. But it turns out he’s not safe; no Silent is safe because there’s a serial killer on the loose.
The hesitation I felt from the author in book one was non-existent in this book. It was so much more believable. The characters came alive on the page. The setting was three dimensional. The plot was sort of like a fantasy/science fiction mystery thriller, which I considered to be well thought out and written. There were some gory descriptions but nothing that wasn’t absolutely necessary for the storyline.
The thing that stood out the most was the fact that I started reading and with no time at all, I was finished! For me, this is a sign that I’ve been totally absorbed by what I’m reading. The words flowed effortlessly, the storyline unfolded without any jarring occurrences and the resolution was more than just acceptable.
Again, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I certainly will be purchasing the next book in the series.
August 18, 2025
This occurs before Dreamer, and while some say you should read it first, I think it works best in the series order so as to not spoil the first book. It's kind of like Star Wars - you should watch 4,5,6 before 1,2,3 or you lose some tension in the middle trilogy.
I really liked seeing Kendi's growth and introduction to the dream. There is mystery, a budding romance and coming of age feel with Ben. We see more of Belleraphon and it's wonder. We learn more about the dream and it's role in society.
I really enjoyed the narration as the narrator did a great job with accents.
I really liked seeing Kendi's growth and introduction to the dream. There is mystery, a budding romance and coming of age feel with Ben. We see more of Belleraphon and it's wonder. We learn more about the dream and it's role in society.
I really enjoyed the narration as the narrator did a great job with accents.
April 8, 2018
My original review of the novel
P.J. Ochlan managed to make a story that I liked while reading it into one of my favorite bedtime stories. This one was even so good and I enjoyed it so much that I didn't even care about the (albeit small) problems I had with the book while listening.
P.J. Ochlan managed to make a story that I liked while reading it into one of my favorite bedtime stories. This one was even so good and I enjoyed it so much that I didn't even care about the (albeit small) problems I had with the book while listening.
July 18, 2017
A much better book than the 1st.
August 16, 2018
Better than the first, but a kinda different look at the Dream.
July 9, 2019
An excellent read. Pity that I can't get hold of the others
May 12, 2021
If this had been book #1 in the series, I would have enjoyed it more.
June 11, 2025
It was a good mystery. Clunky ending. I still liked it.
February 24, 2012
Great, fun ideas; slightly clumsy writing. I read the Kindle Edition and the editing is awful. Lots of missed words, punctuation. Lots of wrong words. If I were Mr. Harper, I'd be pretty pissed at the quality of the edition. But I got through it, and I really enjoyed the story. This story is a bit of a murder mystery again, though without the police procedural elements present in the first book in the series.
I started this series because of the gay protagonist, and I was looking for the gay to be a bit more of the story. This story is great, but it is not what I was looking for. (I'm still continuing the series, though). This series is strictly PG wrt sex, though at least an R for violence and related stuff.
I started this series because of the gay protagonist, and I was looking for the gay to be a bit more of the story. This story is great, but it is not what I was looking for. (I'm still continuing the series, though). This series is strictly PG wrt sex, though at least an R for violence and related stuff.
April 12, 2013
Nightmare (Silent Empire #2) is significantly better than Dreamer (Silent Empire #1). The author keeps all of his strengths: a well-imagined and engaging world, imperfect characters with whom it is easy to sympathize, and the right amount of predictability (I didn't always know what was going to happen, but when it happened I wasn't blindsided.).
Unlike the first book, Nightmare holds together all the way to the end.
Unlike the first book, Nightmare holds together all the way to the end.
July 9, 2008
This book goes back to the beginning: Kendi's origins, his first meeting with Ara and Ben, how he became a Child of Irfan. It sets the stage for the third and fourth book, but has an interesting mystery in and of itself.
July 9, 2010
Enjoyed this book a lot! Glad to see it's actually part of a series, which wasn't clear to me when I grabbed it off the library shelf while desperately hunting down books to keep me entertained during a post-surgical bed rest. I'll definitely hunt down the other installments in the series.
December 6, 2009
Liked this whole series. Would recommend to anyone.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews