Poet Anderson ...Of Nightmares

by Tom DeLonge, Suzanne Young Narrated by Liam Gerrard

Overview

Poet Anderson . . . Of Nightmares follows the epic journey of two orphan brothers, Jonas and Alan, who are Lucid Dreamers. After a tragic car accident lands Alan in a coma, Jonas sets out into the Dream World in an attempt to find his brother and wake him up. What he discovers instead is an entire shared consciousness where fear comes to life as a snarling beast called a Night Terror, and a creature named REM is bent on destruction and misery, devouring the souls of the strongest dreamers to get closer to the Waking World. With the help of a Dream Walker-a guardian of the dreamscape, Jonas must face his fears, save his brother, and become who he was always meant to be: Poet Anderson.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

10/05/2015
Former Blink-182 lead vocalist DeLonge teams up with Young (The Remedy) for a trilogy opener in which factions battle for control of the Dream and Waking worlds. In his everyday life, Jonas Anderson is dealing with the aftermath of a car accident that left his brother in a coma; in another world, he's Poet Anderson, a "Lucid Dreamer" capable of controlling the dream state around him and caught in a struggle between the Dream Walkers, who act as guardians, and the Night Stalkers, soulless tools of the malevolent REM. As this first book unfolds, Poet works to master his abilities, understand the scope of the brewing war, and attempt to save his brother's life. The ambitious story is filled with well-worn tropes, and the core romance happens with the speed of dream logic. The stylistic visuals, which work well in a tie-in animated short film, Poet Anderson: The Dream Walker, lack the same impact on the page. The storytelling is solid, and the setting is intriguing, but the novel suffers from thin character development and overfamiliar elements. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)

Foreword Magazine

"5/5 Engaging and innovative...exciting and highly entertaining."

The Guardian

It is a very quick and quite enjoyable read. It is full of action and suspense as well as humour. The world DeLonge has created is incredibly vivid and well imagined and the plot has some great twists, especially near the end, which were utterly unexpected. ... I would encourage you to read it if you enjoy fast paced action and romance with tense cliff hangers.

Fiction Fare (5 out of 5 stars)

"Tom DeLonge and Suzanne Young created a story that pulled me in from the very first page and kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next... Just know that I loved every minute of this book and am hopeful that we will have more stories from these two that include the Andersons. Definitely consider checking this book out when you can – I found I was unable to put it down and now that I am finished I just want more."

Digital Trends

"No doubt about it- Tom DeLonge is a modern-day Dream Weaver."

Yahoo! music

"...alt rock's J.K. Rowling."

Booklist Online

Musician DeLonge (of the band Blink-182) teams with seasoned writer Young (The Program, 2013) to explore the relationship between dreams and reality. Orphaned when their parents die in a plane crash, brothers Jonas and Alan can travel together in dreams and are learning how to manipulate waking reality through their actions in those dreamscapes. On their way to Seattle, where Alan will start a doorman job at the Eden Hotel, a terrible auto accident leaves Alan in a coma. There’s shades of the Wild West in the almost nonstop action, which includes a car chase, a monocycle race, and fist and knife fights, leaving little room for developing personalities. Characters are closer to archetypes than flesh and blood, but the draw here will be the interesting questions raised about the power of our fears, and the hero’s journey to conquer inner demons. This first in a planned trilogy will be released concurrent with an original soundtrack and accompanying visual art.

— Debbie Carton

My So-Called Book Reviews (5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a book that guys and girls, as well as their parents, can get behind and totally fall in love and that’s so rare to find these days. If you’re ready for a book that will take you into a world which can be found each time you close your eyes, a dark adventure full of new and fascinating places and characters you won’t soon forget, then absolutely pick up Poet Anderson…Of Nightmares and get prepared to be blown away!! Absolutely my favorite read of 2015 and I can’t wait for book two!!"

Cover2Cover (4.5 out of 5 stars)

"I totally enjoyed every minute spent reading this masterpiece of a novel and I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment in this surreal, visceral, imaginative, fantastical, adventurous ride of a novel and I highly recommend this to ALL readers!"

Consequence of Sound

Reads like a blend between Harry Potter and The Matrix. ...Of Nightmares hits the trifecta.

From the Publisher

"5/5 Engaging and innovative . . . exciting and highly entertaining." ---Foreword Magazine

From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY

"5/5 Engaging and innovative . . . exciting and highly entertaining." —Foreword Magazine

School Library Journal

12/01/2015
Gr 10 Up—Jonas Anderson's parents died in a plane accident, and his brother was forced to quit school so he could support him. The brothers have been in a horrifying car accident. Jonas has survived, but Alan is hospitalized in a deep coma and will not wake up. Jonas follows through on the job his brother was about to start at the Eden, which is the same hotel where his parents used to work. The teen realizes things are not what they seem at the hotel, but he's distracted with visiting his brother, attending a new high school, and adjusting to his job. The siblings have inherited the ability to visit dreams from their mother; before Alan's accident, they were searching for a deeply hidden dream city that Alan insists exists. Jonas continues his visits to the Dream World, hoping he will run into his brother. One evening, he is attacked by a massive, petrifying creature. A Dream Walker named Jarabec comes to Jonas's rescue and becomes his mentor. Soon, Jonas encounters Night Terrors and murderous Dream Walkers; if he dies in the dream world, he also dies in the waking world. Like a teen Blade Runner, this book has nonstop action with dramatic, heart-pounding escapes from the evil clutches of the Night Terrors, Dream Stealers, and REM—a Dream Walker hoping to steal Jonas's soul. The protagonist falls in love with a beautiful Lucid Dreamer he first meets at school, and this light romantic plot thread lends more layers to this electric read. VERDICT An epic and sizzling tale of a teen hero struggling to find his destiny.—Julie Shatterly, W. A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171271022
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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