Fantasy Annotation

Author: Robert C. Cargill

Title: Dreams and Shadows

ISBN: 9780062190420

Genre: Fantasy fiction; Adult books for young adults; Urban fantasy fiction

Publication Date: February 2013

Number of Pages: 416 p.

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Other Formats: eBook, audiobook

Geographical Setting: Austin, Texas, USA; Limestone Kingdom (magical realm located outside of Austin, Texas)

Subject Headings:

Parallel universes

Interdimensional travel

Wizards

Magic

Technology

Fairies

Musicians


Plot Summary: Dreams and Shadows introduced us to many characters, including those of Ewan Thatacher and Colby Stevens. Ewan was cruelly kidnapped as an infant and replaced by a doppleganger - a changeling named Knocks. Ewan is raised in a fairy realm (in Austin, Texas) called the Limestone Kingdom. A young neglected boy - Colby Stevens - encounters a djinn (a genie) in the Texas woods, and makes a wish to see all that there is to see - including meeting a fairy, who turns out to be Ewan. While the two boys and the djinn meet in the fairy kingdom, Colby discovers that Ewan is to be sacrificed, and takes it upon himself to rescue Ewan from his unfortunate fate.

Appeal


Pacing: Meandering

Story: Intricately plotted; World-building

Characters: Multiple points of view; quirky characters

Setting: Detailed setting; sense of place

Language: Lyrical; narrative

Tone: Bleak; Dramatic; Violent

Graphic Meter: Graphic violence

Writing Style: Richly detailed


Read-Alikes (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Fiction –

The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

Reason for Suggestion: These novels recount stories of changelings and humans who interact in their parallel but very different worlds. Dreams and Shadows is a darker and faster-paced story, while The Stolen Child, though it has plenty of action, is more pensive. -- Katherine Johnson

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Reason for Suggestion: If you enjoy fantasy that features contemporary teens and young adults who get involved with magical realms, you'll want to try both these compelling, gritty novels. -- Katherine Johnson

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean R. Koontz

Reason for Suggestion: These books are Violent and Intricately plotted, and they share: the genre 'Adult books for young adults' and the subject 'Parallel universes'.

Nonfiction –

So You Created a Wormhole: A Time Traveler’s Guide to Time Travel by Phil Hornshaw

Provides novices with the rules of time travel, including why wormholes are not the safest way to travel, things you shouldn't say when meeting your future or past versions of yourself, and how to avoid "spaghettification."

Faery Tale: One Woman’s Search for Enchantment in a Modern World by Signe Pike

Details the true story of one woman's international quest for the elusive magical faeries whose stories sparked her childhood imagination, a pilgrimage that took her through Mexico, England, Ireland, Scotland and New York.

Magic: A Very Short Introduction by Owen Davies

A wide-ranging overview of how magic has been defined, understood and practiced over the millennia introduces it in today's world as a real force that helps people overcome misfortune, poverty and illness.

Read a Preview Here: http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Shadows-C-Robert-Cargill/dp/0062190423

User Reviews from GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15818357-dreams-and-shadows