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beautyinruins_ca's review against another edition
4.0
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Green Rider series, which means it’s probably been about 19 years since I read Green Rider. I’ve been looking for an excuse to shift the TBR pile a bit and dive back into the series, and the publication of The Dream Gatherer is exactly what I needed to rekindle the magic.
The first thing that struck me about the collection was the introductory pieces, which lay out an interesting – I’d go so far as to say surprising – pedigree. Julie Czerneda has some wonderful things to say about Kristen Britain, their shared DAW history, and their friendship, while Kristen herself talks of working as a ranger with the National Park Service, riding the trails, and wanting to transplant epic fantasy landscape from Europe to the wilds of Maine. What surprised me was the role Terry Goodkind played in her career, introducing her to his agent, and offering early support and ongoing feedback.
As for the stories themselves, ‘Wishwind’ is a simple story about a shipwreck, a mysterious island, and its peculiar occupant. With its fable or fairy tale feel, and its exploration of magic as a tool versus a weapon, it’s a gentle introduction to the collection.
Meanwhile, ‘Linked, on the Lake of Souls’ is a story from within a story, something told to Karigan in the course of her adventures. It’s a fun story of bravery, teamwork, and ingenuity, but there some dark aspects to it as well, with lost souls in the lake and the threat of a child sacrifice.
The main attraction here, of course, is ‘The Dream Gatherer’ itself. There was so much to enjoy here, it really reminded me of what I liked about the Green Rider in the first place. The whole concept of a ship broken out of its bottle, magically embedded itself in a cottage, is fantastic, and the eccentric Berry sisters are a lot of fun to read about. The draumkelder is a great bit of magic, pulling people from their dreams, but the emergence of a nightmare gives the story a dangerous, heroic edge.
Ironically, while her shadow looms large over The Dream Gatherer, Karigan herself is largely absent from the stories. That makes this a peculiar introduction for new readers (especially with the title novella alluding to events later in the series, which I forced myself to skip over), but a nice diversion for fans.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/book-review-the-dream-gatherer-by-kristen-britain/
The first thing that struck me about the collection was the introductory pieces, which lay out an interesting – I’d go so far as to say surprising – pedigree. Julie Czerneda has some wonderful things to say about Kristen Britain, their shared DAW history, and their friendship, while Kristen herself talks of working as a ranger with the National Park Service, riding the trails, and wanting to transplant epic fantasy landscape from Europe to the wilds of Maine. What surprised me was the role Terry Goodkind played in her career, introducing her to his agent, and offering early support and ongoing feedback.
As for the stories themselves, ‘Wishwind’ is a simple story about a shipwreck, a mysterious island, and its peculiar occupant. With its fable or fairy tale feel, and its exploration of magic as a tool versus a weapon, it’s a gentle introduction to the collection.
Meanwhile, ‘Linked, on the Lake of Souls’ is a story from within a story, something told to Karigan in the course of her adventures. It’s a fun story of bravery, teamwork, and ingenuity, but there some dark aspects to it as well, with lost souls in the lake and the threat of a child sacrifice.
The main attraction here, of course, is ‘The Dream Gatherer’ itself. There was so much to enjoy here, it really reminded me of what I liked about the Green Rider in the first place. The whole concept of a ship broken out of its bottle, magically embedded itself in a cottage, is fantastic, and the eccentric Berry sisters are a lot of fun to read about. The draumkelder is a great bit of magic, pulling people from their dreams, but the emergence of a nightmare gives the story a dangerous, heroic edge.
Ironically, while her shadow looms large over The Dream Gatherer, Karigan herself is largely absent from the stories. That makes this a peculiar introduction for new readers (especially with the title novella alluding to events later in the series, which I forced myself to skip over), but a nice diversion for fans.
https://sallybend.wordpress.com/2018/09/16/book-review-the-dream-gatherer-by-kristen-britain/
marie_reads_shiny_books's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bookswithamanda321's review against another edition
4.0
Super short, but nice to wet the palete and get hyped up for Winterlight!!
chrissie_whitley's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who typically does not like a short story collection (though for some reason I keep thinking I should and will), which I think stems from the general construction of a short story and how briefly you get to know the characters and how broadly the plot seems to spread, I loved this one.
Two short stories and a quick novella later, I'm gearing up to go explore the main Green Rider Series. I had never heard of this series nor the author [a:Kristen Britain|85545|Kristen Britain|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266020934p2/85545.jpg], but Britain brings together wonderful characters, a concise and perfectly paced plot, along with lovely descriptions of the various settings—one of which is introduced in such a nonchalant manner that it only made me want to read the original series even more to see if the how-on-Earth?! is explained—see ship/house meld on the book's cover art. A fantasy world made rich and wonderfully real by Britain's writing—lovely dry wit included—not to be missed.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.
Two short stories and a quick novella later, I'm gearing up to go explore the main Green Rider Series. I had never heard of this series nor the author [a:Kristen Britain|85545|Kristen Britain|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1266020934p2/85545.jpg], but Britain brings together wonderful characters, a concise and perfectly paced plot, along with lovely descriptions of the various settings—one of which is introduced in such a nonchalant manner that it only made me want to read the original series even more to see if the how-on-Earth?! is explained—see ship/house meld on the book's cover art. A fantasy world made rich and wonderfully real by Britain's writing—lovely dry wit included—not to be missed.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book, nor the content of my review.
greenwoodspicers's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cadoca's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
aliehsn's review against another edition
5.0
A couple short stories and a visit with the Berry Sisters. Hopefully an be healing.
ginny2024's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
allesum's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I don’t generally read or enjoy short stories or novellas but decided to give this a go because it is one of my all time favorite series. As a whole the stories were alright, but I miss the detail and character and plot development that you get with full novels. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the Linked story because it was completely unrelated to the GR world. The fact that Estral told it to Karigan was...eh.
In Wishwind, Rider Danalong heals his body and mind following the Long War with help from the interesting character, Marin. I really loved Marin and wouldn’t object to hearing more about her in future GR books.
The Dream Gatherer I did enjoy but different reasons than I anticipated. I re-read The Green Rider a few months ago so the Berry sisters were fresh in my memory. I had hoped that the seven chimneys story would shed some light on the sisters’ eccentric background and the magical artifacts. I was unprepared for a new pirate character and for Estral to be the protagonist. The first I enjoyed and the second was...eh. ( I’m realizing that I must not care for Estral very much.). One event of the party that the Berry sister host concerning the boat figurehead was really exciting.
The book as a whole seemed to be a bit whimsical and dreamlike in keeping with the theme of the Berry sisters party. It neither added to or detracted from the GR series.
I don’t generally read or enjoy short stories or novellas but decided to give this a go because it is one of my all time favorite series. As a whole the stories were alright, but I miss the detail and character and plot development that you get with full novels. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the Linked story because it was completely unrelated to the GR world. The fact that Estral told it to Karigan was...eh.
In Wishwind, Rider Danalong heals his body and mind following the Long War with help from the interesting character, Marin. I really loved Marin and wouldn’t object to hearing more about her in future GR books.
The Dream Gatherer I did enjoy but different reasons than I anticipated. I re-read The Green Rider a few months ago so the Berry sisters were fresh in my memory. I had hoped that the seven chimneys story would shed some light on the sisters’ eccentric background and the magical artifacts. I was unprepared for a new pirate character and for Estral to be the protagonist. The first I enjoyed and the second was...eh. ( I’m realizing that I must not care for Estral very much.). One event of the party that the Berry sister host concerning the boat figurehead was really exciting.
The book as a whole seemed to be a bit whimsical and dreamlike in keeping with the theme of the Berry sisters party. It neither added to or detracted from the GR series.