As the daughters of Dreamhunters, 15-year-old Laura and her cousin Rose wonder whether they too have that very special gift: the ability to catch larger-than-life dreams like butterflies and relay them to audiences in the Rainbow Opera. But when they go to test their powers, the two girls discover not a wondrous opportunity but a horrifying secret. Then, suddenly, Laura's father disappears, and the girls' dreams of dream-hunting begin cascading towards nightmare. An enthralling, original fantasy.

(also published as The Rainbow Opera)

Reviews

"In this stunning novel, the New Zealand writer's first novel for young adults, Knox establishes herself as one of the most mesmerizing voices writing for young readers today. Cousins Laura and Rose are awaiting the moment when they will be of age to make their life-defining "Try" to enter "the Place" to see if they have the rare gift to cross over the boundary from our world into the barren, dusty landscape of the hidden territory of dreams. There they could become licensed dreamhunters who capture dreams that they can share with others in elaborately staged performances in sumptuous dream palaces. Knox's creation of the history, geography, and magical dimension of Southland is absolutely convincing in every carefully constructed detail. The book reads like a richly realized historical novel, rather than a fantasy: maybe there really is somewhere on Earth "a whole territory hidden in a fold in a map." The shifting dynamics of the relationship between Rose and Laura, as each finds her way to a different destiny, are brilliantly observed in every psychological nuance; we know them as well as we know the members of our own family. The plot reveals a dark scheme of political intrigue, where the powers of the dreamhunters can be abused in the service of great evil, and builds to a shattering conclusion. The first of a projected "Dreamhunter Duet," this is a haunting and powerful book that will be long remembered. 2005, Farrar Straus and Giroux, Ages 12 up." Claudia Mills, Ph.D. - Children's Literature

" A lyrical, intricate and ferociously intelligent fantasy explores the ramifications of treating dreams as commodities. Laura Hame, the adolescent daughter of the first and most famous "dreamhunter," is content with her privileged life, dominated by her confident cousin Rose. Everything changes when she becomes one of the tiny minority able to enter the otherworldly "Place," where free-range dreams can be captured and brought back to be sold-for healing, for entertainment and for other, darker, purposes. But when Laura's father mysteriously disappears, she and Rose are thrust into a web of official intrigue and deceit, and Laura discovers that there is more to her heritage than she ever suspected. Knox starts off slowly, gradually piling on the details of two utterly convincing worlds-one reminiscent of a genteel, turn-of-the-century Australia, the other arid, unsettling and surreal-both of which mask underlying corruption and grim purpose. The characters display equal complexity, with hidden depths and tragic flaws. Once the plot gathers momentum, it builds inexorably to a nightmare climax that satisfies fully while pointing to the promised sequel. Provocative and compelling." (Fantasy. YA) Kirkus Reviews

"It is like nothing else I've ever read. The characters are so real, you'll feel like you know exactly what they look like and how their voices sound and what they would say or do in any given situation. More than that, you'll want to hang out with them. Then the world is so amazing and unique. You will want to go there. You will want to walk into 'the Place.' And you will want to sleep in a dream opera."--Stephenie Meyer, The Twilight Saga 
  Accolades

Shortlisted for Montana New Zealand Book Awards: Fiction Category 2006.
Commended for Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature 2007.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Knox is the prize-winning author of numerous adult novels, including the bestselling The Vintner's Luck (1999, Chatto). The Dream Quake is her second novel for young adults. She lives in New Zealand with her husband and son.