The Crystal Key: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 2

Douglas Smith

Hardcover

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Sequel to the 2023 AURORA AWARD WINNER and 2023 Juried IAP AWARD Winner, THE HOLLOW BOYS

Will Dreycott is the Dream Rider, the agoraphobic teenage superhero who can walk in our dreams but never in the streets of his city. Case is his girlfriend, a survivor of those streets who hears voices. Fader is her brother, who is very good at disappearing. Together, they defeated a body swapper and a witch to save the world (The Hollow Boys).

Now, Case battles guilt over living sheltered in Will's tower home while her street friends still struggle. Blaming his affliction for Case's sadness, Will searches for a way to live a normal life with the girl he loves-a way to go outside.

But his efforts draw the attention of dark forces. Sinister figures hunt Will in Dream. Intruders scour the vast warehouse of antiquities "acquired" by Will's missing parents. And a masked swordswoman attacks Will, demanding "the Crystal Key" before disappearing into thin air.

Are they all searching for the same thing? Something from Will's parents' shady past? For the swordswoman leaves behind a flowery scent, Will's only memory from the lost expedition eight years ago that gave him powers in Dream but cost him his parents and his freedom.

A trail of dark secrets leads Will, Case, and Fader to a mysterious world. Trapped between warring cults willing to kill for the Crystal Key, the three friends must master strange new powers that grow stronger and wilder the closer they draw to the truth.

This time it's not just the fate of the world at stake...but the multiverse.

Indiana Jones meets Teen Titans in The Dream Rider Saga, a fast-paced urban fantasy trilogy from "one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction" (Library Journal).

Praise for The Dream Rider Saga:

"A must-read story for YA fantasy fans." -Blueink Review (★ Starred review)

"Inventive, engaging, and boundless fun." -The Ottawa Review of Books

"Fast-paced and entertaining." -SF Crowsnest

"A fun supernatural tale with well-developed characters and a touch of romance." -Kirkus Reviews

Book Details

Publisher: Spiral Path Books
Publish Date: Mar 15th, 2023
Pages: 386
Language: English
Edition: Douglas Smith - undefined
Dimensions: 9.00in - 6.00in - 1.00in - 1.62lb
EAN: 9781928048336
Categories: • Superheroes (See Also Comics & Graphic Novels - Superheroes)• Fantasy - Urban

About the Author

Smith, Douglas: - Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning author described by Library Journal as "one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction." His books include The Wolf at the End of the World, Chimerascope, Impossibilia, Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction, and the YA urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga (The Hollow Boys, The Crystal Key, and The Lost Expedition). Published in 27 languages, Doug is a 3-time winner of Canada's Aurora Award and has been a finalist for the Astounding Award, CBC's Bookies Award, Canada's juried Sunburst Award, and France's juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane. "The man is Sturgeon good. Zelazny good. I don't give those up easy." -Spider Robinson, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner "A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice." -Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner " His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think." -Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner "Stories you can't forget, even years later." -Julie Czerneda, multi-award-winning author and editor

Praise for this book

Praise for The Hollow Boys (The Dream Rider Saga, #1)

Winner of 2023 Aurora Award for Best Young Adult Novel

Winner of 2023 Juried IAP Award for Best Young Adult Novel

"This arresting series kickoff grips from the start as it introduces its inventive milieu, its flawed but fantastically powered hero, its playful worldbuilding, and a host of tantalizing mysteries. ... [A] vigorously imaginative scenario. ... Takeaway: Thrilling YA fantasy" -BookLife (Editor's Pick)

"An assured, confident novel... A must-read story for YA fantasy fans." -Blueink Review (Starred review)

"Inventive, engaging, and boundless fun." -The Ottawa Review of Books

"A fun supernatural tale with well-developed characters and a touch of romance." -Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Crystal Key (The Dream Rider Saga, #2)

"The richly inventive Dream Rider adventure continues in this second appealing entry...of Smith's epic YA series. ... An exciting plot...always enlivened by the Smith hallmarks of crack dialogue, fun sleuthing and puzzle-solving, a strong through-line of emotion, a swift pace...and a principled refusal to settle for the familiar. ... This thrilling superpowered urban fantasy series continues to grip." -BookLife (Editor's Pick)

"Smith continues to demonstrate an ability to expertly weave multiple complex fantasy elements into a cohesive whole. ... This fast-paced story delivers in a big way-and Smith has all his ducks lined up for an explosive conclusion that readers won't want to miss." -Blueink Review (Starred review)

"Smith's take on superheroes and serials is both modern and original, but it recreates the same energy, the same yearning for superpowers, the same subconscious fear of dark places and boogeymen as the best stories of our own remembered youth. High adventure leavened with romance and mystery. ... The Crystal Key has everything that made The Hollow Boys work and turns it up a few notches. I can't wait for the conclusion in The Lost Expedition." -Ottawa Review of Books

"A fun and engrossing superhero sequel." -Kirkus Reviews