The Hollow Boys: The Dream Rider Saga, Book 1

Douglas Smith

Aug 2022 · The Dream Rider Saga Book 1 · Spiral Path Books

About this ebook

WINNER OF THE 2023 AURORA AWARD FOR BEST YA NOVEL

WINNER OF THE 2023 JURIED IAP AWARD FOR BEST YA NOVEL

Vanishing street kids. An ancient evil. The end of the world.

Our only hope? A hero who can't leave home.

At seventeen, Will Dreycott is a superhero…in his dreams. And in yours.

Eight years ago, Will's parents, shady dealers in ancient artifacts, disappeared on a jungle expedition. Will, the sole survivor, returned home with no memory of what happened, bringing a gift…and a curse.

The gift? Will can walk in our dreams. At night in Dream, Will hunts for criminals—and his parents. During the day, his Dream Rider comic, about a superhero no one knows is real, has made Will rich.

The curse? Severe agoraphobia. Will can't go outside. So he makes his home a skyscraper with everything he needs in life—everything but the freedom to walk the streets of his city.

Case, an orphan Will's age, survives on those streets with her younger brother, Fader. Survives because she too has a gift. She hears voices warning her of danger. And Fader? Well, he fades.

When street kids start vanishing, the Dream Rider joins the hunt. Will’s search becomes personal when Case breaks into his tower to escape her own abduction. Fader isn't so lucky.

As Will and Case search for Fader and the missing kids, an unlikely romance grows between the boy with everything and the girl with nothing except the freedom Will longs for.

But as they push deeper into the mystery, they confront an ancient power feeding on these forgotten kids to restore itself. And once restored, no one in the world will be safe.

To defeat this creature, Will must do the impossible.

Go outside.

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).

"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. … Vigorously imaginative. ... Takeaway: Thrilling YA fantasy." —BookLife (Editor's Pick)

"The Hollow Boys is an assured, confident novel with strong world-building, sharp dialogue and the perfect balance between action and emotional growth for its main characters. ... In short, this is 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

"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

Ratings and reviews

Captivating and exciting! What a riveting story! Original plot, a fascinating storyline, fast paced and easy to read, the words just flew by, with one exciting adventure after another. The story is full of trepidation and excitement, a need to overcome flaws, loneliness, to fill the hollowed soul with meaning. This new series is an exceptional YA Urban Fantasy, innovative and creative, so characteristic of Douglas Smith’s writing style. I highly recommend this series.

Great storyline with characters to match. In the Dream world, Will is a superhero; in the real world, he’s an agoraphobic billionaire teenage boy. Will he be able to win an incredible battle with a powerful witch and body snatching villian? Action is steady throughout the book. An easy, engrossing read. Don’t miss this one.

I could review this book in one sentence, ‘I Loved It!’ Douglas Smith has earned himself a reputation for interesting and imaginative storytelling and The Hollow Boys is a great example of the author at his best. Douglas Smith gives us a refreshing take on the superhero genre as he mixes in his own world of dreams and magic. We follow teenaged Will, a super rich comic book writing agoraphobe, who also happens to be a real superhero when he dreams. I would think the hardest thing to do with a story like this is making it feel grounded and real. The author not only achieves that but somehow manages to do so while giving his readers a tale full of the fantastical. Equally difficult, if not virtually impossible, to achieve must be making the story appealing to adults and younger readers alike but this too is accomplished masterfully. I won’t give away any plot points but I will say you’re never really sure where the story will go. Just grab yourself a copy and enjoy the ride.

About the author

Douglas Smith is a multi-award-winning author described by Library Journal as “one of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction.”

Published in twenty-seven languages, Doug is a four-time winner of Canada’s Aurora Award and has been a finalist for the Astounding Award, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Bookies Award, Canada’s juried Sunburst Award, the juried Alberta Magazine Award for Fiction, and France’s juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.

His works include the young adult urban fantasy trilogy, The Dream Rider Saga (The Hollow Boys, The Crystal Key, and The Lost Expedition); the Heroka shapeshifter novels, The Wolf at the End of the World and The Wolf and the Phoenix (in progress); the collections, Chimerascope and Impossibilia; the writer’s guide, Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction; and numerous short stories.

Doug lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“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