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Post by Tegid on Aug 1, 2005 0:57:56 GMT -5
I'll be rereading, too, and slowly of necessity. I missed so much the first time around. Thanks, Dan, for the conversation as we go along!
I can believe that about Spencer. He's devoted so much of his life to getting where he is professionally, that other aspects of his character haven't developed quite so fully. Yet he isn't cast as a nerd or misfit, and I greatly appreciate that Lawhead didn't do a stereotyping stunt like that to him.
Do you really think it was that way with his view of his intellect? Could it be that his association with brilliant people gave him a healthy view of just where he really fit? Perhaps he learned to know that he was good enough (and so he drove hard for his project's grant proposal), but also that there were others who were his intellectual betters, and always would be. That can help a person with great capabilities not fall into the pride trap that, say (though this would be an extreme example), someone like Hocking did. There are so many other character qualities that he would need to have, that found fertile ground in him because he wasn't so absorbed in how great he (might have thought he) was.
And I thought it was cool to watch some of those incipient qualities develop in him throughout the story!
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Post by karenee on Aug 1, 2005 2:03:14 GMT -5
Tegid's assessment of Spencer's grasp of his intellect rings true. This is how I felt he thought of himself, though I do think the concept of it grew throughout the book, so you may find yourself understanding him more fully in this area later. I think, too that it is easy to tell right from the beginning that his mind is being messed with. No scientist with enough gumption to get a prized spot on the space station for his research is going to act as listless as he does. So, as the story progresses, we learn more about him than we could have known at the beginning, due to the circumstances. |
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Post by DanTheMan on Aug 2, 2005 14:52:56 GMT -5
Well, I'm still reading. Spence is about to leave on the Mars trip. I've been thinking on his family troubles. He has issues with his Dad, and even his sister makes him tense. The Dad thing has had me thinking, though. Does it often seem to you that people with hard issues with their dads have a hard time getting the concept of a loving heavenly Father?
I'm also interesting in Karenee's perspective. How do you see Ari, his love interest? Do you have a different perspective on Spence than we males might have?
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Post by karenee on Aug 2, 2005 22:49:09 GMT -5
Ari is sweet and... um... well... She's very .... Sigh... (You may not want to read this part, Dan.) she caves too easily, and goes along with the plans of someone she KNOWS to be the bad guy. I really can't like that about her character, though it doesn't ruin the book for me. SRL does an excellent job of showing Spence's growth through the book. I love how he grows in depth as we get to know him. And the way SRL portrays the revelations that Spence encounters throughout is nothing short of wonderful! There's this one scene near the end... but you'll know it when you get there. |
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Post by DanTheMan on Aug 3, 2005 9:57:22 GMT -5
For one, I have already read the book once, a couple years ago. So I know how it ends and all, I just forget some of the details. You don't have to worry about spoiling anything for me.
I am currently in the part where Spence wandered out of the Mars colony and am a little disappointed in that. It seems so abrupt that I keep thinking he is still dreaming. Although I do look forward to when he meets up with whats-his-name under the surface.
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Post by cree8ivone on Aug 3, 2005 10:59:41 GMT -5
I always liked that part too. The reawakening of the guardian and how it ends up is one of my favorite story arcs in Dream Thief.
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Post by cree8ivone on Aug 10, 2005 7:37:51 GMT -5
Well I've found Dream Thief and I have started rereading it.
I am reminded how much I enjoy Lawhead's descriptions of people, very detailed yet casually real.
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Post by DanTheMan on Aug 10, 2005 9:38:47 GMT -5
Spoiler Warning! If anyone else reads this, you are fore warned!
Well, I am currently getting into more of the action part. Spence has come back from Mars and now the three of them are talking with Mrs. Zanderson. I guess I'm seeing 3's everywhere these days, but I find it interesting that there are the 3 heroes - Spence,Ari,Adjani - and the 3 villians - Hocking,Tickler,Kurt. There's also three places in Gotham, Mars, Earth. Coincidence?
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Post by cree8ivone on Aug 12, 2005 9:38:58 GMT -5
I am just now reading that Spence is aboard the Gyrfalcon and is headed for Mars.
I am remembering all the things I enjoy about this book. The technology, the descriptions, the characters, the scenery, the imagery... It's all worth reading and rereading.
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Post by twyrch on Aug 15, 2005 14:07:42 GMT -5
I am just now reading that Spence is aboard the Gyrfalcon and is headed for Mars. I am remembering all the things I enjoy about this book. The technology, the descriptions, the characters, the scenery, the imagery... It's all worth reading and rereading. I think once I'm done with my story, I'll have to re-read all of Lawhead's works. It's been a long time for me. |
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Post by DanTheMan on Aug 20, 2005 12:44:39 GMT -5
So I almost done with Dream Thief. (Sorry it is taking do long, but there's been much going on here.) While it is one of his earlier works, I find much to appreciate in his style of writing. Like Llew, he goes through much change and I like that. I like his searching for God, his doubt, and how he comes to terms with it. And I like the friendship between Spence, Adjani, Geti, and Kyr. I like how they depend and need each other.
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Post by karenee on Aug 20, 2005 22:49:23 GMT -5
I, too, like the fact that the heroes of SRL's stories would not survive on their own. In this book it was clearer than in most, I think. Spence really was dependant on his friends, and they, in turn, depended on him. It was a good illustration of friendship as it should be...and in more ways than just their interdependence...
but I'm supposed to be going to bed.
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Post by cree8ivone on Aug 22, 2005 8:00:57 GMT -5
Yep, it is very much a teamwork thing. The book seems like it's going to be just about one person's experiences. And even though Spence is the main character, Dream Thief slowly adds a "working together" dynamic that is essential to the outcome. I think it reminds us that we are not alone in our walk with God. He puts others in our path to help us.
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Post by karenee on Aug 22, 2005 21:46:52 GMT -5
Yep, it is very much a teamwork thing. The book seems like it's going to be just about one person's experiences. And even though Spence is the main character, Dream Thief slowly adds a "working together" dynamic that is essential to the outcome. I think it reminds us that we are not alone in our walk with God. He puts others in our path to help us. Yes, that is exactly what I thought as the relationships developed. He captured the way God grows faith in this story, and I loved that about the friendships. It was never sermonizing either... something which I can rarely stand in a work of fiction, as it is usually so blatantly dropped in. |
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Post by cree8ivone on Aug 31, 2005 8:02:01 GMT -5
I finally finished rereading Dream Thief. There were many things that I forgot about the end of the book, the religious system connections and such. I liked SRL's bold stance in writing through his research about India's culture. I think his research is what leads to all the little things that make his work so enriched and fresh.
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Twyrch /|\
