THE DREAM RUNNERS

Ever since the serpentine nagas fled Prithvi, the human world, to escape from the eaglelike garudas, they’ve used stolen dreams to satisfy their craving for mortal experiences.

Seventeen-year-old Tanvi, who is Indian American, was only a child when she was spirited away to Nagalok, a world influenced by Hindu mythology. In exchange for forgetting her most painful memories, she became a dream runner. Each night, she travels to Prithvi to harvest dreams that are sold to naga nobility. The promise of a wish-granting boon, earned according to the quality of the dreams, ensures that Tanvi and her fellow runners remain adequately motivated. Presiding over them is Venkat, a human boy with a rare dreamsmithing ability, who is the adopted son of the naga court historian. Though his role only requires him to assess dreams and parcel out boons, Venkat can’t help feeling concern for the runners, who all eventually suffer burnout. When Tanvi begins behaving oddly, Venkat worries that she has also reached her limit. But the truth is worse: Tanvi is dreaming during her sleep, something no runner should be able to do. The central mystery unfolds in careful layers amid evocative descriptions of Nagalok’s wonders. As the darkness beneath the opulence reveals itself and the threat of garuda invasion intensifies, Venkat and Tanvi must choose between comforting illusions and unpleasant truths in order to save themselves and those they love.

A lush fantasy.