Prince of Dreams (Seven Brothers Book 2)

When Llesho was seven, the Harn invaded his family’s mountain kingdom of Thebin. His guards slaughtered, he was carried off and sold into slavery, as far as he knew, the sole survivor of his royal family. At fifteen he learned his brothers were still alive and had also been sold into slavery. And so began his quest to earn his freedom and then find and rescue his brothers so that they might win back their kingdom from the cruel, barbaric Harn.But each success led to greater peril, and even with the aid of two of his brothers, the trickster god, a young witch and her even more powerful father, several gladiators, and the Emperor Shou, Llesho was not certain he'd be able to reach his goal. Not when both the Harn and the evil Master Markko were set on his death, and not when the very gates of heaven seemed to be shut against him. Only if Llesho could learn the truth about his mysteriouys heritage and the powers locked inside him did he stand a chance of saving his peopel and reopening the pathway between mortals and gods...

From Publishers Weekly

In this sequel to The Prince of Shadow (2001), Benjamin provides plenty of rousing fantasy adventure rooted in the traditions and philosophies of East Asia. Llesho, the prince who escaped from slavery in the first book, is on a quest to find his four (out of six) older brothers still missing, raise an army and free his homeland, Thebin. Master Den the trickster God, the Emperor Shou, Adar (the first of his two brothers with whom he's been reunited) and a host of others accompany our hero on his mission. When the enemy Harn who haunt his dreams capture his companions, two of his brothers whisk him away to assist the dream readers of Ahkenbad, who are dying from drought. Aided by Pig, a Jinn in the dream world, he is able to secure a water supply, but his old enemy, the magician Markko, murders the dream readers. When the good magician Habiba arrives, the two of them attempt to free Llesho's friends and the emperor from the Harn. Joining forces with the Southern Khan, Llesho takes instruction with their shaman to learn to master the dream world and change shape. While many characters are little more than names, Benjamin is adept at blending the various fantasy elements into a vivid, richly detailed narrative. Those who haven't read The Prince of Shadow may have trouble getting their bearings at first, but once they do, they'll enjoy the pell-mell ride as much as existing fans.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Enslaved, along with his brothers, by the invading Harn, Llesho finds his way to freedom and embarks on a quest to find and free his brothers and liberate his conquered homeland of Thebin. Accompanied by a strange group of companions, including a trickster god, a youthful witch and her father, and a pair of his brothers, Llesho travels from country to country in search of a way to control his strange dream magic and use it to attain his seemingly unreachable goal. Set in a world that resembles a fantasy version of medieval China, this sequel to The Prince of Shadow features a cast of intriguing characters and a fluid approach to magic that is reminiscent of Asian folk tales. A good choice for most fantasy collections. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Curt Benjamin is the author of the Seven Brothers trilogy. He has a degree in art from Antioch University. In his spare time, he is a designer and children’s illustrator.

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