The Dream Angler

Name: The Dream Angler
ISBN: 9787550271876

呢喃的火花Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaMar 2017

4.0

Word count: 124K words
Chapters: 31
ISBN: 9787550271876

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Summary

Puppeteer Z was once a minor star working in a circus, his life monotonous and dull. Later, on the advice of Shadow I, he decides to leave the circus and experience a new life. After some thought, he decides to first go to the seaside to watch a sunrise. Along the way, he meets another puppeteer in the same profession, a girl named Xiaomeng with superpowers, and a dream-eating dog that must survive on dreams. With Xiaomeng's help, Z learns how to fish for other people's dreams. In these dreams, Z encounters many fantastical scenes: watching an open-air movie on a rooftop with a little boy who herds clouds like sheep; discovering a library that stores the book of every person's life; visiting a fantasist's amusement park; meeting the magician Little Mustache of the Strange Circus, and fighting alongside him against the Nightmare that seeks to corrode the world... It is not until Z discovers an astonishing secret in Xiaomeng's notebook that he realizes the truth behind all these fantastical experiences...

Editor's review

The Dream Fisher is a novel that uses a fantastical journey to carry an inner exploration. Puppeteer Z leads a monotonous life in a circus; after Shadow I's advice, he decides to go to the seaside to watch the sunrise. On the way he meets a fellow puppeteer, Xiaomeng, who has superpowers, and a dream-eating dog that survives on dreams. From them he learns to fish for dreams and enters strange scenes: a rooftop open-air movie where clouds are herded like sheep, a library that stores the books of life, a fantasist's amusement park. The author, Nannan de Huohua, links dream after dream with light imagery; on the surface it is a wandering adventure, but underneath it keeps asking about the relation between experience and reality, until Z finds an astonishing secret in Xiaomeng's notebook and the earlier fantasy is cast in a new light. Its strength lies not in tension and thrills but in the way it places loneliness, choice, and self-discovery in the gap between dream and reality. It suits readers who like rich imagery, unhurried narration, and are willing to wander slowly with the characters; reading it in installments at bedtime or on weekends brings out the flow of the dreams.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like fantastical wandering, rich imagery, and unhurried narration
Readers drawn to symbolic settings such as dreams, libraries, and amusement parks
Readers willing to follow characters at a slow pace in search of the self
Readers who enjoy reading a fantastical story in installments at bedtime or on weekends

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong conflict and fast-paced adventure
Readers who prefer realistic subjects and have little interest in fantastical premises
Readers who want all mysteries revealed from the opening

Reading tips

Read each dream as a small standalone story, then look back at Z's inner changes.
Pay attention to what Shadow I and Xiaomeng say and do; they often plant clues for the later secret.
Read one or two dream chapters at bedtime and keep the aftertaste of dream and reality.
After finishing, revisit the opening decision to leave the circus and reunderstand the meaning of the journey.

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

版权信息
1.逃离马戏团
2.迷路
3.一个叫作梦的女孩
4.嘀嘀咕
5.成为一个钓梦师
6.陷入梦中
7.两个小孩
8.坠入
9.改变梦境
10.斑马扮演者
11.幻想家的游乐园
12.奇异马戏团
13.地下室蜡像馆
14.超级大明星
15.暗黑森林
16.阴谋
17.灵魂契约
18.钓取噩梦
19.驱魔人
20.逃离噩梦
21.爱撒谎的木偶
22.樱儿的梦想
23.匹诺曹的监狱
24.梦想木偶剧团
25.小梦的笔记本
26.樱儿的身份
27.重回马戏团
28.海螺
29.变成木偶
30.海边的日出

FAQ

What does the title "Dream Fisher" refer to in the book?

According to the material, Z learns with Xiaomeng's help to fish for other people's dreams and enters various fantastical dream scenes, so "Dream Fisher" points to this ability and experience of entering others' dreams. As you read, pay attention to Z's process of moving from watching dreams to understanding his own situation, rather than treating it only as a fantastical premise.

Is the story made of standalone dream episodes or a continuous main plot?

The material shows Z meeting different characters along the way and entering several dream scenes; each segment has its own relatively independent marvels, but Shadow I's advice, Xiaomeng's notebook, and the final truth form a thread running through. When reading, you can go section by section by dream, but also watch for the groundwork of the main secret.

Is the "astonishing secret" at the end hard to understand?

The material only says that Z finds an astonishing secret in Xiaomeng's notebook and realizes the truth behind the fantastical experiences; the specifics are not given. There is no need to guess impatiently as you read; you can treat the earlier dream scenes as clues, and when you reach the end, look back at Z's starting point of leaving the circus, and your understanding will be more complete.

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About the author

呢喃的火花 Author

Ninan de Huohua is an author about whom limited public information is available; details such as real name, nationality, and dates of birth and death have not been confirmed. Six of the author's works are held in the library. Judging from these works, the writing spans youth literature, modern romance, and social fiction, with representative titles including The Dream Angler, Soul Crow Soup, Feifei, The Cat Doesn't Matter, Burning Flowers, and I Have Many Things to Tell You. These titles suggest a preference for subjects with imaginative touches and emotional tension, often portraying the inner thoughts, emotional entanglements, and observations of life that accompany youth and growth through delicate prose, while exploring narrative possibilities across different genres. Owing to the limited public information, the full scope of the author's work and writing style remain to be discovered by readers through the works themselves.