by Linda Patricia Cleary (Author)
Grand Prize Short List, The First Horizon Award Winner & The Montaigne Medal Finalist (Eric Hoffer Book Awards) / The BookFest First Place Award - YA Science Fiction / Literary Titan Silver Award / International Impact Book Award
She wanted a normal life. Fate had other plans. Ash Bennett is done running. In 2347, life aboard the Starling means constant movement across the colonies, new identities, and never staying anywhere long enough to belong. Raised by her brilliant, secretive parents aboard the one-of-a-kind ship, Ash dreams of something impossible: a normal life. Real friends. A real home. Maybe even a date that doesn't happen through a glitchy chatter bubble. Then a routine stop on Phobos turns catastrophic. Overnight, Ash loses everything she thought she understood about her life. Hunted by enemies she's never heard of and haunted by questions her parents never answered, she's forced into the orbit of a group of teen misfits, all searching for something of their own. There are Isaac and Isabel, telepathic twins trying to uncover the truth about their missing parents while evading the legendary Mind Squad Agents hunting them. Edan, a street-smart thief who also happens to be the prince of the space pirates. Moon, a quiet savant who understands code better than people. And Xai, the mysterious blue alien boy who's haunted Ash's dreams for months... and may be far more real than he should be. As grief, betrayal, and a strange power awakening inside her collide, Ash uncovers a prophecy tied to an ancient stone that could reshape the future of the galaxy. But trust doesn't come easy aboard the Starling. With telepathic super soldiers closing in, buried secrets surfacing, and war brewing across the colonies, Ash must decide whether to keep running... or finally stand and fight. Because some destinies can't be outrun. The Dreamer is the first book in The Black Stone Cycle, a sweeping YA science fiction series about identity, belonging, survival, and the people who become family in the darkest corners of the stars. For fans of Skyward, Firefly, and The Darkness Outside Us. Praise for The Dreamer "Indelible characters fuel this deliberately paced but wholly engaging SF story." -- Kirkus Reviews "By the time I reached the later chapters, I realized I was rooting not just for Ash but for the strange little group forming around her. The mix of loss, found family, and growing danger pulled me in. I liked that the book didn't wrap things up neatly. It left questions hanging in the air, teasing a bigger truth waiting on the other side. I enjoy stories that don't talk down to me, and this one trusted me to sit with the unknown." -- Literary Titan Reviews "The writing sets the stage for a larger saga, sweeping readers into a futuristic world with incredible detail and wonderfully diverse characters who portray queerness and neurodivergence in ways that feel neither forced nor superficial." -- Booklife by Publishers' Weekly ReviewAuthor Biography
Linda Cleary is a multi-award-winning American mixed-race writer and member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) who grew up on U.S. military bases across Asia with her single father, where escape plans and gas masks were just part of daily life.
Now settled in the Bay Area with her husband, daughter, and dogs, she writes fantastical stories, often set in space or alternate realities, that explore identity, belonging, and the meaning of home. She's also a voice actor, artist, and musician.
Number of Pages: 328
Dimensions: 0.73 x 9 x 6 IN
Publication Date: January 07, 2026
