A MAN FINDS NEW LIFE BUT THE DREAMS LINGER... For a long time, all he knew were dreams. At first, these dreams encumbered his mind entirely so that he could not recognize his surroundings nor associate his dreams with reality. Gradually, he did begin to escape his dreams, and the land of Tasmear returned to him. But ten years had past, and the dreams persisted. Awoken, he began to analyze his dreams, recognizing that they were not just random thoughts. They hinted at secrets and prophecy, a desperate game of survival, and the whereabouts of a lost sorcerer. Had he become clairvoyant, or was there something else at play? His past began to come back to him, too, and he remembered his near death experience. Thus, he sought out those who were once his friends to continue to heal and to rediscover a semblance of his life. Yet the future was still in his dreams, and the fate of a county was wrapped up in them... Dream Spells is the second novel in Altman's Tasmear series. It weaves an intricate and unpredictable tale of friendship and politics, sorcery and intrigue as well as romance and adventure.

Liliana goes to school, hangs out with friends, and has a typical young teenage life, except that she also protects a marvelous magical tree in the Redwoods, talks telepathically to animals, and has knowledge about the mystical Guardian Realm, where she wants to someday visit. When that opportunity arrives, she does not hesitate to go to the mysterious realm. She must not let her father and friends know what she is planning for the summer, though, for they would not want her to go and would not believe her anyway. If she were to make it to the Guardian Realm, what would she find there? She expected a glorious place where magic and imagination ruled, where her departed mother thrived, and where dreams lived. But expectation rarely is the same as reality. Liliana has many surprises awaiting her. The Guardian Realm becomes so much more than the paradise Liliana hoped it to be, for there, a realization awaits that will open her mind to a mission she must fulfill. In this sequel to Liliana's Fan, Adam Altman picks up right where he left off, delving into an intricate plot while also not forgetting about teenage life. This novel is poignant, mysterious, and fun, and teases at more of Liliana's adventures to come.

An amulet that saves the bearer by killing the person he holds most dear

Within the vicinity, a seemingly insignificant presence disturbed the inner core of Tasmear. It traveled through the connecting hot streams that were networked throughout the fathomless interior of the earth, cooling the sizzling streams of some of their effervescence as it passed, adding an element of sapphire incandescence in its wake, flavoring the dull earth with its magical elegance.

At first floating unseen down a hot stream, LifeShaker made its escape, slipping away from the one who had temporarily possessed it. The amulet had given newfound life to that creature, but the illness that would have seeped through to kill him instead poisoned the person of this world that he loved. This portion of LifeShaker's power was a dastardly trade off, bringing health back to one but shaking the life out of another.

The sapphire glow of the amulet remained as it reached the lake and sunk to its depths, but the glow was fading, as was the life of the one it had sacrificed. When it reached the bottom of the lake and buried under sea level to continue its journey, the amulet was hiding itself from every living creature. During that instant, LifeShaker's glow in its sapphire dissipated its final spark, culminating the life on this world of its victim at the exact moment that the poison would have ended the life of its last would-be possessor

Dreams escape into the night And flicker through the spirits Of ancient, modern, and new, Of young and old, of future And past, of lives forgotten In the boundless trap of time. And so begins "Enlightened Darkness," a long poem about nature and love. By the time readers finish this poem, they only want to re-enter into its beauty. It will stay in the minds of its readers for a long time with its emotional impact and powerful themes. It is one of the many crowning achievements in this collection. The shorter works also have their charm. Like a good music album, any might become your favorite, but the others will still delight or enthrall you. So if you are a poetry enthusiast, come enjoy this fantastic collection of poetry. You will be glad you did.