The Dream Engine

Series · 3 books · 2014-2016

By Johnny Truant, Sean Platt

Books in series

The Dream Engine

2014

What is real, Eila? When Eila Doyle first hears the strange boy calling from somewhere deep in her sleep, she begins to question her sanity. In the gleaming steampunk world of Waldron's Gate, citizens aren't meant to dream—and those who eschew their daily Crumble and dare to do so anyway face madness … and imprisonment in Joffrey Columns, the asylum of towers. And yet, "Dreaming" of a very specific sort is what Eila does every day at the Ministry of Manifestation with her mind hooked to the great engine, called the Blunderbuss. She's accustomed to using her thoughts to Build all that the city needs … but never before have her thoughts been so dark, so laced with demons and shadows. Now those nighttime visions hint at dark conspiracy, a millennium of lies, and a fathomless secret hiding beneath the quiet streets. As Eila follows the boy down the rabbit hole, she discovers secrets that were meant to remain hidden. She discovers an unknown caste of underlings, an unknown place underneath the city. And she learns of her terrible destiny as her own dreams and reality blur, as "what is real?" becomes something uncertain.

The Nightmare Factory

2015

After breaching the Fog and finding the ship beyond, Eila Doyle finds herself confronting a truth: her land of Alterra, contrary to what she's been taught, isn't alone—and Parliament, it seems, has been keeping yet another horrible secret. The band of rebels at Alterra's borders is presided over by Admiral Wellington: a man who needs Eila's reality-bending talents … but requires that she turn traitor in order to provide them. Wellington's arguments are convincing, pointing to atrocities Alterra has committed and the army of dragons and demons being built by the all-too-real Dark King … but is Wellington all he seems, or does he have other motives? Meanwhile Eila's friend Cora, trapped between the same forces, wages a private war—playing both sides between Alterra and its foes, old friends who've turned enemy and new allies. As her old friend suffers, Eila makes friends among the warriors of the Flock: the massive Obsidian, who wields a club. Lithe Abbie, with a score to settle. And quiet Eve, who has her own agenda. But as the big change nears, Eila and Cora both face a dilemma: are the newcomers here to liberate Alterra … or to destroy it?

The Ruby Room

2016

With both Fleet and Flock in turmoil and conditions at the Ministry of Manifestation coming undone, Eila, Cora, and their small band of allies find themselves on the run, seeking a mysterious object that has the power to unravel all of Alterra. Cracks in Parliament's carefully constructed lie are beginning to show at the seams, meanwhile, as Decorum attempts to fight the slow bleed of chaos: citizens losing their minds as Crumble's pacification fails, doorways opening to other worlds, leagues of spies trying to hide the truth. After failing to recover Eve's prize at the Convenience and finding Pavilion all but inaccessible, the troupe's options become limited. Bigger players have entered the game, and even those who knew Alterra's true path have found themselves empty-handed—tricked by higher powers. Eila's only hope is to regain control of the missing engine core, but she must use another talisman to find it. And as Eila soon finds, there are plans within plans, and only one set of hands (hands closer to Eila than she's ever realized) able to pull all of the levers.

Authors

Sean loves writing books, even more than reading them. He is co-founder of Collective Inkwell and Realm & Sands imprints, writes for children under the name Guy Incognito, and has more than his share of nose. Together with co-authors David Wright and Johnny B. Truant, Sean has written the series Yesterdays Gone, WhiteSpace, ForNevermore, Available Darkness, Dark Crossings, Unicorn Western, The Beam, Namaste, Robot Proletariat, Cursed, Greens, Space Shuttle, and Everyone Gets Divorced. He also co-wrote the how-to indie book, Write. Publish. Repeat. With Collective Inkwell Yesterday's Gone: Post Apocalyptic - LOST by way of The Stand WhiteSpace: Paranoid thriller on fictitious Hamilton Island ForNevermore: YA horror that reads nothing like YA Horror Available Darkness: A new breed of vampire thriller Dark Crossings: Short stories, killer endings With 47North Z 2134: The Walking Dead meets The Hunger Games Monstrous: Beauty and the Beast meets The Punisher With Realm & Sands Unicorn Western: The best story to ever come from a stupid idea The Beam: Smart sci-fi to make you wonder exactly who we are Namaste: A revenge thriller like nothing you've ever read Robot Proletariat: The revolution starts here Cursed: The old werewolf legend turned upside down Greens: Retail noir comedy Space Shuttle: Over the top comedy with all your favorite sci-fi characters Everyone Gets Divorced: Like "Always Sunny" and "How I Met Your Mother" had a baby on your Kindle Sean lives in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, and son. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/seanplatt  (say hi so he can follow you back!)