The Hollow Boys

WINNER 2023 AURORA AWARD BEST YA NOVEL

WINNER 2023 Juried IAP AWARD BEST YA NOVEL

Vanishing street kids. An ancient evil. The end of the world.

Our only hope? A hero who can't leave home.

At seventeen, Will Dreycott is a superheroin his dreams. And in yours.

Eight years ago, Will's parents, shady dealers in ancient artifacts, disappeared on a jungle expedition. Will, the sole survivor, returned home with no memory of what happened, bringing a giftand a curse.

The gift? Will can walk in our dreams. At night in Dream, Will hunts for criminalsand his parents. During the day, his Dream Rider comic, about a superhero no one knows is real, has made Will rich.

The curse? Severe agoraphobia. Will can't go outside. So he makes his home a skyscraper with everything he needs in lifeeverything but the freedom to walk the streets of his city.

Case, an orphan Will's age, survives on those streets with her younger brother, Fader. Survives because she too has a gift. She hears voices warning her of danger. And Fader? Well, he fades.

When street kids start vanishing, the Dream Rider joins the hunt. Will's search becomes personal when Case breaks into his tower to escape her own abduction. Fader isn't so lucky.

As Will and Case search for Fader and the missing kids, an unlikely romance grows between the boy with everything and the girl with nothing except the freedom Will longs for.

But as they push deeper into the mystery, they confront an ancient power feeding on these forgotten kids to restore itself. And once restored, no one in the world will be safe.

To defeat this creature, Will must do the impossible.

Go outside.

Indiana Jones meets Teen Titans in The Dream Rider Saga, a fast-paced urban fantasy trilogy from "one of Canada's most original writers of speculative fiction" (Library Journal).

"This arresting series kickoff ... grips from the start as it introduces its inventive milieu, its flawed but fantastically powered hero, its playful worldbuilding, and a host of tantalizing mysteries. Vigorously imaginative. ... Will's agoraphobia [is] a fascinating flaw, worthy of Marvel comics in the 1960s. The deliciously detestable villains ... and other original dangers have a perfectly calibrated creepinessthey're deadly, and scenes of action and suspense thrum with tension, but the novel's still always fun. Pacing and prose are tight despite the novel's generous length; the dialogue's crisp and engaging, and the reversals and revelations are cleverly plotted. Smith takes every advantage of his original dreamworld's possibilities, building to a satisfying ending with plenty of mystery left to explore. Takeaway: Thrilling YA fantasy." BookLife (Editor's Pick)

"Smith has created a dramatic, vivid fantasy world The Hollow Boys is an assured, confident novel with strong world-building, sharp dialogue and the perfect balance between action and emotional growth for its main characters. ... In short, this is a must-read story for YA fantasy fans." Blueink Review ( Starred review)

"Inventive, engaging, and boundless fun." The Ottawa Review of Books

"Fast-paced and entertaining... I enjoyed The Hollow Boys immensely." SF Crowsnest

"A fun supernatural tale with well-developed characters and a touch of romance." Kirkus Reviews

"The man is Sturgeon good. Zelazny good. I don't give those up easy." Spider Robinson, Hugo and Nebula Awards winner

"A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice." Charles de Lint, World Fantasy Award winner

"His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think." Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo a