The Dream Gatherer knows what Green Rider fans are here for

Rather than push for too much of a good thing, the first Green Rider collection, The Dream Gatherer, is a light complement to a heavy series.

At one point, in an essay detailing the creation of Green Rider as a series, author Kristen Britain notes that “traditional and adventure fantasy” are the “kinds of stories” that she likes to write. This is absolutely true: Green Rider, as a series, is a throwback. But, unlike most fantasy series, where there are short stories and collections upon collections, it’s taken until the series’ 20th anniversary to actually get this side material.

The thing is, The Dream Gatherer isn’t a huge amount of side material. To be fair, there’s a completely new novella along with two short stories — and all three are intriguing, particularly the novella, which shares its title with the work as a whole. Moreover, Britain and author Julie Czerneda both have short essays in the book. But it almost feels like there could be more waiting just around the bend, if only we’re willing to keep riding.

This shouldn’t be read as a disappointment so much as a wish for more down the road. The world of Sacoridia has clearly had a lot of thought put into it, and for Britain to look at even more of her characters is a reward all in itself. After all, though she does incorporate multiple perspectives into the novels, like Firebrand, they are mostly about Karigan G’ladheon. Does Karigan loom large over this collection? Yes, since everything is presented as part of a collection written up by none other than Estral, one of the series’ other main characters, and the book is titled Karigan G’ladheon and the Green Riders: A History.

But the book also does fans a service by expanding that world — both in returning to familiar locales (“The Dream Gatherer” goes back to the Berry sisters’ Seven Chimneys, for example) and going to new ones (“Wishwind”). By its very nature, it’s not meant for newcomers to the series.

Of the three, the big draw is indeed “The Dream Gatherer.” For an interlude set in a very specific time, it feels quite self-contained all the same, with its own small payoffs, a dose of world expansion, and a return to the Berry sisters, as previously mentioned. Britain specifically notes in the afterword that she wanted to do this story because of the anniversary, and even without it, it feels fitting. Even after years have passed in both Sacoridia and the real world, some things can remain mostly the same (even when there’s a ship in the middle of Seven Chimneys).

There’s a comfort in knowing that Britain’s style still hasn’t changed, though it’s perhaps a touch more refined than her earlier efforts. Moreover, it’s also good to know that she can compress down. (Firebrand doesn’t reach Oathbringer levels of length, but it’s still hefty.)

Ultimately, it’s not the content of this book that’s bad. It almost feels like, for the very first companion collection, there could have been one or two more stories added without seeming like too much.