Despite its terrifying premise (when college students begin falling into an unending sleep, an entire town finds itself in lockdown as the death toll starts to climb), The Dreamers is a very quiet novel. Walker's ethereal prose makes readers feel like they are in a dream themselves, viewing the action through a thick haze. While the characters' terror is palpable, this can make it hard to really connect with them. However, I still enjoyed the overall experience. Readers looking for a tight plot and clear answers are likely to be disappointed, but fans of short stories and atmospheric literary fiction should give The Dreamers a try.