10 books featuring dream-sharing among characters
Where minds intertwine, secrets are whispered in sleep, and reality is rewritten beneath the stars…
What if your dreams weren’t yours alone? What if others stepped into them—walked through your fears, danced through your memories, and uncovered truths you tried to forget? In these ten mesmerizing books, dreams are no longer private sanctuaries—they are shared realms, binding characters together in extraordinary ways.
From psychic bonds to secret societies, from fantasy landscapes to deeply personal reckonings, these stories unravel what happens when our subconscious worlds become communal, where love, loss, betrayal, and redemption unfold in sleep just as vividly as in waking life.
Let go of reality. Step into the shared dream.
1. Dreams of Shreds and Tatters by Amanda Downum
A haunting blend of urban fantasy and cosmic horror, this novel explores a dreamworld born of ancient, mythic nightmares. When a friend falls into a catatonic state, Liz Drake must enter his shared dreams to save him—only to find herself in a realm where sleeping minds are entangled, and eldritch secrets slither beneath the surface.
2. More Than This by Patrick Ness
When Seth wakes up in a desolate version of his hometown after dying, he questions whether this is an afterlife—or a shared simulation shaped by memory and dream. As he meets others in the same dreamlike purgatory, the boundaries between personal perception and collective dreaming begin to dissolve.
3. A Dream of Ice by Gillian Anderson & Jeff Rovin
In this sci-fi thriller infused with mythology and mystery, characters experience vivid, shared dreams that connect them across time and continents. As the dreams grow more intense and prophetic, they reveal an ancient conspiracy with world-altering implications.
4. The Dreaming by Tamara Macfarlane
A gorgeously illustrated tale where a group of friends in the Australian outback are drawn into a shared ancestral dreamtime. As reality unravels, their bond deepens in a landscape shaped by stories, spirits, and the land’s ancient memory.
5. Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz & Ron Bass
Two girls—one body, two lives—sharing dreams, memories, and emotions. As their identities blur and their shared dream experiences grow more vivid, they must face the question: which life is real, and can both exist?
6. The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
When an entire town falls asleep and doesn’t wake, scientists and families scramble for answers. But beneath the silence, the sleepers are dreaming the same dream—a collective, unexplained vision that begins to shift everything we thought we knew about consciousness and connection.
7. Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
Set in a parallel Edwardian-era world, this novel explores dream-catching as an elite profession. Certain people can enter “The Place” and bring back dreams to be shared—and performed—for others. But when dreams are used for control, one dreamhunter discovers a truth that could unravel society.
8. Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
In this dazzling sequel to Strange the Dreamer, dreamsharing becomes both a weapon and a lifeline. Characters step into each other’s dreams—reliving traumas, building bridges, and healing ancient wounds. Laini Taylor’s prose is as dreamy and piercing as the story itself.
9. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
In this dystopian fantasy, dreamwalking becomes a rebellious act. Clairvoyants called “unnaturals” connect through shared dreamscapes to resist a brutal regime. Protagonist Paige Mahoney becomes a dreamwalker who must navigate not just her own subconscious, but the tangled psyches of those around her.
10. The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin
A man whose dreams alter reality is manipulated by a psychiatrist who sees world-shaping potential in them. As their dreams begin to overlap and spin out of control, it becomes clear: collective dreaming is both a blessing and a dangerous curse. Profound, prescient, and unforgettable.
🌙 When Minds Entwine, Magic Happens
Dream-sharing isn’t just a trope—it’s an invitation into intimacy, vulnerability, and awe. These ten books show us the power of connection forged not through words or actions, but through the unconscious spaces we never meant to share. In sleep, we are unguarded. In dreams, we are together.
So close your eyes. Someone might be waiting for you on the other side.
