It is always so refreshing to read a good book after a “difficult” one and this hooked me right from the start - so much so I stayed up till sometime past 7am reading it and only put it down because my brain literally shut down from lack of sleep.

The book is set in a future where the theory of the multiverse has been cracked. Cara is a traverser - someone who can travel between the multiverse. However there is a catch - you can only enter a world where the other you no longer exists. Cara is unique in that of 372 worlds known to exist, she is only alive in 8 of them. This means she can travel a lot more frequently and is in high demand. Traversers go to different worlds to gather information (population size, history, geography, natural events and disasters) so that the scientists in her world (Earth Zero) can learn and prevent disasters/mistakes/make economic gains etc.

Cara’s worlds seem to be made up of 2 cities - Wiley City (what seems like a biodome) and every thing else outside it which is called The Ash. The citizens of Wiley live the good life and have a lot of privileges the people in the Ash don’t. Cara was born and raised in the Ash but now has the privilege of living in Wiley because of her job. Without giving too much away, there are some central characters in the book and some characters that Cara comes across in every world she visits. Cara has to navigate the differences in each world and how she feels about these people. Because she gets to travel between worlds she’s aware of how one small change could affect the outcome of your life. In most of the worlds she’s died it, it’s because her mother is a drugged up prostitute who has in one way or another done something that has led to her death. In Earth zero, her mother finds religion so Cara survives. In each Earth she visits, she has to navigate the realities and motivations between the people she knows and utilise them to her advantage.

This book is thrilling. The world building is interesting but falls behind to the plot - which begs the question who are you truly? Would the current you be any different if your life turned out differently? Would you make the same decisions and choices? Would you be good or evil? For a debut book, the author has done a brilliant job! The characters are well developed - even the ones that are sub characters or we don’t see in the other worlds aren’t 2 dimensional. She does a great job of fleshing people out and their motivations without dragging it out or being repetitive. I also love that Cara is black or brown - even though it makes no difference to her character, it makes me love her just that smidge more.

This is super highly recommended in my book - I would give it a 4.8/5. I deducted a fraction purely because the world only seems to have 2 cities which is weird but whatever. Cannot wait to see what else Micaiah Johnson writes. It is also super refreshing to get a female bi-racial author writing science fiction. Again has nothing to do with the book but I don’t often see authors like her in this genre and I love it!

This book is one of the best that I've read in such a long time. It touches on such avoided topics and themes, or ones that are often done poorly, and it's respectful, tactful, and realistic, even the aspects that change with the setting of the book are treated carefully and cleverly. The inclusion of minorities that aren't often given much of a chance within most books is beautiful and makes the story itself all the better for it, and it also made the whole thing seem so refreshing because it's rarely done and done well.

Cara, the main character, is someone who does the job of a traverser, someone who hops to other versions of Earth, but the catch is that someone can only jump to another world as long as that version of them is no longer living, and since she's died on so many other worlds, she's one of the few eligible for the job. The plot revolves around a handful of Earths that she's visited over the years, and the people that she knows from each one that play the roles of power people, which is all going well until she uncovers a secret from one world that sheds light on something unknown in her world. The plot builds up before reaching this moment, allowing us to discover other worlds and to see how it all works, letting us learn of other versions of Cara that have been and gone, and the people she's left behind in all of them compared to how things played out on her world. The pacing is done so well, everything we learn and uncover is carefully woven throughout the whole book until each one of those things becomes vital to surviving the bulk of the plot. No information is wasted.

And then there's Dell, the woman who is assigned as a watcher to Cara, someone who oversees every jump, pays close attention to her medical needs and requirements, and schedules when and where she'll be going next. But the thing is that the two of them have a past that comes to light later on, a complex relationship to begin with, and as the story unfolds we realise just how fragile things are between them. Their friendship is beautiful to see, however much their time is clouded by the work that they do, and the feelings that lie between them scream from the pages without it ever once taking away from the main plot yet still being a huge part of it. The relationship between the two of them is tragically beautiful, but it's worth every word on the page to witness it.

There are themes of family and what that can mean, friendship without realising friendship is there, and the many forms in which love and loyalty can be expressed. The topic of abuse is brought up, but it's handled with so much care, and it's described in such a realistic way that the author deserves an achievement for pulling it off where so many others have failed, especially considering the fact that there are multiple worlds with other versions of the characters it includes to contend with. There are themes that also deal with classism, which impacts upon the plot greatly and is handled in a refreshing way that sees straight to the root of the problem rather than all the branches that spread out from it, small hints of racism and homophobia amongst certain groups of people, but all of them are handled well, and there are so many positives that out-weight the negatives, and it's done in such a subtle way that it merges in with the plot rather than distracting from it whilst lacking the preachy vibe that comes across in a lot of books. It's blunt and unbiased, and these truths are reflected from our own world onto this one.

The story of the book, the characters and their relationships and ties, the differing versions of said characters and the events that surround them, the secrets that bring about some of the things that take place are all so cleverly pieces together, woven in and around each other and carefully stitched together, and are so well-written that it's beautiful to witness. The journey this book takes us on through Cara's eyes is a beautiful one with an ending that I might question from any other story, but one that works really well with this, and it feels complete, whole, however much I would love to spend more time in this world with these characters, like I would love to with all of the favourites, it doesn't feel like there's anything missing come the end. Everything is wrapped up nicely and left to our imagination.

I will definitely be buying myself a paperback copy of this book when it's released, as that's my preferred format, as well as keeping an eye on the author for any future releases, and I'll be recommending it to anyone who I might think is interested. It's officially one of my favourite books that I will no doubt read and re-read countless times.

Sci Fi isn't normally my first choice of genre, but the blurb of this book just jumped out at me and I HAD to read it. Now I am so glad I did! There's so much to unpack with this book, from the fantastic, almost dystopian, world that's been built up to the huge array of well rounded characters.

The wasteland area of the world gave off some serious Mad Max vibes, with the runners wreaking havoc and the emperor presiding over them all. In contrast, the city of Wiley is crazy futuristic, with the city buildings reaching high into the sky and impossible technology filling every aspect of life there. 

I was seriously impressed by the diversity of the characters in this book; from nationalities and skin colours to a huge range between the poorest and the wealthiest, as well as plenty LGBT representation, including characters who came across as either gender neutral or transgender. The best part of this being that they weren't inserted into the story as some sort of gimmick, they were characters there for other purposes, who just so happened to be LGBT. 

The whole story tied together perfectly. It's fast paced, incredibly well written, and a very addictive read. As desperate as I was to finish the book and see what happened, I really did not want it to end. I can't wait to see more from this author, they've definitely set the bar high with this novel!

"What they don't tell you about getting everything you ever wanted is the cold-sweat panic when you think about losing it".

Multiverse theory has always intrigued me, and the many ways it plays out across different stories varies greatly. It has been used to great advantage in the comics world, see both DC and Marvel, so a non-superhero sci-fi story pulled me in right away!

Cara is a traverser from Earth Zero, the only Earth to have developed the technology to visit other Earths in the multiverse. There are 382 other Earths within the reach of Earth Zero, explained in a really interesting way, as having infinite earth's within reach might hinder this story.

Cara's doppelgangers have died on all but 8 other Earths, great for her job as traversers can only visit Earths where their counterpart is dead - early traverses made this discovery the hard (and gruesome) way. Following the death of another doppelganger, Cara crosses to Earth 175, where a surprising discovery sets a new chain of events in motion and changes the path of Cara's future forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this character driven story, and loved the way the characters developed and their tales across Earths unfolded.

The idea of parallel universes is a grand one for storytellers, but the practice of worldbuilding around it less so. If parallel universes are branched off by every possible decisions (which in quantum theory they should be), there are a near infinite number of parallel universes, millions of which are almost indistinguishable from your current one. From a storytelling perspective that is really hard to deal with, not least because when your various universes seem to branch due to decisions made by your lead characters it begs the question about all the decisions made by all the other characters in the Universe.

Johnson hits on a clever central idea where she can limit her universes in play to a nicely manageable finite number of 382 (the others exist, they just cannot be reached), and she throws another narrative plausible limitation into the game - you can only visit a world where your doppelganger no longer exists. So people on the margins, the poor, malnutritioned, growing up with violence and drugs, are much more likely to be able to travel.

This is all set-up, and set-up well, and there are plenty of twists left in premise to keep the book chugging on nicely, not least some of the inherent peril in the other aspect of the world building done here - creating a dystopian future with a walled city of elites surrounded by badlands. Infact some of the classist commentary here gets almost too simplistic, this is a future Earth though how we got there is barely alluded to, and perhaps the last third reveals (the bad guy plots) feel a little underwhelming compared to the big picture ideas set up at the start. That said any vague rumination on gun control and violence I will enjoy, and one that is thread through with ideas of family, love and self image - particularly when you can see your other selves - is more than welcome. I loved the world building and characters, felt that it didn't quite live up to its early promise with its ending. But someone I will be looking out for in future.

[NetGalley ARC]

This book had me gripped from the start. I absolutely loved it. Sci fi/ dystopian, breaking the rules of time travel. Highly recommended.

This is one of my most highly anticipated 2020 sci-fi releases, so I am very grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an eARC in return for an honest review.

This is a book about a woman who travels through the many multiverses. On reading the synopsis, it made me think back to reading little The Long Earth series by Stephen Baxter and Terry Pratchett. However this book is markedly different in that there is much more danger (avoiding your alternate selves for fear of dying for example!). I enjoyed the descriptions of the different worlds and definitely connected with the main character, Cara, who finds out she is involved in a dangerous and nefarious plot and more than her life is at stake. This is a fun and intriguing read that will be enjoyed by fans of sci-fi and fantasy.

See my full review on twwbookclub.co.uk which will be published closer to the books release date.

Multiverse theory has long snared the imaginations of writers and readers. Multiple examples of some of its ideas being used across all kinds of media spring to mind readily: 2001 Jet Li starrer The One, Rick and Morty, His Dark Materials, The Long Earth, even Community… the extremely varied list goes on. As a concept, it intrigues us; the idea that there could be multiple versions of ourselves, differing in infinite ways, our path through life diverging at critical junctures to play out every possibility.

The Space Between Worlds, the debut novel from Micaiah Johnson, takes this theory and gives us a glimpse of what humanity would most likely do once they had perfected the technology to make it work - commercialise it. Main character Cara is a traverser, so named because she is able to be sent between parallel Earths. The reason why she’s chosen for this? Well, there are two conditions which determine the success of a traversal. Firstly, the Earth being travelled to must be similar enough to the one you’re starting from (dubbed Earth Zero by Eldridge, the company behind the technology). And secondly, the other you has to be dead already in the destination reality. Cara, it seems, is terminally unlucky in the vast majority of the parallel Earths - of the few hundred which are similar enough to be traversed to, she has died in almost all of them. This makes her a useful employee indeed, able to travel to more Earths than her colleagues, where she takes readings to ensure Earth Zero can continue harvesting resources from its parallel selves.

There is, however, an even darker side to what makes Cara and her fellow traversers so special. Their high mortality rate is a direct result of the conditions their people find themselves in across hundreds of Earths, conditions determined by class and race. The many versions of Cara are more likely to be deceased because she is black and poor, a resident of Ashtown born to a woman who is, frequently, a junkie. Ashtown itself has a touch of Mad Max to it, a blisteringly hot desert community ruled over by a tyrannical Emperor who commands a crew of runners - heavily tattooed enforcers in armoured transports. In some of those multiple realities, Cara didn’t even make it past childhood, chased down by brutal, blood-crazed psychopaths. In stark contrast, the wealthy residents of Wiley Town live in luxurious comfort, in a glass city a hundred stories tall which is home to the traversal technology. It’s only by sheer luck on her part - and extremely bad luck on the part of the other versions of her - that Cara is able to gain access to their higher standard of living. Should she lose her job though, her work visa goes with it, and she will immediately be cruelly forced out.

The differences between residents of Wiley Town and Ashtown are reinforced frequently. Clothing, diets, mannerisms and customs are wildly different between the two, and it’s made clear early that there are many residents of Wiley Town, particularly Eldridge employees, who are prejudiced against Ashtowners. There are microaggressions which will make you wince with their relevance, as well as more overt and deliberate insults. This constant undercurrent of classism, Cara admits, gives her something of a chip on her shoulder herself. It plays havoc on her relationship with her wealthy colleague Dell, who, as her watcher, is in control of the technology that allows Cara to traverse. There is a genuine romantic tension between the two women, which plays out in profoundly moving fashion; not so much star-crossed lovers as world-crossed. Romantic sub-plots so often come across as too convenient to be believable. That’s not the case here, and there’s certainly nothing neat and easy about any of it.

It’s not just Cara’s emotional state that concerns Johnson though - her mental one is engagingly explored too. On several occasions, the thoughts Cara has regarding the various doomed versions of herself, not to mention the perception-warping variations between worlds, lead her into existential crisis territory. It would be easy, one realises, to become untethered from one’s sense of self, doing the kind of thing that Cara does. This leads to all kinds of observations and musings on Cara’s part, foremost among them being the question of why this particular version of her has been so survivable compared to the others - is it because she’s the best version of her? Or is it because, owing to some of the things she’s done, she’s actually the worst? She is constantly confronted with the consequences of her actions, unable to look at those she knows without playing out their alternate fates, which she has often had a hand in- for good or ill.

The Space Between Worlds is compulsively readable, thought provoking, intelligent science fiction. It’s a very human story of a person coming to terms with their true self; where they’ve come from, where they want to be, and what they really want out of life. Look out for the name Micaiah Johnson, because if there’s any justice on this particular version of Earth, you’ll be seeing it on plenty of end-of-year lists. A stunning debut.

Johnson makes the society of The Space Between Worlds palpable and ripe with consequences. In roughly 300 alternates our protagonist Cara is dead. The writing is solid, the concept comes together beautifully and the way the characters interact with each other feel real in each world. (My only gripe is that only Cara and Dell’s names ever seem to change between worlds...? - this does make it easier to keep track of course.) I particularly enjoyed Cara’s responses contrary to expectations. This is sci-fi well written.

NetGalley were kind enough to grant an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t tend to read much Sci-Fi and usually stick to the more fantasy side of the wider genre but the blurb for The Space Between Worlds intrigued me so much that I had to read it. The world felt really dystopian and the balance between the shiny, rich Wiley City compared to the rural wastelands was reminiscent of the divided world in The Hunger Games. It took me a little while to get into it as I felt the need to concentrate on what was happening, especially with so much talk of multiple versions of one person flying around, but the further I traversed into the story, the clearer I understood how this multiverse worked. There are so many dimensions and levels that each chapter was like peeling back another layer of the onion. The Space Between Worlds has plenty to offer both those looking for a sci-fi mind-bender of multiple earths, as well as those looking for the morality and human elements behind the storyline. It was a truly captivating read and I’m so glad and thankful that I was given the opportunity to read it.

Just like the multiverse itself, the mixture of characters, world-building and themes gave The Space Between Worlds many layers which I felt neatly came together at the end. There was action, adventure, deception, angst and romance as well as overarching themes which complemented to a bigger, more philosophical picture. I came to increasingly like the main character ‘Cara’ and understand her viewpoint on life the further into the story I got. Seeing it through her eyes allowed me to empathise with her character and my connection to her grew more and more as parts of her past and history were revealed.

At the start, I admit it took me a little while to understand how the multiverse and traversers’ abilities to walk between worlds actually happened. This is not time travelling, there are no rockets or spaceships involved, it’s more a sense of transportation from one Earth to another. The ‘science’ behind this is explained more as the novel develops but I loved that it wasn’t reliant on my knowledge of astro-/quantum physics just to keep up – it’s the story that is the main focus here. The presence of Nyame, who is almost like the God protecting the spaces between, helped to balance the scientific with spirituality which added a thought-provoking dimension to the narrative and transformed it from some of the more traditional space-travel novels out there. This balance is neatly woven throughout the story.

The many versions of Earth helped to highlight different real-life elements which pose as barriers in today’s society. The rich and elite live in Wiley City where they thrive with protection, wealth and opportunity; Ashtown showcases the hard-graft and poverty that comes with surviving in a rural wasteland. The idea of the Eldridge Institute (where Cara works) monopolising interstellar travel hints at corporationalism and the sense that totalitarian control and data-tracking are steadily becoming major parts of our everyday human existence. The Space Between Worlds also seems to throw the usual rules of altering the past/future or meeting your doppelganger out of the window. In-fact the whole plot ends up being central to the reliance of this breaking of the rules adding an interesting aspect to the whole narrative.

The novel tackles many key issues relating to mental-health such as loneliness, identity and grief. Feeling lonely on one Earth can be painful enough, but loneliness in a multiverse of 382 of them? Perhaps there’s no word for that. This feeling was made poignantly clear through Cara’s perspective. Her deep-rooted desire to find a people and place where she truly belongs runs through the heart of the entire novel. It is her exploration and experience of these ideals which enables the reader to begin to relate to her character and see her as more than just a one dimensional world-walker.

With each chapter, a new jigsaw piece was put into place to help me understand the story. There was enough action and explanation to keep me in a state of curiosity as to where the plot was going and how it could possibly end. I felt that the finale wasn’t as high-stakes and action-packed as I was expecting, especially given a previous scene in the novel, however reflecting on this I now see that it didn’t need to be. All of my questions were answered yet still leaving me some room to have my own reader speculations about where the characters’ lives could go next - in a way, that’s one of my favourite types of endings.

If you’re just starting out into the sci-fi genre, or you prefer your sci-fi novels with a little less spaceship and a bit more character development, then you would probably would find an awful lot to enjoy in The Space Between Worlds. This novel has so much to offer a reader and the constant references into what lies in the spaces between things – be it worlds, people, places, identities, emotions… completely encapsulates and resonates in the entirety of this book. There were so many quotations and phrases I highlighted which I found to be powerful and moving. For me that’s a sure sign that I thoroughly enjoyed everything The Spaces Between Worlds gave me.

4.5 stars. Wow! This is an amazing debut, and I was captivated from the first page. Although classified as Science Fiction on GR, it's very light on the science element, so I would probably rather label it as dystopian. If you enjoyed The Shades of Magic Series or Six of Crows 1 and 2 then you HAVE to get The Space Between Worlds when it publishes on 4 August 2020.

I loved the idea of people being able to travel to parallel universes, some only different by a few degrees and some by a lot. The first thing that makes this an interesting read is that you can't enter an earth if "you" are still alive on this earth - this means that they have to select their world-walkers from groups with a low life expectancy. Cara, our protagonist, is perfect for the job, as she grew up neglected and sometimes abandoned in the destitute and violent wastelands, leaving her with only 8 doppelgangers in the 382 realities that has been unlocked. She is tough, ambitious and complicated and the author does an excellent job in developing her character throughout the story.

Meeting the same people in different worlds is very interesting and I liked the idea that our other lives are in some way connected to the choices we make. The social commentary and philosophy is well-done and adds to the plot. I especially love the "romance" element in TSBW, as it wasn't romantic or idealized at all.

I highly recommend that you add this well-written, fun, gritty and thought-provoking novel to your wish list.

The Space Between Worlds is a fantastic Sci Fi novel about the multiverse, where travel is only possible to other worlds where your counterpart has already died.

This was such an interesting premise, and a really fascinating plot. The idea that the people of value to this multiverse project are those with low life expectancy or difficult experiences that increase their likelihood of dying elsewhere is brutal, but makes for such a brilliant read!

Cara is a great main character - flawed and at times unlikeable, but at the same time relatable and real. The world building was really well done, and the plot was face paced and engaging.

I really liked the writing style and the ideas presented in this book. I'd be interested to pick up other things from this author!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and will be submitted to Amazon after release.

This book took me on one hell of a ride. I had requested it on Netgalley as I am trying to branch out more into Sci-Fi and did not expect to love it as much as I did. Cara is a Traverser, a person with the ability to transport to worlds in the multi-verse. Her background and previous lifestyle made her the perfect candidate, as did the fact she is currently dead in over 372 worlds. Her only goal in life is to make it the next four years so she can officially apply as a citizen of Wiley City, leaving her past in the wastes of Ashtown behind. After finding out she has been killed on yet another world, Eldridge send her to gather information only once she gets there her whole life is turned upside down. What she discovers highlights something dark in the company that they don't want the general public finding out about and it might take Cara reaching out to those she had left behind, and being willing to risk her own life to end the deadly spiral.

Cara is a brilliantly written character, she is flawed and unafraid to hide it. Her life before Eldridge is something she would rather forget about, and her only ties to that life are her mother, stepfather and step siblings... people that she would do pretty much anything for. She carries secrets of her own, ones that we discover throughout the book but thanks to her upbringing she is a survivor. She really grows as a character in this book, which is something we don't always get to see in Standalones.

I loved the way the authors delves into the multi-verse. We learn that they can only 'Traverse' to worlds that are similar to their own, where there is human life, oxygen et. In most of the timelines Cara's life is similar to the one she led before Eldridge, she knows without a doubt that if she hadn't been picked from obscurity to become a traverser then she would more than likely be dead by the hands of the Ashtown Emperor and her former lover NikNik. But on one world, Earth 175 she sees how a single decision can change the course of history, and not always for the better.

If you love a book that makes you think, has you questioning things the whole way through not quite believing what you are being told, then this is the book for you. There are plenty of plot twists, and while most are predictable, you only manage to figure it out a page or so before the character does or tells you. I love having little eureka moments when i'm reading and this book is filled with them. The authors writing style makes for an easy read and I found myself flying through chapters, reading 30-40% in one go.

A really fun and thought provoking read that definitely helped in cementing my love for Sci-Fi as a genre.

If you love sci-fi and dystopian novels then set a reminder for 04 August because you are going to want to get this book. The story has a distinct Mad Max flavour to it, and I had to force myself to not finish it in one day.

This is a world where multiverse travel is common knowledge. A total of 382 parallel earths have been documented but traversing between worlds is a little like playing Russian roulette, every time you travel could be the one that kills you.

If you land on an earth where you are still alive the universe turns you inside out, leaving a bloody heap where you used to be.

So, who then would make the ideal traveler?

Those people who normally do not have a high life expectancy, the grunts, the poor, the ones too small to hide from the runners, the ones who have drug addicted mothers that forget to feed their children.

Enter our protagonist, Cara who is one of the most prized traversers as she has died in all worlds but 8. I loved her character as she was perfectly flawed and complex. Even the secondary characters like Ester, Nik Nik and Dell were fascinating.

There is a lot more nuance than what is the norm for this genre. The pace is fast, and you need to keep up as the story will not wait for you to catchup.

A highly satisfying read I can recommend without reservation.

I cannot wait to read more from this author.

The Space Between Worlds sounded fascinating to me when I read the description on Net Galley, and it was also something that I normally don’t tend to go for when reading so I decided to give it a try. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me a copy to review early.
Without giving any spoilers other than those in the book description; The story follows Cara, a girl who travels through to worlds like hers, but all slightly different, where she is no longer alive. I honestly was so intrigued by this idea of dimensional travel and the thought of a multiverse existing that I couldn’t resist requesting this book.
The story itself is a stunning piece of Sci-Fi literature. It has been a long time since i have enjoyed a Sci-Fi plot as much as i did this. I pretty much devoured the novel start to finish in a day and it left me feeling so wonderful after i didn't have a clue what to start next.
The writing style for this book is not what I am used to and took me, as a mainly fantasy reader, a while to adapt to however once I had the story is a genuine hidden gem in an exhilarating universe. It is very much a world building based story with a lot of character development and complexities which I personally enjoyed. It has honestly been so long since I had a novel that had me genuinely wanting to learn more about the characters and the world it was such a breath of fresh air.
The characters that are within the story are all built up well, and have complexities and relationships spanning multiple worlds and dimensions which was both a positive and negative to me. It gave me the opportunity to see characters in different lights, however also made it difficult to differentiate the worlds and what to expect of them as the story progressed.
The pacing of the story was mostly fast and kept me hooked and wanting to continue on, however there were some instances were there seemed to be a stall or standstill for some parts of the story. I personally was fine with this as it allowed me to process the events that have happened but I know this could be a detriment to other readers who are not prepared for it.
Overall this story had me hooked, from the characters, world and premise. Such an exhilarating gem of a story I hope you will consider adding to your TBR!

Sometimes books will leave you with a lot to think about, and I mean a lot. The Space Between Worlds is that for me (it has been at least two weeks - at time of writing - of just thinking). I have many many thoughts about parallel universes and how they help the main character deal with their trauma and all that, but no words for them (not for nothing did I quit English Lit at the age of 16). So, bear with me if everything goes a bit rambling.

The Space Between Worlds is set in a semi-dystopia, semi-science fiction world, where there is a class divide between Wiley City, where all the rich people live, and Ashtown, a Mad Max Fury Road-esque place, run by its own quasi-emperor, Nik Nik. In Wiley City, Adam Bosch is king, running a business that sends people into the multiverse. The only catch? You cannot travel to a world in which your parallel self is alive.

All this brings me to my first point. I absolutely loved the worldbuilding. Firstly, the whole doppelgangers and parallel universes take in this was so cool as a setup. The way traversers are more valuable the more of them that have died, the idea that there can’t be two of you in one universe. It’s just so cool, I don’t know how else to describe it.

And then you get Cara, who’s dead in every known universe except eight. I loved Cara a whole lot (though I can’t really say much about her because that’s spoilers - you’ll see if you read it!). When one of Cara’s doppelgangers dies in mysterious circumstances, that’s when things start to get fascinating. I mean, the whole thing had me utterly gripped from the first page, but a good chunk of it to start with involves setting up the world. But when events start to happen, boy do they get going.

But perhaps my favourite thing about this book is its social commentary. What is science fiction (or fantasy for that matter) without some social commentary, really? Everything about the book makes you think and that’s the best thing here. I mean, I love books where I can just get lost as much as the next person, but the sheer power of books that make you think? Unmatched.

And then (finally) there’s the romance. There is no way I can describe the immense angst of the misunderstanding that scuppered their initial attempts without spoiling the book, but it is so good (in terms of angst, that is). And then their scenes at the end! I don’t think I’ve stopped yelling since I finished the book.

So, with all that, I think it’s clear just how much I loved this book (and am still thinking about it). Which means it’s also clear that you really really need to preorder this one.

'The Space Between Worlds' is a beautifully ambitious novel with a fascinating premise, and while it doesn't work perfectly, it still tells a twisty tale that pulls you in and keeps you invested in how everything will end up.

The premise is simple - the multiverse has been discovered, and an eccentric billionaire has figured out a way to travel between parallel Earths. The caveat? You can only travel to another Earth if the version of you in that Earth's universe has died. This has resulted in those who society would usually consider lesser - the outcasts from the wrong side of the tracks - suddenly becoming essential for exploring and exploiting this fascinating new dimension.

The main character, Cara, is dead on all but eight of the 382 Earths so far discovered. Her mother was a drug addict in Ashtown - the gang-ruled slums on the wrong side of town - and rarely gave her daughter the start she needed to survive. Cara isn't always likeable, but she has drive and ambition and her anger at every wrong was all too believable and relatable. I love complex main characters, and Cara's character and motives were delightfully 3D and real. (She's also black and bisexual, just one of many characters of colour and on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum in a brilliantly diverse novel which never remarks on a character's gender or sexuality - truly refreshing).

The supporting cast, from Esther to Nik Nik to Dell, are also brilliantly complex characters, both on Earth 0 and the other Earth's they are encountered on. It's occasionally confusing keeping the different versions of characters on different Earth's straight, but the author does a great job of differentiating and making it as clear to the reader as possible what's going on.

I loved the idea behind this book, and the plot was fast paced right from the start. There's a great deal of exposition - telling rather than showing - but with something this complex and new I'm not sure that was avoidable, and it never makes the book drag as so much still manages to happen. However, that never-stopping constantly-twisting plot is also the biggest weakness. It sometimes moves so fast that the reader can't keep up, and I found myself having to take a moment to remind myself what had happened, who was who, where we were, and how this action fitted into the wider plot. I also found, possibly because of the across-multiple-worlds-with-the-same-characters premise, that it was sometimes hard to figure out the motivations behind actions, which made them less believable. I suspect that this is a book that is easier to enjoy on a reread, when the characters and setting are familiar and it's easier to enjoy the twists and turns without getting lost partway through.

Overall, this is a refreshing and original addition to the sci-fi genre with a diverse and fully-fleshed-out cast of characters - but it's a book that requires concentration to keep up with. 3.5/5 rounded up to 4*.

I didn't know how much I needed a novel about parallel universes and doppelgängers until I read this. But it's about more than just the sci-fi elements it contains; there's nuanced commentary on abuse, classism and race that made this book a very touching read as well as an exciting one. Also, if you like <i>Mad Max</i>, this will be right up your alley.

We follow Cara, a traverser of worlds. She's died in over 300 different parallel universes, making her the perfect candidate to move between them. The worldbuilding in this book is wonderful and interesting and takes a topic (parallel universes and doppelgängers) and grounds it in themes of identity and longing which make it work where usually it falls short. Cara is one of only seven versions of herself to live, then another one of them is murdered and it kicks off a wonderful story about ambition, struggle, murder and politics as well as loss and healing. Ashtown is the <i>Mad Max</i>-esque setting and the rougher half to Wiley City, an extravagant metropolis that treats Ashtown like an unsightly but "exotic" tourist trap. Johnson weaved a wonderful sci-fi universe while also having very meaningful things to say about wealth, poverty and classism that fit in perfectly. Wiley City was difficult for me to picture sometimes but Ashtown is incredibly vivid. Every element not only fleshed out the visual of this setting, but added to the wider themes this story was portraying and it's fantastically done.

Cara is just one of a brilliant list of characters in this book. She's a wonderful main character - torn between worlds, not just literally and even more so than you think at first - supported by many others who all were interesting to read about. There's wonderful romantic tension between Cara and Dell (I have high standards for f/f and this was a really good, tense romance), a powerful sisterhood between Cara and Esther and Jean is a loving fatherly mentor to her as well, but this book also introduces us to nuanced discussions of abuse with the character of Nik Nik. The arc Cara goes through solely regarding her previous abuse is very moving. Antagonists sneak up on you and are genuinely threatening, keep the stakes high and keep you guessing too. There are lots of characters but it never felt overwhelming because it's all tied back to Cara and how these people have influenced her life and what roles they play in other worlds.

Finally, I just briefly wanted to commend the structure of the book. The first third of this book is just really interesting worldbuilding as well as a basic introduction to the tension between Cara and Dell. At first I felt like it was sometimes meandering but then I realised it was just because I could never guess where this book was heading. There are multiple twists and the concept of parallel universes introduces wonderful narrative options for solutions to the hurdles Cara faces, meaning I was even more surprised and impressed by how she solved her problems, or how she approached situations. By the second half, the action really kicks off and the stakes remain very high until the end. When Cara succeeded, I felt relief and when things went wrong I genuinely felt nervous. Nothing felt easy. There are sacrifices and Cara knows, even from the beginning, that she has always been driven but Wiley City won't let her have it all.

Overall, I really highly recommend this. The sci-fi isn't heavily scientific and is very easily digestible for people who aren't into sci-fi because it isn't the focus. There's also moments about the spiritual vs the scientific when it comes to world traversing which are beautiful to read and allow readers to understand the sci-fi concepts multiple ways. The setting feels alive and kicking and Cara is a wonderful mix of driven and confident but also constantly lost at sea, struggling with the idea of being a rare survivor when these universes are suggesting she should likely be dead. To top it all off, it's emotional; it tackles complicated themes and it moved me to tears when Cara could feel at peace with herself. The book knows what is affecting Cara, and makes it affect the reader too. Couldn't recommend this more.