InterWorld (original 2007; edition 2008)

InterWorld is a young adult novel by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, dealing with the idea of parallel worlds. Joey is a Walker, meaning he can move between the worlds, something he discovers by accident when he gets lost during a class assignment, and stumbles into another version of Earth.

On some Earths, science holds sway, others are controlled by magic and have winged people, or wolf people, or magicians. Two evil organizations, Binary and HEX, want to impose their control on the other worlds. Only InterWorld stands in their way, an organization of Walkers comprised totally of parallel world versions of Joey.

It's an interesting idea, but I didn't warm to InterWorld as much as Gaiman's other work. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I didn't find it as charming or captivating as Odd and the Frost Giants, Coraline or the Graveyard Book. It's kind of neat to see all the alternate world versions of Joey, including a winged girl, a centaur, a wolf-girl, a cyborg, etc. but for all that I never really connected with him/them. ( )

Neil Gaiman's name, along with the superhero-looking cover, brought me to InterWorld. I didn't know much about it, and I don't think I'd even heard of it the first time I checked it out of the library, though I didn't actually get around to reading it that time, since I'm pretty notorious for checking out an impossible pile of books. As has been the case with my prior experiences with Gaiman, InterWorld proved an imperfect read for me, being primarily focused on world building rather than character.

In an ideal world, all books would be heavily into both world building and character, but accomplishing even one is a feat. The world building in InterWorld is well done, and will appeal to those who enjoy So You Want to Be a Wizard and A Wrinkle in Time. Gaiman and Reaves put their own twist on the multiverse, adding the fascinating concept that some earths are magic-based and some science-based, and then running the gamut between those two. Also awesome are the scenes in the InBetween, which is sort of like Flatland but more fiction, less math.

Joey Harker, the novel's protagonist, does not start out as a particularly impressive specimen. He gets lost easily, so much so that he's gotten lost in his own house. His grades are unexceptional. In no way does he seem like a hero. One day, though, he walks through some mist and into a whole new world, one where his mother doesn't recognize him and he meets the female version of himself. Soon, he finds himself instrumental in a war between the different factions in the multiverse.

Readers who really love world building and science fiction will eat this up like I eat chips, but, for more character-focused readers InterWorld is a bit challenging. For one thing, in some ways, there is almost just one character. In a sort of twist I saw coming from the beginning, most of the characters in the book are alternate universe versions of Joey, which is cool, but a bit limiting at the same time.

Joey does grow a bit as a character, receiving better education, developing a skill (Walking between universes), and becoming braver generally. Still, there's not much of an arc to his development. Reave and Gaiman skip some time, like most of Joey's training. He goes from untrained to more trained without any transition, so it's hard to feel convinced or proud of his development. In fact, I never really had a sense of who Joey was, or of any of his alternate universe incarnations. The character I bonded with most, Hue, never said a word, mostly because he/she/it is a bubble of color. Hue had much more vibrancy and personality than I ever felt from the other characters.

Science fiction fans a bit more hardcore than I am will want to check this out. If you like the concept but want more characterization, try E.C. Myers' Fair Coin. ( )

Quick Note: I read this on my brand-new Nook. I actually checked it out from our local library's e-reading program, which means I downloaded it from the library website onto my laptop, then loaded it into my Nook. I have to say, the Nook is freakin' awesome. The main thing I was concerned about was whether or not the electronic gadget would "disappear," so to speak, as I was reading -- like a paperback. I am happy to report that when reading on the Nook, I sink into the story just as easily as when I read a physical book. My eyes don't hurt after 20 minutes like when I read on a laptop. I surface hours later, head spinning and dizzy with the characters and completely unaware of the medium I was introduced to them through.

Speaking of characters -- I really don't need to review this, if you're familiar with Gaiman's writing. Unlike other prolific writers (looking at you, Nicholas Sparks and Nora Roberts), Gaiman doesn't follow the same basic plotline over and over. He doesn't recycle characters, slapping a new face and name onto the same stock personalities.

No, every Gaiman book is a fresh treat. A tour-de-force in writing that takes the reader to new planes of idea and fantasy. Every time I read a Gaiman book, I half-expect to run into an old, familiar character -- he writes so much, you can't help but expect he'll begin recycling plots and characters. But it hasn't, as yet, happened.

As usual, his plot pacing is quick and fun, his characters are well-fleshed out, the motivations and actions understandable and relatable. As usual, he introduces fantastic new ways of looking at classic sci-fi and fantasy -- I swear, the man takes a funhouse mirror to every existing fantasy/ mythology stereotype and turns them completely on their head. And as usual, his writing style (turn of phrase, dialogue, etc) is evocative, lyrical, descriptive and fun.

Gaiman is an unparalleled joy to read. I have favorites among his books, true, but I can say with complete honesty that Gaiman is the one author I've read where I like every book he's written. ( )

Un mélange de tout plein de genre, avec d'excellentes idées et beaucoup de potentiel. C'est juste un peu court. ( )

I wasn't sure about this one at first. the cover looks like weird Manga and the description is … weird. a bunch of joey harkers fighting one another and trying to save the worlds? yeah. weird. but (unsurprisingly) it was really good. I was disappointed to reach the end.
joey harker isn't a typical hero. he's kind of a dork, bumbling, and definitely a disaster waiting to happen. but he's got "heart" and he keeps trying, which makes him a good hero. he's flawed, so that makes him interesting too.
the concept of a bazillion of the same basic person in different forms making up a galactic police force is pretty awesome (also, it reminds me of Doctor Who).
the problem with stories like this is I want to know MORE. ( )