Michael Lawrence (1) (1943–)

first line: "At sixteen, Alaric and Naia were as alike as any two people of opposite sexes can be."

Michael Lawrence bases his Withern Rise trilogy on the premise that when there are two equally possible outcomes to a situation, sometimes both occur, and reality splinters. In one reality, a woman gives birth to a girl; in another, her baby is a boy. In one reality, a passenger survives a train wreck; in another, she isn't so fortunate.

In A Crack in the Line, Alaric Underwood accidentally show more crosses into the reality of Naia, his female counterpart. (Not quite the same as getting in touch with his feminine side....) The novel traces the experiences of and developing relationship between these two teens.

Lawrence's writing is simple but elegant, his characters interesting and discrete (even Alaric and Naia), and his execution of the theoretical premise satisfying. On finishing this book, I couldn't wait to begin Small Eternities. show less

A dismal end to an otherwise-mediocre series. How do you explain the death of one of your main characters in a previous book? Many Worlds theory: he's not the same one as the one you're following now! You just thought he was. Couple that with the most squick-inducing dedication I've ever read (just a shade away from "To Mom and Dad--thanks for gettin' it on and conceiving me"), and, well, at least it's not a forgettable book. Pass the brain bleach, please.

This book was such a freaking letdown. I really liked the first two books in the series but hated most this final installment.

The details of how the multiple realities worked was left vague previously but in this book the author tries to explain how everything works, only none of it makes any sense! The plot is also pretty muddled, I guessed all the twists, and the story doesn't have the same cohesive feel as the previous books.

Its also got a number of unpleasant scenes that seemed to have show more no place in the book. Animal death, animal mutilation, graphic child murder, sexual assault...and none of it dealt with well in my opinion. And even though I still really like the two main characters I find the character of AU (whose name has to be a joke right?) utterly detestable. The author doesnt seem to feel that way though, and AU takes a central role in the story.

I wanted to finish the series and find out what happened, but honestly could have done without reading this. There were a few scenes I enjoyed but overall I just dont know what the author was thinking. show less

I really love the concept of this book, although to be honest thinking too much about how it only takes the littlest thing "a crack in the line" to derail our lives really cant be good for my anxiety. The idea of alternate realities is done well and I liked the main characters and the differences (and similarities) of how they dealt with the situation. The setting comes through very strong and the snowed in house where the story takes place was easy for me to imagine. It probably didnt hurt show more that it was snowing while I was reading though. Looking forward to continuing the series. show less