J. Michael Reaves (1950–2023)

For those expecting an action-adventure piece like the prior works of Michael Reaves (Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter) and Steve Perry (Shadows of the Empire), you're in for a surprise. I'm not sure how to describe its style; I'd say it's about three-quarters E.R., and one-quarter Aaron Allston's X-wing novels. There's not much action onscreen; instead, we mostly see characters dealing with its consequences.

However, like both of their earlier books, we're treated to a cast of "normal" citizens of show more the universe, as opposed to hordes of Jedi. This gives us a perspective rarely seen, and (especially since the Clone Wars novels are supposed to deal more with perspectives and people than overall plot) is a welcome insight into the effects of the war glossed over by other media. More than a mere thousand Jedi and a million clones are involved in this conflict, both directly and not.

The book does suffer from some minor continuity glitches; there were also references to things from the movies that the POV characters shouldn't have been aware of, even though the reader is. But in its favor, there were also some other unexpected nods to the Expanded Universe.

Unlike almost every other multipart story, Battle Surgeons accomplishes something unusual: it feels complete. There's really only one thread introduced during the novel that's left to be resolved in Jedi Healer, but even that has a partial resolution which would be satisfactory without the forthcoming sequel.

Overall, a highly recommended read for fans of character-based pieces or seeing beyond a certain point of view. show less

The novel is not bad, but it's not great, either. The new characters are -- with a decent exception or two -- largely forgettable tropes (the ace fighter pilot, the attractive bartender, the conscripted surgeon, etc.), and the established ones ring slightly off to me. Particularly Tarkin is not quite as I know him from the films and cartoons -- though in fairness, this might be due to established EU personality traits I'm not aware of. Vader is better, though his sections suffer from the show more bending over backwards to make sense of his actions and dialogue in light of both the prequel films and the vast EU continuity largely grown before those films were made.

I was hoping for a political thriller about the creation of the galaxy's most horrific invention, and instead I got a street-level-view of said invention's launch and demise. But it's decent, and once the novel hit the halfway point, it picked up a lot of steam carrying through to the end, which I enjoy as a reader. show less

The Silver Dream, story by Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves, written by Michael & Mallory Reaves (Book #2 of the InterWorld series) is both better and not as good as its predecessor.

The story in this one is better. My main complaint about the first book in the series is that it read more like the outline of a TV show concept (which is what it is) than a fully fleshed out novel. The Silver Dream works as a cohesive, contained novel. As such, it's more compelling.

Joey Harker has been with show more InterWorld for two years now. His team has gained experience in the field. When new and powerful Walkers are discovered in both the HEX and Binary sections of the Altiverse, InterWorld agents (including Joey) retrieve them and bring them back to Base Town. Along the way, Joey meets Acacia ("Don't call me Casey") Jones, a mysterious young woman who turns out to be far more important than she lets on. That's when things start to go wrong ... and FrostNight begins.

The Silver Dream introduces a new and wonderful character, in addition to fleshing out the existing characters a bit more. It expands the Altiverse in exciting new directions. The plotting in this book is really quite impressive—the authors weave some complicated knots and tie elements together in surprising ways. This story raises the stakes of the essential conflict and it ends on a cliffhanger.

It makes me want to read the third book ASAP.

The only real flaw with The Silver Dream is simply that the quality of the writing isn't as good as in the first novel. This isn't to say the writing is bad—far from it, the writing on display here is skillful. It's fully up to the task of telling this story and telling it well.

You can tell Mr. Gaiman didn't actually write this one (he helped plot the story, along with Mr. Reaves, but most of the actual writing was done by Michael's daughter, Mallory [according to Wikipedia]). The style is a bit less elegant, the tone a bit more on-the-nose. Again—not bad. Just a bit less.

Tonally, the biggest issue is Joey's sense of humor. He has a clever, self-deprecating way of narrating the story. In InterWorld, the first novel in the series, this sense of humor is what characterizes the narrative most deeply. The Silver Dream tries to replicate this humorous tone at the beginning but doesn't quite manage it. And given how the story develops, this sense of humor doesn't fit the narrative of this second novel. It comes across as somewhat tone deaf.

Thankfully, the writers are smart enough to realize that and stop trying to be funny after a certain point.

It's probably a turn off for some people to know that this outing in the series is notably less funny than the first one. I'm grateful, though, that the authors recognized that humor isn't what this story needs and didn't try too hard to force it.

This is a story about Joey growing up. It's a story about the worst-case scenario becoming worse than he ever imagined. It's a story about a young man stepping up to face challenges bigger than he may be able to handle.

This kind of story can't be all fun and jokes. It needs to get dark before it can find its way back to the light. Things need to go wrong for the main character to try to set it right, and learn that he can.

This kind of story may not be funny—but it's essential. This is the best path the series could have taken. show less

Eternity's Wheel provides an appropriate and satisfying conclusion to the InterWorld saga. This arguably the most powerful book in the series.

When the story opens, Joey Harker is back home on his Earth, injured and cut off from his InterWorld teammates. He doesn't know if he managed to stop FrostNight, Acacia Jones is MIA, and Base Town is trapped and fleeing HEX. Joey goes to Mr. Dimas (his old social studies teacher) for help and advice, and then he embarks on a quest to seek out and show more recruit more Walkers to train a new army to fight Binary and HEX.

This is an excellent premise for the final volume of the series. At heart, these books are about Joey growing up and accepting his full adult responsibilities. Left on his own like this, he buckles down and does what he thinks is needed. He makes himself a leader.

The story doesn't go quite as one might expect, though, given the initial circumstances. This turns out not be a quest story. The obstacles Joey encounters are surprising and unexpected. An old nemesis makes a new appearance and we meet a new Time Agent. A new Walker comes and goes from the story with shocking swiftness, but with powerful effects. Joey witnesses the end of worlds. It all leads inevitably to a final confrontation in which Joey must choose between saving himself or saving reality. In the end, this is a powerful story of redemption.

We learn more about the Old Man and more about TimeWatch. We see a bit more, as well, about how different time streams may (or may not) be inter-related within the larger scale of the Multiverse.

The story explores responsibility, sacrifice, redemption, family, friends—all the important issues we face as we make our way through our lives.

What I like best about Eternity's Wheel is that the authors let the end be messy. Joey doesn't save everyone and everything. People die and worlds are ended. Much of the damage done by Binary and HEX is irreparable. This isn't neat or tidy, it's not a pat happy ending.

But it's the correct ending for this type of story. For a story about growing up, facing challenges and accepting your responsibilities, there must be consequences for the characters to cope with. There's always an aftermath to deal with. Bad things happen but life goes on. Ultimately, accepting that fact is the final—and most important—step in growing up.

Eternity's Wheel may not end with everything put right. This may not be an unreservedly happy ending. But it's hopeful and it's empowering. This is an ending that leads to more and better things in Joey Harker's life—more challenges and rewards, more mistakes and consequences, more responsibility.

That's life. That's the reality of growing up. Such an ending is entirely satisfactory. show less