Gypsies

Robert Charles Wilson is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. His ideas are interesting, and his writing confident, and often beautiful. He can claim what is probably my highest accolade - he is a writer who the reader can trust. By that I mean that his world-building is solid, and his stories and ideas unfold consistently. You feel that he knows what he's doing, even when the story is unusual and surprising.
Gypsies is the tale of three siblings who can step between worlds: it proves to be a dangerous activity.
It is also an exploration of ideas around faith; loyalty, and morality. Are we locked into just one way of living our lives, or can our choices make a real difference? There is a powerful feeling of 'the other' about show more this book, and Wilson is good at creating a sense of increasing menace and fear.
And he does evoke place very powerfully:
"Almost dark now, the last daylight washing up this windy road, this folded coast. Tall pines and mountain shadows and a sky as broad and clean as the ringing of a bell."
I will be reading more - fortunately, he's written a lot! show less

Early work, but someone said that they keep reading RCW because this was their favorite book in Jr. High and they want to find another so good. Worth a try, because the reason I have trouble with RCW is he's full of himself... may not have been so much back then....

Ok done. Indeed, this is a work that makes me want to keep trying Wilson's other books. Interestingly, it doesn't read like SF. I mean, it very obviously is, but the emphasis is more on the family story. It's also pretty dramatic, and actually reads more like horror. Fans of Dean Koontz will like it I think, as it does remind me so much of what I've read by him.

I do recommend it. (I will be listing my copy on paperbackswap.)

The fifth book I've read by Robert Wilson and it's as good as his later books. The plot involves a family that can open doorways to other worlds, and is chased by someone because of this ability.

Like all of the Wilson books that I've read, the plot to Gypsies is fast and well paced, while the character development is good. The lead character is particularly well fleshed out.

Ce troisième roman de Robert Charles Wilson est indubitablement une réussite. Le sujet choisi (la capacité de se déplacer dans des mondes parallèles) était semé d’embûches car déjà traité de nombreuses fois. Mais en lui joignant des questionnements sur l'éducation parentale, et notamment sur les effets néfastes d'une sur-protection des enfants par leurs parents, il renouvelle allègrement le genre et nous emmène avec lui dans une histoire très prenante qui nous tient en haleine jusqu'à sa conclusion malheureusement un peu convenue.