4 out of 5 Stars!
Seeing it’s summertime, I’m using this opportunity to kick back with some lighter reading. I love Neil Gaiman and his hilariously smart writing style, but didn’t want something too morbid (aka American Gods or Good Omens). So I picked up one of his YA collaborations.
The BlurbJoey Harker isn’t a hero.
In fact, he’s the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house.
But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension.
Joey’s walk between the worlds makes him prey to two terrible forces, armies of magic and science who will do anything to harness his power to travel between dimensions.
When he sees the evil those forces are capable of, Joey makes the only possible choice: to join an army of his own, an army of versions of himself from different dimensions who all share his amazing power and who are all determined to fight to save the worlds.
Master storyteller Neil Gaiman and Emmy Award-winning science-fiction writer Michael Reaves team up to create a dazzling tale of magic, science, honor, and the destiny of one very special boy and all the others like him.
My TakeThe premise for this one had me hooked from the get go: the ongoing inter-dimensional battle between the forces of magic and technology. And what better way to fight such a battle than with an army made up of yourself–or at least several alternate reality versions of yourself.
As always, Neil Gaiman manages to create an insane yet relatable reality for readers, though the writing style isn’t his norm (probably because of the collaboration with Reaves). The imagery is psychedelic bordering on psychotic, spanning multiple dimensions through time and space. It was interesting how the existence of ultra-futuristic society melded with magic throughout this novel, a great blend of science fiction and fantasy. Although some of the heroes and villains were kitschy and over-the-top, they were interesting and fun.
I found this novel categorized under young adult, but I’d claim that it’s more appropriate for middle grade readers. There are several situations that are kind of forced and contrived, with too many strange coincidences. But overall, the friendships and adventure make this an exciting yet easy to read novel, enjoyable for a wide age range (including adults). But be aware, this book still has several scenes of mild violence including the deaths of several characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed InterWorld and give it 4 out of 5 Stars! If you’re looking for an easy summer read and don’t mind if it’s a bit “hokey”, then give this one a shot
