The Space Between Worlds

by Micaiah Johnson

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.

WINNER OF THE COMPTON CROOK AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • “Gorgeous writing, mind-bending world-building, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character who demands your attention—and your allegiance.”—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—NPR, Library Journal, Book Riot

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total.

On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now what once made her marginalized has finally become an unexpected source of power. She has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.

But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world but the entire multiverse.

“Clever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose.”—Library Journal (starred review)

• ISBN10: 0593135059
• ISBN13: 9780593135051
• Publish Date: 4 August 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593135051

Reviews

[Amber]

Rating: 3.5
Read more reviews on my blog, Books of Amber!

If you’ve been around here for a while then you might know that parallel universe stories are my jam. I absolutely cannot get enough of them, as I find the entire concept so intriguing and exciting. When I first heard about The Space Between Worlds, I knew I had to snap it up, because it sounded exactly like the kind of thing I would enjoy. I am here for anything about travelling between parallel dimensions.

Cara was a very interesting character, and she actually becomes more interesting the more you read. It isn’t immediately clear why she is the way that she is, or what exactly it is that she’s dealing with, but trust me, it’s A LOT. And as the book continues you keep finding out more about her. She’s somewhat mysterious in the beginning, I guess, but she’s an incredibly layered character.

The science part of the book left me a little… deflated. The Space Between Worlds isn’t supposed to be hard science fiction or anything, but given my love for parallel universe stories I was excited to learn about how or why these worlds exist. So in this book, people can travel to different Earths if their “Other Self” is dead in them. But they can only travel to Earths that are already quite similar to their own. So there are a lot of Earths that they can’t access. All good so far, right?

Well, my problem is that there is a set number of different Earths in this book. Around 380. And the numbers isn’t increasing. But the thing is, THE NUMBER SHOULD BE FOREVER INCREASING. If the parallel universes happen because choices cause divergence, the number of universes should be increasing at a rapid rate. Right? It doesn’t make sense that the characters in Earth 0 have only discovered a limited amount of Other Earths, and only the ones that are most similar to their own. If the main character, Cara, decides not to go to the toilet on the upper floor of her apartment building and instead waits until she gets to work, therefore getting there sooner, and her Other Self does the opposite, that’s already just one divergence. So a new Earth should have been created!

I’ll stop my ranting about that now, because despite that… slight… upset, I did really enjoy this book. I would say that a lot of people would enjoy it, even if they don’t like science fiction, because it turns into more of an action thriller for the most part. The second and third acts of the book aren’t very sciencey at all, and it’s more of an action/thriller/dystopia type deal.

I enjoyed the discussions of class that were prevelant throughout this book. The Space Between Worlds covered many more themes than that, but the class bits were the ones that most intrigued me as it’s something I can relate to and am passionate about. I also really liked that the main character was bi/pan. At the very least, Cara is definitely not straight. More F/F sci fi, PLEASE.

Overall, this is a very good book and an easy one for new readers of sci fi to read. Pick it up if the concept of the multiverse sounds intriguing, but try not to think about the science too closely or you might find yourself quite frustrated.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Space Between Worlds in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Space Between Worlds is the outstanding debut novel of Micaiah Johnson, and it is an impressive feat of science fiction.

Cara lives in a time when multiverse travel is possible – for the select few, that is. You see, it turns out than it isn't the most intelligent, or the bravest, required to travel between worlds. But the rarest.

One cannot travel to a world where they already exist. Thus, Cara, who's counterpart is dead in 372 worlds, is a commodity for her company. She's rapidly becoming more rare and valuable with time. Just not in the way she'd want.

Her position in these worlds has put her in a unique place, however. One that could result in her saving the day. Not just on her own world, but on many others. She just has to survive whatever comes next. A trait that she is apparently not known for.

“Another me is gone. As I walk into the valley, I'm a little more valuable walking down the mountain than I was walking up.”

For two days I lived and breathed The Space Between Worlds. This novel sucked me in and I simply couldn't get it out of my head. Not until I finished it. Perhaps, not even then. I can tell you that if I could read this book again for the first time, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Whew. It has been a hot minute since I got this sucked into a book about multiverses. Let me tell you, when those go bad, they go bad fast. But the reverse is also true. Thankfully, The Space Between Worlds is the former, and I loved every minute of it.

Actually, in many ways, this actually felt like two complete books. There are two distinct plots, one which got wrapped up around the halfway mark, and the other which brought about the dramatic conclusion. Am I complaining that I got to read both at once? Not one bit.

Micaiah Johnson created something wonderful – and beautiful here. She took the concept of multiverses and created something new and interesting with it. All while creating compelling characters.

There is no shortage of complexity to be found in this book. 372 worlds (that Cara can travel to), dozens of characters, and more than a fair share of hidden backstories and motivations. It makes for a lot to work through, and it was all so well done. It kept me entertained from start to finish, and then some.

I really hope that this novel ends up being part of a series. Or that we see Johnson revisiting this series of worlds in some way. I'm completely hooked, and that means I want more.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Oh, how I loved this book! It was the perfect high stakes/high reward caper all over the multiverse, featuring a character that I grew to absolutely love. So let us discuss all the things that made The Space Between Worlds such a huge win for me!

• ►I mean, 380 Earths! Some were very similar to ours, and some were quite different. The larger the Earth's number, the greater the difference from our Earth, Earth 0. I loved this concept! Like the Butterfly Effect, some of the Earths were changed in such small, but ultimately significant ways, and that is beyond fascinating to me. The author did a wonderful job with world-building so that it was exciting, but not overwhelming, which struck a perfect balance for me.



• ►It's a dark, dark world(s). None of the Earths are great, really. People mainly live in walled cities, and if you're not lucky enough to get into one of those, you're on the outskirts, trying to stay alive. And because it is so rough, it clearly shapes the characters and their choices, which I'll get into more.



• ►I loved Cara for the flawed but fierce character that she was. She never tried to portray herself as a hero, even though I started to see her as such. She was incredibly loyal to those who'd earned her loyalty, she was determined, and always willing to fight for what she wanted or what she thought was right. She knew she'd made mistakes and bad choices, and some she wasn't even apologizing for. In such an aforementioned harsh reality, you have to do what you have to do sometimes.



• ►Speaking of, the gray morality was strong. Look, sometimes all the choices suck, and you have to make the best decisions with the information that you have (straight from the mouth of Thelonious Jaha, but whatever) and hope for the best.  I loved watching Cara figure out that hey, maybe she was one of the good guys, as she struggled to make some really tough choices.



• ►The book features some incredible relationships. Oh, how I long to tell you more about all of them, but by doing so I'd spoil something that I personally hadn't seen coming. But there are a lot of people in Cara's life who care deeply for her, and she for them, though I think in this world it's hard to admit when you care for someone, for fear they'll be lost.



• ►Honestly I just couldn't put the thing down. I was immersed in this book from start to finish, full stop. I was legit carrying it around with me because I didn't want to have to pause to do anything else. Cara and her story captivated me from the first page, and learning more about both her and the worlds she lived in was just too exciting to take breaks.

Bottom Line: I fell fully into The Space Between Worlds, and never stopped. I cared deeply for Cara and those she cared about in turn, and the world-building was so fun, the premise so unique, that I positively devoured this book.