THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS

RELEASED OUT NOW! 324 pages | Hardback/ebook/ audiobook

Author Micaiah Johnson

Publisher Hodder & Stoughton

Fresh takes on sci-fi staples aren’t easy to find, but this debut novel from Micaiah Johnson pulls off a demanding and mind-bending approach to the much-explored concept of multiple universes. In the dark future of The Space Between Worlds, only a few hundred of the infinity of universes are accessible, and to travel to an alternate your duplicate has to be dead already – so outsiders with short life expectancies make the best “traversers”.

The story follows one such traverser, Cara, who’s looking to use her work to finally gain citizenship to the wealthy Wiley City, but then she stumbles upon a secret that fully exposes the way the multiverse is being exploited by the rich.

Tackling difficult subjects and asking tricky thematic questions, Johnson’s novel is a discomfiting exploration of how societies and technology frequently benefit those in power. While the social commentary is strong and hardhitting, it’s delivered alongside plenty of gripping, well-crafted storytelling. The book features an impressive number of twists, and also regularly finds new wrinkles to explore in its heady multiverse-related concepts.

Throw in a satisfying and touching love story, and the result is a dark, provocative read that’s both challenging and satisfying. Saxon Bullock