The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds by by Micaiah Johnson   336 pages

Cara has always been quite good at dying, a talent which enables her to move between the multiverse, pulling data and other information for her employer. However, on this visit to a different Earth, Cara discovers that one of her last remaining doppelgangers has died under mysterious circumstances. Now, she is in a new world, but still carrying an old secret and entangled in a plot that could endanger the entire multiverse.

This isn't much a science fiction book as it is a story about the exploration of self, of how far someone will go to help someone they love, and also how far and how deep a secret can be carried. Cara is an intriguing and flawed character, and while I felt the plot sometimes struggled a bit, she is compelling and I wanted to see how the story ended.

THE MORTAL WORD

THE MORTAL WORD by Genevieve Cogman

433  pages

https://slpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1423249116#

Reviewed by Rae C.

The fifth book in the Invisible Library series, and the best one so far!

There are multiple worlds, and in each there are different levels of technology (order, ruled by Dragons) and magic (chaos, ruled by The Fae).  Each earth has different versions of the same stories, reflecting the different development and history of that particular world. 

The Library exists at the center of all the worlds, and is outside of time.  By collecting the different versions of stories, the Library keeps the worlds bound together.  Also Librarians are able to speak The Language, and therefore in each world have a power different from either Fae or Dragon.  The Language is a pure command, the essence of all earth languages on all the different versions of earth. For example, if a Librarian commands water to boil in The Language, the water will boil.

There is an ongoing conflict between Dragon and Fae, and neither species can tolerate too much of the other. So Fae suffer in the order of Dragon worlds. And Dragons lose strength in chaotic Fae worlds filled with magic and Story.  (The Fae themselves are dominated by Story.  In fact, sometimes they are bound by the rules of the Story and/or their characters.  Both this book and The Masked City display this feature of Fae power.)

In this book there is a peace conference underway between Dragon and Fae, and the Librarians are officiating.  The main protagonist, Irene Winters, is currently Librarian in Residence in a world that is steampunk, and at roughly the 1920's in its timeline. One of her companions is a real life Sherlock Holmes, named Peregrine Vale.  (In some worlds Sherlock Holmes is not just a story.)  Her other companion is a Dragon Prince, Kai Strongrock.

All three of them are summoned to the top secret peace conference after a Dragon is murdered.  The conference and peace in all the worlds is in jeopardy.  Like the other four books, this is a great adventure, with "unguessable" twists and turns.  Cogman always has something up her sleeve!

I especially enjoyed the interim with Vale's POV.  This is the first time there has been a POV other than Irene's.  My understanding is this series grew partly out of the author's love of Sherlock Holmes (as well as Dungeons and Dragons), so to have Vale highlighted was a treat! In fact, Irene's name was chosen from Irene Adler in Conan Doyle's "Silk Stocking." Cogman did a good job of recreating a solid Sherlock Holmes in an unfamiliar world ruled by Fae and Dragons, and powered by ether.

The alternate Paris the story is set in retains all of the history of our worlds' Paris, and includes a very exciting scene in the Grand Guignol.  And the added spectacle of the Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory, running the show.

Kind of sorry I finished it so fast because now it is another long year of waiting for book six!!!

A Thousand Pieces Of You

A Thousand Pieces Of You by Claudia Gray, 360 pages

Marguerite's father has just been killed by Paul, a boy who she thought was completely trustworthy.  He was one of two grad students who had been studying with her parents and was practically family.  Now he has left, using the Firebird, a device her parents invented that can be used to travel to other dimensions.  Unfortunately, he has also destroyed all of her parents' research so that the device can't be duplicated anytime soon.  However, the other student, Theo, has managed to salvage to earlier prototypes that he has upgraded to be usable.  He and Marguerite follow Paul  in an attempt to exact revenge or at least bring him to justice.  Along the way, though, Marguerite may learn some things that don't agree with the story she believes to be true.  There may be more to the situation than she knows and Paul may not be the villain that she thinks.  This was a great science fiction story.  Although a little bit predictable, it was still well written and I thought it was pretty compelling.   I'm fairly certain there will be a sequel because this book left a lot of loose ends in the overall story and I will be excited to read it when it comes out.

Not on Fire but Burning

Not on Fire but Burning by Greg Hrbek
275 Pages

"Twenty-year-old Skyler saw the incident out her window: Some sort of metallic object hovering over the Golden Gate Bridge just before it collapsed and a mushroom cloud lifted above the city. Like everyone, she ran, but she couldn't outrun the radiation, with her last thoughts being of her beloved baby brother, Dorian, safe in her distant family home.

Flash forward to a post-incident America, where the country has been broken up into territories and Muslims have been herded onto the old Indian reservations in the west, even though no one has determined who set off the explosion that destroyed San Francisco. Twelve-year old Dorian dreams about killing Muslims and about his sister—even though Dorian's parents insist Skyler never existed. Are they still shell-shocked, trying to put the past behind them . . . or is something more sinister going on?

Meanwhile, across the street, Dorian's neighbor adopts a Muslim orphan from the territories. It will set off a series of increasingly terrifying incidents that will lead to either tragedy or redemption for Dorian, as he struggles to prove that his sister existed—and was killed by a terrorist attack."

This is a difficult book to classify and it will leave the reader thinking about the fabric of reality and life. Parts of the book are confusing and weak but overall the language is beautiful and the plot evolves into a climatic ending.