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timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Good concept, OK development for a juvenile. Not as good as most of Gaiman's work, but worth the short time it took to read.
trin's review against another edition
3.0
A young adult novel based on an idea for a TV show Gaiman and Reaves could never get off the ground, this reads like the pilot for said TV show. It introduces a really fascinating world, one in which the main conflict is between the forces of magic and science, both of which have representatives who are trying to achieve dominance over the multiverse. Then from an Earth quite like ours comes Joey Harker, who discovers he is a Walker, with the power to move between universes and fight to keep those essential forces in check. The story is a lot of fun, and the potential Horrible Fate that could befall Joey and his friends is really, legitimately terrifying, but the first person narrative is much weaker than Gaiman's usual authorial voice, and ultimately, more questions are raised than answered. I want to know why Joey and all his infinite variations are special! Instead it's kind of frustrating that things leave off where they do. This would have made an even better show than a book, dammit.
ladynamiradina's review against another edition
4.0
Four stars because this NEEDS a sequel. There were too many loose ends..the main one being - what in the world is Frostnight! It was very different from some of his other books, but it was a nice change. I loved all the techie sci-fi stuff...
mare_cognitum's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
dedkake's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
x_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
A cute read but I was disappointed. I really expected more from Neil Gaiman.
katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Fans of the genre will probably rate this higher. I'm not a huge SF reader, but like Gaiman enough to have given this a go. I also read the audio version, which was well narrated.
This has a premise that's been dipped into in Sci-Fi stories more than once, but this is a version for young adults. Parallel universes - I was interested to see how the science behind it was written for a younger-than-usual audience.
Joey Harker, a boy who can't find his way around his own school, manages to get lost while out on a field trip, and stumbles into another dimension. He discovers that there are multiple worlds, some very like his own, some not so - there are some worlds that are ruled by scientific principles, others that lean strongly towards magic (i.e. religions), and many that use both (such as his own). He also learns that the worlds are involved in a war, in which Lord Dogstar and Lady Indigo are plotting destruction, and it is only the Joey Harkers (and his equivalents) in each parallel universe that possess the skills to defeat them.
I will admit, I lost interest at times (this really isn't a genre I have an inclination towards), mostly towards the end. I enjoyed Joey's early story - finding himself in the rather unique situation of being a dimension-hopper, how he learns what the universe really is, and how he must decide between his own home world and saving them all... That one was actually a very moving scene.
There is a sequel, which I don't think is for me, but I'm glad I tried this, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to SF fans, there are some fascinating scientific ideas here to think about. Joey himself, average as he is meant to be, isn't a typical hero, more an everyman (or rather boy), but this does make the plot funny at times, seeing the various incarnation of him that exist in different worlds.
Age ranges, I would say it would be most enjoyed by 10-14 year olds.
Fans of the genre will probably rate this higher. I'm not a huge SF reader, but like Gaiman enough to have given this a go. I also read the audio version, which was well narrated.
This has a premise that's been dipped into in Sci-Fi stories more than once, but this is a version for young adults. Parallel universes - I was interested to see how the science behind it was written for a younger-than-usual audience.
Joey Harker, a boy who can't find his way around his own school, manages to get lost while out on a field trip, and stumbles into another dimension. He discovers that there are multiple worlds, some very like his own, some not so - there are some worlds that are ruled by scientific principles, others that lean strongly towards magic (i.e. religions), and many that use both (such as his own). He also learns that the worlds are involved in a war, in which Lord Dogstar and Lady Indigo are plotting destruction, and it is only the Joey Harkers (and his equivalents) in each parallel universe that possess the skills to defeat them.
I will admit, I lost interest at times (this really isn't a genre I have an inclination towards), mostly towards the end. I enjoyed Joey's early story - finding himself in the rather unique situation of being a dimension-hopper, how he learns what the universe really is, and how he must decide between his own home world and saving them all... That one was actually a very moving scene.
There is a sequel, which I don't think is for me, but I'm glad I tried this, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to SF fans, there are some fascinating scientific ideas here to think about. Joey himself, average as he is meant to be, isn't a typical hero, more an everyman (or rather boy), but this does make the plot funny at times, seeing the various incarnation of him that exist in different worlds.
Age ranges, I would say it would be most enjoyed by 10-14 year olds.
eddaros's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it. I could see a lot of Gaiman in the story, and the characters, but it was interesting to feel that there was something else as well, something unfamiliar.
Anyway I love the idea of multiple universes, trousers of time and all that shit. <3 <3 <3
Anyway I love the idea of multiple universes, trousers of time and all that shit. <3 <3 <3