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A review by bookgabz
Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“The night is long and dark, Rage says, but I will keep us warm.”
This is just one, of MANY lyrically moving quotes I highlighted as I read through this book. One of my favorite books of 2020, and possibly my favorite Sci-fi book of all time, was The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson. So when I found out she was returning to the same world in Those Beyond the Wall, I was ecstatic!
Those Beyond the Wall, however, is so much more moving, poignant, and important in a way that The Space Between Worlds wasn’t. The Author, Micaiah Johnson, states in an Author’s Note at the beginning of the story that this book was largely conceived during the sixty-two-day sit-in at Nashville’s Tennessee State Capitol in 2023. This work of art, for art is what it should be called, is so beautiful in its entirety.
This story follows Mr. Scales, a runner in Ashtown that has the Emperor’s ear in a way most runners don’t. Which is a good thing because you find out early on that Mr. Scales is one of the first to experience that traveler’s are coming from parllel universes into our own Ashtown. But if those parallel universe travelers also exist in this plane, it very brutally murders the resident of this Ashtown, to make space for the parallel universe’s version of that person. You do see the reemergence of Cara and Dell from the first book, but this is wholly Scales’ story and journey. And a moving one it is.
The story that follows is a beautiful representation of race, privilege, gender, and family. The family you chose, versus the family you’re born with. The privilege you’re born with, and how you can still be different and shunned for that difference.
This story is one I can tell will stay with me for a lifetime. I loved every moment of this book. Make sure to pre-order this now to ensure you have your copy when it comes out on March 12! Thank you to #NetGalley and #DelRey for this ARC of #ThoseBeyondTheWall by #MicaiahJohnson in exchange for an honest review.