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A review by amynbell
The Day After Never by Nathan Van Coops
4.0
I read a lot of time travel novels, and it's rare that I encounter truly new concepts, but this one has two that really stand out. The first is a the concept of a Neverwhere--a strange and dreamlike world that time travelers go to when they make failed time travel jumps. The second is the inclusion of Zurvan, the twin-spirited god of infinite time and space, popular in the years 226 to 651 CE. While this is the 3rd book in the series, I think all of the books stand well alone and have ideas unique to the genre.
The time travel concept in this series allows for the existence of parallel worlds created by time travelers. Thus, in one world, Ben is fine. However, another version of Ben has landed himself in the Neverwhere through a time travel mishap. One of the parts I looked forward most while experiencing this novel was exploring the concept of the Neverwhere. However, to explain it here would be to spoil this experience for future readers. The two Bens learn to communicate with each other in order to search for their kidnapped girlfriend and to fight against Zurvan whose actions and plans threaten the existence of the galaxy.
I always enjoy Van Coops' vision of the future. My favorite gadget of his imagined future world is a type of virtual glasses that nearly everyone wears which allows wearers to see the world in a different way. A common person can appear as whatever avatar they would like. Drab buildings can be transformed into palatial paradises. But, of course, the world is also filled with virtual advertisements. Again in this novel, Van Coops has explored the idea of a world where there is a stark contrast between people who are fully human and those with technological modifications (synths). The ideas of social relations between these groups is explored quite imaginatively.
This novel is truly a 4.5-star novel, but GoodReads doesn't allow for half stars. The missing half star is mainly for the wordiness of the ruminations that interject themselves into action scenes and slows down the reading a bit. Really, it's a great read. Just like in his previous novel where the original idea of a time race (or chronothon) sticks in the reader's mind, the idea in this novel of a Neverwhere where misplaced time travelers go will be in the reader's mind for a long time after reading. This is the perfect ending to a great time travel series. All's well that ends well.
The time travel concept in this series allows for the existence of parallel worlds created by time travelers. Thus, in one world, Ben is fine. However, another version of Ben has landed himself in the Neverwhere through a time travel mishap. One of the parts I looked forward most while experiencing this novel was exploring the concept of the Neverwhere. However, to explain it here would be to spoil this experience for future readers. The two Bens learn to communicate with each other in order to search for their kidnapped girlfriend and to fight against Zurvan whose actions and plans threaten the existence of the galaxy.
I always enjoy Van Coops' vision of the future. My favorite gadget of his imagined future world is a type of virtual glasses that nearly everyone wears which allows wearers to see the world in a different way. A common person can appear as whatever avatar they would like. Drab buildings can be transformed into palatial paradises. But, of course, the world is also filled with virtual advertisements. Again in this novel, Van Coops has explored the idea of a world where there is a stark contrast between people who are fully human and those with technological modifications (synths). The ideas of social relations between these groups is explored quite imaginatively.
This novel is truly a 4.5-star novel, but GoodReads doesn't allow for half stars. The missing half star is mainly for the wordiness of the ruminations that interject themselves into action scenes and slows down the reading a bit. Really, it's a great read. Just like in his previous novel where the original idea of a time race (or chronothon) sticks in the reader's mind, the idea in this novel of a Neverwhere where misplaced time travelers go will be in the reader's mind for a long time after reading. This is the perfect ending to a great time travel series. All's well that ends well.