Johnson bursts onto the scene with this thought-provoking, high-concept sci-fi debut that impresses with exceptional worldbuilding and a distinctive protagonist * Publishers Weekly * this is a jewel of a novel, all the more impressive for being Johnson's debut * Locus *Ĭlever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose * Library Journal Starred Review * remained two steps ahead of my imagination, rattling it out of complacency and flooding it with color and heat * The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice *Ī gritty, riveting, and ultimately hopeful novel about the people, choices, and relationships who make us who we are - in this world, and in those we can only imagine * Kameron Hurley, Hugo and Locus award-winning author of The Light Brigade *Ī strong new voice in science fiction * Sunday Times Culture *įascinating, complicated, compelling. Johnson's debut is a rare bird in any reality: a novel that is twisting, suspenseful, and profound * Max Gladstone, co-author of the Hugo and Nebula-winning THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR * What she discovers will connect her past and future in ways she never could have imagined - and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her earth, but the entire multiverse. And no one has fewer counterparts than Cara.īut then one of her eight doppelgangers dies under mysterious circumstances, and Cara is plunged into a new world with an old secret.

Because while multiverse travel is possible, no one can visit a world in which their counterpart is still alive. Of the 380 realities that have been unlocked, Cara is dead in all but 8.Ĭara's parallel selves are exceptionally good at dying - from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn't outrun - which makes Cara wary, and valuable. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, she's on a sure path to citizenship and security - on this world, at least. Now she has done the impossible, and landed herself a comfortable life on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City.

Not yet, anyway.'īorn in the dirt of the wasteland, Cara has fought her entire life just to survive. She also used to say it would get me killed, which it hasn't. 'My mother used to say I was born reaching, which is true. A stunning science fiction debut, The Space Between Worlds is both a cross-dimensional adventure and a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.

The space between worlds review