InterWorld review By Zak Edwards Jul 4, 2007 - 4:03:54 AM

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InterWorld

Written by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves

EOS Publications

June was a very good month for Neil Gaiman fans with two new books, a reissuing of Stardust in hardcover and a version to coincide with the movie release.  The two books released were a short story collection for children called M is for Magic, and a collaborative effort with Emmy-Award winning writer Michael Reeves.  Together, Gaiman and Reeves created a science fiction book based all around alternate dimensions.  According to the afterword, the authors started writing this project about twelve years ago as an idea for a television series.  When that didn’t work out, they set out to make their idea into a novel.  Things seemed to not have panned out the way they hoped and the idea sat in the dark for all these years.  Seems that with Gaiman’s growing popularity in the world of prose novels, this book came out into the light again to cash in on that fame.  I’m glad they did.

This new (old) story takes place on our world for about ten pages and then we are thrust into these talented writers take on inter-dimensional theory.  Our world is one of a limitless amount of universes constantly being created and destroyed depending on important decisions made in these universes.  Some of these worlds are part of Altverse, which is a sliver of all the dimensions out there.  This story takes place in Altverse, and everything in between, and that is a lot of space.  As vast as the universes these two have created, Gaiman and Reeves never get bogged down in detail or drama, the story is action-driven and fast-paced.

The plot revolves around the protagonist, Joey Harker, as he discovers he can walk through dimensions at will.  Problems quickly arrive as Joey discovers that he is being hunted by two factions as his essence can be used to power ships that travel between dimensions.  With the help of a stranger named Jay, and a strange bubble creature named Hue, Joey is forced to fight one of these factions.

A couple of characters really bring this book together, particularly Joey and Hue.  Joey is an underdog who proves himself and still finds himself the underdog all the way to the end of the book.  Hue has got to be my personal favorite as a character. Communicating through colour changes, Hue brings a different and very charismatic change to the story.

Gaiman and Reeves seem to be very aware of the adult audience that would be reading this book, and at times this books seems to be intended for adults.  References to things children would probably not understand, like Salvador Dali and Errol Flynn.  These little parts for the older audience serve to enrich the whole experience, kind of like the dirty jokes in the first Shrek movie, it helps to keep the adults interested.  I am reminded of how Gaiman’s Coraline worked on the two levels as well, although this is not in the same way.  Where Coraline became very creepy for adults, InterWorld becomes more surreal.  The In-Between, or places between dimensions overflow with classic Gaiman craziness.  It’s hard not to think of some of the Sandman stories while reading some of the descriptions.

All-in-all, this is a very solid read, while not Gaiman’s best work in prose.  The adventure is satisfying, as is the characters and ideas, just nothing unforgettable.  I think Gaiman’s fans are waiting for the next book on the same level as American Gods or Coraline and, unfortunately, we will have to wait.  Nevertheless, the book is definitely worth picking up.

7/10    Solid read on every level, just not anything amazing.

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