The Space Between Worlds

De: Micaiah Johnson

Narrado por: Nicole Lewis

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.

WINNER OF THE COMPTON CROOK AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • “Gorgeous writing, mind-bending world-building, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character who demands your attention—and your allegiance.”—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—NPR, Library Journal, Book Riot

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s just one catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying—from disease, turf wars, or vendettas they couldn’t outrun. Cara’s life has been cut short on 372 worlds in total.

On this dystopian Earth, however, Cara has survived. Identified as an outlier and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the dirt of the wastelands. Now what once made her marginalized has finally become an unexpected source of power. She has a nice apartment on the lower levels of the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. She works—and shamelessly flirts—with her enticing yet aloof handler, Dell, as the two women collect off-world data for the Eldridge Institute. She even occasionally leaves the city to visit her family in the wastes, though she struggles to feel at home in either place. So long as she can keep her head down and avoid trouble, Cara is on a sure path to citizenship and security.

But trouble finds Cara when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, plunging her into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and her future in ways she could have never imagined—and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world but the entire multiverse.

“Clever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose.”—Library Journal (starred review)

©2020 Micaiah Johnson (P)2020 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

­“[The Space Between Worlds] remained two steps ahead of my imagination, rattling it out of complacency and flooding it with color and heat.... Profoundly satisfying.” (The New York Times Book Review [Editors’ Choice])

“Johnson’s world-hopping debut uses science fictional tools and an exciting plot to address urgent questions of privilege and position.... A compelling stand-alone debut that will leave readers thrilled, thoughtful, and anticipating the author’s next book.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“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)

Refreshing

Lately "science fiction" has turned into something that can only be really categorized as action. A really interesting premise is stated in the summary, but the topic is given a few chapters at best, then it is only a couple of shallow characters being chased around from one place to another. This is different, and I am really grateful.

Excellent all the way through.

I found this book just in time. I was at that "I can't find anything to read" point that book people occasionally find themselves in.

Having already started and stopped two books because nothing was hooking me I was strolling through selections on Audible. The Space Between Worlds title grabbed me and listening to the narrator in the sample sold the deal.

Lewis the narrator does an excellent job, but what I liked about their work was that Lewis truly sold the character. Listening to Lewis's narration felt like if the protagonist Cara was a real person she'd sound exactly like this.

The Space Between worlds is a solid story with a scenery rich in imagination and talented writing craft. This book reached out and pulled me right out of my book funk. I look forward to checking out the author's other novel Erde O.

Lovers of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Thrillers will enjoy The Space Between Worlds.

One of my favorite books this year!

I adored this story so much. The character’s voice was exceptional both in the writing and the narration. The world-building fully satisfied me by having both science and mystery and believability. And the ending was perfect. I will definitely be following Micaiah’s future writing.

fantastic story and great narration

Good story. Fun sci fi, gritty underworld, high class. It was interesting and some will catch the tells as to where the story is going, but overall a great sci fi noir tale with a nice ending.

Full of lots of power plays, dark espionage, love, and an overall amazing character redemption of humanity and compassion.

fascinating story all the way through to the end

this was thoroughly enjoyable! the reader used the same voice inflections/accents for the same characters (on each world) so it was like greeting an old friend and then hearing their name. the story line was completely captivating.
there were so many twists and turns and shocks I didn't see coming, I felt like I was always trying to guess what was gonna happen next. there were also plenty of predictable moments were the main character would then explain her reason for not seeing such an obvious yet shocking event and those were enjoyable as well.
one of my favorite people gave be this book and I'm so glad she did. I loved the plot line and all the characters and how each world was so different and yet so similar. I really appreciated the speed at which the story moved, but also the small, interspersed romantic moments that were woven throughout the novel. truly a masterpiece. well worth a read, though I recommend listening to the audio.

Engaging throughout!! Rich yet subtle. Immersive

Fantastic! Enjoyed every minute of it. Great tension throughout. Deftly woven in social commentary that makes points without diverting from immersion in the story. She reveals these worlds masterfully, protagonist pulls me into her memories and smells and fears.

Strong characters. So refreshing I can see myself here. No weak, one dimensional women. Thank you Micaiah and Nicole for sharing this unforgettable experience with us.

So good, a must read.

This novel had me riveted beginning to end, and Nicole Lewis is THE PERFECT voice for these characters.

Highly entertaining

Highly recommend. Love the world(s) building. Even though there is a running commentary on the evils of classism and power-hungry warlords and techno dictators, the monsters aren't always who they appear to be. The characters' respective personalities are consistent in their different manifestations, even if they do not always appear to be so initially. The perspective is a little different than what I'm used to; it's told from the point of view of a hood rat/failed sex worker/gangster's moll who continues to fail, often successfully.

Excellent performance. The characters have distinct voices, which is always a good thing. It was slightly annoying, however, for a prominent character, a man named 'Jean', to have his name pronounced as one would 'Gene', even though he is from the Côte d'Ivoire. Everyone I've met from the Côte d'Ivoire always insisted upon French names and/or pronunciations of words even though they were speaking English. (That was even more annoying.) However, the English pronunciation of the name may have been the author 's intent. After all, the country is called the 'Ivory Coast' in the text and not the 'Côte d'Ivoire'. That's being nit-picks on my part and it isn't noticeable if you're not switching between the text and audio versions.

Thought provoking

Makes you think about the concept of infinite possibilities as well as the nature of tyranny in its various forms. How the desire to survive can compromise integrity and how surrender can make us free. Also shows the value of connections.

brilliant story and excellent telling

loved it, incredibly entertaining and so pleasant to just listen and enjoy well done. thank you