Science Fiction

The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds

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  • Create Date：2021-06-06 06:51:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Micaiah Johnson
  • ISBN：0593156919
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Summary

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

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY 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 doppelg�ngers 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）

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Reviews

Sri ，

There， there I am。 Because that's what a sister is: a piece of yourself you can finally love， because it's in someone else。Don't be scared。 Don't regret。 Whatever time you had， it was enough。 Whatever you accomplished， it was enough。 We will remember your good deeds for the rest of our lives。 We will forget your wrongdoings forever。 Thank you， for spending your time in the dirt with us。 This book made me think and it made me feel and that's pretty much exactly why I read。 Events moved really qu There， there I am。 Because that's what a sister is: a piece of yourself you can finally love， because it's in someone else。Don't be scared。 Don't regret。 Whatever time you had， it was enough。 Whatever you accomplished， it was enough。 We will remember your good deeds for the rest of our lives。 We will forget your wrongdoings forever。 Thank you， for spending your time in the dirt with us。 This book made me think and it made me feel and that's pretty much exactly why I read。 Events moved really quickly in the last 40% but still， I enjoyed it。There were so many quotes about identity， love， life， loss， and grief， the spiritual and the scientific， and this is what spoke to me most。 I've been gravitating to a lot of those stories recently。 The prose here is something I really connected with because it resonated so clearly with my grief about the loss of my sister。 。。。more

Rhonda ，

Interesting concept。 The first half was really good。 I got bored in the second half。

Mirna ，

One of the best books， in any genre， that I have read in a long time。 Just the right blend of EVERYTHING and held my interest all the way through （couldn't put it down for the last three hours。。。thankfully， it's Saturday morning）。 Ray Bradbury， with a splash of Mad Max， as well as realistic dystopian touches that are increasingly present in our world today。 Even if science fiction isn't your thing， you just might become a fan after reading "The Space Between Worlds。" One of the best books， in any genre， that I have read in a long time。 Just the right blend of EVERYTHING and held my interest all the way through （couldn't put it down for the last three hours。。。thankfully， it's Saturday morning）。 Ray Bradbury， with a splash of Mad Max， as well as realistic dystopian touches that are increasingly present in our world today。 Even if science fiction isn't your thing， you just might become a fan after reading "The Space Between Worlds。" 。。。more

Saul ，

A very interesting book with strong characters and storytelling。 Unfortunately， I think the motivating conflict for final part of the book doesn't make any sense。 （view spoiler）[The whole allure of touristing around another world with your dop in it would be to see what your dop gets up to and what your family in the other world is like。 When you tell people you invented a way to visit a world with their dop in it and then coincidentally， that dop turns up dead， what exactly was Bosch going to t A very interesting book with strong characters and storytelling。 Unfortunately， I think the motivating conflict for final part of the book doesn't make any sense。 （view spoiler）[The whole allure of touristing around another world with your dop in it would be to see what your dop gets up to and what your family in the other world is like。 When you tell people you invented a way to visit a world with their dop in it and then coincidentally， that dop turns up dead， what exactly was Bosch going to tell all these people？ The plan doesn't make any sense。 （hide spoiler）]There are also some issues of worldbuilding。 The "empire" seems to be one town （or was that the joke？）。 We know there are other cities， but none is ever mentioned and nobody seems to visit them。 People still remember old countries like Iran， Iraq and Cote d'Ivoire， but the location of the story is （purposefully？） left ambiguous。 We have no real idea where we are （except I guess not Iran， Iraq or Cote d'Ivoire？） or how it relates to the broader world。 The idea that a high-tech civilization could forget how to make guns is pretty weird， like if our civilization forgot how to make spears。On the other hand， none of that stuff really makes a difference to the soul of the book， which is Cara's life between the worlds， so I still highly recommend it。 。。。more

Anne ，

Good job trying to keep the timelines straight at times。

Sophie ，

MAD MAX BUT BETTER AND GAY OKOKAlso every word in the damn book is written with so much intention。 My heart is going pitter patter rn

Horton ，

Extremely lackluster plot。

Zoe ，

DNF 70% I dont think I am in the right mindspace for multiverses right now。 Especially as an audiobook the hundreds of worlds were very confusing。

Victoria ，

At 40% and going to leave it there。 Thinking - I want to read but， ugh， it's That book - isn't how I want my reading to make me feel。Onwards and upwards。 At 40% and going to leave it there。 Thinking - I want to read but， ugh， it's That book - isn't how I want my reading to make me feel。Onwards and upwards。 。。。more

Natalie ，

4。5 stars

Scott Neigh ，

Science fiction。 Future earth， a couple of generations post apocalypse。 There are the walled cities where the privileged live in carefully controlled environments of plenty and ease， their security ensured by jealously guarded gates and the invisible violence of citizenship， and there are the settlements beyond the cities where everything has a Mad Max-like vibe。 In one city， a scientist has discovered how to send people to alternate earths – only to the few hundred earths most similar to this o Science fiction。 Future earth， a couple of generations post apocalypse。 There are the walled cities where the privileged live in carefully controlled environments of plenty and ease， their security ensured by jealously guarded gates and the invisible violence of citizenship， and there are the settlements beyond the cities where everything has a Mad Max-like vibe。 In one city， a scientist has discovered how to send people to alternate earths – only to the few hundred earths most similar to this one， though， and you can only go to an earth where the you on that earth has already died。 The main character is a woman from the settlement beyond the gates of the city where this discovery was made， whose selves in almost all of the other worlds have died while she has survived。 She is employed by the corporation monetizing this discovery as what they call a "traverser，" to make regular trips to these other worlds to bring back information from which they find ways to profit。 Finding out that one more of her alternate selves has died， thus opening up yet another world that her employer can send her to， starts a journey of discovery and upheaval that transforms her life， shifts her relationships， and reveals nefarious， world-shaking truths。 The world beyond the walls of the city is quite brutal and the main character's life before she was hired to be a traverser was grim， and that is certainly reflected in the feel of the book。 The worldbuilding is clever， but unlike a couple of other books I've read in the last year or two with analogous use of concept-y sci-fi worldbuilding， this one doesn't attempt to use that cleverness to prop up so-so storytelling – the story is， in fact， engaging and well told。 As you might expect， it uses its alternate worlds premise to explore what chance and luck and choice can do to a life， in the context of various forms of marginalization or advantage。 But what is perhaps more interesting is its use of the stark social division between city and settlement， and the experience of the main character as connected to both but not really belonging in either， as a way to explore。。。well， to explore belonging certainly， but also the ways in which we are shaped by deprivation and plenty and the desire for a better life。 Took a little for me to warm up to it， but ultimately liked it。 。。。more

Jonathan Bell ，

I love this book。 It's well written， intelligent， inescapable （at least for me！）， creative and otherwise fantastic。 My mind lingered in the world（s） created far after I finished。 I can't wait to read more Micaiah Johnson！！ I love this book。 It's well written， intelligent， inescapable （at least for me！）， creative and otherwise fantastic。 My mind lingered in the world（s） created far after I finished。 I can't wait to read more Micaiah Johnson！！ 。。。more

Nicole Lisa ，

I probably would not have persevered if a friend hadn't recommended this book because it starts off very slowly， but it picks up the pace and is worth it for the story and the commentary on who is disposable and who isn't。 I probably would not have persevered if a friend hadn't recommended this book because it starts off very slowly， but it picks up the pace and is worth it for the story and the commentary on who is disposable and who isn't。 。。。more

Esmė ，

It’s kind of hard to rate this because it’s absolutely a well-written novel with a strong voice， fleshed out world and exploration of race and class but at the same time I didn’t really enjoy the reading experience？ I think it’s just one of those times where a really good book just wasn’t for me。

Sabrina ，

Read this in 48 hours because I could not put it down。。。this is the best sci fi I've read in YEARS everyone go read this asap！！！！！！ Read this in 48 hours because I could not put it down。。。this is the best sci fi I've read in YEARS everyone go read this asap！！！！！！ 。。。more

Kathryn ，

I loved this book so much I decided to write my first review。 This book was a tried concept done in a completely new way。 I’ve read other reviews that say the science was lacking and so the readers did not want to rate it with full stars。 Myself- I’m not a scientist and I’m just here for a good time- and this book delivered。It’s a toss up on whether it was the prose or the plot that made the idea of parallel universes a unique one。 The characters’ paths in each world really made me think about w I loved this book so much I decided to write my first review。 This book was a tried concept done in a completely new way。 I’ve read other reviews that say the science was lacking and so the readers did not want to rate it with full stars。 Myself- I’m not a scientist and I’m just here for a good time- and this book delivered。It’s a toss up on whether it was the prose or the plot that made the idea of parallel universes a unique one。 The characters’ paths in each world really made me think about what I might be doing in a parallel universe （although I know there is no universe in which I’m a scientist and if there is one I probably died in some sort of science-y accident a long time ago because I was terrible at my job）。I thought the language was beautiful， engaging and different。 I found the world-building to be thorough while also leaving the right things to the imagination。 The magic was really in the exciting and diverse characters， the plot twists （plural） and the ever-present question of what makes us， us and to whom do we matter。I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something they haven’t read before and didn’t know they wanted to read。 。。。more

Kelci | Steeped in Stories ，

I liked this， but I didn’t love it。Really there were just two things:1） The second half of the book， especially the last 50 pages， were slow。 I didn’t seem to feel that there was any sort of build up and I was kind of bored most of the time。2） I know I’m overthinking this， buuuut how can there be multiple worlds where people die and but still everyone has a person in each world？ If some people die in certain worlds but not others， wouldn’t a lot of people not exist because some of them didn’t ha I liked this， but I didn’t love it。Really there were just two things:1） The second half of the book， especially the last 50 pages， were slow。 I didn’t seem to feel that there was any sort of build up and I was kind of bored most of the time。2） I know I’m overthinking this， buuuut how can there be multiple worlds where people die and but still everyone has a person in each world？ If some people die in certain worlds but not others， wouldn’t a lot of people not exist because some of them didn’t have children and therefore not every world would have the same doppelgängers ？ 。。。more

Clare Formby ，

I was excited about this one， such an interesting premise but unfortunately it just didn't live up to its description for me and I was extremely bored。 I couldn't connect with any characters and I felt it could have had well better World building。 DNF with 60 pages left to go as I couldn't force myself to finish I was excited about this one， such an interesting premise but unfortunately it just didn't live up to its description for me and I was extremely bored。 I couldn't connect with any characters and I felt it could have had well better World building。 DNF with 60 pages left to go as I couldn't force myself to finish 。。。more

Sasha ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really liked this book！ The metaphor of "between worlds" applies not only to the way Cara， the main character， travels through the multiverse， but also the way she travels between her old life in Ashtown and her new life in Wiley City， without really fitting in either place。 Sometimes the messaging felt a little didactic and obvious （like， okay， yes of course the same guy who becomes a bloodthirsty warlord in the slums becomes a ruthless CEO when raised in the big city， and maybe it's because I really liked this book！ The metaphor of "between worlds" applies not only to the way Cara， the main character， travels through the multiverse， but also the way she travels between her old life in Ashtown and her new life in Wiley City， without really fitting in either place。 Sometimes the messaging felt a little didactic and obvious （like， okay， yes of course the same guy who becomes a bloodthirsty warlord in the slums becomes a ruthless CEO when raised in the big city， and maybe it's because I was listening to the audiobook， but I figured out Eldridge was evil as soon as I misheard it as Eldritch） but it's not like the messages were *wrong*。 I loved the main character and grew emotionally attached to her and all the people she cared about。 I also thought the story was just a good， page-turning thriller。 Again， I felt like some of the plot twists were a bit telegraphed， but they were still good plot twists！I would've liked this book to have a sequel， or maybe even be part one in a trilogy， not only because the pacing got a little too fast for me at the end， but also because， in a credit to the author， many of the side characters were so compelling， I'd love to learn more about their lives。I'm definitely reading whatever Micaiah Johnson puts out next！ 。。。more

Emma ，

This was decent！ Didn't quite meet my expectations in terms of writing quality and pacing， but it was a really compelling world and way to explore the idea of being between two worlds。 This was decent！ Didn't quite meet my expectations in terms of writing quality and pacing， but it was a really compelling world and way to explore the idea of being between two worlds。 。。。more

Jaclyn ，

So creative！ With beautiful writing and meaningful themes。 Literary sci-fi。 Can't wait to read whatever Micaiah Johnson writes next！ So creative！ With beautiful writing and meaningful themes。 Literary sci-fi。 Can't wait to read whatever Micaiah Johnson writes next！ 。。。more

Ruth ，

Super intriguing multiverse plot， I found the concept really interesting within the first 10 pages。 The writing was a bit clinical for my taste， I never really felt the emotions of the main character。 But the sci-fi side of it was very interesting and does what sci-fi can do best - examine some of our social ills much more plainly than a modern story。 The exploration of privilege and inequality sparks further thought。

Alyssa ，

I tried to get into this， I really did。 But it just didn’t do it for me。 :/In The Space Between Worlds， people can travel between universes， but they can only linger in ones where their doppelgänger is dead。 As Cara is only alive in eight of hundreds of universes， she’s a good candidate for multiverse travel。 One day she’s sent on a seemingly innocuous mission， and stumbles upon secrets that changes the way she sees the worlds。This was rated pretty highly by most people I follow， and I can see w I tried to get into this， I really did。 But it just didn’t do it for me。 :/In The Space Between Worlds， people can travel between universes， but they can only linger in ones where their doppelgänger is dead。 As Cara is only alive in eight of hundreds of universes， she’s a good candidate for multiverse travel。 One day she’s sent on a seemingly innocuous mission， and stumbles upon secrets that changes the way she sees the worlds。This was rated pretty highly by most people I follow， and I can see why。 It’s actually got a lot of good things going for it: it’s sci-fi without lingering too long on the science， there’s a lot of thoughtful and relevant social commentary， and Cara has some pretty interesting relationships， especially with Dell and Nik Nik。 Her romance with Dell had a lot of potential — their relationship has some banter and flirtation， but Dell is also quite cold to Cara， and the miscommunication in their relationship is actually some of the best I’ve ever seen — the sheer angst！ And I was equally intrigued by Cara’s dynamic with Nik Nik。 （view spoiler）[Or， rather， her dynamic with Nik Nik’s counterpart。 To encounter an alternate version of your abuser who is genuinely good person is a very interesting dynamic， and I love how it gave Cara closure from past trauma。 （hide spoiler）]That all being said， I just 。 。 。 couldn’t get invested。 I couldn’t pinpoint why for the longest time， and wondered if it might be a ‘it’s not you， it’s me，’ situation。 But I read through a few other reviews and I think I know the issue: the lack of emotion。 The writing is pretty， but it was also boring。 Dry。 I couldn’t connect with Cara despite being interested in her character。 The first half， with Cara’s mission， is kinda interesting。 But then we got to the political plot in the second half and I just lost all interest， which didn’t help my issues with the writing。 By the end， the only scenes I liked were the ones with Cara and Dell。 Aside from those moments， I was mostly waiting for the book to be over。 I’m a bit sad that I didn’t like this one， but it is what it is。 Not all books are for everyone。 But I’d still recommend it to people interested in sci-fi with a bent towards social justice。 。。。more

Katie ，

Not as compelling as I had expected based on the blurb。 This is much more dystopian than true sci-fi。 I still enjoyed it， but it doesn't play with ideas and concepts so much as multiverse politics。 Not as compelling as I had expected based on the blurb。 This is much more dystopian than true sci-fi。 I still enjoyed it， but it doesn't play with ideas and concepts so much as multiverse politics。 。。。more

Kb ，

YAY PARALLEL WORLDS。

Kellie ，

I really enjoyed this。 The world-building was a bit lacking for me， but perhaps can be forgiven because the author had many worlds to write about。 But this was just a really good， smart story。 （view spoiler）[ Things that seemed like plot holes all made sense as more information was revealed， at just the right time。 Parts of the ending felt a bit unearned， particularly the relationship developed between Nik Nik and Adam。 （hide spoiler）] I really enjoyed this。 The world-building was a bit lacking for me， but perhaps can be forgiven because the author had many worlds to write about。 But this was just a really good， smart story。 （view spoiler）[ Things that seemed like plot holes all made sense as more information was revealed， at just the right time。 Parts of the ending felt a bit unearned， particularly the relationship developed between Nik Nik and Adam。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more

Rachel ，

This book grabbed me and held me the entire way through。 It caught me right from the start and brought me into the story quickly， giving me a sense of the travel between worlds and of the protagonist's background as a have-not。 The protagonist found herself making difficult decisions multiple times， and I was rooting for her the entire way。 I also appreciated the various relationships in the book - romantic partners， friends， mentors， siblings， and how those shifted from world to world。 This isn This book grabbed me and held me the entire way through。 It caught me right from the start and brought me into the story quickly， giving me a sense of the travel between worlds and of the protagonist's background as a have-not。 The protagonist found herself making difficult decisions multiple times， and I was rooting for her the entire way。 I also appreciated the various relationships in the book - romantic partners， friends， mentors， siblings， and how those shifted from world to world。 This isn't a happy story because the world it presents is so messed up， but it's a satisfying one。 。。。more

Lynda Engler ，

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。 But on this Earth， Cara has survived。 She is from the Wastelands， and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel。 When one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies unde 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。 But on this Earth， Cara has survived。 She is from the Wastelands， and therefore a perfect candidate for multiverse travel。 When one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances， Cara is plunged 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。I love the multiverse theory and have enjoyed every novel based on this theory， but this one blew me away！ As each world varied just a little bit more than Cara's home world， she saw they ways where just a small change could alter her entire life， her family's well being， their very existence。 。。。more

Miranda Resnikoff ，

A solid story， very engaging。 Not quite what I was expecting， nor Quite what I was looking for- but I enjoyed it quite a bit。 Pretty gritty， definitely wrestling with real-world issues， quite powerful， a little disturbing。 Really worthwhile， but my expectations from the first few chapters/back cover/etc sort of got in my way at times。

Rania Attafi ，

I enjoyed this， it's original and fun。 It's everything you want in a sci-fi novel however based on the synopsis i expected to like this more。 Maybe It's me， i haven't been in a great reading mood this week so i don't know i just expected more。 I enjoyed this， it's original and fun。 It's everything you want in a sci-fi novel however based on the synopsis i expected to like this more。 Maybe It's me， i haven't been in a great reading mood this week so i don't know i just expected more。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Space Between Worlds

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Space Between Worlds&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Space Between Worlds&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0