The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, a review

The Space Between Worlds’ Back-of-Book Description

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.

 

“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

 

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.

My Thoughts

If this is not your first time here, by now you know I’ve been getting a lot of my books lately from Book of the Month. It’s the same story with this one; it was among the August 2020 options, which was good timing for me because I was really in the mood for something space-related and/or sci-fi.

The Space Between Worlds sounded like a cool interstellar adventure so I added it to my box and waited patiently for myself to finish the book I’d been reading for my Human Resources class.

Finally, I finished the class and decided it was time to dive in! You guys… I was hooked immediately.  Every aspect of the writing was incredible – inner character dialogue/narration, setting description, inter-character dialogue, etc. it was all so beautiful and thought-provoking and emotion-inducing… it was amazing.

It did not involve space travel in the way I had envisioned, instead, it was something more simple and much cooler. Also, when I first read the back-of-bok description I think I overlooked the word “dystopian”, so that was a little bit of a pleasant surprise for me. The author did a fantastic job of slowly introducing the reader to the state of the world and where the main character found themselves in it – which is complicated, to say the least.

The title of The Space Between Worlds has many meanings and applications, and that’s kind of a theme throughout – a lot of things have deeper meanings or subtle implications. Which just adds to the beauty of the writing and storyline in general.

The main character feels relatable as she works to figure out what her purpose is and what she stands for. The supporting characters also feel complete and well rounded. Their dialogue and behaviors were smooth, easy, and enjoyable to read. 

The setting descriptions were superb – I had no trouble picturing the various locations she found herself in, be it desolate wastelands or immaculate skyscrapers. This is incredibly important in a book like this, where the setting changes quickly and the location matters a great deal to the plot.

I might be wrong, but this might have been the first book I’ve ever read that has a gay main character. Which seems weird to me given all the books I’ve read. But I thought it was an interesting element and – as a straight person – I did not find it distracting or offputting in the slightest. I was hopeful that she would find love just as I would have been for a straight main character. (Although this is not a romance, there were a small romantic subplot element.)

In addition to LGBTQ friendliness (I guess you could say), the book touches on other cultural and socioeconomic themes as well. For example, there is a large divide between classes, with the wealthy being physically distanced from the poor. Race appears subtly, as does religion, and violence. Well, violence not so subtly I guess, but in various forms that many can relate to.

I just can’t say enough good things about this book. I’m so glad it was offered to me with BOTM and that I had the sense to put it in my cart. I can only hope they make it into a movie one day – it would be awesome on the big screen.

Favorite Quotes From The Space Between Worlds

“Even worthless things can become valuable once they become rare.”

 

“Or maybe it’s just easier to think something is impossible than to try.”

 

“It is possible to love a monster, even if you spend every day reminding yourself that they are a monster.”

 

“Careful you aren’t letting your hope lead you into gullibility.”

 

“Not a miracle…Science.” “What do you call science when it answers a prayer?”

 

“I wonder if you feel it less with guns. If so many people are killed with so little effort, is it easier to pretend they aren’t lives? That everything is fine?… Murder should be unignorable, always.”

 

“We are planets in orbit, pulling at each other as surely as gravity.”

In Conclusion

I loved The Space Between Worlds!  5 stars – no complaints. I read it in a weekend and then felt that beautiful sadness that comes after finishing a good book.

Granted, I was in the mood for something kind of space/science-fiction related, so maybe that helped. But I honestly think this book could easily be appreciated by anyone just looking for a good read, no matter the genre. That being said, people who like dystopian novels may also appreciate it, as well.

And did I mention – I think this might have been the author’s first book!! Incredible. I can’t wait to see if she writes more.

I would definitely add this to your ‘to-be-read’ is for sure, and consider gifting it to your favorite reader – Christmas is coming up!

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This post was proofread by Grammarly