InterWorld (InterWorld Trilogy)

Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves are both award winning writers. They also both rose to prominence outside the novel arena. Gaiman scripted the SANDMAN comic series that lasted 75 issues plus specials. Since that time he's gone on to script many other things, including novels, television shows, short stories, movie scripts, and continued working in the comics arena. His work for Marvel Comics to create the 1602 universe when heroes similar to the present-day Spiderman, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, etc rose at 300 years ago has rightfully garnered a lot of attention. He also helped flesh out the mythos of the comics industry's best-selling title, SPAWN.

Michael Reaves has written many television cartoon scripts, including BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES, GHOSTBUSTERS, and others. He's also written short stories and novels.

According to the notes in the latest book they have out together, INTERWORLD, they got the idea for the book about ten years ago. Reaves joined Gaiman at his house and they sat down and wrote the book together. The idea had originally started out as a pitch for the television people. Since they had trouble explaining the concept to television executives, they came up with the idea of writing a short novel about it. Even after the novels written, television wasn't prepared to make a series.

Last year, the manuscript was given fresh life when it was shown around to some prospective publishers. Almost immediately, the book was greenlit for publication.

I enjoy a lot of Neil Gaiman's work. His comics are great, his short stories haunt, and his novels are generally burst out loud laughing or truly epic. Sometimes both.

I've read some of Reaves's books, but I'm not as familiar with his work. He seems to create some interesting worlds and some interesting characters.

When I heard about INTERWORLD, the premise sounded truly exciting. Imagine a boy, Joey Harker, who could literally run into several of his alternate selves on parallel worlds. I figured immediately that the book had kind of a SLIDERS or Marvel Comics EXILES feel. I had a lot of hopes for the book.

After getting the book in the mail today, I sat down and read it. It's an easy read. The prose just sails right along. And the story is simple. In fact, it's a little too simple compared to what I was expecting. Granted that the book was written with a nine to twelve year old audience in mind, there was a lot of concentration on the architecture of the nothingness that stretched between the worlds. And not enough focus on real character development or even a plot. Both of those turn out simple as well.

I know the juvenile crowd will probably appreciate that, but this is the same market that has been reading Harry Potter books that were 1000 pages long with convoluted and heavily articulated plots.

Still, this is Gaiman and there are flashes of brilliance as well as true emotion throughout. When he talks about his teacher Dimas, he sounds so true I couldn't help but wonder if Gaiman or Reaves really had a teacher like that. The "class assignments" were terrific, and found myself wishing for more of those.

The book moves at high speed once it gets up and going, which is really very quickly. However Joey tends to be left on his own through much of the book. He always seems to be leaving people behind and not making any true and lasting friendships for a long time. In fact, the story was depressing there for awhile because everybody he met seem to die. Including himself.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the book. I wish there had been more. But it felt like an interesting cross between a Heinlein juvenile, an early Andre Norton adventure, and Roger Zelazny's Amber series. INTERWORLD is a quick read with plenty of zip and provides a host of ideas with lots of action.

awesome kungfu movie from one of the best action heroes of this lifetime. Stephan tung wei.
if you're into seventies eighties cult Hmong full movies this is great if you are 25 years old or less you won't be able to appreciate this error of action. is it pretty grainy as far as the old cameras they used to use is there bad English dubbing yes that's what makes this movie great could this guy beat Bruce Lee all day long

I wanted to be nice about this book because: Gaimen! Because of all the wonderful books he wrote that are gripping, beautiful, unique, quirky - I wanted to find something good in this book too, I was loath to give up on it, even though it was so crummy. I battled on - surely he has a plan for this book, some quirk, some twist that's going to make all this dross mean something. I hoped to read around a corner and suddenly "Ah! I never thought of it! Brilliant! Brilliant!" But on and on I read, the going got harder and harder as the prose style remained tedious, the characters remained flat, the author pushed the plot around with his heavy hand... and finally the little voice of rebellion broke through and I threw the book down in disgust. "This" the voice said, "is not the Neil Gaimen we thought it was."

I began to suspect that I had crossed into an alternate universe, in which the author Neil Gaimen was not the literary genius of my own world. Then I looked more closely at the cover and became suspicious of the dual authorship... further research revealed the truth. Neil Gaimen didn't write this book! He had an idea which was the foundation for this book (though I'd argue that maybe Diana Wynn Jones already had that idea and explored it several times to better effect) and the other guy went off to write it up.

First admission - I didn't read the book, I listened to the Audiobook, which only made the irritating teen-narration even more tortuous as it is read in that 'adult effects youth' style. Which maybe is appropriate as the style of the character is very much adult-effects-teen, leaving too many traces of adult; the teenage protagonist is both a dimwit, but also uses metaphors that should be outside of his field of experience. I can't recall an example as I write, and I can't make myself go back to the book to find one.

Let's just accept that this is not a Gaimen novel: I feel swindled - why his credit first, if not purely to capitalise on his good name to sell more books? It's a marketing ploy, right? And that seems grossly unfair to dedicated Gaimen fans like us, who picked this up in good faith. It's like buying a healthful fruit drink only to find cheap, sugary lemonade fizz inside. I wanted the juice of real mangoes, pineapples, bananas, as pictured on the label - but I got carbonated water with sugar and lemon-like artificial flavouring instead. Blechhh.

I honestly hate to write a negative review of anybody's work. People work hard, they should feel good about the results. Trouble is that I was lured into this purchase by the name Gaimen - a name that I felt I could count on for the kind of reading experience that I enjoy. This does harm to the writer Reave, who suffers from the inevitable comparison. Stop selling this as a Gaimen book, and let Reave build his own reputation amongst people who are content with his style of writing. Let him earn his own positive reviews, not these descriptions of dashed hopes and disappointed dreams.

The binding in this book is bent, so every page is "cupped." It is unlikely to hold up with multiple uses.

Since I personally purchased this book to include in my junior high classroom library, good binding is important and I am disappointed.

The content of the book lives up to its bestseller tag.

Joey Harker has no sense of direction. He has even managed to get lost in his own house.

But one day, on a social studies assignment, he outdoes himself. He wanders out of his own world into a neighboring dimension where he doesn't exist.

Beings from assorted other neighboring worlds and dimensions are now after him for his worldwalking ability. There are the people from Hex, who want to boil him down to his essence, and use him to power their ships. There's also another empire among these alternate worlds, ruled by science. Earth itself is somewhere in the middle, leaning science, not yet irrevocably committed--or conquered by either side. There is also InterWorld, an organization, backed by whom we don't know, committed to keeping balance between the opposing forces.

Joey's main adventures in this first book in the series are with Hex and InterWorld. He's believed to be the most gifted new Walker in many years, and Hex wants to, as noted above, cook him down to his essence and use that to help power their fleet of conquest.

This is obviously not a good career choice, and Joey is recruited by Jay, an InterWorld agent who is in fact an older version of Joey himself, to be an InterWorld agent.

He's got a lot to learn in a short time, and the first training mission he and his team are sent on goes very, very wrong.

This is not high literature. It does not reach the heights one might expect of a Neil Gaiman book. It's a young adult adventure in space-time and related dimensions. It's fun. It won't be for everyone, especially if you're expecting some of the really fine work Gaiman often produces, but I enjoyed it.

Recommended with the caveat noted above.

I bought this audiobook.

I had heard that this book felt a little young before I started but that was incredibly evident once I started getting into it. The main character is in high school but this read at a middle grade level and really felt quite young. I’ve actually read quite a few better middle grade books and ones that were better-written, which is sad since this is co-authored by Neil Gaiman and I’ve loved everything I’ve read from him (which by now is a a decent amount of his works). I’m not sure what percentage of the co-authoring Neil Gaiman did but I found it hard to really get into this book.

I’m a total sucker for parallel worlds and the like but INTERWORLD got a bit too deep into some strange science-fiction stuff that just ended up being too much for me. There was a lot of technical jargon, including interdimensional creatures (oh, we all know how much I love wacky creatures…) that was hard to keep up with. I felt that the book went way too overboard in introducing some of these concepts, especially since it’s the first book in a series and there would have been so much to build up to.

It’s also very much a blend of sci-fi and fantasy, and I have a bit of trouble combining the two when reading fanta-sci books. Despite the fact that sci-fi is a subgenre of fantasy, they just don’t really blend well for me. It did actually seem better accomplished than in other fanta-sci books that I’ve read but I feel like fanta-sci just allows a bit too much to spiral out of control. You’re allowing belief to be suspended from two different angles instead of just one and as a reader, I have a hard time letting go in two different directions and I wanted things to be a bit more grounded.

I would have loved to see this developed more slowly into a couple different books and not have all of this been in the first book. We could have gotten to know Joey, his family, his friends, and his world more before throwing him into this ability and concept. I could have used some more world-building to allow readers to get a grip on Walking and the InterWorld instead of just being thrown into it and having to catch up like Joey had. It was too much and too confusing, in my opinion.

I knew this one might not be a hit but I definitely won’t be continuing the series. I was hoping it might be just so-so for me and there would be an option to continue but this was a total miss for me. It was a short audiobook so it wasn’t too bad to get through but if it hadn’t been short, I probably wouldn’t have finished. I just really wasn’t interested and the tone was just too young for me, even as an occasional reader of middle grade books.

An interesting tidbit in the book's "Afterword" mentions that Interworld was originally planned as a television series in the mid-90s. That idea was scrapped however, as there was concern over the audience base, and the story was later written into a young adult novel in 2007 (and a now completed trilogy). That concern over the audience is legitimate, as authors Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves can't seem to decide whether to aim this at a younger audience or an older audience. On one hand, the science behind the story is surprisingly complex. It's so complex that there were several passages that went way over my head, but those were the moments that intrigued me the most. On the other hand, the plot goes the usual way of young adult action stories, with paper-thin characters and an improbable showdown between the good guys and bad guys. If Gaiman and Reaves stuck with one or the other, they may have had something.

The story is peopled with many characters, though none are very complex. Just as is the case for many young adult adventure stories, most of the characters are just names with one character trait, and even Joey is paper-thin for a hero. It seems Gaiman could have made a much more interesting story out of one of the other versions of Joey, such as J/O, the cyborg with a Napoleon complex; or Jo, the winged girl; or Jakon, the werewolf girl; or Josef, the tanky kid whose version of Earth has a very strong gravity. The most interesting character of all is Hue, a mudluff, or a creature that resides in the In-Between. The In-Between is apparently peopled with mudluffs, who are supposedly dangerous, but Hue is the only one we meet, and he is hardly dangerous. Hue is a bubble-like creature who can change colors, which is how he communicates. He grows loyal to Joey and also serves as a plot device to move the story forward at several key moments. It's difficult to imagine the story working without Hue.

The main trouble with the story, however, is choosing its audience. It begins with the young adult audience in mind, with a kid worried about impressing a girl clearly not interested in him, and the usual teenage concerns written into such stories. Then the story grows more thematically complex, and it dives pretty deep into the science behind parallel universes, as Joey gets some schooling in Interworld, a la Harry Potter in Hogwarts. In this stretch there were moments of humor and moments of philosophy, and also a surprisingly touching moment involving Joey's mother. But then the story leaves behind the complexity and dives yet again into the young adult story formula. Not that I mean to degrade the young adult genre, but there are certain conventions some authors use that clearly mark a story as young adult, and those conventions are so predictable that it is difficult for adults to enjoy. That's where Interworld heads, which is a shame. I was beginning to feel that this was going to be another masterwork from Gaiman, but instead grew disappointed.

I'm always on the lookout for books for middle school readers, and this 2007 title, coauthored by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves is one 'tween readers would enjoy. Joey Harker has a rotten sense of direction, and wouldn't you know it, he gets lost trying to impress his crush. When he steps into a mist, desperately hoping for sign of something familiar, he is relieved to emerge seeing some streets he recognizes. But upon taking the bus home, it is clear something is not right. This isn't his house. This isn't his family. And strange bad guys are chasing him.

It turns out Joey is a Walker, able to move between dimensions, to many worlds with versions of Joeys and Harkers and his life. The bad guys would like to hold him captive (or worse) to harness his powers, and the good guys enroll him in training classes to help him learn to save the world.

If you come across the book at the library, it is well worth the time to read it. I'll suggest is to sci fi readers, Neil Gaiman fans, and any of our super-fast readers who blow through a book every few days and are always wanting to know what else is good.

About me: I'm a middle school/high school librarian
How I got this book: stumbled across it at the library, while looking for Neverwhere (a good book for older readers)

I have enjoyed some of Gaiman's work in the past. As an author he has a light touch that skims across magical realities. Interworld is a joint effort between Gaiman and Reaves. It has an interesting concept, and I can see how Gaiman might have had a few guiding suggestions, but I think, and hope it mainly is the work of Reaves. I say this because its not very good.

The story starts very nicely. The main character Joey starts walking from one reality to another. However it quickly becomes a chase and he is caught up in this battle between good and evil. So after the first few passages, things move fast. Things move fast and on a very silly story line.

Obviously this is a YA work. Sadly its not up to other YA novels like Harry Potter or the Asprin's Myth work. I'd shy away from this and hesitate giving it to a youth.

If you're into sci-fi, alternate universe, time travel stuff, then this book is for you. I got this book because the cover seemed interesting. Boy am I glad I took a chance on it. I started reading it before bed and I just couldn't put it down. I had to stop mid-way and couldn't wait to finish it. I don't want to give too much away, but it's very heavy in the sci-fi technical terms, so it takes a bit of understanding of alternate universes and time travel to get it. I'm not overly well versed in all that, but I still enjoyed it. Overal: great read. Highly recommended.

Two things interested me about this book: Neil Gaiman and parallel universes.

Interworld deals with an every man teenager, Joey Harker, a boy with an inhumanly poor sense of direction, who accidentally stumbles upon a far reaching, multi-universal war between magic and science. Sounds awesome, right? True, I loved the idea; the dichotomy of two competing factions representing the most influential forces on this side of reality was an intriguing plot device. Sadly, the delivery was lacking.

Firstly, the science side, which is referred to as "Binary," is merely a plot device to move Joey from one-dimensional point to another. The magic empire known as HEX steals the show, but little explanation is given about their motives and ideals save that they want to spread their magic-wielding ways throughout the universes. To be fair, Hex's minions were interesting in their design and function but more reference was needed in order to illustrate the importance of Joey Harker's quest.

Joey eventually finds out that he is part of a group of guerilla soldiers meant to keep the balance in the universe. He is reluctant at first but eventually decides to help because his foolishness caused an unnecessary death. Huzzah for Mister Harker's sense of justice! Why undermine either ideology -magic that fundamentally makes the world more interesting or advanced technology that would afford us the luxuries to no longer fear anything- you ask? Well, I don't know. It really isn't explained. What is explained is that they are both undecidedly malicious, and they need Joey and the others like him, who can travel the multiverse with their minds, as a fuel source for their vessels: spacecrafts and space faring pirate ships, respectively.

I also found the first-person narrative problematic. Joey Harker was not a very engaging character. I wanted to like him, but I found myself indifferent to his plight. Also, his exposition jumps from juvenile to genius from paragraph to paragraph. Mind you, the science behind the mutliverse travel was interesting and the concept of different worlds blossoming, merely based on one person's decision was an amazing concept, but the world's described by him were generic and cookie-cutter save for when he traversed the place between universes. I wanted more information but was often disappointed.

Interworld is a decent book that could have been a great one. Some of the storytelling magic is there, but it's not going to be catalogued as one of those tomes that stirred my imagination like so many other tales written by this master.

-Joseph DiCristofano
Author of Paths to Divinity

There is an unmistakable, and probably justified, prejudice against children's novels being enjoyable for adult tastes. I mean there are surely good kid books, from beloved classics like "Heidi" or "Daddy Long Legs" to modern tales like the Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter series. But overall, adults don't read children's books and there is a good reason for that. Not to say that they're all crap, but the black-and-white morality, simplistic storylines, and straightforward character interactions tend to conflict with the expectations of an adult world and the preferences of an adult mindset.

Joey Harker, an average boy, discovers he is a Walker, a being with an ability to cross from Earth to another in an endless continuum of alternate universes. As soon as he discovers his ability, he is targeted by the forces of magic and science who want to strip him, and alternate versions of Harker across the multiverse, of his Walking ability to fuel their ships. Harker is recruited by an organization called InterWorld, operated by different versions of Harker, which seeks to maintain balance between magic and science.

"Interworld" is a children's novel. The storyline is simple, almost formulaic, but the way in which Gaiman and Reaves write the story make it feel more than going through the motions. There is real excitement in how they portray their universe (or universes, to be clear). The villains are cartoonish and there is never a sense of moral ambiguity amongst the characters or in their decisions. Evil is evil, no matter in what world you're on. I think that is perhaps the book's greatest flaw.

What makes up for it though is Gaiman and Reaves' excellent worldbuilding skills. The mythology underlying "Interworld" is impeccable and captivating. They construct a fantastic universe that seems a shame not to return to. Despite the concept of alternate universes, the authors allude to pop culture and history with great ease. There are numerous references to popular events, some of which a thirteen-year-old reader should have no appreciation for. Likewise, Gaiman and Reaves make fantastic use of clever fantasy tropes and high scientific concepts, both fictional and real. They do not underestimate their readers' capacity to understand ideas, a notion which seems to escape many children's writers today.

I'm seeing a lot of beef about this book in other reviews, but I'll be frank: I loved it.

Gaiman and Reaves take us on an imaginative journey that has all the qualities of a good sci-fi/fantasy adventure. There is clear writing, non-stop action, a cast of great characters, and a story line that will make you want to keep reading and just not stop.

Read every science-fiction/fantasy book on the shelf? Read this next.

Never read from the genre before? InterWorld will convert you.

The premise is cool: the universe (or, I guess, Multiverse) contains an arc of earth-like dimensions that fall somewhere on the extreme between magic and science. Our world lies in the middle, and Joey, the sort of kid who could get lost walking down a straight line, is a Walker--he can move between these dimensions. Enter an adventure that doesn't polarize good vs. bad too much (how refreshing!), but rather draws the action between moments of magic and technology with the protagonists fighting the good fight between these extremes.

This book nicely avoids clichés and introduces fresh action and characters presented in some really inspired scenes. As somebody who's read every book on the shelf and gotten quickly sick of reading the same stories over and over, I found InterWorld to be fun, full of adventure, and frankly delicious. I certainly gobbled it up.

Read InterWorld now. It's a keeper.

"InterWorld" is light, fun book for the Tweener and MG crowd. And, of course, we goofy adults that enjoy such literature, enough that we read and review it. The story is set in a multiverse. A place where all variations of earth (and other places) exist. In this book, those universes extend past what we might expect, in that there are earths with varying degrees of tech, and earths with varying degrees of magic.

The setting in this book is very important to it's success. What little description is used --this is an action genre book, and it moves quickly ahead, without a great deal of verbiage wasted on scenery and such -- focuses on the inter-dimensional space that lays between worlds. The authors do their best to extract their physics from String Theory and whatnot, and they do pretty well making it kid-friendly, interesting, cool, and understandable. And it's here afterall, that a good percentage of the action takes place. And it's here where Joey picks up his side-kick, a multi-dimensional creature he calls "Hue". [Hue communicates with colors].

As far as characters, Joey, the hero, is done fairly well. The rest of the cast is rather standard -- the commander who's stern stuff and who everybody calls the 'old man'. There's the strong guy, and the tech wizard.... Well, if you've seen those old war movies, I'm sure you can guess the rest (if you keep in mind that magic needs to be added.)

By adult standards, the plotting isn't thorough. There's nothing in the way of foreshadowing, and frequently solutions are sort of pulled out of the authors'... eh, hat, but again that's probably only going to bother adults and not kids who want an action story.

There's enough emotion along the way that the book isn't totally void. And there's plenty of action and 'science'. It's not as good as Heinlein's "The Rolling Stones", but it's meant for a similar audience.

Talking Points:::
Despite my criticism, I have to say that I found "InterWorld" to be fun read. I'd suggest it for youngsters looking for adventure.

It's a quick read with some novel ideas that ought to make people think. The ideas of multi-universes is pretty well done.

**The one concern I haven't mentioned yet is the mild cursing. Certainly not a problem for teenagers, but the back cover mentions that this book is for those as young as 10 years. As a mom of a 9 y.o. I know that they haven't all been exposed to cursing yet. (Yes, you may applaud my self control)

Finally, for those expecting this book to have brilliant prose of Mr. Gaiman should know that it's not here. You are going to be thoroughly disappointed if you approach this book with that expectation.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews
(1043)

"Interworld" is what you could describe as a "lost" Neil Gaiman. It's a collaboration with American author Michael Reaves that the two were hoping could translate into a television series. When TV producers weren't picking up on the idea, Neil and Michael decided to sit down together in the 90's and write it as a short novel. The book was shelved and gathered dust for several years due to a lack of interest from publishers. In 2007, "Interworld" finally surfaced into the published world, no doubt aided by Gaiman's unstoppable and still-growing popularity.

Interworld is told in a first-person narrative by a teenager named Joey Harker. Joey's a somewhat shy teenager living in a small town in the Midwest. One day he and his classmates go on an unconventional school trip organized by his eccentric teacher. Joey ends up wandering away and stepping into another dimension. Then things get really weird. He meets several copies of his own bodies, who are living in alternate versions of his world. He also ends up in the middle of an Interworld battle between the forces of good and evil. Getting back home is the least of Joey's problems right now, first he must battle the arch nemesis bent on destroying peace in the "Altaworld".

It was clear when I started reading this novel that the target audience is for teens and young teens. The book's written in a very straightforward style, is only 240 pages of large print and in many ways reads like a comic book. Does that mean adults wouldn't enjoy it as well? Of course not. This is great escapist reading no matter what your age. Even though it's short in length this novel creates a very dense world of imagination, of parallel universes and time warps and other far-out concepts that fans of Gaiman's work are no doubt used to.

If I were to say there's one fault with this novel, I'd say that the imagination factor runs a little too wild. Yes, it's Science Fiction but it's sci-fi related to a boy's world on earth and as far-fetched as the idea of parallel worlds is, what's even more far-fetched are all the other outrageous things that seemingly happen arbitrarily through the story. Multiverse? Binary? Altaworld? I admit a lot of this stuff flew right over my head. But in the end this remains a very enjoyable read, both for fans of Gaiman and sci-fi in general. It reminded me of a cross between Robert Heinlen's "Glory Road" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game". Short, swift, enjoyable and definitely a recommended read.

I'm not impressed with this book. I enjoyed Coraline and M Is for Magic, but this book didn't excite me or engage me as a reader. I found it to be an odd mix of juvenile plot points and college-level vocabulary that had me breaking out the dictionary on every second page. The main character did fatally stupid things just to move the story along, and I was bored by the whole thing.

The premise sounds interesting (in theory), but it doesn't work very well. The authors' note in the back states that Gaiman and Reaves couldn't get anyone interested in their story. Maybe they should've taken the hint and left this one unpublished.

Make no mistake, I'm a keen Neil Gaiman fan - happily lapping up his children's books like 'M is For Magic' when I run out of his more adult works to read, but this novel failed to impress me, even with its cinematic leanings.

It starts promisingly enough, introducing us to a literal average Joe(y Harker) the kind of boy who gets lost in his own house. This provides quite a nice contrast to a power he wields which he discovers quite by accident when he wanders into the Interworld...

From that point on, the story degenerates into run-of-the-mill Hollywood sci-fi fare with a cast of predictable allies and villains who look like they were loaned off the set of 'Hellboy' or 'X-Men'.

The moralistic fable of a boy who learns to face up to his fears to answer a higher call to save his world and countless other worlds in the Altiverse together with versions of himself in these parallel dimensions should appeal to a young reader.

However to this overaged reader, lines like 'All I could think of was that scene from a hundred different horror movies, in which someone who's been possessed has a moment of sanity and pleads, "Kill Me!" ' give me the goosebumps, and not of the nice variety.

INTERWORLD by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, shows both authors amazing writing skills. Neil Gaiman has written short stories for kid's comic books, film and young adult novels (coralline, The Graveyard book). Michael Reaves writes comics (Superman, Batman) and novels. He wrote for star trek and star wars. In this book both authors combine their incredible skills to create this masterpiece.

This book includes magic science fiction and fantasy. No matter what genre you like you will love this book. This book is about a boy Joey harker who suddenly gets sucked in to another world were he gets taken by an older Joey harker from another universe. The older Joey harker takes him back to a base that has Joey harkers from all different worlds and dimensions. There he is trained. This organization keeps the balance between magic and science and after failing a test that was a trap by the enemies he is brain washed and sent back to his world were weird stuff keeps accruing that makes it seem like part of his memory is still there then something accurse that brings back all of his memory and he is left with the choice of his family or the people he left behind in the enemies planet.
No matter what genre is your favorite genre you will like this book it is a real mix between science fiction and fantasy. I loved everything about this book from the writing to the plot to the characters this is a great entertaining thought provoking book that I would say is a must read.

The theme of Magic used with evil intent and opressive technocratical technology trying to rule the world isn't new. There are quite a few good examples, although the one explored in Mage the Ascension is probably one of the most emblematic (where tradition Mages fights both the evil Nephandi and the technocracy). But the brilliant Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves have a new twist...multiverse.

The battle isn't just for one world, but for the multitude of all existence, where some worlds were already conquered by evil magic and others by distopic technological societies...and to try to keep the balance there are just one heroic organization: Interworld.

Joey Harker is a teenager destined for greatness...not just him but also is many versions. This is a young reader’s novel that is thoroughly enjoyable. Fast paced, dynamic, well imagined. Recommended.

INTERWORLD BY NEIL GAIMAN AND MICHAEL REAVES: Most people are familiar with Neil Gaiman, who has written such great novels as Neverwhere, American Gods, and Coraline for younger readers, but not so many know Michael Reaves. Reaves has written for Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Twilight Zone, and Batman: The Animated Series, as well as the New York Times bestseller Star Wars: Darth Maul - Shadow Hunter. Gaiman and Reaves began working on the idea for Interworld in 1995 wishing to make it a television adventure, but the idea was not received well, so they decided to write it down in novel form but was still never picked up. Recently, it was represented and has been picked up with a 2010 release, and the book finally published. It is the perfect young adult science-fiction adventure story to fill the vacuum left with the completion of the Harry Potter series.

Joey Harker is an ordinary boy with nothing special going for him. He's stuck in high school with few friends and a girl who doesn't even know he exists. While on a routine school field trip, Joey suddenly "Walks" into a parallel world, just like the one he is from but with subtle differences. He Walks through a couple more worlds and soon finds people on his tail. He runs and an ally soon joins him, covered in this strange silvery suit, and looking uncannily like him. Joey eventually discovers that there are thousands and thousands of alternate realities which he is able to Walk through and get to. He discovers that there are two forces vying for control of all the worlds: the HEX, who are based in science and technology, and the Binary who believe in sorcery and magic. Finally there is the Interworld, where a seemingly endless number of Joey Harkers from different worlds, with different but similar names, all looking very different, of various ages, working together to stop the HEX and the Binary.

Written in an incredibly descriptive and flamboyant style, with a pastiche of imagery styles - with the clear intention of transposing Interworld to the big screen - Interworld is a unique novel for all ages, taking you on a journey unlike any other where it requires you to stay on your "mental toes" to keep everything straight and make sure you know what's going on in this strange universe.

[....]

Kids (large and small, old and young) who like time travel books with page-turning plots will gravitate toward INTERWORLD early on as they follow young Joey Harker into other dimensions where a million other worlds (and a million other Joeys) await him. This fast-paced fantasy pits the protagonist against two evil forces -- one built on magic (called HEX) and the other on science (called The Binary). Most of Joey's clashes come against the HEX, however, when he learns he is of extreme value to them because he is a "Walker" capable of traveling between worlds and dimensions. This quote presents the problem:

"HEX boils young Walkers down to their essences. I mean that literally -- they put us in huge pots, like in those cannibal cartoons you used to see in the back of newspapers, and surround it with a web of spells and wards. Then they boil us down to nothing but our essence -- our souls, if you will -- which they force into glass pots. And they use those glass pots to power their ships and any multi-world traveling they do."

When magicians look on you as so much gasoline for their fleets (which are constantly traveling between worlds to conquer them), you've got a problem. In fact, ALL the Joeys have problems. That's the fun of it all.

Although you won't get a lot of characterization and description, and although the plot has gaps and could probably stretch 2,400 pp. long instead of 240 pp., there's no denying that this ride is a fun ride and that fantasy fans (especially reluctant readers) will enjoy reading this book. Recommended for high elementary and middle school readers especially, but don't be surprised if high school readers and adults sneak a peak as well.

This review is for the audiobook version of the story.

Yes, the story was a little campy and played mightily amongst the clichés of both science fiction and fantasy, but generally I thought this was delightful. Never a book that I would have had the patience to sit down and read, but having the audiobook version read to me was very enjoyable (despite the annoying bleeps of the home coordinates) and the reader was quite talented. I wouldn't mind listening to more stories read by Christopher Evan Welch!

In this science fictionany tale we meet Joey Harker, a teen with no sense of direction, either in life or in finding his way, until a field trip gone wrong causes him to "walk" through to a new dimension. Unfortunately his new found ability also alerts the conflicting factions of Hex and Binary to his existence and they waste no time coming to get him. To his rescue is...himself. In fact, there are a lot more of himself scattered through the dimensions than he could have ever imagined and in this book we get to see Joey in a thousand different ways go on a quest to save the universe.

I thought the combining of the clichés to be quite clever. Personally I find the idea of having to interact with multiple versions of myself probably the most horrifying thing about the whole concept. I really loved Hue and thought he was a very unique and adorable creature.

I certainly wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to boys (or girls I suppose, I'm female myself albeit one with strange tastes) probably fifth grade and up who enjoy science fiction, adventure, a bit of violence and a lot of action.

InterWorld like "Sufficiently Advanced Technology" joins fantasy with Sci-fi in an entertaining and interesting read. It's a book that I'm going to share with my 12-year-old grandson who's an avid reader. The main character is a high school student who finds himself transported to the "multi-verse" where there are many other versions of himself. Of course some of the members of the multi-verse aren't the most friendly and cooperative. There's nothing offensive in the book and it could be an excellent choice for younger readers. There are sequels on the way (as usual) since you were left sort of hanging on a cliff of sorts.

Okay. So I'm 56, and this is written for the pre-teen market. No matter: I had a rollicking good time reading this book! Joe Harker, last guy on any team to be picked, sets out on a classroom assignment and ends up taking on some of the more fascinating evildoers this side of the 12th dimension.

I'm not going to go into the plot, other than to say "Yes!" there are spaceships, pitched battles, liberal dollops of whiz-bang techno goodies, androids, and magic spells. And terror, suspense, grief, and triumph. But that's not why this is a good book.

The book is simply written well. The dialogues are snappy without being smart-alecky, the vocabulary is a pleasing challenge, the pace is quick, the narrative never seems to lose the thread, and the character development is more than adequate. But that's not why this is a good book.

The book sets itself apart from common as dirt sci-fi multi-dimensional space operas by reaching back to a classical definition of art: art should entertain, and inform. Most contemporary sci-fi is lucky to get the "entertain" part down, much less the "inform". Interworld includes lessons for the target audience (the fearless, and fear-inspiring, pre-teen segment of our population) regarding the nature of courage, loyalty, selflessness, family, the superiority of a team vs. the concept of the superhero. There is generosity, and true pathos, in this story. There is an exquisitely wrought mother/son scene. There are tears, both the hero's, and quite possibly, yours (I'll own up to it, I splashed a few pages). Which is why this is a good book!

I will start by iterating that I love Gaiman. So I am a little biased toward expecting this to be a good book; and it was a good book. The concepts were amazing, the plot packed full and fast-paced. The writing was not as amazing as it could have been though. I expect some level of elegance in a Gaiman book and this elegance was intermittent in this book.

Joey is wandering town for a school project when he ends up somewhere else. He knows the people but they don't recognize him and somehow all of the people are a bit different from how they should be. Then a man in a silver mask shows up to rescue Joey from this other place, that is until Joey is taken captive by an evil Sorceress. Soon Joey finds out he a Walker and can Walk between different versions of Earth. He finds himself in the organization of Interworld; and organization dedicated to keeping balance between the Hex (magic world) and the Binary (science world).

This book is a very creative concept. I loved the idea of Science Fiction and Fantasy lying on opposite ends of the spectrum and the idea of a multitude of Earth's being at different points of the spectrum. There were a lot of great ideas in here and great characters. Unfortunately the novel is very short, and while an amazing amount of plot is efficiently covered in this small space, not enough time was given to some of Joey's more interesting counterparts.

I agree with other reviewers that this book was not in the typical Gaiman style of writing. There is a lot of techno-babble thrown in the book, and while some of the quantum theory explanations are interesting, mostly they seem contrived and they take away from the elegance of the story. Gaiman is a top-notch story teller and while his creativity was present in this book, his polish was not.

Still I really enjoyed the story and would love to read more about these characters and about Joey's adventures Walking between alternate realities.

InterWorld is the new book by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves. At first, I was surprised to see a collaboration with Neil, as other than comics, he seems to prefer to work alone. As I read it, I found that it moved quickly, but seemed to lack the multiple layers of meaning that Neil's work usually has.

Ironic since it's about multidimensional universes and the travels therein.

I've read Michael's work before, and enjoyed it, but it didn't leave a lasting impression. However, what I find extremely interesting about this collaboration is that, like many excellent authors, Neil seems to have problems writing believable children (Coraline was excellent, but she didn't seem like a child to me) but it seemed to work here. In some ways, it feels like Neil and Michael had this idea of a multidimensional multiverse, in which there is an arc of probabilities in which different Earths exist, which vary increasingly as they deviate from "normal". Then (and I'm guessing here), Michael wrote the plot (feels more like a Reaves plot than a Gaiman plot), and Neil sparked up the dialog a bit. There are definite lines that sit on the page and say "Hi, by the way, you're reading a Neil Gaiman book. Now, on with the story.".

With the exception of the over-used dichotomy (why would a multidimensional universe divide itself into only two opposing forces?), the concept worked and was written well. It ended before a resolution, and feels much like "Books of Magic" did, and it would not surprise me to see other authors pick up the idea and turn it into a series that is good for a while before it spirals into mediocrity.

Pretty par for the course for a book that was written because they couldn't make it work as a TV pilot. Which is the case (per the afterward). It's a good read and a fun world. But it's no Anansi Boys.

Neil Gaiman is one of those authors that you either love or... actually, i think everyone loves him. There are a lot of people (such as me) that will buy anything with Gaiman's name on it, even the constantly repackaged short stories that cause you to buy the same story three times

i bought this book thinking this was a Gaiman book. Which was dumb of me. This book isn't "Gaiman's InterWorld", it's Gaiman and Reaves' InterWorld, and my guess is that it's really Reaves' InterWorld. i've written quite a few short stories and screen plays and my own experience is that there is no such thing as a two-author story. If a book claims it had two authors, it normally means one person wrote the story and the other provided some ideas or acted as a sounding board. But having two authors influence the final product equally is nearly impossible - one author's style and vision inevitably takes over. i don't know Michael Reaves (other than knowing that he's a prolific writer of TV screenplays) but my guess is that this is his book. There's nothing here that feels like Gaiman. Nothing. That's not a bad thing - there are plenty of good authors - just understand that this probably isn't a Gaiman book

So is it good? i honestly don't know

i've learned that there are stories that appeal to people of all ages and stories that only appeal to a particular group. When she turned 10, Amber found a few of the latter. She loved them. Wanting to be able to talk to her about them, i read the books and utterly loathed them. They weren't bad books, they just didn't appeal to people out of their target audience

And that's what Interworld is. This might be a great book for pre-teens, but i don't think anyone else will like it. i personally hated it. i'm not sure why but i think it's because i've read too many books. There are no surprises in this story, no originality and no subtlety. Everything in the story is cliche. The bad guys are cartoonishly evil, the world is ridiculously polarized (witches vs. robots), the plot could have been generated with a computer playing madlib with a generic hero story template and every plot point is drawn in big crayola letters and highlighted in neon, a heavy handed treatment to make absolutely sure you know what's going on

It took me a while to realize that these are not bad things. At some point, you had never read a novel. You had read Pokey Little Puppy and Fox in Socks and at a certain age decided to tackle a novel. That's a hard transition. Much of what happens in an adult novel - the nuanced world views, subtle character interactions, assumptions of knowledge about the world - is hard to understand for someone new to novels. There is a need for stories that help readers make the transition. Starter novels. Novels with training wheels. And that's what InterWorld is

Many stories appeal to all ages. All of Neil Gaiman's children's stories are like that, most notably the juvenile novels Stardust and Coraline and the movie Mirror Mask. i can't name a single Gaiman kids story that wasn't enjoyable for adults (although the opposite is certainly not true). And that's part of why this novel doesn't feel like a Gaiman book. Even his Alice Cooper graphic novel, which was often criticized for being formulaic and cliche, had an unmistakable Gaiman feel to it. i don't think Neil Gaiman is capable of not writing in the style of Neil Gaiman. And this isn't a Gaiman book

So it's not a Gaiman book. Is it good? i truly don't know. i was offended by how bad it was, although if you imagine you're reading a script for a TV series pilot it feels more in place (TV shows, especially kids action shows, tend to be ham fisted and cliche). But i don't think i'm this book's audience. This was a one star book for me, but if you're a preteen who enjoys series like Warriors and The Death Gate Cycle, maybe you'll like InterWorld too. Wish i could tell you

The story is about a boy - Joey Harker - who can walk between alternate Earths, a skill shared by all the other "Joeys" (in quotations because they have different names and genders and forms). These Joeys form an army in order to keep the balance between science and magic used in the Altiverse. This book focuses on the villains who wish to use magic to dominate the Altiverse.

It is a quick read, and there are some questions that could have been delved more into. It made me wonder about what makes a person a person and how they're identifiable as the 'same' person across parallel Earths. For instance, Joey meets female versions of him, or a wolf-like one of him - is it only this ability of his to walk across worlds that make him identifiable as "a" "Joey"? What do you owe a being who has saved your life, but saving them could harm yourself and others? Expediency or honor/obligation?

One good scene in the book is where he encounters his mom and there's a discussion (brief, but still) about duty - this seems to be a somewhat overarching theme of the book, as well as friendship and trust. Joey's defense of Hue, a MDLF, depicts standing up for someone despite your friends and majority call them wicked.

At times the book is a little too simplistic, though I like the flashes of realistic emotions, such as feeling relief something happened even though it's not the happiest outcome for others involved. It's a good read when you want something not so heavy to delve into, but questions *could* be taken from it if you want to.

Really liked this great middle-grade read. It's a wildly fantastical premise, which shows the extent of Neil Gaiman's amazing imagination. Really plays with the concept of parallel universes. Also, juxtaposes magic and science in a very interesting way. There were moments where the storytelling felt a little flat, like "First, we went here and we did this. Then, we went there and did that." Otherwise, a very good read.

This was my first Neil Gaiman book, and despite the praise he is receiving, it may end up being my last. This book was very poor. The characterisation was rough, the scenes were largely derivative and poorly thought through. It was writing on a level I expect I could have produced myself when 11 years old at school (and I don't consider myself a great writer!)

One scene sticks out in this regard. When the protagonist leaves his family and is confronted by his mother but must leave anyway - that scene just does not work. Not at all! It was more a case of forcing the character through a sequence of events so as to get them in the right place for a final showdown.

And then there is the whole other world thing that begged a rich and imaginative outworking, but left you feeling like all the action was happening in an empty space. The world was under-described, and there was no sense of wonder at the immensity of the creation being passed through.

It seems this book was written as a very quick fun project, rightly shelved but at some point dusted down and polished up. But it would have been better to rewrite it from the start than just to knock it into shape where the name of the author would get it published. This is one that should have hit the reject pile instead

This was my first Neil Gaiman book, and despite the praise he is receiving, it may end up being my last. This book was very poor. The characterisation was rough, the scenes were largely derivative and poorly thought through. It was writing on a level I expect I could have produced myself when 11 years old at school (and I don't consider myself a great writer!)

One scene sticks out in this regard. When the protagonist leaves his family and is confronted by his mother but must leave anyway - that scene just does not work. Not at all! It was more a case of forcing the character through a sequence of events so as to get them in the right place for a final showdown.

And then there is the whole other world thing that begged a rich and imaginative outworking, but left you feeling like all the action was happening in an empty space. The world was under-described, and there was no sense of wonder at the immensity of the creation being passed through.

It seems this book was written as a very quick fun project, rightly shelved but at some point dusted down and polished up. But it would have been better to rewrite it from the start than just to knock it into shape where the name of the author would get it published. This is one that should have hit the reject pile instead

A fun jaunt through multiple dimensions, InterWorld tells the story of young Joe Harker, who has the ability to Walk between dimensions, and the adventures that ensue when he discovers this ability after getting himself lost downtown. It's not so much a story about good vs. evil as it is about science vs. magic, and trying to keep the balance between the two.

Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves had originally conceived the concept as a television show, but when studios didn't seem interested, they changed the telling into a novel.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Straight forward storytelling and some imaginative plots made for an enjoyable experience. It's a quick read, but worth it if you are looking for something fun. I find myself hoping that they continue the story.

I was introduced to Gaiman with the Sandman series, have read others of his books, follow his tweets on Twitter, and found Caroline to be one of the creepiest movies I've seen in a loonnnggg time. Ok, so I am a fan. Of Interworld, I'll say that while it didn't blow me away, I found it so likable that at its end I came here to add my voices to any saying that it should be made into a movie. It's got an unlikely hero, big good versus big evil, classic defeats, and an outrageous win. In this respect it is, perhaps, a bit formulaic. Don't read this if you're looking for a groundbreaking work or high literary merit. However, that's nothing to keep it from being a pleasurable read and (I hope) a deeply satisfying I'm-glad-I-paid-for-that-ticket summer movie.

Extremely disappointed in the quality of writing. I am a huge Gaiman fan. I just don't see a trace of him in this book. I typically rate his books 5 stars. Its the only reason I don't rate this two stars. Just standard average to below high school kid finds out he is something more. In fact he is the most powerful. Tired of this storyline.

Interworld is not Gaiman at his best. I've seen his collaborations with Pratchett (Good Omens), and read a lot of his independent work, and this collaboration disappointed me a bit. The writing was fine, technically. It just wasn't what I expected.

The premise is really cool - who wouldn't like to read about a kid who can travel between dimensions? The science was a bit lacking though, and the story seemed like it had been cut from a longer series and pasted together, rushing from action scene to action scene without much time for exposition or world-building. As a result, it felt as though the main character had gone from ignorant, lost kid to savior of the multiverse in 6 seconds flat. For a young adult audience it's a great introduction to fantasy/sci-fi mashups, with a fast pace and and a quirky mystery aspect (the identity of Joey's helpers) which is revealed about halfway through the book, but it all ended too soon for me. I'd really love to see a few more stories come out in this universe - maybe following some of the other characters.

Science fiction is not usually Neil Gaiman's forte, but I doubt many would suspect that after reading Interworld. Granted, he doesn't quite abandon his use of mysticism and, in my opinion, it's one more thread adding to a rich tapestry of story weaving.

Like with Coraline, Gaiman is appealing to a younger audience than the one he usually writes for. Unlike Caroline, I don't think he quite hit the mark. The general plot and some of the vocabulary might prove frustrating to someone younger than high school age since it's dealing with inter-dimensional possibilities and all the quasi-scientific terminology associated with it.

While I wouldn't say it's impossible for a 9 to 12 year old to enjoy Interworld (in fact, I think they would like it a lot), I think it's one of those books that a parent should consider their child's reading level before blindly buying. Similar to novels like A Wrinkle In Time, this might be a novel to read with your kid if they like books, but aren't yet a strong reader.

Although I'm well over the recommended reading age, I can honestly say this was an entertaining, fanciful read for me with sincere characterization and genuine suspense. Imagine how much a 9 to 12 year old would enjoy it?

Neil Gaiman is well known for his fantasy novels and graphic novels and lately has gained quite a bit of status, especially since Stardust is due to hit theaters soon. According to the Afterword, this part SF, part Fantasy story was written by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves years ago and then shelved away out of lack of interest. What so often happens when authors gain fame and attention happened in this case, a story that generated no interest before and couldn't find a publisher is dusted off and given life on the bookstore shelf.

Joey Harker is nothing special, or so he thinks. If anything his ability to get lost in his own house is downright embarrassing. But then one day he manages take a wrong turn and winds up in another dimension. The ability to walk through worlds is a special one, and there are forces that intend to use Joey for their own ends. The only safety for Joey is an army . . . of himself. But saving the universe is a tough business and it's not so easy for one boy to turn into a hero overnight. Before he comes into his own, Joey has a lot of growing up to do. It's a fascinating idea: an army crafted between dimensions out of self preservation. It's also a really quick read. At only 233 pages, the story has to keep moving pretty quickly in order to wrap up before the book cover closes. This tale has much in common with superhero storylines and feels almost comic-book like in nature, despite the text storyline. This isn't too surprising given that Gaiman is well known for his Sandman graphic novels and Reaves is an award-winning television writer who worked on Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles.

Overall, I'd say the book isn't bad--particularly for something that was dusted off from storage. But while the world building is fascinating, the plotting tends to be way too simplistic and clichéd. Even the target audience for this novel (9-12 year-olds) is going to be familiar with some of these plot elements: Joey's friendship with a "dangerous" creature from in-between that becomes a sort of pet and sidekick, the crochety, never-a-nice-word to anybody leader, and the reluctant hero heading out to rescue his friends in a do or die situation after he's been kicked to the curb. So, if someone's looking for originality in the storyline, they may be a bit disappointed. Still, the story isn't dead in the water, and there's some fascinating glimpses and ideas to be had, but it could have been much stronger--both writers are capable of better plotting. Likewise, there isn't much time for characterization in the brief adventure tale and most of the cast gets the short end of a stick on description. We get glimpses, but no time to really get to know most of them. My biggest complaint is that things go at a comfortable pace in the beginning--introducing Joey and his teacher and his first World Walk. Then everything starts to run a bit too quickly once we get to the Interworld base. Joey goes from being rescued to being a recruit at a very sudden pace and the entire part of the story that takes place at the Interworld school feels glossed over. It would have been interesting to spend more time on that part and expand the growth of Joey from clueless victim who gets others killed to heroic teammate who saves the day.

While there are deaths in this book and some gruesome threats to the protagonists, there isn't as much actual grisly death in the story and it does have a happy ending for the most part. The story will probably work best for young teens and mature preteens who enjoy the kind of blended SF and Fantasy that is found in superhero comics. It's a quick read and therefore may appeal to those who dislike longer works or endless series. For older teens and readers who have cut their eyeteeth on Gaiman's longer fiction, this may be a bit of a disappointment and it might be one to borrow from the library before buying to see if it's worth it. For those who enjoy this and want to find more Neil Gaiman books to read, check out Neverwhere and Stardust. And for other adventures in SF and Fantasy, check out Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins and Mister Monday by Garth Nix.

Happy Reading! ^_^ Shanshad

This is basically a Teen Titans Cartoon Network episode with the extra hook of all the superheroes being alternate universe versions of the main character.

I wasn't surprised when I read later that Interworld was first written as a TV pilot script. The first half is somewhat original and explores the consequences of multiple worlds, but the last half devolves into a bad X-men comic book. You get the feeling that Gaiman contributed to the overall concept but Greaves executed the idea with a mind to pleasing studio executives. Surprisingly, there are no vampires in the book, but that's about the only surprising thing by the end. "Lord Dogknife"?

Stick to Coraline and Stardust for stories that are interesting, original, and both kid and adult-friendly.

As always Neil Gaiman's books are ful of quips and surprising humor, always keeping you wanti more. The storyline is also unique and entertaining. Character development abd world development is on par. The end leaves you wanting more (but sadly the second book isn't really written by Neil Gaiman)

I recently came to enjoy Gaiman's writing but i think the collaborative effort with Reaves curdled the sauce a bit. Too much technobabble distracted from the plot at times, and the narrator's voice lacked the sophistication and maturity thst characterizes even Gaiman's youngest protagonists. Great idea but weak execution.

Technically, Neil Gaiman is a gifted writer.

When I read Stardust I got immersed in a magical and literarily flawless world: the feel of the novel, the richness of the plot and the technique convinced me that I was reading a masterpiece.

Now, with InterWorld the same feeling appeared: I felt like reading a plot created with a streak of genius.

However, this interesting, innovative and nicely constructed plot fails to deliver a consistent novel. Characters are shallow and some elements result definitely trite (not as far as in Eragon, but the clichès stick anyway).

As in most children's fiction, the Hero's Journey is carbon copied, but this time I felt that the plot could have given up to five hundred pages of adventure and character development. Gaiman and Reaves might have seen this novel as a step towards other projects, but their decision to convert the idea into a novel should have yielded better and deeper results.

My daughter and I are outside the targeted "teen" demographic. She's 9 and I'm significantly older. Both of us loved the book. It is fast paced and well thought out. It drew the readers interest and held it there.

The book is a YOUNG ADULT book, meaning the writing is brought down to the middle school reading level. Adults can enjoy that characterization and immersion into the world as the story unfolds.

Great, this is for children of course but is also enjoyable for adults anyway. I read the whole thing in an afternoon, would have loved to see it as a TV show or movie, maybe an anime would be the best medium.

Anything from Gaiman has great quality - sorry, never heard of the other author before - and almost always is just what I like.

A very original story. The inter-world is a fascinating place, although one not easy to picture. Joey Harker is an average guy who gets hopelessly lost in his own house. Imagine his surprise when he finds out that he can walk between worlds. He is swept up in an adventure with people who are, well just say "similar" to himself. (I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise about his friends.) During this adventure, Joey realizes that he is not so average after all. A good book, but not as dark as most of Gaiman's books.

It's great. It's just great. I love Gaiman, of course. And it's not, as it would be suggested, for kids. There's no sex but some violence, and characters die. The plot is twisted, Gaiman-like, will keep you sit tight and make you wish the book was larger or there would be a sequence.
And you might want to think a bit.

Just read this. Neil, genius. Joey Harker is a broad kid, or kids if you will. With great courage at some parts and none in others, this book really made the ordinary kid be extraordinary. Only one problem though. Where's book number 2?

In "Good Omens" it was clear that this chapter was Neil Gaiman and that chapter was Terry Pratchett. With "InterWorld" there was no such clear distinction. Lacking obvious Gaiman-ness in the prose was a disappointment to me. However, his influence showed through clearly in the ideas and plot devices. Also, I didn't realize when I picked up "InterWorld" that it's more of a young adult novel. That's not always a setback, but here it was. The story didn't grab me so that I had to devour the book. It was interesting enough to keep reading, but not driving. When I read in the Afterword that it was originally meant as a description of a TV Series I had a better idea of where these two authors were coming from. I guess my main problem was that the descriptions and action did not seem very well fleshed out.

First, a caveat: I am 26 years old and therefore am clearly not within the 9-12 demographic for which this book is intended. Perhaps it is unfair to ask that young adult novels stand up to the scrutiny of adult readers. However, Gaiman is a first-rate talent and I think that it is fair to expect his writing to stand up to such age-independent works as the later Harry Potter novels, Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, or Mieville's Un Lun Dun.

InterWorld has an amazing premise: Joey Harker, a completely unremarkable teenager, gets caught up in a conflict that spans the infinite worlds of the multiverse in an epic conflict between magic and science. Even if I hadn't been a Gaiman fan, I would have picked up this novel based simply on the brilliance of the set up.

Unfortunately, InterWorld consistently fails to deliver. Joey lacks any compelling characteristics of a great protagonist; he seems, in fact, to be a rather dull and unintelligent teenager. This is true even after his transformation from a normal kid into a major player in this epic conflict; he never moves beyond one-dimension. Especially disappointing is the missed opportunity of interesting interaction between many alternate versions of the same character. Despite the (literally) infinite potential of the multiverse, neither the magical HEX nor the technological Binary, nor anything in between, is fleshed out enough to be really interesting. This is especially true of the Binary side, which gets shafted in favor of a climax devoted entirely to the HEX side of the equation.

Perhaps most disappointing, the quality of the writing is decidedly inferior. Anyone familiar with Gaiman can vouch for the magical quality of his prose. Stardust, for example, is written in language that any literate 9-12 year old would understand and appreciate, yet positively sings with lyrical elegance. In comparison, InterWorld feels plodding and clumsy. Even with the device of the first person narrator, which provides plenty of opportunity for a conversational style in the mode of a modern teenage boy, the result is inappropriately formal, or else clunky in that no teenager actually speaks in such a way. Simply put: InterWorld doesn't feel like Gaiman at all. It is much more in the mode of Reaves' Star Wars novels.

To be fair, InterWorld is a fast-paced story based on a brilliant premise that bridges the science-fiction/fantasy gap. It is an easy read, and it is enjoyable enough for what it is. However, given that this story spent the last decade on the backburner while Gaiman and Reaves worked on other projects, I can't help but think that they should have left it there.

Interworld seems to be Gaiman branching out into another realm of writing though we see him quite familiar with the magical and mystical his application of science and scientific theory left this story lacking. Excellent work yet left me wondering where the magic had gone, which is a primary reason that I enjoy Neil Gaiman's work.

I am slightly biased as I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan, but this book is great. It is a very quick read and is definitely targeted for the younger audience, but it is still a brilliant story. This would be a great book to introduce the young reader to Gaiman or for an older reader (such as myself) to just kick back and relax for a bit.

This is unlike anything I have read before. Something new, and that made it fun. It's imaginative and well written. Perfect for the youthful reader. As a mom, I had one issue I won't go into here because I don't want to give anything away. I would definitely recommend this book to fellow sc-fi and fantasy lovers as well as young adults.

I had a chance to read this in manuscript form, before it was published, and I thought then it would be a terrific book. Great to see it finally in print, and I'm looking forward to the movie version (the book has be optioned for the big screen.)

Great job, guys.

Don't the authors owe an large debt of gratitude to Diane Wynne Jones for this particular multiverse concept? Readers might prefer her Chrestomanci books.The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1: Charmed Life / The Lives of Christopher Chant

Great story. The book reads fast and quick. Good solid Gaiman story smithing. I want to experience more of this world.... the teaser 'pilot' nature of the book has functioned as intended on this guy.... PLEASE!! MORE!