InterWorld

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves

As a comic book fan, I have read my share of stories featuring alternate realities and parallel earths. Whether it be DC, Marvel, or some other publisher, it is one of the more popular science fiction plots that writers have turned to. Even in the world of “Star Trek”, the “mirror universe” was one of the most enduring storylines in the original series, eventually showing up in subsequent series and even “Star Trek” novels. Just when I thought that everything had already been written about these parallel realities, authors Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves gave us “InterWorld”.

Joey Harker is an average high school student. He lives with his parents and siblings, muddles through school, and has a crush on Rowena Danvers. While conducting a social science assignment, Joey gets lost. Not just lost like being lost in a mall. More like lost and ending up on another completely different reality. Joey Harker is about to find out that he’s actually a Walker, one of a near infinite number of “Joeys” who have banded together to protect the Altiverse and all the realities within it from the opposing forces of science (or the Binary) and magic (or the HEX). Joey has to find it within himself to lead a team of “Joeys” against these menaces and unleash the power residing within him.

One of the many amazing things about “InterWorld” is it’s simple enough premise: there are all of these realities and you exist (or an aspect of you exists) in all of them. One earth might have you as female, another may have a cyborg version, you could be forty years older in one earth, or just a teenager on another, still another could have you as a werewolf, or a centaur, you get the picture. Now imagine joining forces with these other “yous” and literally walking between realities, trying to maintain the balance between magic and science. It’s pretty overwhelming yet still intriguing, isn’t it?

Gaiman and Reaves draw you into Joey Harker’s anxiety as he realizes that his life will never be the same once he walks into InterWorld. Trained and educated by “Old Man” Joe Harker, he joins a team composed of Jai, Jakon, Jo, J/O, and Josef, all “Joeys” on a training mission that goes horribly wrong. Trapped by the villainous Lord Dogknife, the mesmerizing Lady Indigo, and her henchmen Neville and Scarabus, Joey ends up leaving his team and facing a virtual court martial from the Old Man. Faced with returning to his peaceful old life or facing danger and rescuing his team, Joey must decide if he’s willing to take that risk.

It’s an engaging, if short read, yet still very entertaining. Though not a typical Gaiman piece in the sense that there are hardly any fairies or magic or dreams involved, it remains a fun read. The authors’ descriptions of the realms of the In-Between, taking a Walk between dimensions, and entering portals to new worlds will likely leave you dizzy while still sparking the imagination.

Through all the dimension-hopping and dealing with mudluffs and fantastic creatures, “InterWorld” remains the story of adolescence evolving into adulthood. The things Joey sees are amazing to say the least, but the decisions he ends up making will prove to be even more substantial as he faces a painful departure from his comfortable home because he knows that he can’t leave his friends in evil hands. Just joining forces with different versions of yourself is already a great idea, adding all of this adolescent angst and insecurity just made it better.

This would probably never make it as far as a live action film, but the potential for an animated movie is clearly there. Here’s hoping somebody from Hollywood picks up on this latest brilliant piece from Gaiman and writing partner Reaves. But if they don’t, I’m pretty satisfied with the writing done here already.