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Written by Josh More
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Sunday, 04 November 2007 13:16 |
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.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 09 December 2007 11:52 )
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