- Title:
- The Walls of the Universe (Universe, #1)
- By:
- Paul Melko
- Pages:
- 384
- Rating:
- 3
John Rayburn thought all of his problems were the mundane ones of an Ohio farm boy in his last year in high school. Then his doppelgänger appeared, tempted him with a device that let him travel across worlds, and stole his life from him. John soon finds himself caroming through universes, unable to return home—the device is broken. John settles in a new universe to unravel its secrets and fix it.
Meanwhile, his doppelgänger tries to exploit the commercial technology he’s stolen from other Earths: the Rubik’s Cube! John’s attempts to lie low in his new universe backfire when he inadvertently introduces pinball. It becomes a huge success. Both actions draw the notice of other, more dangerous travelers, who are exploiting worlds for ominous purposes. Fast-paced and exciting, this is SF adventure at its best from a rising star.
I thought this had great potential, but although it was fast and a solid teen parallel world story, it lacked a little in depth and consequence. Singletons could have been explored more, and there was very little in the way of science for the reader to enjoy, especially given that a lot of learning has to happen in order for John to progress with the plot of the story. Still, this was neatly done and I have no problem recommending it to someone new to the genre or in it for a quick romp.