InterWorld

Maybe because InterWorld wasn't written by Gaiman alone, but in a collaboration with Michael Reaves, I can't help feeling it would've been better executed as the animated something they wanted at first. This doesn't read like a Neil Gaiman novel. It's very YA-ish (middle grade, even?), and I can picture my younger self enjoying it very much, but I've read my fair share of Gaiman stuff over the years, and I felt let down by this one.

It is what it is: your average teen fantasy/sci-fi adventure story.

I've only read one other “kid's” book by Neil Gaiman and that was “The Graveyard Book.” I always thought that the only reason that book was classified as for children was because it had a child protagonist. The story was deep and could be enjoyed by adults. Interworld, on the other hand, was not. Not a bad book, just clearly meant for children and reminiscent of the Animorphs and Goosebumps books I would read as a kid. Don't expect any nuance.

This story, follows the life of one Joey Harker, a Walker. Joey's been born with the gift of being able to move through time/space and into other Earths. This is the story of how he learned to use his gifts, find his place amongst infinite worlds, and become a hero. A highly fun read and had a surprisingly high amount of depth to it. I totally loved the story.

I picked this book because I wanted to start the new year with something Gaiman that I hadn't already read. That list is very small, but this has been sitting on the shelf for a while. Sadly, Gaiman's influence on the actual writing seems pretty diluted, and while it's a fun young adult adventure story, it isn't what I was hoping for.

That said, this book would make an awesome anime. The afterword says that Gaiman and Reaves initially pitched the idea as a tv show, but tv producers didn't get the idea. Anime is totally the format in which this story is meant to be told. YouTube animators, get on this. We could have a seriously beautiful show. The best parts of the book are the vivid descriptions of these myriad worlds. The worst parts are the clunky first person monologues. If it were an anime, we'd have the best without the worst. Make this happen, internet.

Also, ten points for being a book aimed at children and young adults with no romantic subplot. Huzzah! Saving the altiverse is more important that a hackneyed love triangle. Huzzah!