Wednesday 30 July 2014

The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter




"But he was also curious. And in Paul Spencer Wagoner there seemed to be  a lot to be curious about."



Number 3 is the book which has served to re-ignite the flame of my enthusiasm for this continuing series. Certainly the last book just felt like an expository blimp, a necessary back filler before things got interesting and didn’t they what! Talking beagles! Yes, you read that correctly.

How would you cope with a talking beagle?  Would you be species-ist?
Last book we saw the troubled trolls being beaten up by hideous human steppers, however in this book, they are more likely to be signing and that’s never a bad thing. **POTENTIAL SPOILERS**

Yellowstone has erupted, most of datum Earth have escaped across the Long Earth by stepping and a new species of wunderkind is emerging from happy landings. This is epic stuff and I was enthralled – so much so that I haven’t got enough sleep in the past few days trying to finish this delightful tome while burdened with the rest of life’s annoying responsibilities.

The Long Mars has crabs – and not just any crustaceans – these creatures are enormous and hold a grudge.

Sally’s continuing journey of exploration with her father provides drama, thrills and spills and let us not forget the billionaire Mr Black’s quest for eternal youth in the edges of the alternate universes. So much is going on here and yet it works, seamlessly and brilliantly. The tension, particularly generated by the fear of the Next, is building and horrifyingly, for this reader, she will just have to wait for the next release which just can’t come soon enough.

5 out of 5 steppers take a leap.

No comments:

Post a Comment