The Space Between Worlds

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What to expect

The multiverse business is booming, but there's just one catch: no one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive.

Enter Cara. Of the 382 realities that have been unlocked, Cara is dead in all but eight.

On this earth, however, she survived. Identified as an outlier, and a perfect candidate for multiverse travel, Cara is plucked from the wastelands and given a job and a comfortable apartment in the wealthy and walled-off Wiley City. Cara knows what it's like to feel hungry, and scared, so she's more than happy to reap the benefits of her new position. As long as she keeps her head down, she's on a sure path to citizenship and security for life.

But when one of her eight remaining doppelgängers dies under mysterious circumstances, Cara is plunged into a new world with an old secret. What she discovers will connect her past and future in ways she never could have imagined - and reveal her own role in a plot that endangers not just her world, but the entire multiverse.

(P)2020 Penguin Random House Audio

Critics Review

Johnson's debut is a rare bird in any reality: a novel that is twisting, suspenseful, and profound
Max Gladstone, co-author of the Hugo and Nebula-winning THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR
Profoundly satisfying . . . [it] remained two steps ahead of my imagination, rattling it out of complacency and flooding it with color and heat
The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice
A gritty, riveting, and ultimately hopeful novel about the people, choices, and relationships who make us who we are - in this world, and in those we can only imagine
Kameron Hurley, Hugo and Locus award-winning author of The Light Brigade
A strong new voice in science fiction
Sunday Times Culture
Fascinating, complicated, compelling . . . this is a jewel of a novel, all the more impressive for being Johnson's debut
Locus
Clever characters, surprise twists, plenty of action, and a plot that highlights social and racial inequities in astute prose
Library Journal Starred Review
Johnson bursts onto the scene with this thought-provoking, high-concept sci-fi debut that impresses with exceptional worldbuilding and a distinctive protagonist
Publishers Weekly
Johnson excels at contrasting lives of privilege and poverty, and at drip-feeding information that gradually reveals Cara's complex character
Guardian
A dark, provocative read that's both challenging and satisfying
SFX
Micaiah Johnson's debut is a punk album, presenting a world where even our possibilities are colonized. I loved every twisting minute of it
Alex White, author of A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe
A riveting story filled with adventures and emotions
The Nerd Daily
Gorgeous writing, mind-bending worldbuilding, razor-sharp social commentary, and a main character that demands your attention - and your allegiance
Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse
An imaginative tale of multiverses and doppelgangers
Choice Magazine
A witty, deep and savvy tale . . . Fresh and interesting
New Scientist
Sliding Doors meets Mad Max . . . a fast-paced, compelling read
SciFiNow
Johnson's world-hopping debut uses science fictional tools and an exciting plot to address urgent questions of privilege and position. . . . A compelling stand-alone debut that will leave readers thrilled, thoughtful, and anticipating the author's next book
Kirkus Reviews
50 Best Sci-fi and Fantasy Books of the Past Decade
NPR
At a time when I was really struggling with the cognitive demands of reading anything for work or pleasure, this book flooded me with oxygen and lit me on fire. I can't say for certain that it enabled me to read again, but in its wake, I could
Amal El-Mohtar, award-winning author of This Is How You Lose the Time War
A dark, provocative read... The social commentary is hard-hitting, delivered with plenty of gripping, well-crafted storytelling
SFX
Johnson, while never neglecting the necessity for story, has taken the opportunity to treat with profound questions if you read closely
ParSec Magazine

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