Completion Date: July 2007
Pages: 239
Publication Year: 2007 (Eos, a division of Harper Collins)
Received from Harper Collins in 2007.
Reason for Reading: This book will be included on Harper Collins What Would Harry Read blog, but I would have read it anyways because I tend to buy Neil Gaiman's books.
Joey Harker isn't a hero.I first started reading Neil Gaiman a couple years ago. The more I read him, though, the more I wonder if I am a big fan or not. I started out reading Good Omens, which he co-authored with Terry Pratchett. I thought that book was brilliant, so I added Gaiman to my list of authors to buy. It was last summer before I read another book by him, this time Stardust. I really like fairy tales, so this book was an enjoyable read. Now, I find myself wondering if I read the two good books and should not expect great things in the future. I liked Neverwhere when I read it, but looking back on it I cannot even remember it anymore. Coraline was okay, but not the best book I have ever read. What I am trying to say is that the more I read him, the more I wonder why.In fact, he's the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house.
But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension.
Joey's walk between the worlds makes him prey to two terrible forces—armies of magic and science who will do anything to harness his power to travel between dimensions.
When he sees the evil those forces are capable of, Joey makes the only possible choice: to join an army of his own, an army of versions of himself from different dimensions who all share his amazing power and who are all determined to fight to save the worlds.
Master storyteller Neil Gaiman and Emmy Award-winning science-fiction writer Michael Reaves team up to create a dazzling tale of magic, science, honor, and the destiny of one very special boy—and all the others like him.
InterWorld was not a terrible read, but once again, not the greatest science-fiction book I have ever read. A lot of people are saying that, though, that this is not as great as his previous works. I suppose part of the lack of Gaiman writing style is that this book is co-authored with a man that is known for his science fiction television writing, and normally for shows of a more serious nature than Gaiman's normal writing. You cannot expect the same thing with this book as when he co-authored with Terry Pratchett because Pratchett is closer to Gaiman's style. That being said, I liked this book.
For me, the best part of this book was Hue. I think Hue was typical Gaiman making an appearance, and while the bubble-like creature never spoke, he was a fantastic addition to the cast of characters. I liked his appearances, they made the book for me. This book is supposed to be one of those reads where your root for the underdog. Joey Harker has no special abilities outside of the fact that he can travel through dimensions. The other characters he encounters can do other things and are more beneficial to the mission, but it is Joey that saves the day. All I can say is, very predictable book. Like there is any doubt about the income of the story, you could skip everything in between and still not be surprised by the ending. Some of Gaiman's other books are a bit more crafty with their endings, you get a bit of surprise, this ending was so cliched.
****SPOILERS*****
What really annoyed was how predicatable the book was. Boy finds he has special powers, bad people find him and it looks like the end is near, but at the last minute he is heroically saved. He goes to live with the good guys, the bad guys get mad and set up a trap, everyone is captured except for the heroic Joey Harker. He gets blamed for what happened, and sent home, but he is not prepared to go down without a fight. He attempts to save the day with no plan, has a lot of "bad" things happen, and of course in the end saves the day. He has no powers, no special skills, but he is the one that wins out over the more powerful people in the book. It's a scenerio that has been done over and over again. Sometimes it would be nice for the bad guys to win for a change.
****END SPOILERS****
Okay, now that I had my vent, I will stay maintain that if you are a Gaiman fan you should read this book. It is always appropriate to read all an authors books so that you can get an idea of all aspects that they are capable of.
Parting Thoughts: When I first finished this book I thought I liked it a lot more than I find myself feeling now that it has been about a week since I completed it. When you start thinking about it and analyzing it, you find that there are better books you could be reading. I am starting to think that none of his books are ever going to be better than Good Omens and Stardust. I read for the hope that authors books get even better, but that has not happened for me yet with Gaiman.
5 comments:
"I will stay maintain that if you are a Gaiman fan you should read this book."
As a Gaiman fan I would actually disagree with this, although I still think it was an okay book. It is no secret that I think Neil Gaiman is brilliant writer and this book was average at best. The fan in me wants to think that Gaiman's efforts in this were minor at most, though that probably is not true.
The thing that I both love and get frustrated about with Neil Gaiman is that he is always doing something just a little bit different with each book. I don't know if it is fear of being pigeon-holed, or multiple creative ideas going on in his head, or if he is the kind of person who feels like they are stagnating if their next novel is too much like the last or what. The result is that I have alot of wonderful books of his to read, but I also think it extends the amount of time between books, and that is frustrating when you love someone's work.
Have you read American Gods, Smoke and Mirrors, Fragile Things, Anansi Boys? Each are different in their own ways and yet each have examples of the craftsmanship of Neil at his best.
I can understand that not all authors are for everyone and I'm sorry that you don't get that same buzz off of Neil's work that others of us do, it is really okay.
But again, considering the plethora of amazing young adult literature out there I would not recommend anyone bumping Interworld up on their list.
Also a Neil Gaiman fan (I got his collection of short stories 'Fragile Things' signed by him in person!!) and I think it's too bad you haven't read more by him!!
I love that he is such a versatile writer and I can still love what he writes. If you like comics you have to read Sandman.I also agree with Carl V's reccomendations. His stories always create such lovely imagery in my mind. I never quite know what he is going to come out with next. I actually loved Neverwhere too but part of that was probably the fact that I did live in London.
Hmm part of your complaints about Interworld is ironically why I don't get the popularity of Harry Potter because the basic story in Harry Potter has been around for a very long time.
Carl: I can see why you don't think people should read this book, but I think when you have an author you should read all the books by them in order to have a true sense of what they have written. As to what I have left from him, I have to finish American Gods, read Anansi Boys, and I will get Fragile Things in September when it comes out in paperback.
raspberry swyrl: I know all about Harry Potter, but I am actually not a huge fan. I don't get the appeal at all. Anyways, I will admit it is cool that you got to meet Neil Gaiman. :)
"You cannot expect the same thing with this book as when he co-authored with Terry Pratchett because Pratchett is closer to Gaiman's style."
Yes, exactly. I agree with your review in general. I don't want to think of this book as an example of his ability as a writer, though, although it's probably unwise of me to dismiss it completely. But considering how much I loved "The Witch's Headstone", which is part of the upcoming "The Graveyard Book", I think I can say that, for me, he is not getting worse.
I second Carl's recommendations - American Gods and Anansi Boys really are worth a try. They are much, much better than this book.
I plan to read both of those books. I just haven't had time to get to them. The whole too many books, too little time. :) He says he wrote this a book a while ago, so it wouldn't really coincide with a timeline in saying he is getting worse. I think he was just trying something completely different.
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