This is a one of those books that start out quite well, lose pace and ends with a bit of a thud. I rather liked the premise and the story had some real potential. Unfortunately, about halfway the story starts to drag, losing momentum and going of on a bit of a tangent. By the end, the author seems to have said to himself, "Well, I'm almost at the 400 page mark. Better wrap it up!" and finished with a rather lame and arbitrary conclusion. Having said that, if you are looking for a light and quick read, this might do. You could certainly do worse. When I read the review for this book on io9 back in December 2008, I quickly added it to "must read" stack. After having now read the book, I know to read the io9 book reviews with a much more skeptical eye.So, what did I think of the book? I think the author lifted this story straight out of the old TV show "Sliders". There are too many similarities to be mere coincidence; here are just a few of the big ones:Sliders: Malfunctioning device only allows random travel (ie: improbable you'd ever get back to a universe you already visited).Book: Malfunctioning device only allows travel in one direction (ie: you can't get back to a universe you already visited).Sliders: Device is created by a young physics-loving boy-next-door (or it was given to him... the later episodes muddy the water a bit), and he doesn't realize it is broken.Book: Device is given to a young physics-loving boy-next-door, and he doesn't realize it is broken.Sliders: One episode focuses on "travelers" who use these devices to exploit technology between universes to make money.Book: Central to the plot is the use of the devices to exploit technology between universes to make money.Sliders: One universe has the "Cro-mags" who happen upon a device and use it to try and subjugate all other universes.Book: One universe has the Vandals who use the devices to subjugate all other universes.I could go on. However, the book is entertaining and fun to read -- it's actually what I wished the Sliders episodes would have been like. It's not an action-packed book, and the characters are frustratingly shallow, often acting in ways contrary to what you would expect, just to get past a sticky part of the story.Bottom line, don't expect cutting-edge science fiction. But if you liked the TV show "Sliders", or you're just looking for a fun and easy read for a weekend, then this isn't a bad book.
Do You like book Les Murs De L'Univers (2011)?
Couldn't put this down, read it in a couple of days, one of the best sci-fi books iv'e read.
—chinnu
This book was alright. No earth shattering concepts, but a fun read nonetheless.
—xxhappyday
Not brilliant but pleasant enough to pass some time.
—one
