Angela Cavanaugh

In Otherworlders, a deadly virus has infected a majority of the earth's human population. Only a small percentage of humans demonstrate resistance to the virus. Additionally, the virus also plagues plants and animals, rendering the earth inhabitable.

A government agent has come across a young scientist who has discovered parallel universes and is able to build a machine to send the resistant to another universe.

The story is an interesting one, and it captures your interest right from the very beginning. The action of the story is kept steady throughout. The beginning and ending of the book are reminiscent of a SyFy channel movie. I think this is the case primarily because most of the characters are not well developed, and the dialogue between them is very basic. The story is, in places, unrealistic. At one point, a special agent informs the president of the US that funding has been arranged for the purposes of the building the machine to transport people to the alternate universe. How is it possible that a special agent gets funding without the president's knowledge or approval? The book also misses some opportunities to make an impress upon the reader the impact of the new arrivals in the alternate universe. Economic struggles are not delved into very deeply despite being a prime source of animosity between the two populations. Also, it is mentioned matter of factly that governments of other nations have fallen. I felt that giving more to these sort of topics would really drive home the dire state of affairs that exist in the story.

Otherworlders is at its best when the author's narrative takes over. She describes the action of the story and the emotions and feelings of the characters very well, and the book feels much more polished when the narrative presides over the characters' dialogue.

Overall, an entertaining read.… (mehr)