*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of NETGALLEY arc Prison of Sleep – Book 2 of the Journals of Zaxony Delatree duology by Tim Pratt #BrainfluffNETGALLEYbookreview #PrisonofSleepbookreview

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this entertaining duology – Doors of Sleep – see my review. So I was delighted when I spotted this offering and it’s been one I’ve been really looking forward to tucking into.

BLURB: Every time Zaxony Delatree falls asleep he wakes up on a new world. His life has turned into an endless series of brief encounters. But at least he and Minna, the one companion who has found a way of travelling with him, are no longer pursued by the psychotic and vengeful Lector.

But now Zax has been joined once again by Ana, a companion he thought left behind long ago. Ana is one of the Sleepers, a group of fellow travellers between worlds. Ana tells Zax that he is unknowingly host to a parasitic alien that exists partly in his blood and partly between dimensions. The chemical that the alien secretes is what allows Zax to travel. Every time he does, however, the parasite grows, damaging the fabric of the Universes. Anas is desperate to recruit Zax to her cause and stop the alien. But there are others who are using the parasite, such as the cult who serve the Prisoner – an entity trapped in the dimension between universes. Can Zax, Minna, Ana and the other Sleepers band together and stop them?

REVIEW: This book is the second in a duology set in a fast-paced multiverse adventure tale, so my firm recommendation is to head for Doors of Sleep, the first book in the series, before getting stuck into Prison of Sleep.

The first book features Zaxony’s adventures as he is catapulted into travelling to another world every time he falls asleep. Early in his journey, he meets and falls for Ana – and inadvertently yanks her along with him as they sleep together. The catch is that she hasn’t been infected with the parasite that allows him to hop from one world to another and she suffers a terrible mental breakdown travelling through the Void without that protection and runs off. Guilt-ridden and grieving, Zaxony has tried to find her. So I really appreciated that in this second book, I got to discover what has become of Ana and get to know her better. I loved this romantic thread that added to the emotional tenor of the story without in any way clogging up the pace or distracting from the main narrative.

This means that this book isn’t just from one viewpoint, which I enjoyed. Especially as I got to see what other characters think of Zaxony. As I’ve already mentioned, this story moves along at a brisk clip. Indeed, major events pile upon one another as we shuffle between the two main characters and I had to stay sharp to keep the narrative timelines straight. As with Doors of Sleep, the concept works really well. There is plenty of tension as Pratt isn’t afraid of killing off characters who have featured heavily in the storyline. So I was genuinely concerned for our plucky band of protagonists, throughout – and near the end of the story, I was more than a bit winded when one of the protagonists ended up being on the wrong side. I could appreciate all too well what powers his decision, even if it is a terrible one…

Pratt is very good at provided interesting, well-developed characters while mayhem continues to rain down upon them – which is technically far harder to achieve than he makes it look. But… I do have a frustration. A huge amount happens in this book and as I reached the end, I felt this series would have been improved if the events had unspooled over three books, instead of two. This particularly applies to the storyline featuring Lector, the primary antagonist in the first book. While the menace he poses is suitably sorted out – it did rather take back seat to the storyline featuring the Prisoner. And I would also have preferred seeing Pilgrim’s journey develop over a longer time, as it is another strand that feels a bit rushed. This is a wonderful bit of worldbuilding – and like other reviewers, I would appreciate reading other books in this series. Recommended for fans of multiverse adventures with strong protagonists and lots of action. While I obtained an arc of Prison of Sleep from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

*NEW RELEASE SPECIAL* Review of NETGALLEY arc The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky #Brainfluffbookreview #TheDoorsofEdenbookreview

I was delighted to be offered the chance to read and review the arc. Yay! Those of you who regularly visit will know I’m a fan of Tchaikovsky’s writing. His range is impressively versatile – and the outstanding reads he’s produced for me over the last few years range from the awesome Children of Time, Dogs of War, Spiderlight and the novella The Expert System’s Brother, to name but a few…

BLURB: Lee’s best friend went missing on Bodmin Moor, four years ago. She and Mal were chasing rumours of monsters when they found something all too real. Now Mal is back, but where has she been, and who is she working for? When government physicist Kay Amal Khan is attacked, the security services investigate. This leads MI5’s Julian Sabreur deep into terrifying new territory, where he clashes with mysterious agents of an unknown power ¬who may or may not be human. And Julian’s only clue is some grainy footage ¬– showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.

This is science fiction apocalyptic portal adventure is a hefty read at over 600 pages, but it didn’t feel like it – I was a bit shaken when I realised how long it was. There are a handful of protagonists, including Lee, Julian and Kay – who is my personal favourite. A transgender woman who is fond of swearing and a brilliant mathematician. I thoroughly enjoyed Kay’s character, which pinged off the page. But I was also impressed at the nuanced characterisation of Julian, whose complicated relationship with one of his work colleagues is also poignantly portrayed against the apocalyptic events unfolding.

I am very aware that the peculiarities initially build quite slowly, so I don’t want to reveal Spoilers that would skew the reading experience – it’s a major reason why I never read blurbs until after I’ve finished the book. But while this one feels initially quite familiar – there are a number of odd events that can’t be explained away, and Julian is aware there is some sort of high-up knowledge… We’ve all read that one. However, Tchaikovsky does his usual trick of taking a recognisable trope and putting his own unique spin on it. There are a series of interludes where an American scientist and lecturer posts a particular theory and walks us through the progression this could take throughout the book. I love how these apparently random sections are ultimately brought into the wider narrative.

As usual, Tchaikovsky’s zoological expertise is in evidence, though this time around the spider content is minimal – however there are rats and birds, as well as scarily brilliant fish… And a particularly satisfying antagonist I loved to hate throughout. I loved this one – it’s Tchaikovsky at his best, I think. There is sufficient hard science that the nerd in me enjoyed and appreciated the theory, as well as loving his take on the Neanderthal sub-species, which I felt was particularly effectively handled. But also plenty of action, with a high-stakes narrative when meant that by the end, I stayed up far later than I should to discover how it all was wrapped up. Very highly recommended for fans of quality apocalyptic thrillers. The ebook arc copy of The Doors of Eden was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest opinion of the book.
9/10