"Here's the situation. Every time I fall asleep, I wake up in another universe." Twenty-two-year-old Zax hurtles through a complex multiverse in Tim Pratt's Doors of Sleep: Journals of Zaxony Delatree. This imaginative adventure stands on the shoulders of classic science fiction action novels like H.G. Wells's The Time Machine and provides as much entertainment.
Zak can't explain his predicament, but he knows he's been to more than 1,000 separate universes. Luckily, he stumbles on ways to counter the continual existential dangers. He's injected with a linguistic virus that helps him communicate as he jumps worlds. He learns to manipulate drugs, both artificial and natural, that keep him awake for days in hospitable worlds or put him to sleep quickly should danger arise. "Sometimes I need to spin the wheel of worlds again fast," he admits. Zak's also fortunate when he finds friendly life forms that add their own unusual skill sets to his. Vicki, for example, a small crystal life form that is "a tactical and strategic engine," tries to determine why Zak is in this unending loop--and, perhaps, how to stop the process.
This is an escapist fantasy with something for everyone. There are close calls, chases, heartbreak and, of course, an evil villain, all within colorful and distinctive worlds. "Traveling is... it's like life, I guess," Zak says. "Sometimes it's wonderful, and sometimes it's terrible, and sometimes it's boring." This fast-paced tale is perfect for anyone looking for sympathetic characters and nonstop action. --Cindy Pauldine, bookseller, the river's end bookstore, Oswego, N.Y.