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The Long Earth Terry Pratchett Stephen Baxter 9780062067753 Books

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The Long Earth Terry Pratchett Stephen Baxter 9780062067753 Books

The story is complex and designed for those with good imaginations. I wouldn't describe this book as hard to put down but the story line is compelling enough to get you back. The protagonists are unlikely as any I've ever read but they are likable and observant enough to clue the reader to the author's message.
Having said that, this is not anything like the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, the only reason I read this. There is hardly any charm to find in the characters who are not playful or even funny. The situations are credible but not fascinating like Discworld set-ups. Don't look for magic, sorcery or parody here.
All in all a good book. Not to spoil but the ending compels you to move on to "The Long War", the next book in the series. I am not going to do that. I read for pure, unapologetic escape as I get enough reality at work and home.
Thanks for reading!


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The Long Earth Terry Pratchett Stephen Baxter 9780062067753 Books Reviews

Having read every Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, I came to this. If there is a shred of Pratchett in there, I suppose it would be in the Lobsang character. It's likely based on an old English charlatan from the mid 20th century who styled himself to be "Lobsang Rampa," a disembodied soul from the east somewhere who claimed to have taken over the Englishman's mortal coil. That one didn't work and neither does this one. It's not funny.
This is obviously Baxter's novel. Why Sir Terry's name was attached to it no one knows and I choose not to speculate on that here. Had it been presented honestly as a Baxter novel and had I read it as that sans the use of Pratchett's name (which I likely would not have), I'd be inclined to give it two stars. This thing's a plodder.
Rest in peace, beloved Sir Terry. You were so much better than this.
This is a rare science fiction work where character, dialogue, action, plot and ideas are fairly equal. Usually one finds lots of action or a terrific plot with cardboard characters or engrossing characters with a dull story line. Sadly, the main aspect - the ability to "step" to other Earths - is badly explained, especially the absurd potato machine. Alas, the story began to drag after vising Earth W 1,1,320,432.

The heart of the story - one might be tempted to say the soul - is the interaction between the android Lobsang and the hero, Joshua, a "natural" stepper. The dialogue was captivating, humorous and delved deeply into the human condition. Because the work was not "The Stand" or "Atlas Shrugged" or "War and Peace" many of the minor characters remained undeveloped, names on a page who went through the ritualistic motions. We did finally have a romance of sorts (sorely missing in science fiction) that was tender and funny and innocent.

So why four instead of five stars? Lack of imagination for the various Earths, the idea that beings in other worlds casually stepped as easily as we sit down and the rather silly huge creature met at the end. There is, of course, a fundamentalist religious component composed by those unable to "step" and there are some good guys and bad guys. All in all, a good start to a series.
You have to admit, it's an interesting premise. What if, suddenly, mankind had access to a seemingly infinite sweep of parallel universes? Infinite earths nearly identical to our own? A sudden end to all resource shortages? And what if all you needed to get there was a few dollars' worth of simple electronic components?

Pratchett and Baxter take this interesting premise and run it straight into the ground.

It starts badly. The clumsy introduction of Lobsang a few pages in was so awkward and just plain uncomfortable that i honestly put the book down for a few days while i tried to decide if it was worth reading at all.

I did keep reading, though, because until recently i was a huge fan of Sir Terry. (The 'until recently' has to do with his latest solo book, Snuff A Novel of Discworld, being so bad i could barely finish it.) I've read a few of Baxter's books, and while he's not in my top ten favorite authors, he's usually good enough that, with a solid premise like this, i'd expect an equally solid book. But together they were so much less than the sum of their parts.

The story, such as it is, drags. Most chapters are about Joshua and Lobsang exploring the parallel earths. A few are about a random homesteading family, and a random cop who helped Joshua out when he was younger. Nothing happens. Then more nothing happens. The occasional residual smear of a plot element appears every few chapters, but if you're skimming because you're bored, you'll probably miss it. At some point, a woman joins the Joshua/Lobsang expedition, but instead of being any sort of romantic-tension-inducing situation, it's handled in the utterly sterile fashion of a book aimed at 4th graders.

Then, out of nowhere, a few pages before the end of the book, everything suddenly changes. The writing style, the pacing, the whole feel of the book turn suddenly on a single sentence. Only then do the relevance of the pioneer family and the cop become evident, and even then, you could have cut out all of their back story and it wouldn't make a difference. There's a big-ish, mostly-dramatic climax, and boom, the book ends.

If you're a big fan of either author (or both) and just simply must own a copy of this book, then you're going to buy it no matter what. For anyone else, my advice is to skip it. If you find the premise too promising to pass by, then wait a few months. You'll probably be able to find tons of copies of this in discount bins as others buy it, read it, and discard it promptly.
A decent read. Obviously part of a sequel. The sequel (The Long War), however has proved to be a little much. Maybe I'll get back into it.

This book could have actually touched more upon some of the characters it introduced, which another reviewer mentioned. Ultimately I think it does delve deeper into some of these characters in the other novels. My reading time is too divided to devote so much time to read more about characters and circumstances set up in the first book. By all means, it was an enjoyable read, and I did want more. However, do not be disappointed to be left hanging at the end of the novel, with no choice but to buy The Long War in order to see what happens. I just cannot commit that much time right now.
The story is complex and designed for those with good imaginations. I wouldn't describe this book as hard to put down but the story line is compelling enough to get you back. The protagonists are unlikely as any I've ever read but they are likable and observant enough to clue the reader to the author's message.
Having said that, this is not anything like the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, the only reason I read this. There is hardly any charm to find in the characters who are not playful or even funny. The situations are credible but not fascinating like Discworld set-ups. Don't look for magic, sorcery or parody here.
All in all a good book. Not to spoil but the ending compels you to move on to "The Long War", the next book in the series. I am not going to do that. I read for pure, unapologetic escape as I get enough reality at work and home.
Thanks for reading!