Broken Universe [Hardcover]

As far as sequels go, this book falls into the stereotype of not living up to its predecessor. While "Broken" is indeed a fun read and answers some questions while introducing us to new concepts, it is no "Walls" in terms of its sheer, "This is AWESOME!" factor. And I should clarify that statement. I have read better science fiction using the multiverse concept (James P. Hogan's "Paths to Otherwhere" is a must-read in this genre), but none were as fun as reading "Walls of the Universe". It covered the fun without being bogged down in the science. I smiled a lot while reading it - and that's saying a lot. "Broken Universe" is unfortunately the middle book of what appears to be a trilogy, so it has the tough job of living up to the first book while leaving us in enough suspense for the conclusion (although it should be noted that plenty is answered in this book making it worth the read).

The good:
-It's a fun, can't put down book.
-It answers many of the questions from "Walls".
-It poses a whole new slew of questions.
-It will make you smile!
-There are adventures in new universes!

The not-so-good:
-The writing seems a bit more clunky and simplistic.
-Plot seems rushed.
-A big heaping of Deux Ex Machina

I read the initial short story when it was published in "Asimov's" and was absolutely enthralled by the sheer wit and fun! This book reminded me of the books I read as a kid that got me interested in sci-fi. Fantastic and exciting! I was so taken that I even sent Melko an email after reading the short story and encouraged him to make a full novel (he responded and said he was in the process of doing so!).

Taken as a whole, "Broken" is a good sequel to "Walls", but it falls short of the first book's magic. Still, can't wait for the 3rd installment!

What if you could really see what would have happened with your life if you had made different decisions? Everyone has imagined this; well Paul has managed to give it to us, with a difference. Instead of an international company, he has given us an interdimensional company, run by the same group of people in each multiverse. They are mostly the same, but with differences brought about by their individual choices in each of their individual universes. There are also two other dimension hopping groups introduced, one of which wants to wipe out our heroes because they are not individual, but just duplicate trash. Then there is another group that wants to wipe out our heroes, because they dimension hop. After all, only the Vig are allowed to dimension hop (for the good of the multiverse). The Vig have wiped out entire worlds for this "crime". Keep in mind, these are individual people (even if they are all named John, Grace, Henry and Casey) and not all of them are good people. There is one version that is definitely working on being a bad guy. Luckily, most of the versions want to do the right thing and are trying to. Even when it involves threatening the Vig with nukes. This was well done with a subject that could have become very confusing in short order. I did receive this book to review.

Broken Universe is the sequel to alternate universe novel The Walls of the Universe. In The Walls, Farmboy John's doppelganger (himself, from an alternate universe; John Prime), gave him a device that would allow him to move from one alternate universe to another (the universes being identical but for different decisions made, with small or large consequences), but wouldn't allow him to move back, including to his home. The Walls ended with Farmboy John figuring out how to build a gate of his own to allow backward travel between the universes. Farmboy John, Grace, Henry, and their doppelgangers begin to use the device and its replicas to begin building a cross-universe business empire. Complications predictably ensue.

I can't exactly say that Broken Universe picks up where The Walls of the Universe drops off, because it changes the last scene of The Walls, without explanation and without need. Presumably it was done to inject some oomph into Broken's open, but it was jarring to read directly after finishing The Walls. It's also just lazy writing; Melko could have easily created the desired emotion without rewriting his earlier work. This is, unfortunately, a significant complaint for Broken. Plot, logic, and scientific holes abound.

The first half of Broken is, like the middle third of The Walls, heavy on the nuts-and-bolts of cross-universe business. I think I enjoyed it more than most in The Walls, given my general interest in business and in entrepreneurship in particular, and it continues to raise interesting questions (Is there anything wrong with stealing an idea from one universe and making money off of it in another? After all, they're creating value in the new universe by giving them something they presumable want and would not otherwise have, and they're doing it using technology only they have.), but much of the suspense of The Walls is lacking. When antagonists arrive offering threats to more than their business interests, they're somewhat disappointing. On the other hand, the action sequences in the second half of the book are pretty good, and Melko doesn't pull any punches.

I would recommend Broken to anyone who thoroughly enjoyed The Walls. If you finished The Walls unsure whether you wanted to continue, you can probably live without Broken. Melko does answer a lot of the questions left from The Walls, albeit not all, and there is no obvious sequel hook. He also explores a lot of the themes of The Walls and implications of alternate universes in greater depth.

Disclosure: I won an ARC of Broken Universes through a Tor.com sweepstakes.