The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

 The Space Between Worlds, a novel by Micaiah Johnson, is certainly an imaginative piece of soft science fiction.  This work of fiction posits a world in which a scientist has discovered a mechanism where the multiverse can be explored and exploited.   Specifically, the 350 or so universes that are close in frequency (whatever that means) to that of the home planet can be accessed.  The hero of the novel, Cara,  is an explorer who visits these other worlds.  She has been chosen for this role, since her counterparts in the other universes are dead.  Because the catch to all this is that an explorer cannot visit a planet where he/she is still alive.  Eventually, the reader discovers that Cara is actually from one of the other universes, who replaces the original when she was killed on her first voyage.

Most of the novel is actually an examination of  the sometimes subtle and not-so-subtle differences in the characters that inhabit each universe.  As such, there is little plot or action throughout, just a lot of psychological meandering through the personality and motivations of various characters.  Since these characters are all variants of one another, it is a lot for the reader to follow.  In addition, this world is starkly divided into two cities, one rich and comfortable, the other poor and struggling to survive.  The impoverished people are primarily dependent on the resources (a surprisingly unimaginative reference to fossil fuels) being stolen for the other worlds.  .

In the end, it turns out the scientist is the evil villain of the tale, killing off his doppelgangers to ensure a monopoly.  He is also the brother of the poor city’s emperor, which elicits another complicated backstory.  When Cara’s mentor is killed by the scientist, Cara elicits the aid of the emperor to set up the destruction of his erstwhile brother.  So the end of the novel turns into a (relatively) action-packed suspense, as if the author had read a little too much Neal Stephenson.  And if this was not enough, the novel also purports to be a long unrequited (but finally realized) love story between Cara and her rich colleague who was responsible for guiding her through  the voyages.  Perhaps a bit too much ending for a story that took way to long to unfold.