The Long Earth by Terry Ptatchett and Stephen Baxter

Create yourself an odd looking little step stool that uses a potato for energy, and you can step across time...

Harper sent me a copy of this ARC for review (thank you).  It is being published this month, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

I found this to be a very different science fiction story.  It contains a lot of characters, many earths, and artificial intelligence.  There are those who need the step mechanism with the potato and get sick upon their arrival in another time and place on earth and there are those who can step naturally and have no side affects.  There is still danger though.  You find yourself stuck in the terrain, in a herd of animals, or falling off a cliff.

While we follow the main character and his buddy, the A. I. Tibetian, they travel through time and space and study the areas, the animals, and the weather they encounter.  One thing they notice is that there are trolls that are travelling too.

It's an usual tale and you visit a lot of earths.  The ending wasn't definitive to me, but that may be because there is sequel planned.  Otherwise, you'll have to use your imagination to figure out how all this is going to play out.

It's wordy, but not boring.  If you like science fiction and have been waiting for another Pratchett book, this one is for you.  If the idea of having endless earth's stacked up horizontally intrigues you, you'll enjoy this story, too.

If you'd like my ARC of this book, please leave a comment here on my blog and then email at info @ bookfaerie.com with your name and address and why you'd like to read this book.  I'll pick a winner in about a week.

Happy reading.