Fofo’s #CBR4 Review #29: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Target: Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter’s The Long Earth
Profile: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction
The Long Earth is easier to define by what it isn’t. It isn’t the epic collaboration that Good Omens was. It isn’t really sci-fi, or at least not sci-fi that most of us would recognize. It definitely isn’t comedy. And it isn’t bad. I think a lot of readers went into the book expecting another Good Omens, and were disappointed, but the critical thought that went into crafting this off-beat novel is solid and the story is engaging and interesting. Really, the book is an exercise in concepting; posing a scenario and extrapolating the consequences from as many angles as are relevant. In that context, The Long Earth is a great success.
Cannonball Read IV 