Often speculative fiction books are more interested in setting up the worldbuilding than in character development, or they focus on characters and leave gaping holes in the worldbuilding. There's a lot to love about this book- the sharp and vivid prose, Cara's strength through trauma and moral dilemmas, the brilliant and detailed worldbuilding of not one but several worlds, the explorations on how small differences can shape one's life for better and worse, the celebration and valuing of every person's life outside of the expectations and assessments of capitalism and racism. Her job is to travel to other worlds to collect data for company analysts. Of the 380 other Earths, there are only eight other living Caras. The book is narrated by Cara, who is a survivor more than anything, especially compared to her alternates. Suddenly, the most vulnerable, neglected, and oppressed members of society are the most valuable to the company, because their alternates did not survive. In most versions of the world, the scientists of Wiley City have lived safe lives with universal healthcare and social safety nets. The catch? It's only possible to travel between worlds if there's a space for you there-if your doppelganger is dead. Researchers at the Eldridge Institute have discovered interdimensional travel, opening up huge possibilities for scientific advances-and economic exploitation. ) I prefer to accept the fantastical explanation and think of the book as broadly speculative. Although a plausible scientific explanation is offered for the fantastical bits (namely, the goddess who rules the space between worlds It's mostly science fiction, with a few fantastical elements. All I knew going in was 'queer woman of color dimension travels,' which is an accurate if incomplete tagline. I added it to my TBR after Amal El-Mohtar raved about it on Twitter, and she did not lead me wrong. The Space Between Worlds is Micaiah Johnson's debut novel, which just came out this August.

The space between worlds book