A Hundred Thousand Worlds

June 6, 2016
Proehl lovingly illustrates the world of fan culture in this debut novel, presenting an accessible story with plenty of insider shout-outs for the true nerds. Years prior, on the heels of a terrible tragedy, Valerie Torrey ran away from a successful career on television. On "Anomaly," an X-Filesâtype show that inspired a rabid fan base, she and Andrew Rhodes played a time-traveling duo; off the set, they conceived a son. The story unfolds as Val drives their son, Alex, cross-country from Brooklyn to Los Angeles to reunite with Andrew. Alex hasn't seen his father in six years. At nine, he is small for his age and full of wonder, and right at the border of a more adult understanding of the world. Val hasn't told Alex that she'll return to New York without him. Instead she plans the road trip to coincide with her appearances at a number of comics conventions dotted across the country, and, as they draw closer to Los Angeles, doles out stories to Alex from the show that brought his parents together and tore them apart. Along the way, Val and Alex meet Brett, an illustrator who is touring to support his indie comic "Lady Stardust," and Gail Pope, a woman writing a series owned by one of the two major comic book distributors. Gail provides insight into the insular world of professional comic books. The prose can feel a bit heavy-handed in its earnestness, but this is an ambitious debut effort, and Proehl conveys his deep affection for comics and the people who build their life around them.

June 1, 2016

Nine-year-old Alex and his mother, Val, are on a cross-country road trip, stopping at comic book conventions en route to Los Angeles. Actress Val is best known for her role as Agent Bethany Frazier from the cult sf television show Anomaly, and her gigs signing autographs for geeky fans help pay the bills and prolong the time she has with her son before she has to deliver him to his estranged father. It has been six years since Val fled her costar ex-husband, taking Alex with her to start a new life in New York. Now she must make good on their custody arrangement, only she hasn't admitted to Alex what's in store. Alex is precocious but still a kid, sweet but increasingly savvy. He strikes up friendships with Brett, a struggling illustrator, and Gail, a lesbian comics writer, and a bevy of costumed women on the comic-con circuit--Red Emma, Ferret Lass, ExSanguina, and Astounding Woman--helps him understand that he's in charge of writing his own story. VERDICT Readers need not be into cosplay, comics, or superheroes to enjoy this touching first novel about a family deeply affected by tragedy, and a mother's love for her son.--Christine Perkins, Whatcom Cty. Lib. Syst., Bellingham, WA

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