The Silver Dream

This second book in the young adult InterWorld series was conceived by Gaiman and Michael Reaves and written by Reaves with assistance from his daughter. Narrator Alexander Cendese has a knack for portraying the angst and bravado of 16-year-old Joey and the varied personalities of his cyborgs, as well as the newly introduced character, Acacia. Cendese reflects Joey's high level of energy as he sets out on new missions and tries to remedy his standing as an outcast at the station. In retrospective moments, Cendese keeps the pace moving and savors the dry humor. Joey and his fellow time walkers' defense of the Altiverse will be better understood after listening to the first in the series. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

April 1, 2013

Gr 7-10-Sixteen-year-old Joey Harker and his band of freedom fighters attempt to save the Altiverse from those who fight to control its science-magic balance. But things get complicated when Acacia, a mysterious and beautiful stranger, follows Joey back into the InterWorld Base. Joey is surprised to learn that she knows a lot-maybe too much-about InterWorld. With war looming, Joey is not sure whether he and his team should trust her. The Silver Dream will be challenging for teens who have not read InterWorld (HarperCollins, 2007). It includes many technological terms, places, and equipment without offering much explanation as to what they are. A slew of characters whose names begin with the letter J is thrown at readers all at once, making it difficult to remember who's who. While The Silver Dream will not appeal to a huge audience, it will find a following among readers who enjoyed the first book, Douglas Adams's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Harmony, 1980), and Star Trek.-Leigh Collazo, Ed Willkie Middle School, Fort Worth, TX

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
Don't be fooled by Gaiman's name on the cover: This is a slightly pedestrian if not unsatisfying bit of science-fictional fluff. InterWorld started as a television concept by Gaiman and Reaves, and the first volume (InterWorld, 2007) harked back to the golden age of science fiction, when the science was mostly made-up jargon (and not entirely logical), and the characters showed a tendency toward tropes. This second volume continues where the first left off, compounding the liabilities of the first by mixing a middle-grade tone uneasily with some older content: The teens who make up most of the InterWorld organization are, in the end, child soldiers, and they are woefully underprepared for death, which comes calling. Joey Harker (he'd rather be called Joe now that he's 16) finds himself once again at the center of things when the mysterious Acacia Jones shows up during a mission gone wrong. She's not an alternative version of Joey (of which there are many), and she knows an awful lot. Meanwhile, the newest Walker (navigator of the multiverse) is everyone's darling, and Joey must grapple with jealousy and the first stirrings of romantic interest, even as everything, literally, falls apart. High-concept science, rapid-fire but sometimes sloppy writing, stiff dialogue, shallow characters, and plenty of action: old-fashioned science fiction indeed, dressed up to appeal to a modern audience. (Science fiction. 10-15)

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May 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 According to the fine print on the cover and title page, this was written by Michael and Mallory Reeves. Gaiman coauthored InterWorld (2007), to which this is the sequel, but his name is in large letters on the jacket. This meandering effort sends teen Walker Joey Harker from an alternate universe through a series of randomly strung-together battles and chases in various times and climes with foes both new and previously met. With help from the ghost of a character killed in the first episode and a newly introduced female lead, Acacia Don't Call Me Casey' Jones, Joey survives multiple betrayals and broken bones to witness the final stages of an evil scheme to reboot the myriad earths of the Altiverse. The bad guys then let him go for no evident reason beyond leaving the door open for further sequels. Readers who don't need to have every (or any) odd occurrence and strange coincidence tied into the main plot as long as the action keeps coming will keep going with this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)