Quantum Coin

September 1, 2012
In a convoluted sequel to Fair Coin (2012), teens crack wise and lock lips while saving the multiverse from an information overload. Impelled by spectral phenomena at his senior prom and the unexpected reappearance of Zoe, an "analog" of his girlfriend Jena from a parallel universe, Ephraim again steps out of his own world. Landing in a somewhat more advanced one ("Unfortunately, we also have reality TV"), he learns from an adult version of Jena that all the universes have entered a cycle of uncontrolled proliferation and collapse. How to reboot the continuum without causing loved ones from less "real" planes to disappear? As in the opener, the plot is a mare's nest of comings and goings driven by romantic and ethical conflicts, hidden agendas, mad-science-style devices and arbitrary physics. It's a struggle to keep the cast members straight, too, since most are analogs of one another with, often, similar names. Still, Myers salts his tale with amusing, often-libidinous adolescent banter, and by cheating a little, lands his characters in good places in the end. Fans of alternate worlds will find a heapin' helping here, though the cast's relationship-chess makes a stronger showing than the narrowly averted cosmic calamity. (Science fiction. 13-16)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2012

Gr 8 Up-This science-fiction adventure picks up a year after the events described in Fair Coin (PYR, 2012) and builds upon information provided in that book. Ephraim Scott thought his days of traveling through parallel universes at the flip of a high-tech coin were over. Then, on the night of his senior prom, an old friend from another world shows up to tell him that the fate of the multiverse is in his hands once again. Ephraim, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's doppelganger from a parallel reality (awkward!) travel to the universe where the quantum coin originated. From there they venture to yet another universe in search of a physicist who can explain why all of the universes seem to be collapsing in on one another. When Ephraim gets stranded in one of them without the coin, he realizes that he must make some decisions about whom to trust, and whom to save, before it is too late to save anyone. Myers dishes out just enough quantum physics to make the story plausible without swamping it in technical jargon. Subtle references to everything from Batman to Harry Potter will delight fans attuned to that sort of minutiae, and the action-packed plot will keep readers' attention despite a few minor hiccups. All in all, a highly enjoyable read.Misti Tidman, Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.