jerseyfabulous | 1 of 100 - The Long Earth

A disclaimer: I have never not liked a Terry Pratchett book. I like some more than others, but I have never finished a Pratchett offering and felt let down or that it was a waste of my time. So feel free to take the following with as much salt as you feel necessary.

First, let me get it out of the way for anyone who may have missed it: The Long Earth is a completely new world, totally unrelated to Discworld, or anything else Pratchett has previously done. There are no wiz(z)ards or magic. (Also no demons, no horsepersons, and no Death.) It's also a fairly quick read.

I loved it. I am a science geek, so the concept of the Long Earth was awesome. An infinite iteration of Earths, each developing in their own unique way. (There's more I could say, but I don't want to spoil it.) Some people can 'step' between them naturally, others need a potato* powered home-made device- blueprints for which were made publicly available to the whole world. The only catch to stepping is that nothing made of iron can be carried between worlds, though you can take pretty much anything else you are actually carrying. A minority of the population are 'phobics' who can't step at all, even with the potato device.

Oh, and our Earth appears to be the only populated one. So you can imagine what happens when suddenly anyone on Earth who can get their hands on a few inexpensive parts and a potato can travel to completely fresh worlds...

The authors don't spend much time trying to come up with scientific background or even technobabble for how the Long Earth works- much like the universe, it's there whether you understand it or not**, though of course the physicists of Long Earth are having a ball trying. There's also a quick bit of theory as to why humans can step despite having iron in their blood but not carry anything made of iron, which feels like the authors threw it in mostly to keep from getting a thousand pedantic letters.

And then there's Lobsang... (Again, I'm trying not to spoil.) He's kind of awesome, though I'm not sure we're meant to take him at face value as reliable or honest. (I don't think he's Tibetan. I don't think he thinks he is, either.) Just when I was beginning to feel that his ship of wonders was a little too TNG Enterprise, he hit a snag and suddenly it turned out that even on his shiny fancy bleeding edge tech ship, things can fall apart or be broken beyond immediate repair.

There was one teensy thing I found frustrating. That would be the part where this is very much not the end. I think most readers will suspect that about 3/4 of the way through, as the remaining page count dwindles and you realize that even if the authors managed to wrap everything up neatly in a bow, you'd be a bit annoyed with them if they did. Long Earth is just the first book in what promises to be an interesting series- our intrepid heroes return from their journey to find that Things have been Happening back home. I'm looking forward to the next installment. (For one, I'm hoping to find out more about Lobsang...)

As with all new Pratchett books these days, I find myself keenly aware that time is running short for Sir Terry. While there is no question the series will be in capable hands should Stephen Baxter need to finish it without his collaborator, I can't help wishing that Terry Pratchett had taken up this idea sooner. It's every bit as fascinating as Discworld, if rather less whimsical.

*Why a potato? Because it's immensely practical- if all else fails, at least you have lunch.
**Interestingly enough, it's hinted that the Long Earth is just a fraction of the possibility of this concept. The idea of Long Mars gets a mention, but the real implication is that there's a whole multiverse out there that one can step through if the transportation issue gets sorted out. If an infinite iteration of one planet isn't enough for you, that is.