Review by Cazrichmond -- Worldlines by Adam Guest

[Caroline Anne Richmond]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Worldlines" by Adam Guest.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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“Schrodinger's cat paradox” is a thought-provoking theory examining a cat in a box along with a flask of poison, a radioactive source and a Geiger counter. If the Geiger counter measures any radioactivity the flask breaks, releasing the poison and killing the cat. The paradox poses the idea that the cat could be dead and alive in different multiverses with both existing without having any effect on each other. Worldlines: A Many Worlds Novel by Adam Guest centres around this scientific and philosophical theory.

The story revolves around the lead character Gary Jackson and begins with him recalling a near-miss with a lorry on a busy road on the way to his English Literature GCSE exam. The topic is later discussed in a physics lecture at university with professor Leyton Buzzard, who starts the debate about the possibility of many worlds accounting for all possible scenarios, with each one unaware of the others.

Gary attends university with his best friend Sinead and has a girlfriend called Michelle who is a student nurse. He has known both of these women since his school days and they both witnessed his near-miss on the way to his exam years ago.

Gary and Michelle are very much in love and are both excited about their future and plan to buy a home together. Michelle is keen to take a skiing holiday in Italy with Gary. The timing of the holiday could be better as it coincides with university lectures. Gary also thinks the money should be saved rather than spent, but with Michelle’s charm and persuasion Gary gives in and they spend a wonderful time on the slopes. This delightful time abruptly ends due to a silly mistake Gary makes on a difficult slope, resulting in them returning home with a variety of injuries and unsightly friction burns from the ice.

The story moves on to the subject of lucid dreaming, a process where a person is aware they are dreaming and can control what happens within their dream. We start to see Gary in other multiverses as different versions of himself and in one he is bewildered to find himself in prison, convicted of murder. Gary seeks the collaboration of Sinead, Michelle and Professor Buzzard, with the addition of the sciences of parallel universes and lucid dreaming to rectify the damage done in one particular world.

The book immerses the reader in a subject that incorporates science and philosophy. It contains very intriguing and thought-provoking subjects which leaves you with much curiosity and a desire for more knowledge about these complicated possibilities. The author does a good job of introducing these concepts in words the reader can understand and become immersed in.

Sinead’s mother, Mary, features throughout the book. She had once been a top solicitor but now has vascular dementia. I was very impressed with how the author sensitively and factually brought the struggle with dementia to the pages. He cleverly encompasses the symptoms of the illness as well as the emotions of Mary’s family. I particularly liked how the author managed to give an education on the symptoms, progression and the far-reaching consequences of the disease.

The story could be adapted for the big screen. It has some similarities with the films “Sliding Doors” and “The Butterfly Effect” with the storylines exploring the possibilities of different outcomes and how it is possible that we are only by chance walking our current path.

The subject of dreaming is fascinating and the book delves into lucid dreaming, believed to happen when we aren’t fully awake and not quite asleep. In these dreams, you can have some control over the events of your dream. Dreams can be exhilarating, frightening and strange and I enjoyed reading about this in more detail and exploring some of the theories which require more research to fully understand.

I also found amusement in part of the story where Sinead becomes angry about one of Gary’s dreams. This is an interesting human response to an activity a human has little control over as nobody knows what happens to our consciousness when we are dreaming.

The story develops quickly and is written in a first-person dialogue of Gary Jackson except for a small portion of the conversations between scientists that are written in italics. The pace does slow with the inclusion of some repetition of dialogue from different versions of the same characters. This is useful to some extent to gain more clarity but hinders the momentum.

Overall the book fits into the sci-fi genre and would be suitable for readers who enjoy these themes and have a curious mind regarding multiverses, the science of dreaming and the fascinating subject of quantum physics.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I couldn’t give it full marks as I felt the dialogue in parts was aimed at a younger audience. I also found some of the repetition caused the book to lose some momentum. I do believe it has been professionally edited as I didn’t find any spelling or grammar mistakes. The book is suited to adults and young adults. Some caution is advised for younger readers as there are some mild profanities and sexual themes. This book challenges what we know about life, as the pages turn the mind opens to new ideas and phenomena, an unexpected gift from the author for which I am grateful.

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Worldlines
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[Bigwig1973]

Overall, I like your review of this book which I have read! I hadn't heard of Schrodinger's paradox, although I have heard of other paradoxes. Also, I like the film references as it potentially gives the reader another means to understanding the book!