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The Long Earth (The Long Earth #1)

by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 7,218 ratings · 1,481 reviews

1916: the Western Front, France. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where has the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No man's Land gone?

2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson has returned to the burned-out home of one Willis Linsay, a reclusive and some said mad, others...more 1916: the Western Front, France. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong, and the wind in the leaves in the trees. Where has the mud, blood and blasted landscape of No man's Land gone?

2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Cop Monica Jansson has returned to the burned-out home of one Willis Linsay, a reclusive and some said mad, others dangerous, scientist. It was arson but, as is often the way, the firemen seem to have caused more damage than the fire itself. Stepping through the wreck of a house, there's no sign of any human remains but on the mantelpiece Monica finds a curious gadget - a box, containing some wiring, a three-way switch and a...potato. It is the prototype of an invention that Linsay called a 'stepper'. An invention he put up on the web for all the world to see, and use, an invention that would to change the way mankind viewed his world Earth for ever. And that's an understatement if ever there was one...

...because the stepper allowed the person using it to step sideways into another America, another Earth, and if you kept on stepping, you kept on entering even more Earths...this is the Long Earth. It's not our Earth but one of chain of parallel worlds, lying side by side each differing from its neighbour by really very little (or actually quite a lot). It's an infinite chain, offering 'steppers' an infinite landscape of infinite possibilities. And the further away you travel, the stranger - and sometimes more dangerous - the Earths get. The sun and moon always shine, the basic laws of physics are the same. However, the chance events which have shaped our particular Earth, such as the dinosaur-killer asteroid impact, might not have happened and things may well have turned out rather differently.

But, until Willis Linsay invented his stepper, only our Earth hosted mankind...or so we thought. Because it turns out there are some people who are natural 'steppers', who don't need his invention and now the great migration has begun..(less)

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published June 19th 2012 by Harper (first published 2012)

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Aug 01, 2012 Andrea marked it as flipped-to-the-end · review of another edition

Shelves: british, science-fiction

A did not finish read.

I think, in its way, this could be regarded as a form of apocalyptica. A device allowing easy jumping to countless alternate worlds (conveniently free of human populations) is invented. Many people embrace this passionately, and rush off to stake their claim in a 'land rush' with no visible end game. A small percentage can't go and others don't want to, but the effect of this mass dispersal is economies collapsing, new religions, fighting among old religions. It's a book ab...more A did not finish read.

I think, in its way, this could be regarded as a form of apocalyptica. A device allowing easy jumping to countless alternate worlds (conveniently free of human populations) is invented. Many people embrace this passionately, and rush off to stake their claim in a 'land rush' with no visible end game. A small percentage can't go and others don't want to, but the effect of this mass dispersal is economies collapsing, new religions, fighting among old religions. It's a book about global change.

The book doesn't focus on a single person, showing us the experiences of a half-dozen or so, and headhops through a bunch more, but the primary character is Joshua, one of the first to hop, and also a natural hopper, able to travel without the device. He's an orphan, and inclined to be a major loner, and in part his progression involves finding someone he might want to travel with.

The book didn't work for me in a number of different ways.

The prose scales the pinnacles of beige. The plot is leaden and there's little sense of wonder, of individuals overcoming adversity, or awe or delight. But the biggest problem is Joshua, who is Super Special and Innately Superior to Everyone, so much more in connection with the natural world, so superior in his reactions to the other worlds, so much better a logical thinker, so better able to cope. People keep telling him that, so we can be sure it's not just his opinion. He is full of a combination of disdain and dislike for almost everyone he encounters, and is also a Famous Hero. When the (strangely enormous number of) children in his neighbourhood who simultaneously decided they wanted to follow some guy on the internet's suggestion they figure out how to solder some wires into a circuit and jab them into a potato, he told them that, hey, maybe you should try turning the switch the Other Direction. Genius!

Joshua is extremely unlikeable, and few other characters distinguish themselves in any way. I liked the female police officer a bit, but 20% in I had no Cares left in me and flipped to the end to see whether this was going anywhere interesting. And the answer to that was nowhere unexpected.(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Melissa Proffitt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, exploration, alien-encounters

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really wanted to like this book. Turns out I liked parts of it. The idea of millions of Earths branching out from ours--a variation on different choices creating different realities--is pretty cool, as is the mechanism by which people reach them. Pratchett and Baxter gave a lot of thought to how the Earth might have developed differently under different circumstances, such as the lack of a moon altering tides and climate or even failing to deflect large asteroids from the planet. I also liked...more I really wanted to like this book. Turns out I liked parts of it. The idea of millions of Earths branching out from ours--a variation on different choices creating different realities--is pretty cool, as is the mechanism by which people reach them. Pratchett and Baxter gave a lot of thought to how the Earth might have developed differently under different circumstances, such as the lack of a moon altering tides and climate or even failing to deflect large asteroids from the planet. I also liked the vignettes interspersed with the main plot, about how the discovery of Stepping affected ordinary people. The characters were charming and the aliens were interesting, if not particularly original.

Unfortunately, what should have been the high point of the story fell flat. The mystery of who or what they're going to find at the far end of the Long Earth grows increasingly suspenseful--and then the answer is...sort of blah. The reason for the disaster that's driving the aliens inward toward our Earth, the origin Earth, is in fact disastrous, but doesn't feel disastrous--and it's dispensed with too easily, no sacrifice (literally none, as the last sentence of the book proves) and no payoff.

I was more dissatified with the social ramifications the authors believed would arise from this situation:

1. Supposedly, Stepping off to new and untamed wildernesses means the economy of Datum Earth (the main world) would start to collapse. That's sort of true in the sense that if you remove enough of any vital material from an economy, it will destabilize. But the historical example of the depopulation that happened because of the Plague in the 14th century says that not only will the economy restabilize, it can do so in a way that improves the lives of the survivors. Since it's impossible to bring anything made of iron into the other Earths, the people who stay behind get to keep all the resources of civilization. And since the authors also argue that violence and crime are almost entirely caused by overpopulation, wouldn't that mean that Datum Earth would see a similar drop in crime when the poverty-stricken rise out of poverty?

2. Except I don't actually buy the whole "crime is caused by competition for resources" thing. People kill for a lot of reasons that don't have anything to do with theft, and even if you look at one person killing another to take the second person's mate as competition for resources, it only takes three people for that to happen. The utopian settlements of the Long Earth come off, to me, as more of a social statement than a realistic possibility--a given outcome, based on assumptions that they didn't try to prove.

Overall, it was enjoyable once, but not a book I'd want to read again.(less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pratchett, lit-english, sci-fi-fairy-tales

Those poor French. You lose to Spain at the Euro and Terry Pratchett takes an accurate pot shot at you in this book.

C'est la vie.

I'm unsure to give this three or four stars. I really am. I didn't quite really like it, but I didn't just like it. I went with four because it is my default when I read such a book and it makes me think.

The idea behind this book will be slightly familiar to those who watched Sliders or who have read comic books. The twist is that most people can step to the words eith...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Bettie added it · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book, published-2012, winter-20122013, sci-fi, adventure, abandoned

Dedications:

For Lynn and Rhianna, as always - TP

For Sandra - SB

Opening: IN A FOREST GLADE.
Private Percy woke up to birdsong. It was a long time since he had heard birdsong, the guns saw to that. For a while he was content to lie there in the blissful quiet.

A third of the way through and am not enjoying. I know, it's PTerry, but seriously this is not doing it for me.

I'll have a break from it for a while - maybe curosity will get the better of me.

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Sep 11, 2012 Juan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: scif-fi

I finished The Long Earth yesterday, and came to see what others thought, and in many respects I agree; The Long Earth has an incredibly novel premise, but a storyline that in the end, doesn't really go anywhere (no pun intended).

The book essentially offers a thought exercise of what would happen if relatively unlimited inter-planetary (or more correctly, inter-dimensional) travel were available to the masses on Earth. What would people do? Would there be a mass exodus? Would people try to explo...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars

The basic conceit behind The Long Earth is simple: There are parallel universes and one day human beings discover they can "step" from one to the next quite easily.

But while most parallel universe stories would use this as a stepping stone to tell about the conflict between our world and one where the Axis powers won World War II, or where the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs never struck the earth, The Long Earth takes a different approach: humans don't seem to have evolved on most of the ot...more The basic conceit behind The Long Earth is simple: There are parallel universes and one day human beings discover they can "step" from one to the next quite easily.

But while most parallel universe stories would use this as a stepping stone to tell about the conflict between our world and one where the Axis powers won World War II, or where the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs never struck the earth, The Long Earth takes a different approach: humans don't seem to have evolved on most of the other earths.

Instead, Pratchett and Baxter basically have two stories to tell: one about a very small team of adventurers that start exploring the Long Earth, and one about the impact the discovery has on the world as we know it.

Interspersed with the tale of exploration are snippets looking at the social and economic impacts of the fact that there's now a nearly infinite amount of land available for humans to populate -- and what it means when some people just pick up and leave their world behind in search of a better one.

Like any story that Terry Pratchett has been involved in writing, The Long Earth has a touch of humor to it, but it also poses some interesting philosophical questions and feels at times more like a Heinlein or Asimov novel than a Discworld story -- which makes sense, because it's *not* a Discworld story. If that's what you're expecting, you'll probably be disappointed.

You'll also probably be disappointed if you like your stories wrapped up in a bow with everything explained at the end. There are a lot of questions asked in this story that are never answered -- and while it's possible that's just to leave open room for a sequel, I kind of like the open-ended nature of the world(s) and characters created in this story and don't see the need for a second volume.

There are times when the story seems to ramble a bit, and some of the characters we're introduced to only seem to play a role for a moment or two and then fade into the background, leaving me wondering if they even added enough color to the story to merit the few seconds it takes to read about them. But overall I found The Long Earth to be a quick, enjoyable read as a classic science fiction tale set in the near future.

The Long Earth book review (Brad Linder's Blog)(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

Percy Blakeney? Percy Blakeney?! I was intrigued intrigued enough to give this a try. All it took was two words. Except that it turned out to have nothing to do with The Scarlet Pimpernel. (Except the name, as far as I could tell. Though I'm not very familiar with that canon.) And that character was actually very peripheral, as was the policewoman who is also mentioned in the jacket copy.

For me this was okay to read to pass the time. It was a mildly interesting look at the many-worlds concept bu...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Mark Lawrence rated it 2 of 5 stars

Everyone loves Sir Terry. I love Sir Terry. I love the books & have great respect for the man. This review is simply my opinion of the success of this particular collaboration. I'll be 1st in line for the next T.P book and I'd even give T.P + S.B another go.

From the slew of 4 & 5* reviews already on show I may be out on a limb on this one - so don't listen to me - give it a try.

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Collaboration. It’s a word with an unfortunate aftertaste. Collaborators get a bad rap. Sir Terry...more Everyone loves Sir Terry. I love Sir Terry. I love the books & have great respect for the man. This review is simply my opinion of the success of this particular collaboration. I'll be 1st in line for the next T.P book and I'd even give T.P + S.B another go.

From the slew of 4 & 5* reviews already on show I may be out on a limb on this one - so don't listen to me - give it a try.

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Collaboration. It’s a word with an unfortunate aftertaste. Collaborators get a bad rap. Sir Terry Pratchett’s collaborations with other notable authors have been limited. In 1990 we saw Good Omens, produced with Neil Gaiman. On the crest of that success Pratchett found another partner in Larry Niven but this effort floundered with Niven producing Rainbow Mars in 1999 as a solo work built upon some of their shared ideas. And now 2012 sees The Long Earth, a collaboration with Stephen Baxter. The accompanying promotion contains a photo of the two grandees locked in combat before a laden bookshelf. A certain degree of dynamic tension does help in collaborative writing, too little and you get compromise writing, too much and it’s never going to get finished. I think here both men were pulling punches and the pages could have benefited from a good blooding!

Collaborations can be port and stilton good, or marmite and custard bad. I suspect it’s impossible for two fine writers like Baxter and Pratchett to serve up anything wholly unpalatable, but the Long Earth feels long, although it is short, and is decidedly blah. Think porridge.

The Long Earth is science fiction. In science fiction the IDEA tends to overshadow the characters and even the story. Here the IDEA has flattened both. Glimpses of story and character may be seen poking out from the margins of the IDEA, vital juices pooling. You can’t see much but you can see enough to know you don’t need an ambulance.

The Terry Pratchett of Discworld fame has not shown up to this party. There’s rarely a smile in The Long Earth, and never a laugh. The idea explored is that Earth sits in one of an infinity of parallel universes and that these become opened up to humanity such that pretty much everyone can step through them like moving from one card to the next in a deck of cards. We get to hear a lot about the impact this has on humanity, both social and economic. Sometimes we hear this from characters who pop up and are not heard of again, giving the book a disjointed feel. Of the hundreds of thousands of Earths open to Joe Public almost all are Earth as it would have been without us. A lot of time is spent detailing minor evolutionary variations in the flora and fauna, to the point where you just don’t care about one more slightly smaller elephant or slightly uglier crocodile. A lot of time is spent hopping from one forest world to the next. It’s an idea that is interesting in a paragraph but becomes increasingly dull over 300 pages.

The writing, line by line, is fine. It lacks trade-mark Pratchett sharpness but it does the job. The story arching over chapters is . . . not gripping. There’s essentially no tension in it. Our heroes (a young man who is very good at moving through the worlds, and an artificial intelligence named Lobsang) are exploring, they don’t have any clear goals stated, nothing is after them, they have no serious problems, they don’t appear worried or even to care that much, and thus as a reader one tends to a similar disposition.

The book ends with a bang, but it’s a rather ineffectual one that is, like the bulk of the book, hard to care about. I’m a fan of Sir Terry’s work and I applaud his willingness to experiment with new styles and new writing partners. I hope he keeps doing it. I cannot though, hand on heart say I enjoyed this book. Not even a little.
(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Tari_Roo rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The idea and main concept of this book is immensly intriguing, and while certainly not a unique concept in the sci fi genre, the potential for a 'Terry Pratchett' take on it, appealed to me.

As I read this book, an overwhelming surge of familiarity swept over me. It felt like I was treading very similiar waters, dealing with characters, ideas, motifs, themes that I knew, but couldn't quite put my finger on 'why'? it felt so familiar. Exploring the vastness of uncharted worlds, finding almost huma...more The idea and main concept of this book is immensly intriguing, and while certainly not a unique concept in the sci fi genre, the potential for a 'Terry Pratchett' take on it, appealed to me.

As I read this book, an overwhelming surge of familiarity swept over me. It felt like I was treading very similiar waters, dealing with characters, ideas, motifs, themes that I knew, but couldn't quite put my finger on 'why'? it felt so familiar. Exploring the vastness of uncharted worlds, finding almost humanoid, maybe sinister, maybe just different species, an corporation with a long reach, an overly clever AI... it felt so much 'I've read this before, I've seen this before,'. And alas, did not present an interesting enough 'spin' on those familiar ideas. There are no 'original' stories, certainly. There are however original and engaging versions/interpretations. Alas, in my opinion, The Long Earth is not such an interpretation.

Leaving the familiarity aside for a moment, by the time I reached a substantial mid point in the book, I still did not feel connected to the main characters. I was reading still for curiousity's sake, just to see how it all turned out, rather than due to a vested interest in the characters' development and motives. The narrative informed me that the characters were 'changing, learning' just in case I had missed it - and I fear that I had.

I enjoyed and appreciated the split story telling, the slow reveal of how the various secondary plots intersected with the main story, but the pace felt ponderous, the reveals almost 'by the way' rather than dramatic. The ending felt unfinished and rushed, and obviously tapering off for a sequel (as hinted at on the cover). Nonetheless, it still felt - unrealised.

Here however, is my main disappointment with the book. The initial idea of a 'Long Earth' excited me. It is something (from a sci fi perspective) I would love to explore. Multiple Earths (with or without humanity) to explore, to see my own country as it would be without humanity's marks. The story touched on the excitement and peace, the escape offered to humanity but this sense of joy, of exploration was undermined by the certainity that humanity would screw it up. Not the fear that we would, just the certainity that we would. However realistic or just pessismistic that view is, I felt that even the brief spots of potenital hope were undermined as well - Happy Landings, Reboot - all tainted by an underlying worry or fear. I did not walk away from this book with a glimmer of hope for humanity. For me, this so often is what sci fi embodies - the vision, the dream of transcending our current issues, of taking the opportunity to learn, to leave our childish ways behind - to succeed. The Long Earth gives humanity endless options, yet the narrative undermined that very hope. And I feel missed the joy, the excitement of exploration. (Or the mindless terror)

On the whole, I wanted to enjoy this book. I cannot say that I did. I finished it and felt depressed rather than hopeful. Books can make you think, challenge our views and expectations. Sci Fi especially can do - pose a challenge to look beyond the humdrum of our existence to the potential, the hope for our future. I was not expecting the usual Pratchett humour, although it would have been nice. It could only have improved a story that otherwise struggled to engage me, and left me not only wanting more - but wishing it had been better.

I realise this review is somewhat morose and depressed, but that is, alas, how I feel about this book - or rather how it left me feeling. Perhaps that was the intention, to end on a moment of despair, fear - and future books will resolve that - offer the hope I missed. One can hope :)(less)

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Oct 09, 2012 Britain rated it 4 of 5 stars

GREAT fun! I love Pratchett, and this did not disappoint. Really interesting idea--humans suddenly realize we can travel through endless stacks of parallel universes, each created by a different branch on the probability tree. Hugely entertaining descriptions of how this discovery impacts politics, property ownership, police, industry, and of what these worlds look like--why humanity is unique to our own. A great 'what if' story, with the narrative built around a thread of the main character inv...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book immediately made me think of people using OBE's to escape their lives and it creates a very intriguing picture of how society would play out if all you had to do is think(and use that term lightly because it is almost not-thinking at times)you want to leave the situation that you are in and *poof*, you do! Like layers of an onion, one world after another after another side by side to infinity(or maybe not because I am not quite finished and they may actually find the end BY the end) I...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Parkbank rated it 4 of 5 stars

Pratchett ist zurück. Hab mich in letzter Zeit wirklich schwer mit ihm getan, insbesondere die letzten Scheibenweltinstallationen (Unseen Academicals) wollten so gar nicht mehr bei mir zünden, und auch die Kollaboration mit Neil Gaiman (Good Omen) wirkte leider über weite Teile sehr bemüht. The Long Earth ist dagegen ein unheimlich kurzweiliges Buch, das Worldbuilding ist großartig. Während die Handlung eher nebensächlich vor sich hin plätschert, erreicht das Buch pageturner-Status alleine dadur...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Craig Slater rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been both looking forward to and dreading this. I love Pratchett, but I don’t like collaborations as a rule. (Or I haven't in the past-Including 'Good Omens') All that preamble aside-This is good.

I'd compare the resulting style to Vonnegut's 'Sirens of Titian'. The story-line drifts. Feels a bit sketched rather than decisively pre-decided,but I like that, it suits the tale.

It's like holding a baby mole in your hands: It's odd and appalling and enthralling and I'm not sure what it's tryin...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Rebecca rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

You know how famous authors will occasionally complain about how readers will come up to them at cons and tell them that they have this amazing idea for a book; the author should write the reader's idea, and then they can split the money. The moral to this kind of story is always that this is a ridiculously ignorant concept--ideas are easy, it's execution that's hard.

This is a novel in which two extremely prolific authors forgot this.

Well, to be honest, calling this a "novel" strikes me as gene...more You know how famous authors will occasionally complain about how readers will come up to them at cons and tell them that they have this amazing idea for a book; the author should write the reader's idea, and then they can split the money. The moral to this kind of story is always that this is a ridiculously ignorant concept--ideas are easy, it's execution that's hard.

This is a novel in which two extremely prolific authors forgot this.

Well, to be honest, calling this a "novel" strikes me as generous. There are some people in it; I've seen ten page short stories that featured more memorable characters with better developed arcs. Some things happen, but they're not really so much a plot as just some events, with some slightly bigger events kinda near the end that don't actually resolve anything. There are settings--oh, so many settings. But while each one has the potential to be a thought experiment, in actuality, each one receives a brief description and no development. Most role-playing supplements do a better job of creating intriguing worlds. More than anything else, this feels like a novel-length list of ideas for a forty book series, each of which could be developed into a story but hasn't been yet.

The book concludes with a note that the story begins in Madison, WI, because the authors were there for a con and so could do research. I would have guessed that they looked at Google Maps for five minutes, for all the individuality the Madison setting displays. Umm, there's a government building. And some cafes. And I think there was a lake or something.

This is a terrible thing to say, but I'm kind of hoping that Pratchett only agreed to this because he was worried about having enough money for his medical care and was hoping he could get a couple bucks more for his heirs out of this.

I have more to rant about, in far more specificity--from the incredible lameness of the ending to the number of issues raised and then never resolved to various gaping plot holes to the sheer number of potentially interesting ideas that are somehow presented in a way that make them completely uninteresting and then dropped. Because honestly, this book pissed me off in its incredible waste of potential. But you know what? It's not actually worth anyone's time. Mine to write them, or yours to read them. And certainly it's not worth your time to read the book itself. (less)

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May 01, 2013 Belinda rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm only half way through and I'm bored.
I've been reading the other reviews here and see I'm one of many.
I agree that the premise of the book is good and interesting, that's why it gets the star.

The big bummer about this book?
Unlikeable or vapid characters.
If Joshua is bored by the multiple views of new Earths how do the authors expect the reader to be excited?
The robot isn't funny or quirky or interesting enough.
The horrible Green family - willing to leave behind a brother so happily - are sno...more

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May 01, 2013 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wish there were some way of separating the different aspects of this book so that I could rate and review them individually. The issue is that some of it works, and is fabulously, wonderfully good, and some of it simply doesn't.

What works is the concept. The set up, the world-building, the sci-fi elements, all of these are fantastic. I want to read more about this world. It has a really lovely logic flowing through it, which is something Terry Pratchett has always done well. The stepwise world...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Long Earth
© 2012 Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter
400 pages

Suppose there were an infinite succession of Earths, and travel between them was as easy as taking a step. A new age for humanity begins when a reclusive scientist posts plans for a “Stepper” online, a relatively simple piece of machinery that is remarkable only for the potato it uses as a power source. Suddenly, the borders of states are irrelevant, and the very idea of scarcity is outmoded. Travel to the other Earths has few limits:...more The Long Earth
© 2012 Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter
400 pages

Suppose there were an infinite succession of Earths, and travel between them was as easy as taking a step. A new age for humanity begins when a reclusive scientist posts plans for a “Stepper” online, a relatively simple piece of machinery that is remarkable only for the potato it uses as a power source. Suddenly, the borders of states are irrelevant, and the very idea of scarcity is outmoded. Travel to the other Earths has few limits: iron can’t make the passage, and stepping between worlds induces nausea for most. But not for Joshua Valentine, a strange boy raised in an orphanage by nuns who “read Carl Sagan before they read Genesis”. When a globe-spanning corporation of infinite power and aggressive curiosity decides to launch a mission into the “Long Earth”, the chain of infinite planets humanity is now spreading into, they come to Joshua for help.

The Long Earth has a lot going for it, particularly the titular setting, which tickles the readers' fancy with Earths-that-might-have-been, alternative natural histories. A step away, and the differences are slight: absent of humans, the Americas are still wild and home to megafauna that seem otherwordly to 21st century. In more distant Earths, evolution has taken wildly divergent courses from what Joshua would consider 'normal'. Deep into the long Earth, there are strange and inhuman intelligences, and something is driving those that can step across the earths forward -- toward the datum, and away from danger. Joshua and his companions choose to probe further into the darkness, to confront whatever lays beyond them. Throughout most of the book, his only only traveling companion is a sentient AI named Lobsang who claims to be housing the soul of a reincarnated Tibetan bicycle repairman -- definitely a quirky sort. Fate seems to be an active component of the book, as there are hints that Joshua is Bound for Something, the Chosen One. He's an agreeable enough main character, but the setting takes center stage, especially as human society begins evolving in its new boundless universe. The new abundance of resources means that gold is transparently useless; instead, bartering and the exchange of favors are king. With people breaking away into small communities that can sustain themselves through forage and hunting, human history seems to be reversing itself.
The Long Earth ends with the partial end of a journey, but it isn't the end of the story: a second novel is in the works. I'm looking forward to it.(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 Christian Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Long Earth is an excellent book based on a mind-blowing premise. This is the first book I’ve read from Stephen Baxter, but I’ve read quite a chunk of Terry Pratchett’s work, both inside and outside of the Discworld. That being the case, this is the first science fiction book I have read from Pratchett.
The setting, in my opinion, is the most interesting part of the book. It’s called the Long Earth because there are an infinite number of worlds stretching on in either direction. I felt that Ba...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Ole Imsen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: parallel-worlds, science-fiction

Parallel Earths isn't a new concept in Science Fiction, but the way it is handled here brings a new angle on it. The concept here is a great one, and it is something that can really be explored in a myriad ways. Unfortunately the way it is explored here leaves a lot to desire.
The book starts out really slow, jumping back and forth in time, and doesn't really move forward for a very long time. There's too many threads at the beginning of the book, at times it felt like reading a collection of s...more Parallel Earths isn't a new concept in Science Fiction, but the way it is handled here brings a new angle on it. The concept here is a great one, and it is something that can really be explored in a myriad ways. Unfortunately the way it is explored here leaves a lot to desire.
The book starts out really slow, jumping back and forth in time, and doesn't really move forward for a very long time. There's too many threads at the beginning of the book, at times it felt like reading a collection of story ideas or a short story collection set in the same world. These different threads do add some flavour to the world the story is set in, but they do feel repetitive and they don't really add much to the novel overall.
For me it was also frustrating that these different stories brake up the flow of the narrative. There is simply too many "false starts", making the book feel choppy and jumbled. Considering the relatively short length of the novel they felt more like padding added for length than anything else.

Far from everything is wrong with this novel. I've already mentioned the great concept, and there are some interesting characters too. Perhaps the most interesting character isn't actually human at all, but an AI. It's kind of a bold move to have the main character play against an AI for large parts of the book, but it works very well.
There are two interesting secondary characters too. One of them is introduced at the beginning, and the other we meet much later in the story. Both of these seem well rounded, and they do serve to get the reader much nearer the main character. Apart from that one of them has quite an interesting story of her own that we get to follow.

Where the novel excels, is in the worldbuilding/concept. The central idea of an endless number of parallel Earths is absolutely excellent, and what we learn about how that works is fascinating. It quickly becomes obvious that this is a setting in which anything can happen, and as such it's impossible to see where the story is going.
And since I'm back to the story, I must mentioned that the ending was a bit of a letdown. Not because it isn't very interesting, because it is, but the cliffhanger ending comes as a disappointment when so much time has been "wasted" earlier in the novel. You are left with the feeling that you have read only half a novel, and that the story is really just beginning, by the time you turn the last page.

Despite it's many flaws this is a novel that is worth reading. It presents a great setting, and just that would make it a worthy read. The story is really good to, when the authors allow it to move forward. As always, it is also very interesting to see Pratchett try his hand on a non-Discworld setting. And as this book has set up everything in detail, I have great hopes for the next volume, and will eagerly be awaiting it.

Review originally published on my blog: http://weirdmage.blogspot.com (less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

I suspect that there's much more Baxter than Pratchett in this book. I stopped reading Stephen Baxter (and in fact hard SF in general) years ago, because of exactly the hard SF flaws that infest this book: characters that exist almost solely so they can give you idiot lectures, other characters that exist largely to be mobile cameras for the tourist documentary about the setting, and hardly a protagonist in sight.

There are some characters with great potential. The leftist nuns, who we mostly see...more I suspect that there's much more Baxter than Pratchett in this book. I stopped reading Stephen Baxter (and in fact hard SF in general) years ago, because of exactly the hard SF flaws that infest this book: characters that exist almost solely so they can give you idiot lectures, other characters that exist largely to be mobile cameras for the tourist documentary about the setting, and hardly a protagonist in sight.

There are some characters with great potential. The leftist nuns, who we mostly see in Joshua's memory, not onstage. The homesteaders who are inexplicably going a huge distance away, much further than they need to, and who are inexplicably broadcasting from a private journal on shortwave just as the main observer passes through, and who are inexplicably, in that journal, saying things for their small community to hear that you wouldn't want your close neighbours to hear. And who then break into an idiot lecture. They could have been so much more.

The whole book could have been so much more. But it spent so much time exploring ideas that it never quite got around to having much of a plot, and the characters were mainly there to observe, not to want things, not to act, not to strive towards a goal or overcome challenges (other than technical challenges). Almost the only character who seemed to be taking any determined action towards a goal was the straw-man ignorant, bigoted politician.

I also didn't buy the idea that multiple children, on the same day that the design for a "stepper" was published on the Internet, would go out and buy electronic parts and build one, not knowing what it did, not having built electronics before, not caught up in any existing popular movement or viral idea. There are some kids who would do that, but they're not the kind of kids that were depicted.

And I kept waiting for Joshua's life rule of following the instructions to become more than a personality quirk, to make a difference to the plot, but there was so little plot for it to make a difference to that it never became significant.

No, this one failed to live up to its potential. It took a wonderful idea and made it, frankly, dull.(less)

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Feb 21, 2013 Ross rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 20, 2013 Wealhtheow rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, queer-characters, pocmaincharacters

One day, humanity discovers they can "step" from our world into parallel worlds. Each of these other Earths is slightly different from the next--but humans exist on no other world but our own. Humans immediately start stepping into other worlds to explore and create new homes. Resources and space are no longer scarce; old hierarchies start breaking down.

Joshua Valiente is a natural Stepper, someone who can jump from one world to the next without any ill effects. And so the first AI to be declare...more One day, humanity discovers they can "step" from our world into parallel worlds. Each of these other Earths is slightly different from the next--but humans exist on no other world but our own. Humans immediately start stepping into other worlds to explore and create new homes. Resources and space are no longer scarce; old hierarchies start breaking down.

Joshua Valiente is a natural Stepper, someone who can jump from one world to the next without any ill effects. And so the first AI to be declared sentient (by dint of claiming to be the reincarnation of a Tibetan motorcycle repairman) hires him to be his companion as they explore farther into the alternate Earths than any humans before. Along the way they discover other sentient beings, who discovered stepping earlier in their evolutionary tracks: the peaceful "trolls" who communicate by song and scent, and the scrawny but aggressive "elves". These creatures are migrating toward the original Earth in what can only be called a very slow stampede. Lobsang, Joshua, and their chance-met companion Sally "step" against the stampede, hoping to find out what danger is approaching. And what they find is beyond their wildest imaginations. (view spoiler)

This was not a good book. The dialog is stilted and made up of info-dumps, the descriptions of alternate Earths repetitive and boring. Various side characters, mostly never heard from again, are given a chapter each to tell the tale of their own exploration. Pratchett's contribution is nearly invisible--there's one section in which a WWI private thinks about his boots and another about a religion that seems Pratchett-esque, but there are few moments of humor and no other moments of whimsy. The characters never seem to really have personalities or connect to each other, and the only character who felt remotely real was Monica Jansson (a lesbian cop who is one of the few people who fully understands what alternate earths means for the original Earth). The pacing is soooo slow, and the plot is basically non-existent. It felt like the authors figured out they needed a plot about four chapters from the end, shoved a couple dangers in, and then went back to what they really wanted to talk about, which was boring characters creating boring homesteads. It's not even fun in a Hatchet kind of way, because there's no struggle to survive--humans settle on worlds so rich in resources that they don't even need to farm; fish practically leap into their baskets. And there's no real world-building; they don't explore how the original Earth changes, or talk further about what it means that Happy Landings has no crime or disabled people, or get in depth about anything at all. It was, in all, very disappointing.(less)

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Feb 15, 2013 Goesta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi

Read a while ago, hence only the briefest personal impression, from my recollection, hardly a review.

3.4 stars, alas, but cries out for a continuation. Unlikely, but if it ever happens, this one gets 4.5 instead!

I am always delighted when Terry Pratchett collaborates with another author, sending both of them off in new directions while combining the best of both (case in point, Neil Gaiman, of whom I am also a fan). Pratchett is such a strong presence that sometimes, a delightful blend is a welc...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Lightreads rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

Exploration out into the wild, uncharted transdimensional earths, where something is stirring.

I wish I could blame Baxter for this, since I came into this already thinking he's a hack. But Pratchett's name is up there too, and even though I'd bet you Baxter was in the driver's seat from about the 20% mark on, when you put your name on the cover of a book, it's yours and you gotta own it.

And this is a pretty bad book to have to own. Oddly paced, anti-climactic, sociologically far-fetched. This pa...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Jeff rated it 2 of 5 stars

Unfortunately I came away from this particular book rather unimpressed. The premise was good. The first couple of chapters hooks you in and you could definitely feel the Pratchett humor oozing out. All of this world hopping alternate universe exploring sounds like a really good idea. But then the book just kind of forgets what it is doing. So you get all of these side stories of mild interest to great boredom thrown at you. You lose your interest in the main characters as the side stories grow l...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book, but it was not one that I had to force myself to put down, like other Pratchett books.

The premise was interesting, infinite parallel earths and the beings who live there. New social and economic conflicts arising from this access. The delivery felt a bit disjointed, though. All the pieces eventually fell into place, but the process of connecting them sometimes taxed my patience. There were definite issues left unanswered, obvious foreshadows for a sequel.

The main character...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Alan rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers who don't mind getting only part of the story

Recommended to Alan by: io9

A prodigious string of alternate Earths—all of them except for our very own so-called "Datum Earth" unspoiled, pristine, devoid of humanity but full of forests, wildlife, pure water and untamed wilderness. Until Willis Linsay releases his absurdly simple plans for the "Stepper" to the world at large, anyway, initiating a mass exodus from our weary old planet.

There are some bottlenecks, though. All of the Earths of the Long Earth are connected in a line, like a string of beads—there are thousands...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Robert rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have never been bored by a Pratchett or a Baxter book before, but the first 100 pages were tough going. Even one of the heroes, Joshua, found himself nodding off. It begins with a large number of characters, most of whom have very little to do with the rest of the book. The main problem, though, to my mind, is a setting far to large to fill. I was reminded a bit of Wells's "Time Machine" and of at least one of Niven's "Ringworld" novels - vast world or worlds to explore, but nothing of interes...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I saw that there was a Terry Pratchett book out that I had somehow missed, I was excited. When I saw that it wasn't a Discworld book, I was disappointed. When I saw that it was a sci-fi book, I was apprehensive. When I actually started reading the book, I was hooked.
Pratchett fans should definitely not come into this expecting whimsy. There are "trolls," yes, and "elves," of a sort. But not the ones you might find in Ankh-Morpork. These are humanoid residents of parallel Earths, encountere...more

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Jan 08, 2013 Dave Philipson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The literary equivalent of a Cohen brothers film....

I'm a bit confused by this book. I found it compelling and unsettling in equal measure.

It is a book principally concerned with exploration. The exploration of another world by the characters and the exploration of an idea by Pratchett and Baxter. Would it be cheesy to suggest that everyone who picks up a book is an explorer at heart and this is why I found The Long Earth compelling?

But something obvious is missing. It is a testament to the w...more

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About Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett sold his first story when he was thirteen, which earned him enough money to buy a second-hand typewriter. His first novel, a humorous fantasy entitled The Carpet People, appeared in 1971 from the publisher Colin Smythe. Terry worked for many years as a journalist and press officer, writing in his spare time and publishing a number of novels, including his first Discworld novel,...more

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