Doors of Sleep by Tim Pratt

Dec 18, 2020 Dave rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction-all, netgalley-books, x-netgalley-2020-read, read-have

At one time, Ursula Le Guin posited a story where a man would fall asleep and the world would change every time he dreamed. He didn't like that. He tried to avoid dreaming until an evil psychiatrist started controlling his dreams. The point is the world changed every time he slept. For Dr. Who and his amazing TARDIS, the universe changed every time he closed the callbox door and you never knew where he would end up except you knew he would be chased by Daleks. In other stories, people race throu At one time, Ursula Le Guin posited a story where a man would fall asleep and the world would change every time he dreamed. He didn't like that. He tried to avoid dreaming until an evil psychiatrist started controlling his dreams. The point is the world changed every time he slept. For Dr. Who and his amazing TARDIS, the universe changed every time he closed the callbox door and you never knew where he would end up except you knew he would be chased by Daleks. In other stories, people race through time to prevent some evil one from taking over the time continuum.

Doors of Sleep follows in the wake of all of these ideas with a story of a man, Zax, who falls asleeps and wakes in a different universe each time he falls asleep and wakes up. It is a masterpiece of endless creativity with thousands of worlds each experienced somewhat briefly. And, the author, Tim Pratt takes this to extremes and offers literally thousands of worlds. Of course, no matter what Zax does he does not wake up in walls, under the ocean, in the belly of a whale, or so forth. But, of course, he must come up with solutions in the form of pharmacological pills to instantly put him to sleep should a raging sabertooth charge at him.

Zax has two erstwhile companions, consisting of a plant creature and a jewel containing an artificial intelligence. And its a good thing he has companions because Dr. Evil (the Lector) is on his tail chasing him across the multi-universes, hungering for that magic blood so that the Lector can build armies of inter-universe beings who will conquer all universes. And chase they do since apparently the gates only work in one direction and they both end up in the same spots. This gives us the conflict and the tension that is not necessarily apparent with the quick stops in the multiverses.

Doors of Sleep is a fun and engaging romp through the multiverse, most enjoyable as the endless creativity of Pratt's brain is shown off with all manner of creatures on all manner of worlds. ...more

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Jan 27, 2021 Alexander Peterhans rated it liked it

Shelves: edelweiss

"Here’s the situation. Every time I fall asleep, I wake up in another universe. That started happening nearly three years and a thousand worlds ago, and I still don’t know why, or what happens during the transition, while I’m asleep."

It is never really explained how Zaxony (or Zax) Delatree got this dimensional drifting affliction (although there is a strong implication). Zax has been keeping a diary about his adventures, and that is what you, dear reader, are perusing.

It is possible for Zax to "Here’s the situation. Every time I fall asleep, I wake up in another universe. That started happening nearly three years and a thousand worlds ago, and I still don’t know why, or what happens during the transition, while I’m asleep."

It is never really explained how Zaxony (or Zax) Delatree got this dimensional drifting affliction (although there is a strong implication). Zax has been keeping a diary about his adventures, and that is what you, dear reader, are perusing.

It is possible for Zax to take along other people (or creatures), if they fall asleep in his arms before he falls asleep. So he has had several companions before we start reading, most notably one called The Lector, who quickly turned out to be quite an evil bastard, a scientist who wants to extract Zax's dimensional hopping power from him.

There are many dimensions that are described, quite a lot of fun descriptions, a couple feel less imaginative, and overall I would've liked to see some more "out there" dimensions.

The book's main problem is that it only really gathers any forward momentum towards the end of the book. Before that we're basically just following Zax and his companions as they jump from dimension to dimension, which is interesting enough for a while, but then starts to drag.

Only about halfway the book does Zax find out that The Lector is chasing him through the dimensions, which provides some drive, but fact remains that Zax has little control about where he will end up next, so it's hard for him as a character to have any real goal besides "not dying".

Towards the end we suddenly have a ramshackle plot, with an unconvincing baddie and it all ends a bit too neatly.

That said, I found it quite a relaxing book to read, even when the characters got in dire straits. But is that what I want from an adventure like this book? My guess is that if the book had a stronger plot and stronger character motivations, it could've been quite an addictive thriller.

(Kindly received a review copy from Angry Robot through Edelweiss) ...more

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Dec 15, 2020 Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, 2021-release

3.5 Stars
This was an interesting exploration of multiverse theory told in a close and often intimate perspective. I want to describe this as a sci fi thriller, but in reality the narrative is much slower than the pager turners normally given that label. Certainly it still held my attention but there was not a lot of action in the story. Instead it was more focus on the characters. Towards the second half the story picked up with some interesting narrative shifts, however it fully immersed me.

The ...more

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Nov 07, 2020 Adrian Dooley rated it it was ok

An interesting concept for sure but the concept is more interesting than the story itself.

The story of Zaxony Delatree and his journals explaining his extraordinary life of travel to many many worlds. Existing in a multiverse, when Zax falls asleep he wakes up in another world in an alternative universe. Along the way he meets up with various characters, bringing some with him. They also have to be asleep and hanging on to him to travel with him.

One of these characters has ulterior motives tho ...more

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Jan 06, 2021 Maryam rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2021-review-copy, 2021-releases

Review first published on The Curious SFF Reader

Zax Delatree has a special ability, every time he falls asleep, he travels to a new random dimension. Sometimes, he wakes up in dystopian world and sometimes he wakes up in a fantastical world where evil mushrooms try to kill him.

If Zax falls asleep holding someone in his arms, he can transport them with him. A lesson he has learnt the hard way the first time he traveled to a new reality. However, most of Zax’s companions tend to abandon him after Review first published on The Curious SFF Reader

Zax Delatree has a special ability, every time he falls asleep, he travels to a new random dimension. Sometimes, he wakes up in dystopian world and sometimes he wakes up in a fantastical world where evil mushrooms try to kill him.

If Zax falls asleep holding someone in his arms, he can transport them with him. A lesson he has learnt the hard way the first time he traveled to a new reality. However, most of Zax’s companions tend to abandon him after a few realities to settle down on worlds they like, a luxury that Zax can’t afford. Some other times, Zax has to run away from his own companions when they try to vivisect him in order to understand how his powers work. That’s the case with the Lector, one of Zax’s former companion turned evil doctor who wants to replicate his powers in order to create an Empire across realities. Zax managed to escape the Lector once but, will he be able to avoid him forever?

Doors of Sleep is such a fun ride! This book really is a wonder of creativity, Tim Pratt imagined hundreds of different worlds that are all completely different from one another and it was fascinating to discover them one by one.

I really enjoyed the world but, most of all, I loved the characters! The main character is a fascinating character to follow. At the start of the novel, Zax has been jumping from one reality to another for 3 years and he has visited hundreds and hundreds of different worlds. In each reality, he tries his best to help the people he meets and, if he encounters someone or something who wants to visit a new world, he takes them with him.

I liked reading the novel from Zax’s perspective but I have to say that my favorite characters were his companions. I don’t want to say too much about the second companion because they arrive pretty late in the story but Minna was awesome! She’s a character from a world where biological engineering is mastered and she can modify her body at will to create biological compounds that are (more than a few times) life savers. Zax is a cool character but Minna was the highlight of the novel for me. She’s a gentle soul but also very badass in her own way and usually a lot more quick-witted than Zax!

Another character that I found fascinating was the Lector. Sure, he was kind of a “moustache twirling villain” and his personality probably could have been developed a bit more but, I had a ton of fun reading about him and his evil plans for the universe. He is also the one who injected Zax with a language virus that allows him to understand intelligent creatures in every world he visits and, without this virus, the story would have been a lot less interesting.

Doors of Sleep was one of the first book I read this year and, while it’s not perfect, it’s so much fun that I could easily forgive the unevenness of the pacing (it takes a bit for the plot to start) and enjoy the novel and its wonders. I don’t know if this book is standalone or a start to a new series but, if Pratt writes more stories in this world, I will read them for sure!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. My thanks to Angry Robot and Netgalley. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Jan 12, 2021 Athena (OneReadingNurse) rated it really liked it

Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for the digital advanced copy of Doors of Sleep in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own! If you are a fan of multiverse adventures and creative characters, check this out!

Wow, what a wild ride! I can only imagine how Zax feels since I was getting dizzy just travelling with him! I think the book's biggest strength is just the sheer number of creative ideas on the pages - I coined a term for it, like "word salad" but it's "universe salad." Thank you so much to Angry Robot Books for the digital advanced copy of Doors of Sleep in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own! If you are a fan of multiverse adventures and creative characters, check this out!

Wow, what a wild ride! I can only imagine how Zax feels since I was getting dizzy just travelling with him! I think the book's biggest strength is just the sheer number of creative ideas on the pages - I coined a term for it, like "word salad" but it's "universe salad." One page might spit out six wildly different universes if Zax is travelling quickly. Pratt's well of ideas seems to be endless.

There are many pop culture nods that I enjoyed spotting too, like an Emerald City universe with a yellow brick road and all. One thing the book accomplishes is making me feel soooo small, the possibility of endless universes and endless galaxies, planets, and he is only seeing a small portion...

So Zaxony is travelling alone and it was hard for me to latch onto the story before he found a travelling companion, that is a super interesting plant/human hybrid. They become great friends and Minna is able to perform many scientific tasks to make Zax's life easier. They also eventually pick up an analytic war crystal named Vicki who I think is the best character 😂

Once the antagonist shows up in truth and the book turns into a pursuit, giving Zax and company a purpose, I finally latched onto the story. This happened maybe halfway through and is why I only gave Doors of Sleep 3.5 stars, I felt aimless before that point. The Lector is a brilliant terrorist with the aim of conquering all the worlds, creating a moving empire, and it's going to take mote than weapons and traps to stop him.... A really brilliant bad guy who is only limited by his inability to comprehend the true grandness of the multiverse.

I should mention Zax too as a character - he is thoughtful, a general good Samaritan with strong principles about helping people, but he is also flawed and sooo lonely before he meets Minna. I loved that they ended up just being partners and not pursuing anything romantic too.

Overall: clever but brief world building, strong friendships and interesting characters, many philosophies, and a twisty OMG ending, made me enjoy this book quite a bit. I am definitely 100% on board for the next book and hope you guys will check this one out! Just released on January 12th so grab your copy now! ...more

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Jan 07, 2021 Tammy rated it really liked it

The nitty-gritty: Inventive and engaging, Doors of Sleep is the feel-good sci-fi story you didn’t know you needed.

If you’re looking for an upbeat, quirky, feel good story to start off 2021, then you cannot go wrong with Doors of Sleep. This book was such a happy surprise, and I can’t believe this is my first time reading Tim Pratt! With an almost retro sci-fi vibe, Pratt has managed to write an entertaining story with loveable characters, a thrilling plot, some timely social commentary, and plen The nitty-gritty: Inventive and engaging, Doors of Sleep is the feel-good sci-fi story you didn’t know you needed.

If you’re looking for an upbeat, quirky, feel good story to start off 2021, then you cannot go wrong with Doors of Sleep. This book was such a happy surprise, and I can’t believe this is my first time reading Tim Pratt! With an almost retro sci-fi vibe, Pratt has managed to write an entertaining story with loveable characters, a thrilling plot, some timely social commentary, and plenty of heart. I was also impressed by how imaginative Pratt’s worlds were, and I found myself wishing some of them were real.

This is the travel journal of Zaxony Dyad Euphony Delatree, or Zax for short. For the past three years or so, Zax has had the unfortunate ability to travel to a different universe every time he falls asleep. This means that when the story begins, Zax has already been to nearly one thousand different worlds, each unique and with its own set of dangers and challenges. Zax doesn’t understand why this is happening to him, only that he doesn’t know how to stop it. He’s been able to gather various drugs over time that allow him to fall asleep quickly and get out of sticky situations, but he can never stay awake long enough to fully appreciate some of the better worlds he’s discovered.

Zax can take someone with him from one world to the next, as long as they are asleep, and so he’s had several traveling companions over the years. But they’ve never lasted very long for various reasons, and so Zax is mostly lonely. One lost companion, however, is a scientist known as the Lector, the man who helped Zax in the beginning by studying his blood and figuring out ways to help him stay awake longer. He also injected Zax with something called a linguistic virus which allows him to communicate with anyone on his travels, no matter what language they speak. However, we soon learn that Zax left the Lector behind when his methods became suspect, and now he is trying to stay one step ahead of him, as he suspects the Lector is trying to catch him.

When the story opens, Zax has woken up in an orchard and soon meets a girl named Minna, who offers him some blue apples from one of the trees. Minna ends up joining Zax, as her world offers only a harsh existence of subservience, and she wants nothing more than to leave and go somewhere else. But the Lector isn’t far behind, and it doesn’t take Zax and Minna long to figure out what he’s up to: the Lector intends to take over the multiverse, and he needs Zax to do it.

I’ll admit the beginning of the story is a little slow and meandering, and after experiencing Zax jump to ten or twelve different worlds, I began to wonder if that’s all there was to this book—lots of really cool vignettes where Zax encounters more and more interesting and dangerous people, robots, and creatures, but nothing much happens. But at about the 33% mark, once Zax and Minna meet a new character named Vicki, the story really takes off. Pratt’s grand vision of his vast multiverse could have easily spiraled out of control, but I was pleased to see how well he reigned in his story, keeping the focus on a few main characters and making their stories the center of attention. For the most part, we see everything from Zax’s point of view (except for a few times when other characters fill in parts of the story), which made Doors of Sleep feel intimate and focused.

Which brings me to the characters. I absolutely loved Minna and Vicki in particular, although Zax is a pretty good character as well. Minna is a smart, resourceful woman who has been through terrible hardship on her home world. She’s part plant and has the ability to photosynthesize. She is able to regrow body parts if necessary, in the event of injury, and as we find out, she’s very hard to kill. Minna saves the day a lot in this story, especially when it comes to the nefarious antics of the Lector, and Zax is better off having met and befriended her. Zax and Minna meet Vicki on a world made of shattered crystals, and I think I’ll save that surprise for you to discover yourself. Let’s just say that Vicki is a marvelous creation, and the three characters together were my favorite part of the story.

Zax, Minna and Vicki are all good people (and I use the term “people” lightly!) and only want to help others. This was such a refreshing change from some of the more grim stories I’ve been reading. In Zax’s home world, he was a “harmonizer,” which is like a moderator who tries to help others resolve their disputes. Zax’s code of honor is to never harm a living creature, but of course he struggles with this whenever the Lector shows up. All this goodness is offset by the Lector, who to be honest, was almost a caricature of an evil genius. His big, evil plan to take over all the worlds was fairly predictable, and as a bad guy he was more annoying than scary. But I do like what Pratt does to his character at the end, which wasn't predictable at all.

The author came up with a really good hook for his story, a multiverse filled with wonderful diversity and different levels of danger, depending on what world you end up on. Pratt’s imagination is off the charts, and I loved experiencing each new world, even if some of them were very brief visits. Here are few examples: a “bubble” world where a civil war has separated everyone into different bubbles, where you only live with people who share the same beliefs and ideals as you; a fishing village ruled by a living lighthouse where people emerge from the sea each night lugging nets of shells, fish and gears; a world of subterranean engines where slaves labor in mines for insect-like aliens. One gets the impression that the author will never run out of ideas for his worlds!

And because I loved the characters so much, there was always a sense of worry that they would become separated. After all, if one falls asleep without the other, the sleeper will go to another world without his companion, and the twist about travelling like this is that Zax can’t control where he goes. In all his travels, he’s never visited the same world twice, and finding a lost companion would be nearly impossible! This gave the story a nice sense of tension and kept me frantically turning the pages.

Pratt throws in some interesting twists and surprises near the end, and I fervently hope there will be a sequel, because the ending practically demands one! I’m so glad I had the chance to read this quirky book, and I look forward to whatever Tim Pratt writes next.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. ...more

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Jan 08, 2021 Mackenzie (bookish_black_hole) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

full review on http://colourmeread.com ! :) ...more

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Jan 09, 2021 K.L. Dobbs rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley

4.5- This was just the type of escapist read my wild imagination needed! This story is written in journal entry form about the circumstances that found the main character Zax to be traveling through multiverses every time he fell asleep. Fall asleep- wake up in a new world, fall asleep-new world and on and on. Oh, how many worlds he visited! Some were the strangest type of places you could not even imagine and some were seemingly normal. Along the way he acquires several companions that travel w ...more

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Oct 24, 2020 Mike rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, 2020-best-of, noblebright

Some time ago, I read quite a bad book with a main character named something similar to Zax, which is what this book's main character is called by his friends. Not only that, but the author's first name was not too dissimilar to Zaxony. And the premise was that whenever the protagonist fell asleep, he shifted into another universe.

So I wondered, when I picked this one up (having been fortunate enough to be invited to review it by the publisher, via Netgalley), whether it was prompted by the aut Some time ago, I read quite a bad book with a main character named something similar to Zax, which is what this book's main character is called by his friends. Not only that, but the author's first name was not too dissimilar to Zaxony. And the premise was that whenever the protagonist fell asleep, he shifted into another universe.

So I wondered, when I picked this one up (having been fortunate enough to be invited to review it by the publisher, via Netgalley), whether it was prompted by the author reading that same book I read and, in frustration, deciding to write a better one.

Nothing else about the books is remotely similar, so it may be complete coincidence. But the most important difference is that this is really good.

I've talked in other reviews about how there are two versions of Tim Pratt. The "dark" Pratt writes gruelling stories about nasty people having a bad time, often because of what they do to each other; the "bright" Pratt writes hopeful stories about good people overcoming the evil of others, often by generosity and self-sacrifice. This book, happily, is by the "bright" Pratt.

The main character, Zax, is an early-career harmonizer, a kind of social worker who helps individuals and groups find ways to get along. Through mysterious events (they get a bit less mysterious in the course of the book, but are never fully explained), he begins to shift universes every time he goes to sleep. He's able to take someone with him if they're both asleep and in close contact, and, in a probable salute to Doctor Who, he has a series of companions, some of whom leave him when they get to a place they want to stay. One of them, however, the Lector (the chief administrator of a university and a talented scientist) betrays him and tries to take the secret of his universe-shifting by violence.

The story opens some time after his experience with the Lector, which is later told in flashback. He's travelling from universe to universe, and they're diverse and sometimes dangerous and sometimes extremely beautiful. The societies he encounters range from utopian to dystopian, and some are both depending who you are. He soon rescues a new companion, Minna, who's talented with genetic manipulation - just how talented he doesn't realize until later - and an indentured servant of remote and cruel overlords.

And then the Lector catches up with him, and reveals his plan to create a multi-universal empire, and Zax, Minna, and an AI they've picked up along the way called Vicki must find a way to thwart him.

The story puts Zax's training and ideals as a harmonizer directly into conflict with the Lector's as a conqueror and organizer, raising important questions about self-determination, civilization, and what is good. It's well handled, for the most part, and thought-provoking, and doesn't come to set conclusions about political structure, though it does have some things to say about attitudes and general approaches to relations between people and groups.

There are one or two moments when satire is applied with too heavy a hand, as when Zax visits a world where everyone has retreated to (literal) bubbles in which they can be with only the people who "share their exact values and biases", this being a ploy to end a civil war. The bubble he arrives in contains people who drink craft beer, ride electric scooters, have elaborate facial hair, believe in respect and kindness... and spend a lot of time using small electronic devices made in another bubble where people believe in child labour. I thought that was a bit on the nose. But that's an aberration in a story that's usually a lot smoother and more subtle, and the varied worlds are imaginative and interesting, reminding me irresistibly of Roger Zelazny's Amber and Corwin's trips through Shadow. It could, in fact, have easily become a series of vignettes, which would probably still have been entertaining, but the overarching story with the Lector as antagonist adds tension and weight.

I did also question the moment when a beautiful woman who Zax had met, spent a couple of days having sex with, and then lost was described as his "true love," though, to be fair, it wasn't Zax who used that phrase.

The ending suggests that we might be in for a series, and if so, I'm very happy and will follow the series eagerly. This book has no trouble making it to my Best of 2020 list. ...more

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Jan 14, 2021 Rowena Andrews rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, 2021-releases

For the amount of portal fantasy/sci-fi anime (isekai) that I watch, it is something that I rarely delve into in fiction, so the Doors of Sleep was an interesting venture into the unknown for me, and what an adventure it was. Overall, I had some mixed feelings about this book, but one thing that I can say with certainty that I loved was the portal aspect and getting to see new worlds – and so many of them. I can only have the deepest admiration of Pratt for being able to come up with the concep For the amount of portal fantasy/sci-fi anime (isekai) that I watch, it is something that I rarely delve into in fiction, so the Doors of Sleep was an interesting venture into the unknown for me, and what an adventure it was. Overall, I had some mixed feelings about this book, but one thing that I can say with certainty that I loved was the portal aspect and getting to see new worlds – and so many of them. I can only have the deepest admiration of Pratt for being able to come up with the concepts for so many different worlds to create such a rich and varied multiverse, and even those places that were just glimpses or pit stops were well-imagined, if not as deep as I might normally want from world-building. But, the tapestry of worlds we were shown more than makes up for that (necessary – otherwise imagine how long this book would have been!) lack of depth, and the world-building was without a doubt my favourite aspect of this book.

The other major strength of the Doors of Sleep is its characters, although I would say that comes through more later in the book once the main protagonist gains travelling companions. Zax is a fantastic character, and you can’t help but become invested in his story and efforts, as he is our key to the different worlds, and I like how he interacts with each world in a different way. However, as much as I enjoyed reading about Zax’s adventures, it was his companions that were elevated to favourites – especially Minna, who as well as having an interesting biology due to the world she is from, just has a wonderful personality, is badass where needed and is an excellent character to have paired with Zax.

Where I did feel the book was a little weaker was the plot and the antagonist. Lector is a fun character to read, but he did feel as though he was a little lacking in development, beyond his role as the ‘villain’ and I think that bled a little into the plot. The main threat and purpose, was not as strongly defined as it could have been, and there were places where the multiverse and travelling aspect (as wonderful as they are) were too dominant, removing some of the feeling of danger and urgency, and as a result while the ending was a satisfying conclusion, it felt a little underwhelming because of those earlier elements. That said, I did still enjoy the plot, and while it takes a little while to get into the pace of the story, I enjoyed this tour-de-force of Pratt’s worlds and imagination, and his writing is fantastic and pulls you in.

This was a fantastic book, even with it’s flaws and has definitely left me wanting to check out more portal fantasy/sci-fi, and I will be keeping an eye out for future books in this series, and by Tim Pratt in general.

...more

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Jan 02, 2021 Will rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, 2021, scifi, reviewed, superpowers

4 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...

Every time Zaxony Delatree (Zax) falls asleep, he travels to a new reality. He has no control over his bearing and never revisits the same place twice, making his life a constant, spontaneous adventure. One that he can neither stop nor control. Sometimes he’ll wake in paradise, with plenty of food and a no worries beyond his next nap. Others he’ll wake in hell; worlds of brimstone or desert or glass, worlds at war or apocalypse, worlds filled with m ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Whisper19 rated it liked it

Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC

Well, another strange one.
This time we follow the adventures of one Zaxony Delatree, Zax to his friends and enemies. After witnessing an attempted suicide, Zax develops the ability to travel the worlds (planets or parallel universes, not sure) as soon as he falls asleep. He can't really control his power, which is a problem. He meets and interacts with the inhabitants of each world he visits. He also realizes that he can take other people with him, Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC

Well, another strange one.
This time we follow the adventures of one Zaxony Delatree, Zax to his friends and enemies. After witnessing an attempted suicide, Zax develops the ability to travel the worlds (planets or parallel universes, not sure) as soon as he falls asleep. He can't really control his power, which is a problem. He meets and interacts with the inhabitants of each world he visits. He also realizes that he can take other people with him, but that it is better for the passenger to also be asleep while "traveling".
On world 1000, or thereabouts, he wakes up in an orchard and there he meets a strange girl called Minna. They go on an adventure of a lifetime. What they don’t know is that someone from Zax’s past is following them.
This is a strange novel, written in the form of Zax’s diary entries, but at times this literary form is imperfect or unbelievable. There is also a strange problem – each chapter has a title which is like a group of bullet points of what happens in that episode. I really didn’t care for that.
Another writing element that causes problems for me is the fact that action happens very fast. I don’t mean that plot is fast paced, but that everything that happens happens in a second. For example, a flying vehicle they are on experiences engines malfunction and in the next sentence they have crashed into a field. I think that the reason for this extreme economy of text is that the author wanted to visit sooooooo many worlds, that he didn’t have enough time to allow us to actually experience both the world and the plot.
Don’t get me wrong, the worlds are amazing, but do we really need a paragraph or two of Wizard of Oz world? Or of the Hipster+ChildLabour world? I think not.
The main characters are sort of strange as well. Zax is at times really smart, with instincts that enable him to survive anything that is thrown at him, but then he is also very much an idiot at times. Didn’t like that. Minna is a veritable Deus Ex Machina. Whatever Zax needs, whatever problem they encounter, she has a solution for it. I really didn’t like that. Whatever happens you know that she will come up with something that will save them. Tension disappears after a while.
The idea behind this story is good, fun even, but the end, of course, necessitates a sequel. I’d have preferred this to be a standalone. ...more

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Jan 12, 2021 S.J. Higbee rated it it was amazing

REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining portal adventure, which has a pleasingly old-fashioned feel. The overarching narrative is very straightforward. For reasons that poor Zaxony doesn’t fully understand, every time he falls asleep or unconscious – he jumps worlds. Initially, he spends his time in a horrified daze as he tries to come to terms with his new normal. For the worlds that Zax encounters are mind-bogglingly various, ranging from idyllic to nightmarish and everything in between REVIEW: I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining portal adventure, which has a pleasingly old-fashioned feel. The overarching narrative is very straightforward. For reasons that poor Zaxony doesn’t fully understand, every time he falls asleep or unconscious – he jumps worlds. Initially, he spends his time in a horrified daze as he tries to come to terms with his new normal. For the worlds that Zax encounters are mind-bogglingly various, ranging from idyllic to nightmarish and everything in between. He can take someone with him, as long as he is holding them when he falls asleep – but he is haunted by an upsetting incident where a lovely woman he fell in love with stayed awake during their journey between worlds and arrived in the new world raving – her mind broken by the experience. So he is very careful who he takes along.

We join Zax in the middle of his adventures, after a couple of the companions he has taken with him haven’t turned out to be ideal – and just as he starting a relationship with another kindly soul. There is a generally upbeat, positive vibe running through the series of adventures that I thoroughly welcomed and while the main plot isn’t overly complicated, or particularly original – what made this book really stand out is the sheer inventiveness and variety of alll those worlds Zax visits. There is a building sense of frustration that we only ever see the thinnest slice of their dynamic – because as soon as Zax falls asleep, off we go to somewhere entirely new, again. But I really liked that niggling sense of annoyance, as it helped me bond with dear old Zax, who is generally a well-meaning, honest chap – in sharp contrast to a nicely satisfyingly nasty antagonist in the form of the Lector, an archetypal evil scientist.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure and note with satisfaction that it looks as though this is the first in a series. Highly recommended of fans of science fiction adventures with an upbeat tone. While I obtained an arc of Doors of Sleep from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10 ...more

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Dec 21, 2020 Laura (crofteereader) marked it as dnf

Shelves: netgalley

DNF at 46%

An interesting concept but a rather lackluster execution. Zax is not a very active force in his own life, relying on companions to give his life meaning and direction, even though his whole shtick is that every time he sleeps he ends up in another world. Every problem he encounters is solved within pages and there doesn't seem to be an overarching goal in the story. Certainly he would like to go home or at least be somewhere consistent, but he's not actively fighting for it; instead he ...more

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Dec 30, 2020 Caitlin rated it really liked it

Doors of Sleep follows Zax Delatree through many worlds, each time he falls asleep he awakens in a new world. Constantly travelling, meeting friends and making enemies along the way, as he tries to leave a little bit of himself and make each world a better place when he can.

I went in to Doors of Sleep a little blind, just knowing it involved Zax travelling. What I didn’t expect was such a beautiful story of friendship, splashed across dozens, hundreds of different worlds. Told through journal e Doors of Sleep follows Zax Delatree through many worlds, each time he falls asleep he awakens in a new world. Constantly travelling, meeting friends and making enemies along the way, as he tries to leave a little bit of himself and make each world a better place when he can.

I went in to Doors of Sleep a little blind, just knowing it involved Zax travelling. What I didn’t expect was such a beautiful story of friendship, splashed across dozens, hundreds of different worlds. Told through journal entries that Zax has been writing, you can an in-depth look at how he feels as he wakes each day in a new place, wondering how this happened, and what he can do. I found the world building just fantastic, even though we get brief glimpses at each place, some a little more than others, the creativity that went in to each place was amazing, how they connected and differed, how Zax feels about each one, and the varying levels of safety and beauty, and danger.

Despite being primarily told from Zax, his friends were the real winners of this novel. Minna was such a delightful, brilliant, badass of a character, and the way she adapated and learned was so engaging, just the kind of character everyone would want to be - that’s not even including all of her very specific skills, I just want to be like her for her brilliant and caring ways.

My biggest complaint about Doors of Sleep is there is a brief mention of talking cats, and how they could have had one as a companion. I won’t lie that I’m hurt we didn’t get talking cat companions. I think it would have brought a welcomed level of sass to the friend group, and I’m just a sucker for animal companions. So, not a real complaint, I just want every book to have sassy animal companions. I do wish we could have spent more time on each world, but that would have made this a ridiculously large book, so maybe one day we’ll see some novellas of some of the other worlds.

I adored this book, and think everyone who has an interest in travels and adventure would get a lot from the amazing places we see, and if you’re looking for strong female characters, Minna should be way up there. An engaging fun book, well worth an afternoon of multiverse adventure. ...more

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Jan 27, 2021 Clover rated it it was amazing

This book and its characters and its story are wonderful. I would like to give Tim Pratt a hug and tell him thank you.

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Nov 30, 2020 James rated it liked it

Every time Zaxony Delatree falls asleep, he wakes up in another universe, with very few similarities between them, except for perhaps a humanoid biosphere followed by a land of trees birthed with deadly creatures, or a technocratic societal world in the desert followed by one that’s airborne. There’s really no telling the distance of space-time between them, and any world is possible.

Zax is on the run from Lector, a man from a previous world who created the linguistic virus, allowing for instant Every time Zaxony Delatree falls asleep, he wakes up in another universe, with very few similarities between them, except for perhaps a humanoid biosphere followed by a land of trees birthed with deadly creatures, or a technocratic societal world in the desert followed by one that’s airborne. There’s really no telling the distance of space-time between them, and any world is possible.

Zax is on the run from Lector, a man from a previous world who created the linguistic virus, allowing for instant communication with any living being. But Lector wants more, and like most antagonistic forces, ends up craving absolute power and spilling blood in the process. With the help of an AI and a new companion, both picked up in different worlds as he goes, Zax isn’t entirely alone, even if the multiverse centres around a mystical power only he has access to.

Pratt’s imagination is wild and fast; the reader has to keep up with it all. It carries the action, and perhaps helps to disguise the lack of actual narrative momentum and a few obvious clichés. Asides from Lector cropping up and wanting to take Zax’s blood-powers to build some kind of multiverse Empire of his own, there isn’t a great deal for the reader to get hooked on. Thanks to his Doctor Who-like ability, Zax can take comrades between worlds, and his new friend Minna has a refreshing level of humanity that engages well, plus she possesses ingenious magical biotech abilities and can defeat fungal shapeshifters …

I hoped Pratt might spend more time expanding on a particular world, rather than the episodic frenzy of hopping between hundreds of universes. But if you love high concept and high tech fantasy that hops endlessly and kicks up plenty of chase in-between, then I don’t see how you could be disappointed in this book. And the way it ends, there’s bound to be a follow-up; I sense Pratt may have a cunning understanding of how to relay the worlds and create new storylines that could, as it were, improve as time keeps ticking. ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 Andrew Gillman rated it it was amazing

The possible existence of a multiverse, an infinite string of worlds in which life is the same, but very much not too, in its expression, is, for many people, an entirely alluring idea.

To think that out there somewhere exist endless possibilities for life, a great many of which bear no resemblance to our own reality, is appealing in a world where everything seems perpetually, drably the same.

For Jaxony Delatree, a man condemned to travel to a new world every time he falls asleep or becomes uncon ...more

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Dec 24, 2020 Ollie rated it it was amazing

Every time Zax Delatree falls asleep, he wakes up somewhere new. Slipping between realities as he sleeps, Zax is an unwilling explorer of the multiverse who attempts to make the most of his affliction by helping those in need. But a dangerous enemy is on his trail, pursuing him in a way he thought impossible and determined to unlock the bloodborne secrets of his multiverse-hopping abilities – by any means necessary. So begins a game of cat and mouse across hundreds of worlds, a game with the hig Every time Zax Delatree falls asleep, he wakes up somewhere new. Slipping between realities as he sleeps, Zax is an unwilling explorer of the multiverse who attempts to make the most of his affliction by helping those in need. But a dangerous enemy is on his trail, pursuing him in a way he thought impossible and determined to unlock the bloodborne secrets of his multiverse-hopping abilities – by any means necessary. So begins a game of cat and mouse across hundreds of worlds, a game with the highest stakes imaginable.

Opening in the techno-utopian setting of the Dionysius Society, it quickly becomes clear that Doors of Sleep does not lack for imagination. Altered humans party away, with wings, hooves and other cosmetic modifications on display, as recreational drugs are passed around with abandon, all inside the aerial domes which make up a playground for wealthy youths. Meanwhile, the planet below is preyed upon by an unknown entity known as “the Adverse.” Don’t get too used to this setting, as Zax is crashing hard from exhaustion; sleep – and a new world – beckon. Fear not, however, because Pratt just absolutely refuses to run out of ideas for new locations.

Worlds with mysterious, long-absent creators. Worlds of uplifted animals. Dead worlds, space stations, dystopias, utopias, post-scarcity worlds, nightmare cities of stalking creatures… Doors of Sleep is a treasure trove of ideas in terms of its settings alone, and that’s before we even come to discuss the finer details and the characters themselves. Each world Zax and his loveable companions visit is another opportunity for a sub-plot, whether it’s helping the local populace overcome a hardship or attempting to outwit Zax’s pursuers. Many of these worlds feel like there’s enough going on to have their own spinoff story, so deft is the worldbuilding.

Zax’s former role as a harmonizer – essentially someone who mediates between disagreeing parties – means he is not only driven to resolve conflicts, he’s actually good at it. He would much rather solve problems with discussion rather than violence, or, if discussion fails, some good old-fashioned cunning, which makes him a very relatable character. He isn’t perfect by any stretch, but he also isn’t irritatingly naïve or slow to grasp situations.

Of course, a great aid to Zax’s situational awareness is the linguistic virus he was deliberately infected with by a previous travelling companion. This functions in the same practical sense as the Babel fish from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, allowing Zax to speak alien languages rapidly, and is one of the many entertaining narrative workarounds to his unusual situation – particularly as the nature of the virus means he can pass it on to others easily. He’s hardly James Bond with a gadget for every situation, but he is resourceful and as prepared as he can be. Just the simple action of restocking his supplies provides endless variety; sometimes he must forage for food and water in a wilderness, on other occasions he has to work out what the local currency is. And let’s not forget, every world has different technology for him to get to grips with and make use of.

As useful as gadgetry can be though, it pales in comparison to Zax’s travelling companion Minna. Able to adapt to her surroundings rapidly thanks to her unusual biology, she is practically a walking laboratory, and proves her extreme usefulness from the off. Additionally, she is an absolutely charming character, enraptured by the prospect of adventures with her friend Zax and the opportunity to escape her grim reality. Whilst they don’t always see eye to eye on everything, particularly with regard to how best to deal with Zax’s adversary, they clearly have such affection for each other that it’s impossible not to get invested in their friendship. Others who join Zax along the way – whether friend or foe – are also excellent characters in their own right, but Minna outshines them all with her matter-of-fact reasoning and her gentle philosophising.

Its relatively slim size belies just how much Doors of Sleep has to offer. It’s a well-crafted, entertaining slice of escapist science fiction with not a word wasted, an action-packed adventure across a multiverse that promises much and delivers on every count. Hugely enjoyable. ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Denise Ruttan rated it liked it · review of another edition

I received this book as an ARC for an honest review from Netgalley. I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the concept of its multiverse and found it a very creative backdrop for a space opera; on the other hand, it felt as if the author had come up with an amazing setting and strong hook, and realized he needed some conflict, so he added a stereotypical super-villain to the mix.

This is the story of Zaxony Delatree, a man with an unusual medical condition that enab I received this book as an ARC for an honest review from Netgalley. I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the concept of its multiverse and found it a very creative backdrop for a space opera; on the other hand, it felt as if the author had come up with an amazing setting and strong hook, and realized he needed some conflict, so he added a stereotypical super-villain to the mix.

This is the story of Zaxony Delatree, a man with an unusual medical condition that enables him to travel between quantum universes in the multiverse simply by falling asleep. In his home universe, a place of plenty with advanced technology, he works as a harmonizer, a kind of mediator. He is only able to stay in one place as long as he is able to stay awake, but he tries his best to help people along the way. He is the epitome of the Lawful Good type character, with a moral code so strong that his flaw becomes self-righteousness and naivete, much like the Jack Ryan character in the Tom Clancy novels.

Along the way he learns he can take companions with him if he holds them when he falls asleep, but they must be sedated too, or they go mad traveling between worlds. One of his companions, the Lector, a scientist, travels with him in order to study him, and gives him a linguistic virus that enables him to understand the languages of all the worlds he visits. But the Lector turns out to be an evil megalomaniac who wants to control Zax's ability to jump between universes in order to invade the multiverse as an empire. In turn, the Lector becomes a foil for Zax's Lawful Good nature, the polar opposite of him.

Zax picks up companions that help him in his fight against the Lector, although at first it is not a war; just an adventure, traveling between rapidly changing worlds, which lends the effect of the Groundhog Day trope, because of the speed in which he must travel. One of these people is a bio-engineered human who is something like a plant laboratory in a body, named Minna, and a crystal intelligence, named Vicki.

I enjoyed the author's multiverse; it was colorful and creative, and almost like a series of interlocking short stories, in a way. But my main knock on this book is the villain. I found the story of their conflict to be predictable. I prefer my villains three-dimensional, with complexities beyond multiverse domination, and I found it hard to care about even Zax defeating this villain, because he was a flat character. But if you like the black-and-white morality of superhero movies or Star Wars, you will probably appreciate the narrative arc of this story much more than I did.

In short: Enjoyable enough to finish, but underwhelming, in the end. ...more

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Nov 18, 2020 Graculus rated it liked it

Shelves: science-fiction

I freely admit to having a bit of a mixed experience with this author in the past - I really like the Marla Mason books but bounced quite hard off the previous sci fi novel of his that I tried, so this was always going to be a bit of a gamble...

The basic premise of Doors of Sleep is that our protagonist has discovered that when he falls asleep, he moves to a different universe - by the time we meet Zax, he has already travelled to hundreds of different universes, gaining and losing companions al I freely admit to having a bit of a mixed experience with this author in the past - I really like the Marla Mason books but bounced quite hard off the previous sci fi novel of his that I tried, so this was always going to be a bit of a gamble...

The basic premise of Doors of Sleep is that our protagonist has discovered that when he falls asleep, he moves to a different universe - by the time we meet Zax, he has already travelled to hundreds of different universes, gaining and losing companions along the way. He can only take someone with him, he's found, if they're asleep too as being awake does bad things for the brain of the person travelling with him. One of his companions, one he's left behind a while ago called the Lector, was left because he developed designs on Zax's abilities and wanted to use them for his own ends.

Naturally, we later discover that the Lector has managed to find a way to do so regardless of this separation and spends a chunk of the book chasing Zax and his current companions through various universes again. There's also some exposition about how they separated in the first place, which makes the plot drag a bit. To be perfectly honest, partway through the book and before the Lector was (re)introduced as an antagonist, I was left thinking 'what exactly is the point of this book?' and wondering where the author was going with it.

This was yet another one of those books where I probably wouldn't have carried on with it past a certain point if I hadn't needed to review it. As we get towards the end, things are tied up in a fairly neat package and even one of the bad things discussed earlier turns out to have apparently not been bad after all? Frankly, I'd have been interested more in the early days than this - looking back, Zax describes his experiences when first travelling, unable to understand or communicate before a very convenient language virus made that simpler. The decision to start in media res instead just didn't work as well for me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Mar 03, 2021 Permanently_Booked rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaways-arcs

Such a wild and unexpected ride! A unique spin on multiverse journeys that suck you into the different worlds and leave you wanting more. This was like Dr. Who meets a dreaming world jump matrix. Possibly even a slight vibe of A Wrinkle in Time could be debatable.

I found the character depth to be part of my favorite aspects of this read. I connected with Zax a lot. Especially with his loneliness before Minna comes into his life. He is a strong character with relatable flaws and a good heart. Th ...more

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Nov 19, 2020 Anna Szabó rated it really liked it

There are times I wish I could to other universes just to run from this one. I think most people feels this way sometimes.

Zax is someone who actually can. He didn't choose this but he has no choice. Every time he falls asleep he travels to another universe. He can prolong his stay with stimulants but eventually he falls asleep. But he can take people and stuff with him if he hold the person in his arms. The person he holds must be unconscious because if not, it has consequences, the person goes ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 Anneke rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley-read

Book Review: Doors of Sleep - Journals of Zaxony Delatree
Author: Tim Pratt
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: January 12, 2021
Review Date: November 26, 2020

From the blurb:
“Every time Zax Delatree falls asleep, he travels to a new reality. Sometimes he wakes up in technological utopias, and other times in the bombed-out ruins of collapsed civilizations. All he has to help him survive are his wits, a few small gadgets, and the people he can take with him, so long as they're unconscious in his ...more

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Feb 19, 2021 Celia Reaves rated it really liked it

For reasons that are never explained, Zax developed a problem. Every time he goes to sleep, he wakes up in a different universe. It’s a one-way trip, and he seems to have no control over where he goes. Something ensures that he wakes somewhere he can actually survive, at least in the short term: not inside a wall, or under miles of water, or in the vacuum of space. However, longer-term survival (meaning the next half hour sometimes) is definitely NOT guaranteed. He’s been living like this for ye ...more

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Nov 13, 2020 WorldconReader rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, 2022-hugo-eligible

Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher, Angry Robot, for kindly providing a review copy of this book.

"Doors of Sleep: Journals of Zaxony Delatree" by Hugo award winning author Tim Pratt is an adventurous tale of what might happen if an ordinary person suddenly develops the ability (or perhaps the handicap?) of mysteriously shifting into an alternate reality each time they fall asleep. In some ways the concept is similar to TV shows such as Sliders or before that Otherworld. Whatever the ...more

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Dec 01, 2020 Ernest rated it really liked it

As soon I started this book, I sighed. "Oh great. Another multiverse novel. Just what I needed." And in truth, it took a few chapters before Zax grew on me enough to really get into the book. He's sort of an Arthur Dent (Hitchhiker's Guide) character stuck in a multi-verse version of Gulliver's travels. Every time he falls asleep, he jumps between universes, never knowing where he'll wake up.

This is, of course, handy for the author, because he gets to write about a whole new world every time Za ...more

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Feb 05, 2021 Cindy rated it really liked it

"Here's the situation. Every time I fall asleep, I wake up in another universe." Twenty-two-year-old Zax hurtles through a complex multiverse in Tim Pratt's Doors of Sleep: Journals of Zaxony Delatree. This imaginative adventure stands on the shoulders of classic science fiction action novels like H.G. Wells's The Time Machine and provides as much entertainment.

Zak can't explain his predicament, but he knows he's been to more than 1,000 separate universes. Luckily, he stumbles on ways to counter ...more

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Dec 21, 2020 Aoife rated it really liked it

This is a great sci fi story, really imaginative, with some great lessons thrown in. Admittedly, one of the major lessons is "If you're hurtling helplessly through the multiverse, find a created plant person to bring along because she'll be really useful" but who knows when we'll need to know that!

I loved the varied civilisations Zax meets on his travels: some real thought has gone into them, even the ones that we skip past very quickly. These aren't cookie cutter planets, they're distinct and i ...more

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