SOLVED. The main character steps into an alternate universe and finds out that other versions of him can do the same and form an organization that helps to maintain balance across the arc of the universe. [s]

[Zac]

Unsure if doing this right, but I am trying to remember a book that I read about a decade ago back in school. It was something a teacher lent me for a reading project, and it had a pretty decent story concept.

The general premise is the main character, a kid or teenager, accidentally steps from his time line/world to an alternate one. When he gets home, his mother is confused at what she is seeing, and a female version of the main character shows up. In a rush of confusion to get away from this reality that conflicted with his own, he accidentally steps into other worlds. This prompts the type of "police" (made up of alternate versions of himself from various points in time and different realities) to come and pick him up. After various events, he is recruited into the force and is put into hard training. Various other things happen, he somehow befriends some type of anomaly (this is a plot point at the end which leads to the main character getting his memory back and going to save the day yadda yadda), and it is just an interesting read that has been in my mind since reading it. Even if I have forgotten the name of it or character names and author name.... I am bad with names....

Random detail, the anomalous creature befriended is described as a bubble that constantly changes hue colorations(?). For this reason the main character named it Hue or something.

This should be either a fiction or science fiction book, unsure if it was written in the 90's or 2000's. I just know I read it during one of my individual projects at a high school maybe around 2008 or 2009.

Any help is appreciated, this whole thing is kinda new to me. (this type of site and search option)

[Annamariah]

I did a Google search and found another topic where someone was searching for a similar book.

Could A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence (and its sequels) be the book you are looking for?

[Zac]

Negative, the main character is a kid that lives with his mother and father, early in the book it goes into detail about him going over a waterfall in a barrel. In one of the time lines he accidentally steps into, he didn't survive that. And his mother lost her arm in the same (or another, I forget which) timeline and picks up smoking again. She pretty much breaks down when she sees him come in the door too... What with having lost her child years before and there he is >_>

Thanks for trying, I have literally spent all night googling things that I remember and coming up blank... I know it was a dark cover, forget if hard or paper back, can't even remember what the details on it were like either anymore... But I would most likely recognize it (I hope) if I were to see it again... That and read the first chapter.

It started off pretty bland, an everyday average kid doing average things, going to school and being kinda average (he apparently was crap at math until he started training). Oh, another random detail that stuck with me: they had a whole system during training that utilized only 4 hours sleep, saying "the human body only requires that as a bare minimum" and the rest of the time was spent with physical and mental training.

Hope I get a hit, I am kinda curious to see if it ever got a sequel.

[Annamariah]

Okay, I'll try again!

I googled a bit more and came across InterWorld by Neil Gaiman. Using the Look inside! -feature on Amazon, I found mentions of artificial arm and going over the falls in a barrel, so I really think this one might be your book. And it's a trilogy, so there's more to read if it is the right one!

[Andy]

Annamariah wrote: "Okay, I'll try again!

I googled a bit more and came across InterWorld by Neil Gaiman. Using the Look inside! -feature on Amazon, I found mentions of artificial arm and going over the ..."

Yeah, this is definitely InterWorld. There are two sequels The Silver Dream and Eternity's Wheel.

[Andy]

Previous threads on this book https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Zac]

Oh snap, it has sequels. Interworld is indeed correct, thank you much for helping my garbage memory :D

I knew the main characters name was some super common name, for some reason I kept thinking Steve or something like that. Turns out it is a legit everyday Joe XD

[Annamariah]

You're welcome :)