Subgenre: Science Fiction / Speculative Fiction / Afrofuturism / Multiverse Thriller
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.3 out of 5 multiversal selves)

If you could meet every version of yourself across 382 universes, would you be relieved… or horrified? In The Space Between Worlds, Micaiah Johnson doesn’t just play with the multiverse—she tears through its velvet curtain with a voice that’s as gritty as it is philosophical, serving up a sci-fi narrative that’s equal parts mirror and microscope.

This is the kind of story where identity, class, race, and survival braid together in strange new shapes—like a constellation you don’t recognize at first, but suddenly realize is spelling your name.

🧬 What’s It About (With Interdimensional Flair)

Meet Cara, a traverser—a person who can travel between parallel Earths. The catch? You can’t visit a world where your counterpart is still alive. Lucky (or rather, unlucky) for Cara, her other selves tend to have a habit of dying young, making her uniquely qualified for multiverse travel.

She works for the wealthy Wiley City, fetching data from alternate realities where their elite clients’ decisions may have led to different outcomes. But when one version of herself dies mysteriously—on a world she shouldn’t have access to—Cara uncovers a conspiracy that unravels everything: her past, her privilege, and her place in every universe.

🌟 Praise: What This Book Does Brilliantly

🪞A Deep Dive into Identity and Class

This isn't just science fiction—it’s class commentary wrapped in cosmic ribbon. Johnson explores what it means to be a survivor in every sense of the word: in your skin, your zip code, your body. Cara’s “worthiness” as a multiverse traveler comes at the cost of systemic violence, and the book doesn’t shy away from showing that.

🧠 Smart Sci-Fi That Doesn’t Over-Explain

Multiverse stories can easily trip over their own timelines, but The Space Between Worlds keeps it sharp and streamlined. The rules are just solid enough to hold the story’s weight, without becoming a tangled knot of quantum technobabble.

💔 Queer, Messy, and Compelling Relationships

The romantic and platonic entanglements in this book aren’t clean-cut—they’re beautifully complicated. Especially Cara’s dynamic with Dell (stoic, guarded, swoon-worthy), which unfolds like a flower that doesn’t quite trust the sun.

✍🏾 A Voice With Bite

Cara’s narration is sharp, cynical, and emotionally intelligent. She feels like a full-bodied human being—not just a sci-fi archetype—grappling with trust, belonging, and the ghostly ache of versions of herself that never got the chance to live.

🌀 What Might Cause Static in the Signal

  • Some Pacing Wobbles: The first third is a bit of a slow burn, and the climax might feel sudden if you're expecting an action-heavy showdown. This is more psychological suspense than pulse-pounding thriller.
  • Worldbuilding Light in Some Areas: Wiley City and Ashtown are both fascinating, but they’re painted in broad strokes. Some readers may crave more depth in the cultural and architectural details of each world.
  • Secondary Characters Could Be Stronger: While Cara herself is a firecracker, some supporting characters—especially antagonists—might come off a little underbaked compared to her vivid presence.

⚠️ Potential Triggers (Moderate to High)

  • Violence (including domestic violence and implied torture)
  • Class-based discrimination and poverty
  • Homophobia and emotional abuse
  • Loss of parents / family trauma
  • Death of alternate selves (frequent and often brutal)
  • Power imbalances in relationships

None of these are gratuitous, but they do shape the emotional terrain of the novel in significant ways.

💫 Best For Readers Who...

  • Are obsessed with multiverse theory, but also want their heartstrings tugged
  • Crave queer representation that’s nuanced and not sanitized
  • Love stories that blur the line between science fiction and social commentary
  • Enjoy anti-heroes with emotional depth and street-smart grit
  • Want a fresh take on dystopian sci-fi that centers BIPOC protagonists

✨ Final Verdict: Across Every Universe, This One’s Worth Reading

The Space Between Worlds is a multiverse novel that dares to ask: What happens when you’re always the one left behind? With incisive commentary and a vulnerable, prickly heroine at its heart, this is speculative fiction at its most emotionally intelligent. Micaiah Johnson doesn't just write a clever concept—she writes a whole new way of seeing ourselves, in every mirror, in every world.

No matter the dimension, Gwythus is glad this one made it into ours.