cover image Where Futures End

Where Futures End

Parker Peevyhouse. Penguin/Dawson, $17.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-8037-4160-7

In this ambitious first novel, Peevyhouse tells five stories, each set further into the future and loosely connected to the others until, eventually, time begins to lose all meaning. Dylan is able to catch glimpses of another, fairy tale–like world, something that has caused him endless trouble. One day, he actually travels to the “Other Place,” where he spies “a distant city of glass like a gathering of soap bubbles,” ruled by a beautiful “Girl Queen.” Our world and an alternate universe have collided, he discovers, and people like Dylan can cross over, at least for a while. In the successive stories, the two worlds become increasingly entangled until disaster strikes. With each tale fitting into different subgenres of science fiction or fantasy—cyberpunk, heroic quest, mystical adventure—and new protagonists appearing every 60 pages, it’s a novel that keeps readers on their toes. Fans of adventurous, challenging fiction from the likes of A.S. King, David Mitchell, and Marcus Sedgwick should find this an exciting ride. Ages 12–up. [em]Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Feb.) [/em]