Those Beyond the Wall (The Space Between Worlds, #2)
Micaiah Johnson
Faced with a coming apocalypse, a woman must reckon with her past to solve a series of sudden and inexplicable deaths in a searing sci-fi thriller from the Compton Crook Award–winning author of The Space Between Worlds. Scales is the best at what she does. She is an enforcer who keeps the peace in Ashtown; a rough, climate-ravaged desert town. But that fragile peace is fractured when a woman is mangled and killed within Ash's borders, right in front of Scales's eyes. Even more incomprehensible is that there was seemingly no murderer. When more mutilated bodies start to turn up, both in Ashtown and in the wealthier, walled-off Wiley City, Scales is tasked with finding the cause—and putting an end to it. She teams up with a frustratingly by-the-books partner and a brusque-but-brilliant scientist in order to uncover the truth, delving into both worlds to track down the invisible killer. But what they find points to something bigger and more corrupt than they could've ever foreseen—and it could spell doom for the entire world.
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0**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.**
Actual rating: 3.5
Micaiah Johnson returns to the story of The Space Between Worlds with its sequel Those Beyond the Wall. Readers follow Scales as she navigates her life as a runner and all of the potential of the multiverse when Ashtown is threatened by traversers.
Initially, I didn't realize this was a sequel, but listened to The Space Between Worlds on audio first when I found out. I am grateful I took the time to do so, as I don't think I would appreciate Those Beyond the Wall properly without the background knowledge.
Due to the wibbly wobbly timey wimey nature of Johnson's multiverse, this narrative is dense and does experience multiple timeline jumps in the form of potential timeliness as well as flashbacks and flashforwards. Readers do have to pay attention as this is not a candy floss read. As with Johnson's debut, her sophomore novel uses scifi to explore inequities of reality. Favorite characters from book one appear in book two, but revealing much about who is featured can be spoilers due to the sheer nature of the multiverse.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Those Beyond the Wall and can see where Johnson could continue in this world if she wanted. I do recommend these books on audio if possible as it helps to lessen some of the density of the read.
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