My review of Tim Pratt's novel Doors of Sleep is up now at Strange Horizons. This was a really fun and tightly-written science fiction story about a protagonist who, for reasons he doesn't understand, begins jumping between universes every time he falls asleep. It's also a book that subtly tries to subvert a lot of common tropes and story types from the science fiction genre, deepening the novel's themes in the process. I'll be really curious to see how Pratt develops this story in the future, as he has a sequel (titled Prison of Sleep) set to be published next year. The first paragraph of my review is below:
Tim Pratt's 2021 novel Doors of Sleep is based on an intriguingly creative premise. Focusing on a character named “Zaxony Dyad Euphony Delatree” (or simply Zax), Doors of Sleep follows its protagonist’s numerous adventures as he travels between universes, having been afflicted with a mysterious condition that causes him to jump realities every time he falls asleep. Zax is incapable of controlling the worlds he travels to, and only able to take with him whomever he is clutching hold of in the moment when he loses consciousness. The novel details how both Zax and the few people who choose to travel with him work to remain true to the ideals of pacifist humanitarianism, even as they live lives of constant uncertainty and danger.
The full review can be found here.