Which universe is which?

 

Wakers
(Sidestep #1)
By Orson Scott Card
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (February 22, 2022)
Hardcover: 400 pages
ISBN-10: 1481496190

ISBN-13: 978-1481496193
Reading age: 14 years and up
Grade level: 9 - 12
Publisher’s Blurb:

Laz is a side-stepper: a teen with the incredible power to jump his consciousness to alternate versions of himself in parallel worlds. All his life, there was no mistake that a little side-stepping couldn’t fix.

Until Laz wakes up one day in a cloning facility on a seemingly abandoned Earth.

Laz finds himself surrounded by hundreds of other clones, all dead, and quickly realizes that he too must be a clone of his original self. Laz has no idea what happened to the world he remembers as vibrant and bustling only yesterday, and he struggles to survive in the barren wasteland he’s now trapped in. But the question that haunts him isn’t why was he created, but instead, who woke him up…and why?

There’s only a single bright spot in Laz’s new life: one other clone appears to still be alive, although she remains asleep. Deep down, Laz believes that this girl holds the key to the mysteries plaguing him, but if he wakes her up, she’ll be trapped in this hellscape with him.

This is one problem that Laz can’t just side-step his way out of.

 My Thoughts:

I’m always ready to read something by Orson Scott Card. This book, however, was not one of his more gripping ones. Aimed at ages 14 and up, it features a teenaged protagonist trying to solve problems that impact all of humanity. A teenaged protagonist, though, does not guarantee a good teenaged read. This book hangs with Card works such as Xenocide and Children of the Mind. It is much more philosophy focused than action focused. Pondering the workings of alternate universe theory can be headache-inducing at the best of times. Had this had the pacing of Ender’s Game or the Bean books, it might have been a different story.

 I find it curious that Card has no mention of this book anywhere on his Hatrack River website. It’s almost as if…he doesn’t want us to know about it?

 The first third of the book has Laz alone, attempting to survive as possibly the last man on earth, so there’s not much dialogue. Once Ivy is awakened, there’s much more to see and do, of course, and the pace does pick up a bit. Their quest to solve the problems presented to them, despite withheld information and questionable motivations, is interesting, although not gripping. And of course, there’s no resolution, since this is the first of a planned trilogy.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Dicussion of bodily functions. References to sex, nonspecific and definitely not graphic. Some kissing. Some animals are hurt. Hunger, loneliness. Taking items from stores in an abandoned city.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Fans of the conundrums of alternate universes, those who like apocalyptic fictions. Those who like stories with difficult friendships.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my thoughts.