A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon - a review

In book two of the science fiction series The Entire and the Rose, Titus Quinn is back in the world of the Entire, a universe that exist alongside ours (the Rose) with only a few shifting slivers to connect us. But unlike his trip in The Bright of the Sky, Titus is not alone this time. Helice Maki, an ambitious scientist who has risen to a powerful position within the Minerva Corporation, has insisted on accompanying him. While Titus also plans to rescue his daughter Sydney, he's not sure what Helice's real motives are.

Officially, their mission is to prevent the Tarig overlords from destroying the Rose. Disguised as godmen, they travel across the Entire to Ahnenhoon where Lord Inweer has an engine designed to implode the Rose in order to fuel their dying world. Titus carries a powerful nano-weapon to destroy the engine, but Helice tries to convince him that the weapon is unstable and will destroy not only the engine, but the whole of the Entire.

Also at Ahnenhoon is Titus' wife, Johanna, whom he has just discovered is still alive. In her position as Lord Inweer's favorite, she tries to counter his plans. Sydney believes her father abandoned her years ago after their first arrival and has developed a deep hatred of him. Hearing that he has returned to the Entire once again she sends a warrior to assassinate him.

Just as in The Bright of the Sky, the characters continue to be complex and conflicted, each having a genuine position and motives for their actions. Even secondary characters are memorable and real. The Tarig lord become just a bit less one-dimensional as we see a few have conflicting allegiances. While the world of the Entire is unique ( and perhaps because it is so interesting) I was disappointed to see very little that was different from The Bright of the Sky.

My Recommendation
While I don't believe A World Too Near is quite as good as The Bright of the Sky, this is still a strong book that furthers The Entire and the Rose series through superior characters. This science fiction series is definitely worth checking out.