The Long Earth

Terry Pratchett · Stephen Baxter

Jun 2012 · Long Earth Book 1 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

The first novel in a brilliant collaboration between the visionary Discworld® creator Terry Pratchett and acclaimed science fiction novelist Stephen Baxter, The Long Earth transports readers to an infinity of new worlds—a series of parallel “earths" with doorways leading to adventure, intrigue, excitement, and an escape into the furthest reaches of the imagination. All it takes is a single step. . . .

The possibilities are endless. (Just be careful what you wish for. . . .)

1916: The Western Front. Private Percy Blakeney wakes up. He is lying on fresh spring grass. He can hear birdsong and the wind in the leaves. Where have the mud, blood, and blasted landscape of no-man's-land gone? For that matter, where has Percy gone?

2015: Madison, Wisconsin. Police officer Monica Jansson is exploring the burned-out home of a reclusive—some say mad, others allege dangerous—scientist who seems to have vanished. Sifting through the wreckage, Jansson finds a curious gadget: a box containing some rudimentary wiring, a three-way switch, and . . . a potato. It is the prototype of an invention that will change the way humankind views the world forever.

The Long Earth is an adventure of the highest order and will captivate science fiction fans of all stripes, readers of Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, and Carl Hiaasen, and anyone who enjoyed the Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman collaboration Good Omens.

Other books in the Long Earth series include:

• The Long War
• The Long Mars
• The Long Utopia
• The Long Cosmos

Ratings and reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The concept was brilliant, the characters were memorable, and the way the story was told from different viewpoints at times was interesting. That all being said, I feel as if the book didn't resolve a lot of the questions that popped into my head. I felt a little empty at the end, hoping to find more in the next series. I was sadly mistaken. However, I still would encourage others to read it, as it was quite entertaining for the price.

The ideas put forth in this book were so interesting that I was able to overlook how little was revealed over the course of the story. The authors hint at so many interesting ideas about space, mankind's role in the universe, and how society must change in the face of such a radical discovery that I was constantly wanting more. Unfortunately, the hints never develop, but it's a fun read nonetheless. The story perpetually wanders forward, and yet I would happily follow again.

Great concept well explained, sets up for further books but still fairly well on it's own right. One character is memorable but the rest not particularly. Some characters unnecessary but perhaps they will have a bigger role on books to come

About the author

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) was the acclaimed creator of the globally revered Discworld series. In all, he authored more than fifty bestselling books, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. His novels have been widely adapted for stage and screen, and he was the winner of multiple prizes, including the Carnegie Medal. He was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to literature in 2009, although he always wryly maintained that his greatest service to literature was to avoid writing any.

Stephen Baxter is an acclaimed, multiple-award-winning author whose many books include the Xeelee Sequence series, the Time Odyssey trilogy (written with Arthur C. Clarke), and The Time Ships, a sequel to H. G. Wells's classic The Time Machine. He lives in England.