I got this book free as an ARC through librarything.com in return for a review.
I found the premise of the novel intriguing, parallel worlds, time travel, etc, but found the execution a little lacking. The novel struggled to come together as a cohesive whole and felt more like a series of interconnected stories. ( )

I really tried to finish this book because I got it through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, but I just could not. I barely understood the vagaries of this (dystopian?) society, much less all the sparkly flying about and visiting other dimensions / astral projection. I didn't really care about the protagonist and didn't get his motivation for anything. Inside the walls of the 'sanctuary' society is just as messed up as outside, and while there's probably a revolution in the making which might eventually be intriguing, I didn't feel like wading through the rest of it in order to get to that part. All in all, this book is just not for me. ( )

Courttia Newland has a beautiful writing style that shines throughout this book, which is filled with startling and original descriptions. I cannot, however, recommend the book. I have not been able to finish it, in large part because I have no idea where the plot is going. I put this down largely to my own ignorance of the mythology the author is drawing on.

Reading the book, I was very impressed with the author's world-building, but I could not see how the plot was developing. It reminded me of another book in the same genre, ( )

A complex and multi-layered story about parallel worlds, meditation, time travel, astral projection and decolonized spirituality set in a post apocalyptic England where the higher classes live in a massive indoor city know as the Ark. The protagonist is a young man named Markiss Denny who grew up in the poorer quarters that surround the Ark. His fate eventually brings him within the walls of the city, leaving behind his mother and all the friends he ever knew. Within, he has a life devoid of moral fulfillment, producing political propaganda as dictated by the powers that control the Ark.

But by chance he has a recurrence of the strange abilities he experience in childhood - astral projection. He is met on another plane by a spiritual guide who gives him instruction on how to travel through time and among worlds, visiting himself in many other possible lives. Each life will teach him more about himself and his powers as well as his ultimate purpose.

I liked this book's refreshing and unusual take on the post-apocalyptic novel. I loved the idea of western culture being based upon a nonwestern religion and how that would affect culture. However, this novel's dreamy quality led to a lot of confusion for me about the plot. In the end, it seemed more like a collection of interrelated stories rather than a novel with a clear beginning middle and end. Perhaps that was the author's intention, but I sometimes struggled to remember characters and their relationships to each other. Still very interesting, but not a quick or light read. ( )

I got this book free as an ARC through librarything.com in return for a review.

The story takes place in a city in some alternate universe. The city, called Dinium City, may be a stand-in for London. The main character is Markriss. We meet him in high school. He lives in a poorer part of town. His goal is to do well in school so he can take an exam which may get him into the Ark.

The center of Dinium is a wasteland caused, apparently, by some sort of weapons discharge years before. A huge building called the Ark has been built there, maybe as some sort of refuge for the best and brightest of Dinium. By the time Markriss is old enough to take the exam, he's not sure he even wants to go, leaving behind his poor mother.

This is a world something like our world. There are computers and an Internet. There are automobiles, but most of them are electric. The sections of the book are dated and indicate the story takes place in 2020. While like our world, it's vastly different. Dinium seems populated by a rich multi-ethicnic society, with many religious beliefs. People sleep in pods, which promote sleep by electrical means. This is so common that houses don't have bedrooms, they have podrooms. Pods had been invented over 100 years before.

Although in a different world, the first part seems like a typical coming of age story. Markress has friends and a particular girlfriend, but has to leave them all behind to enter the Ark.

Once he's in, the story seems to jump forward a few years. Markriss is living in a crappy apartment in the Ark. He's got a crappy job. He lives near the Poor Quarter where riots seem to happen every night. The environment is completely closed to the outside world, with large lights in the ceiling to simulate daylight. None of this makes any sense. What kind of refuge is this supposed to be?

Then one night, while sleeping in his pod, Markress meets some one in a dream. I guess. Then he and this person astral project into different realms? Really, by this point I had no idea what was going on and couldn't stand to read anymore.

Made it to page 160 in a 460 page book. ( )