Alternities

This is a powerfully realised parallel universe novel, set in the 1970s. Its two main threads are: - The experiences of everyman agent Rayne Wallace, whose marriage is disintegrating as he is drawn ever-deeper into his government's secret infiltration of a number of accidentally discovered parallel earths. - The plot of the reckless US president Robinson to launch a sneak attack on the USSR. The whole premise is fully thought through, and is realised brilliantly. The parallel worlds feel completely real, inhabited by real people. The story is full of astute observations about relationships and political machinations. McDowell is a master of the thriller style. The writing, by and large, is excellent. I have just one criticism of the way the book is written - he has a tendency to over-describe emotional passages, and particular those involving physical intimacy. A tad more subtlety would have helped in these instances. This over-description notwithstanding, these scenes are intelligent and well-observed. One striking facet of the novel is the way Alternity Blue's Norfolk nuclear incident is so evocative of the World Trade Centre attack. This book was written in the late 80s, and so obviously this was not intentional. But it's a mark of the writer's intelligence that it seems so apt in 2008. All in all, this is an exceptionally good science fiction/political thriller novel. McDowell is clearly a writer of burning intelligence, and I look forward to reading more of his books.

Alternities by Michael P. Kube-McDowell Parallel universes. Reminiscent of "Sliders". A nuclear blast around 1950 has somehow triggered a 5-way split of multiverses which start to diverge from each other. No explanation is given of who discovered or created "gates" between the "Alternities". In the 21st century the USA from 1 alternity seeks to obtain hi-tech secrets from another alternity in a bid to overthrow Soviet dominance...but their attempts come unstuck.

This was the perfect combination of SF and political drama. It really outlined the dangers of too much power falling into the wrong hands. All of the characters' stories were compelling. It really pulled you right in from the start. Definitely worth the read!

Alternities is a sometimes frightening, but all the time captivating novel that shows, among other things, some of the othe paths the Cold War might have taken. My only wish is that we coud see more stories set in these set of alternate universes. --Mark R. Whittington (...)

An excellent parralel universe novel. Good characters investigating several alternative 1970s universes. Worth reading if you can find it.