This was another of my SPSFC semifinal reads and the views represent my own and not my team's. 

 

The story opens with Roy Mackey who is recovering a kidnapped kid from the addicts who did the abduction. I loved how it established Mackey's skills and the kind of work he does. He's hired by a man calling himself Mr. Smith to track down the manuscript of a deceased author. The chase leads him to realising that the author has plagiarised her work from an old comic book which only ran for three issues before the publisher went bankrupt due to a recession. He tracks down the author of the comic book, only to discover that Smith has been after her from the beginning, and Roy has just become expendable. He saves the author, Lucy Langenkamp from the goons Smith has sent, but neither of them are prepared for what comes after them. Characters from the comic book are coming alive and all of them want Lucy. 

 

While this reads more like fantasy than Sci Fi, the theory of alternate parallel universes gives it a Sci Fi slant. It was a highly entertaining and enjoyable read and I finished it in two days. There were times I had to put it aside for a bit because I got so anxious for the characters. 

 

Roy and Lucy are both well rounded characters, with depth and dimension. They are both battling their own traumas even as they're running from enemies. The side characters are mostly the comic book people but even they have some depth to them. I loved how it ended, and how everything led to that conclusion. As someone who hates confrontation and was afraid to say no for a long time, I found Lucy relatable on a personal level. I want to give her a hug and keep her safe and warm. Same with Roy. For all his faults, he is a man struggling to do the right thing. 

 

If you love Sci fi, fantasy and alternate dimensions with characters who are both believable and likeable, this is the book for you.