I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey Series: Pandominion #1
Published by Orbit on March 28 2023
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 496
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Epic in scope but intimate in characterization, Infinity Gate introduces a fascinating multiverse with a high stakes plot, plenty of twists and relentless pacing.
M.R. Carey won my heart years ago when I read The Girl With All the Gifts, and since then his stories have never failed to impress me. And Infinity Gate, the first in his Pandominion series, is no exception. This is a big, sprawling sci-fi adventure where there are many, many versions of Earth—in fact, there are infinite Earths, as suggested by the title. But as large and vast as the world is, this is also a character focused story. Bottom line: I was extremely impressed with everything about this novel.
The story revolves around three main characters (and a host of other side characters as well), all who live on different iterations of Earth, specifically in Lagos, Nigeria. Hadiz Tambuwal is a scientist whose city is crumbling. Her Lagos is besieged by city wide blackouts, earthquakes and food shortages. People are leaving in droves, but Hadiz decides to stay, holing up in the lab where she works. One day while performing an experiment using quantum physics, she inadvertently discovers the multiverse. With the help of an AI called Rupshe, Hadiz eventually gathers more information about these other worlds by using drones. And when conditions in the city worsen, she realizes her discovery can help her escape to a better world.
At the same time, we learn about a group of worlds called the Pandominion, a collective who have been using Step technology—the process of moving between universes—for a long time. Supported by a military faction called the Cielo and an AI called the Registry, the Pandominion monitors and controls all Step activity. One day, the Registry picks up some strange anomalies which turn out to be unauthorized Stepping and a possible enemy infiltration. Watchmaster Vemmet is tasked with finding and stopping the threat, but during the course of his assignment, he discovers something even bigger, a coalition of machine worlds called the Ansurrection who seem focused on wiping out the Pandominion.
Next we meet Essien Nkanika, who lives in yet another version of Lagos, a downtrodden man who grew up in poverty and slavery and hasn’t been able to escape his fate. That is until he meets an enigmatic woman in a bar who shows him something amazing and changes his life forever.
Finally, on a Pandominion world called Ut (yes, another Lagos!) we’re introduced to a race of sentient rabbits, a peaceful world where the average life expectancy is one hundred fifty years old and adulthood doesn’t start until you turn thirty. Topaz Tourmaline FiveHills is a nineteen-year-old schoolgirl who has just made a new friend, a transfer student named Dulcimer Coronal. Paz and Dulcie are inseparable, that is until the war against the Ansurrection suddenly lands on their doorstep.
All these characters converge in the most unexpected ways, as Carey’s story builds to a frenzied climax.
As you can tell, the story is rather complex and has lots of moving parts. In a less capable author’s hands, it probably wouldn’t have worked, but Carey knows exactly what’s he’s doing and never loses control of his plot. In some ways it reminded me of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where you have many different worlds, all at various stages of development. Some worlds are unaware that there’s a whole multiverse out there, only a “step” away from their own world, while others closely guard and control this technology. When you add in the terrifying idea of a group of machine worlds with the ability to decimate their enemies, you have the age old science fiction conflict between man and machine, but this one feels unique because of the characters and their relationships to each other.
Speaking of which, the characters are all interesting and wonderfully fleshed out. Carey takes his time introducing each one, giving each one plenty of space so the reader becomes invested on an emotional level. Hadiz fascinated me, with her combination of intelligence and wry humor. She thinks her discovery can help save the world, so rather than be motivated by greed, she truly wants to make life better for her people.
My heart went out to Essien, whose tragic backstory is described in unflinching detail. Even Vemmet, who finds himself in trouble when the importance of Hadiz’s experiments escape his notice, manages to figure out how to survive when he’s transferred to an unforgiving world as punishment.
But my favorite character was Paz, the rabbit girl with heart who is unwittingly thrust into the middle of a war. Paz just wants to go to school and hang out with her new friend Dulcie, but unfortunately circumstances won’t allow that to happen. I loved that Carey included some wonderful AI side characters, like Paz’s anima Tricity (sort of like our cell phones except anima are shaped like various animals and have the ability to communicate with their owners) and Rupshe, Hadiz’s AI friend who is mostly behind the scenes in this story but ultimately plays a big role in its outcome. If you’ve read The Book of Koli, you’ll know who Monono Aware is, and I couldn’t help but see some similarities between Monono and one AI in particular (which I can’t really tell you about because of spoilers).
I also loved the way some of the worlds are slightly “off” from ours (for example in one world, George Lucas’s popular series is called Space Empire instead of Star Wars). I was horrified by the descriptions of how citizens become soldiers in the Cielo, with painful body modifications to make them stronger and more resistant to enemy attacks.
And of course there are plenty of surprises in store. Carey throws in some shocking twists, and there’s also the mystery of the Ansurrection. No one really understands them or their motivations, or even who built them. No doubt these questions will be answered at some point in the series, and I cannot wait to see how Carey pulls everything together.
The last hundred pages are full of tense action, chase scenes, dangerous escapes and more as the characters come together for a final confrontation. The entire story is framed by short chapters from a mystery narrator, and I’m still not sure who it is (although I have my suspicions). The ending leaves the reader hanging only in the sense that there are still many unanswered questions. I can hardly wait to see what happens next!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
You wrote such a compelling review!! And Paz seems to be a favorite in this book. I cannot wait to meet her!
Paz is amazing, I think you’d love her:-)
So glad you enjoyed it! I was a fan of The Girl with All the Gifts as well, and I love sci-fi, so I was more than sure I would love this one. Instead it started to feel like a chore pretty early, and I had to call it quits. But I can see the appeal for someone who loves epic – if a bit bleak – sci-fi (which isn’t exactly my thing) and flawed characters. Awesome review!
Roberta R. recently posted…Tell Me Something Tuesday: How Do You Measure Blogging Success? Followers, Page Views, Interactions, Etc.
It’s definitely not an easy book to read in the beginning while he’s setting everything up. And yes, it’s very bleak. Thanks Roberta!
YESSSS!!! I knew you would love this one just as much as I did – and feel an extra-strong attachment for Paz.
Tricity and Monono are indeed… well… sisters if not in blood in… circuitry? 😉
This is – so far – my favorite work from Carey and I can’t wait for the next one to become available.
Wonderful review, thanks for sharing!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…INFINITY GATE (Pandominion #1), by M. R. Carey
Thank you Maddalena! I am so excited for the next book too. I think I’m still a little partial to the Koli series, but this is one of his best for sure:-)
The Girl With all the Gifts won me over too, I really enjoyed it, and The Boy on the Bridge. This sounds very different but I’m tempted to give it a go based on previously enjoying Carey’s books. Glad you enjoyed it.
Pages and Tea recently posted…Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1) by J. R. R. Tolkien
It’s very different from his other books, but it’s definitely a “Carey” book:-)
Paz was easily my favorite character! This was certainly a complex and ambitious story and it reminded me somewhat of The Long Earth series that I read forever ago.
It was ambitious! Carey always writes different genres, I feel like he never repeats himself, which I love.
Great review, Tammy! I’m glad you enjoyed this book. I think it sounds like such an excited and action-packed scifi adventure. I really love the idea of the story being framed by short chapters from a mystery narrator. I’d definitely be wondering who it is!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: The Rebirth by V.P. Evans
I’m so curious about the narrator! It’s either one of the characters or maybe someone we don’t even know yet. 🙂
I enjoyed your review!
But …. sentient rabbits…. I dunno… I am one of the few, probably, that really disliked “Watership Down” just because … rabbits. LOL This part sounds good, though: “tense action, chase scenes, dangerous escapes”!!!!!
I didn’t explain the rabbits that well, lol. In this world, different animal species evolved differently. I’m imagining Paz as a human-sized rabbit. There are also “people” with cat or dog features, etc. I thought it was pretty cool.
Fantastic review, Tammy:)). I’m very heartened as I have this one waiting on my TBR – so am now looking forward to it more than ever!
Thank you Sarah! I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts:-)
I really need to read this author!
I hope you get the chance:-)
I’m so glad to see such a positive review for this one! I’ve been so intrigued by it, but somewhat hesitant because I haven’t read something quite like this from Carey so wasn’t sure how it’d be handled–but it sounds like it did amazingly! I will hopefully be checking this one out soon.
Jordan @ Forever Lost in Literature recently posted…Review: Rubicon by J.S. Dewes
It was very different for sure. I don’t think he’s ever written a space opera-like story, but I think he pulled it off:-)
That seems utterly fascinating Tammy but I fear that a multiverse and different worlds would probably confuse me!
Ha ha I get it! Multiverse stories can be confusing. This on is very complicated at times, but I still loved it:-)
Well, I’m sold! I was definitely interested in this one before, but you have convinced me that I need it immediately! I looove the concept of infinite earths, and it sounds like this one was handled perfectly! And the characters sound awesome too. I definitely cannot WAIT for this one! Wonderful review, so glad you loved it!
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Reviews in a Minute: Mid-March
Thanks Shannon! It was so good:-)
Excellent review.
Would you consider this book under the genre African futurism?
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…The Classics Club: what I got for The Classics Spin #33
Wow, sounds like the beginning of a great series. I still need to go back and finish his Koli series. 🙂
I have a feeling I’ll enjoy this very much, when I get to it (which is soon!)
Yay, you’ve already read it! Aw, I love hearing there is a Monono like AI.
Jennifer | Book Den recently posted…Review | The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Excellent review! Paz sounds like a character who would win my heart too.
Now this one sounds really good! I still need to read The Girl With All the Gifts. Although I think there is a movie or tv series? I should try that, lol. Great review!
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