A World Too Near (The Entire and the Rose, Book 2) by Kay Kenyon
Reviewed by Matt
Narrator: Christian Rummel
Audio Length: 15 hours and 28 minutes.
A World Too Near is the second book in a planned four book series by Kay Kenyon. It somewhat of an unusual book in that it covers some of the same ground as the first book, Bright of the Sky, but in a way, it is also one of it’s strengths. Since the groundwork for world of the Entire was already laid out in the first book, this allowed Ms. Kenyon to jump straight right into the plot.
Titus Quinn escaped from the Entire at the end of the first book and freed the Bright Ships from their captivity. He also brought back a warning for the Rose (Earth) that the Tarig are planning to burn the Rose universe in order to fuel their universe. Once again, he is recruited to return to the Entire and his mission is destroy the engine at Ahnenhoon. This should prevent the Tarig from killing off our universe and save the Entire from invasion from the Rose.
So Titus is forced back into the Entire on a desperate mission but this time he gets surprise when he arrives. The company also decides to send another person with him, Helice. Helice is a very smart and ambitious individual and it soon becomes clear that her plans are very different from Titus’s. She explains that the bomb Titus brought with him will destroy not only the Ahnenhoon but the Entire itself. So if Titus follows though with his plan he will save the Rose but will kill off a complete universe of sentient species. Helice, on the other hand, wants to save the Entire in favor of the Rose and begins to plot against Titus.
We are also introduced to Johanna, Titus’s wife from the first novel. Titus was told she had been killed and it is a complete surprise when he learns that she is still alive. Johanna has been forced to live at Ahnenhoon under the thumb of the Tarig. Over the many years her loyalty to the Rose has never wavered and she has been planning the destruction of the Entire through subterfuge. Her hidden message to Titus in the first book is what set the whole plan in motion. Johanna is treated as more of side character in the story when I was hoping that it would would focus mainly on her and her history in the Entire. Her viewpoint is entirely different from Titus’s and would have provided an interesting debate over if it is moral to allow one universe to perish in favor of the other.
Lastly, Sydney, Titus’ and Johanna’s daughter, plays a prominent role in the first half of the novel but then inexplicably disappears for the entire second half of the novel. Through force of will, Sydney is able to bring all of Inyx under her control and start a shadow campaign against the Tarig. The Inyx learn some very important information about the Tarig and develop an ingenious method to spread the information. During this time Helice escapes from Titus to join forces with Sydney. She is able to convince Sydney that her father is planning to burn the Entire and in response, Sydney sends an assassin to kill her father.
All these plot threads are brought to a head in Ahnenhoon at a furious pace. Ms. Kenyon develops another complex story with many story lines going on the same time. She does an excellent job of switching back and forth between characters allowing the tension to build slowly to a very exciting conclusion. The ending is not so much a surprise due to the fact there a couple of novels still left in the series, but some of events are unexpected.
This is going to sound strange but A World Too Near feels more like the first book of a trilogy than a second book in a series. Bright of the Sky was a fun adventure and nice set up novel for the rest of the series. But, the real story begins with A World Too Near and so far it is excellent and completely absorbing. I am really looking forward to City Without End and Prince of Storms.
Matt started this discussion 3 months ago. ( )
