Everett Singh has escaped with the Infundibulum from the clutches of Charlotte Villiers and the Order, but at a terrible price. His father is missing, banished to one of the billions of parallel universes of the Panoply of All Worlds, and Everett and the crew of the airship Everness have taken a wild Heisenberg jump to a random parallel plane. Everett is smart and resourceful, and from the refuge of a desolate frozen Earth far beyond the Plenitude, where he and his friends have gone into hiding, he makes plans to rescue his family. But the villainous Charlotte Villiers is one step ahead of him. The action traverses three different parallel Earths: one is a frozen wasteland; one is just like ours, except that the alien Thryn Sentiency has occupied the Moon since 1964, sharing its technology with humankind; and one is the embargoed home of dead London, where the remnants of humanity battle a terrifying nanotechnology run wild. Across these parallel planes of existence, Everett faces terrible choices of morality and power. But he has the love and support of Sen, Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth, and the rest of the crew of Everness as he learns that the deadliest enemy isn't the Order or the world-devouring nanotech Nahn—it's himself.
Be My Enemy (Everness)
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Teen science whiz and star goalie Everett Singh is back in this exciting sequel to Planesrunner (PYR, 2011). As he found out in the first volume, there are many Earths, many universes. The key to traveling among them is the Infundibulum, an electronic map of the multiverse created by his dad. But Dr. Singh is missing, "shot" into a random parallel universe, and before Everett can find him he has to escape from Charlotte Villiers and her storm troopers. Villiers has big plans and needs the Infundibulum to carry them out, but Everett is too fast and too smart for her. So she recruits the only person in the known worlds who can catch him-his double from another Earth. With the crew of the airship Everness, from the electro-steampunk Earth 3, Everett jumps through alternate universes, trying to stay one step ahead of Villiers and the one enemy who knows him as well as he knows himself. McDonald is a master of science fiction, and this story is chock-full of danger and excitement as well as mind-bending physics. The science doesn't overwhelm but readers will be far less confused, especially at the start, if they read Planesrunner first. The author once again includes a helpful glossary of Palari, the Airish argot of the Everness crew. The climax is heart-stopping and shows Everett at his genius best. The ominous denouement will leave readers hungry for the next installment.-Anthony C. Doyle, Livingston High School Library, CAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
"[An] exciting first sequel to outstanding series opener Planesrunner... . Smart, clever, and abundantly original, with suspense that grabs your eyeballs, this is real science fiction for all ages. More! More!"--KIRKUS REVIEWS, Starred Review
Praise for Planesrunner
"Smashing adventure fiction that spans the multiverse without ever losing its cool or its sense of style... . [Planesrunner] is everything you could hope for: romantic, action-packed, wildly imaginative, and full of heart."--CORY DOCTOROW, Author of For the Win
"Lovers of sci-fi, adventure, and steampunk won't be able to put it down! Not to be missed! 5/5."--MY BOOKISH WAYS
"Chock-full of awesome... . Airship-dueling, guns-blazing fantasy... ."--PAOLO BACIGALUPI, Author of Ship Breaker
"I am totally into this book. It's cool, it's fun, and it's exciting. Hanging out with this book makes me feel a little cooler and a little smarter. Plus, I feel like I'm dating the kind of book I always want to date."--FOREVER YOUNG ADULT
"McDonald writes with scientific and literary sophistication, as well as a wicked sense of humor. Add nonstop action, eccentric characters, and expert universe building, and this... . is a winner."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Starred Review
"One of those novels that grabs hold of you from the very beginning and then just never lets go... . It's rare when a book is more or less exactly what you hoped it would be, but Planesrunner is just that. I can't wait for the next book in the Everness series." --TOR.COM
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Be My Enemy is the sequel to last year's Planesrunner, the book that launched Ian McDonald's first ever YA series in spectacular fashion. I dearly love both of these novels and don't want to ruin your enjoyment of them in any way, so if you haven't read Planesrunner yet, stop reading this now and instead check out my review of that first novel, because there will be some spoilers for the first book below. In other words: if you're new to the Everness series, stop reading here until you've had the chance to devour Planesrunner. Gentle reader, you have been warned.
At the end of Planesrunner, Everett and the crew of the airship Everness won a significant victory, but not without paying a dear price for it. Against all odds, they managed to escape from Charlotte Villiers and the military might of her allies. More importantly, they were able to keep the powerful Infundibulum--a map of the billions of parallel worlds and universes--out of her hands. Still, at the start of Be My Enemy, the situation is far from ideal.
For one, Everett and company are in hiding after having taken a random jump to what turns out to be a completely frozen Earth. They're doing all they can to stay warm, conserve power and find a way to jump back to a more familiar world. Meanwhile, Everett is also desperately looking for a way to find his father, who was unwillingly transported to a completely random universe at the end of Planesrunner. The odds of tracking him down among all the myriad planes of existence are negligible, but Everett is applying all his skills to making the attempt.
While Everett and the crew of the Everness are regrouping, Charlotte Villiers and the Order are hatching a brand new plan to capture the Infundibulum. The title of the novel offers a hint of how this is going to work: they're actually recruiting an alter of Everett, meaning Everett from one of the other worlds in the Panoply. In this world, Earth was contacted by an alien civilization called the Thrynn Sentiency in the second half of the 20th century. Using Thrynn technology, Villiers and co. turn this world's Everett into a killing machine (the real Everett refers to him as "RoboEverett" at one point) but despite all the physical modifications, he at least starts out being the same person inside, which creates some interesting tensions along the way.
And that, in a nutshell, is the main setup of this great sequel to Planesrunner, which in many ways continues in a straight line from the opening volume's starting point. Everett is more and more becoming a part of the Everness crew, and grows closer and closer to the lovely and mysterious Sen Sixsmyth. Meanwhile, the villains are still doing all they can to track him down. In essence, the hunt that started in the first book continues in this sequel.
The main new ingredients are "RoboEverett" on the one hand, and two previously unseen Panoply worlds on the other. One of these is the Thrynn Sentiency one mentioned before, and the other is the mysterious, quarantined "E1" world we heard of in the first book. In Be My Enemy, we find out the horrific reason why E1 is off-limits to the rest of the Panoply.
If I'm to be completely honest, Be My Enemy didn't blow me away as completely as Planesrunner did. That's partly because it's, well, a sequel. A sequel to an outstanding novel, granted, but still, some familiarity sets in. The surprise factor wears off, ever so slightly. You only get one chance to meet wonderful characters like Sen Sixsmyth and the rest of the Everness crew for the first time.
I also wasn't completely thrilled with some of the new twists Ian McDonald throws in, especially the whole doppelganger story line (which, as you'd guess from the title, is central to Be My Enemy) and also the the reason for the E1 quarantine. I'm trying to be as vague as possible here to avoid spoilers, so I'll just say that it felt a bit too recognizable for me. Then again, these books are aimed at a YA audience, and depending on their familiarity with SF, it's quite likely that YA readers wouldn't have those same reservations.
Even with those few quibbles, Be My Enemy is still a great novel. Just revisiting the Airish and reading the palari chatter is worth the price of admission. Everett and Sen continue to grow closer, and you just can't help but root for them. The story once again moves along at a very rapid pace, making this another fun, fast read. There are times when these books just sparkle with innovation and adventure and humor. Ian McDonald also sneaks in several sly references and allusions again, like having Everett ironically realize at one point that he's going through a "TV Tropes moment." (Also, catch the Portishead quote--from one of my favorite tracks no less--in Chapter 15.) And, if cover art's your thing, Be My Enemy is once again graced by a brilliant, eye-catching illustration by John Picacio--which, apparently, almost turned out completely differently!
If you loved Planesrunner as much as I did, you won't need my recommendation to pick up this sequel. Even if I had a few minor issues with it, the book is still a blast from start to finish. As far as I'm concerned, Ian McDonald could write another dozen or so of these Everness novels, and I'd happily read them all. As Sen says, early on in Be My Enemy: "Let the bona temps roll."
At the end of Planesrunner, Everett and the crew of the airship Everness won a significant victory, but not without paying a dear price for it. Against all odds, they managed to escape from Charlotte Villiers and the military might of her allies. More importantly, they were able to keep the powerful Infundibulum--a map of the billions of parallel worlds and universes--out of her hands. Still, at the start of Be My Enemy, the situation is far from ideal.
For one, Everett and company are in hiding after having taken a random jump to what turns out to be a completely frozen Earth. They're doing all they can to stay warm, conserve power and find a way to jump back to a more familiar world. Meanwhile, Everett is also desperately looking for a way to find his father, who was unwillingly transported to a completely random universe at the end of Planesrunner. The odds of tracking him down among all the myriad planes of existence are negligible, but Everett is applying all his skills to making the attempt.
While Everett and the crew of the Everness are regrouping, Charlotte Villiers and the Order are hatching a brand new plan to capture the Infundibulum. The title of the novel offers a hint of how this is going to work: they're actually recruiting an alter of Everett, meaning Everett from one of the other worlds in the Panoply. In this world, Earth was contacted by an alien civilization called the Thrynn Sentiency in the second half of the 20th century. Using Thrynn technology, Villiers and co. turn this world's Everett into a killing machine (the real Everett refers to him as "RoboEverett" at one point) but despite all the physical modifications, he at least starts out being the same person inside, which creates some interesting tensions along the way.
And that, in a nutshell, is the main setup of this great sequel to Planesrunner, which in many ways continues in a straight line from the opening volume's starting point. Everett is more and more becoming a part of the Everness crew, and grows closer and closer to the lovely and mysterious Sen Sixsmyth. Meanwhile, the villains are still doing all they can to track him down. In essence, the hunt that started in the first book continues in this sequel.
The main new ingredients are "RoboEverett" on the one hand, and two previously unseen Panoply worlds on the other. One of these is the Thrynn Sentiency one mentioned before, and the other is the mysterious, quarantined "E1" world we heard of in the first book. In Be My Enemy, we find out the horrific reason why E1 is off-limits to the rest of the Panoply.
If I'm to be completely honest, Be My Enemy didn't blow me away as completely as Planesrunner did. That's partly because it's, well, a sequel. A sequel to an outstanding novel, granted, but still, some familiarity sets in. The surprise factor wears off, ever so slightly. You only get one chance to meet wonderful characters like Sen Sixsmyth and the rest of the Everness crew for the first time.
I also wasn't completely thrilled with some of the new twists Ian McDonald throws in, especially the whole doppelganger story line (which, as you'd guess from the title, is central to Be My Enemy) and also the the reason for the E1 quarantine. I'm trying to be as vague as possible here to avoid spoilers, so I'll just say that it felt a bit too recognizable for me. Then again, these books are aimed at a YA audience, and depending on their familiarity with SF, it's quite likely that YA readers wouldn't have those same reservations.
Even with those few quibbles, Be My Enemy is still a great novel. Just revisiting the Airish and reading the palari chatter is worth the price of admission. Everett and Sen continue to grow closer, and you just can't help but root for them. The story once again moves along at a very rapid pace, making this another fun, fast read. There are times when these books just sparkle with innovation and adventure and humor. Ian McDonald also sneaks in several sly references and allusions again, like having Everett ironically realize at one point that he's going through a "TV Tropes moment." (Also, catch the Portishead quote--from one of my favorite tracks no less--in Chapter 15.) And, if cover art's your thing, Be My Enemy is once again graced by a brilliant, eye-catching illustration by John Picacio--which, apparently, almost turned out completely differently!
If you loved Planesrunner as much as I did, you won't need my recommendation to pick up this sequel. Even if I had a few minor issues with it, the book is still a blast from start to finish. As far as I'm concerned, Ian McDonald could write another dozen or so of these Everness novels, and I'd happily read them all. As Sen says, early on in Be My Enemy: "Let the bona temps roll."
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Be My Enemy is the second book in the Everness series, but stands very solidly as a story on its own. I was afraid I had missed vital information by starting with the second book (as I seem to be doing a lot lately), but the author does an excellent job of introducing the characters and saying what's going on without leaving the reader to wonder what he's missed.
What attracted me to this book, and what I knew would also attract my children who are its intended audience (at 13 and 15), were the richness of the book's language, the male protagonist, and the mention of parallel universes. My older son especially is a big fan of science fiction and fantasy and having the male protagonist be close to his own age is an extra bonus. I also liked the glossary at the back of the book which defined the words of the Airish language.
My plan is to go back to the first book in the series, Planesrunner, as I know that will have rich back story that can only help with the understanding of the series, but I can also heartily recommend this book and plan to read the other books of the series going forward. Congratulations to Ian McDonald on a wonderful job!
What attracted me to this book, and what I knew would also attract my children who are its intended audience (at 13 and 15), were the richness of the book's language, the male protagonist, and the mention of parallel universes. My older son especially is a big fan of science fiction and fantasy and having the male protagonist be close to his own age is an extra bonus. I also liked the glossary at the back of the book which defined the words of the Airish language.
My plan is to go back to the first book in the series, Planesrunner, as I know that will have rich back story that can only help with the understanding of the series, but I can also heartily recommend this book and plan to read the other books of the series going forward. Congratulations to Ian McDonald on a wonderful job!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wrote a fairly long review of the first book in the Everness series, Planesrunner (Everness, Book One), so I'll keep this review shorter.
These are wonderful books. The plots are compelling and full of interesting ideas, like Ian McDonald's other books. The characters are not stereotypes, but have depth and complexity. When Planesrunner was first published I was worried that Ian McDonald had watered down his usual great writing. Instead I found Planesrunner a great book and immediately purchased By My Enemy.
Be My Enemy is a darker book than Planesrunner. The crew of the airship Everness flee through the worlds parallel worlds of the universe trying to protect a secret that will open up all of the universes to potentially grant power to people who have done some evil things (Its worth noting that as in real life, the people who do the evil things don't think that they're evil, they think that they are forced to take these extreme actions).
These are Young Adult books only in that the central characters are teenagers (Everett Singh and Sen, who is teenage girl), the plot omits any explicit sex and Ian McDonald has toned down the complexity of his writing a small amount. I found these books compelling and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. Since I will have to wait for the sequel, it is fortunate that these books have a power that is difficult to forget.
These are wonderful books. The plots are compelling and full of interesting ideas, like Ian McDonald's other books. The characters are not stereotypes, but have depth and complexity. When Planesrunner was first published I was worried that Ian McDonald had watered down his usual great writing. Instead I found Planesrunner a great book and immediately purchased By My Enemy.
Be My Enemy is a darker book than Planesrunner. The crew of the airship Everness flee through the worlds parallel worlds of the universe trying to protect a secret that will open up all of the universes to potentially grant power to people who have done some evil things (Its worth noting that as in real life, the people who do the evil things don't think that they're evil, they think that they are forced to take these extreme actions).
These are Young Adult books only in that the central characters are teenagers (Everett Singh and Sen, who is teenage girl), the plot omits any explicit sex and Ian McDonald has toned down the complexity of his writing a small amount. I found these books compelling and I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series. Since I will have to wait for the sequel, it is fortunate that these books have a power that is difficult to forget.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good sequel
There will be spoilers for the first book in the series, Planesrunner.
We were left with quite a cliffhanger at the end of Planesrunner; Everett's dad is zapped to a... Read more
We were left with quite a cliffhanger at the end of Planesrunner; Everett's dad is zapped to a... Read more
Published 19 days ago by Lisa (Starmetal Oak Reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Sci-Fi Adventure!
Originally Reviewed At: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: AimeeKay
I have been waiting forever to read... Read more
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: Publisher
Reviewer: AimeeKay
I have been waiting forever to read... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mother/Gamer/Writer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great sequel, fast and fun read
Though I guess this is really a YA sci-fi series, I really enjoyed reading this sequel. The blending of modern tech and more steam-punk like universes is really clever as is the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by aaron stranahan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well written and fun read.
I discovered this series through BoingBoing and decided to give it a shot. As it turns out, I have really enjoyed this series. Nice take evolution of the steampunk genre.
Published 4 months ago by Eric F. Miller
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great stuff -- please keep it coming!
I loved it!! I read the first two books in just a few hours and am thirsting for the next book... I will watch for more of the same coming down the pipeline.
Published 4 months ago by Donald E. Miner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun with MWT Quantum Reality
Yay! Steam-punkish Many-worlds adventure time. Character development is thick, especially for YA. Plot pacing just about on target. Mind-candy galore. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Damon Lippert
5.0 out of 5 stars
great science fiction
In London brilliant fourteen year old Everett Singh witnessed the kidnapping of his father quantum physicist Tejendra by thugs. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Harriet Klausner
