Out of this World [Mass Market Paperback]

Lawrence Watt-Evans (Author)

Book Description

Pel Brown has troubles in his basement. But it's not water leaking in -- it's magic. Sword-carrying barbarians are spilling through, demanding that Pel help them defeat Shadow, a dark force taking over their world. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a spaceship has crashed in Amy Jewell's backyard, and the aliens want Amy's help against the Shadow seeking to conquer their world. When Pel and Amy go through the basement portal into the world of magic, the Shadow attacks and traps them inside. Now Pel and Amy find themselves entangled in escapades that will make them into heroes . . . or corpses.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It seems almost churlish to dislike an "easy read" in which the author initially displays a fine wit and intelligence. Yet this weak first book of a series pairs Arthur Clarke's Law about any sufficiently advanced technology being equivalent to magic with a curious cast of characters--ultimately to little effect. Impetuous Captain Joshua Cahn, emissary from the technology-driven universe of the Empire, and his crew are virtually indistinguishable. Cahn's analog from the magic-driven universe is Raven, a quaint fop who likely will be central to future volumes. Amy (short for Amethyst Beryl) Jewell, in whose yard Cahn's ship crash lands, is forever having the same crisis about having to redefine her worldview. Pel Brown, a normal guy and the touchstone for SF readers, invokes Captain Kirk and Star Wars with tedious repetitiveness. Brown's family, his and Amy's lawyers, and some creatures from Raven's universe make up the rest of what may become a multiuniversal peacemaking force. They are often attacked, with consequences that should be significant, but are not. Unfortunately, potentially evocative incidents and memories--Amy's failed marriage, her lawyer Susan Nguyen's childhood in Vietnam, and various deaths, rapes and dismemberments along the way--are rendered in an often prosaic style. Watt-Evans's ( Crosstime Traffic ) writing has been both more interesting and more careful than it is here. Pel Brown often describes himself as a "spear carrier" unfit to be the centerpiece of a Great Adventure. The reader will probably concur.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

A Hugo Award-winning sf writer who can boast that more than 400,000 copies of his Ethshar novels are in print, Watt-Evans breaks into hardcover with this story of a suburbanite who discovers the portal to another world in his basement.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345391144
• ISBN-13: 978-0345391148
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing fantasy for thirty years... no, my fantasy's been published for thirty years. I've been writing it since I was eight. It's what I always wanted to do for a living, and I've been very fortunate in that I've been able to manage that. I try to write fantasy with an element of common sense to it -- not so much mythic archetypes as sensible people.

Other than my job, my life's pretty ordinary -- a nice house in a quiet neighborhood, a wife, two grown kids, and an overweight cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but intense towards the end, August 10, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of This World (Three World Triology) (Hardcover)

What does an Evil Overlord/Necromancer/Dark Lord do when he has conquered his world? He begins searching for new worlds to conquer. Shadow has swallowed his entire world, and found an alternate reality, where a space-going Galactic Empire holds sway. The Galactic Empire is looking for allies and finds another reality, our Earth. And so, Pellinore Brown and some others from Earth, Captain Joshua Cahn and the crew of the ISS Ruthless of the Galactic Empire, and Raven of Stormcrack Keep and some other resisters of Shadow begin their trek across three realities. But, their journey will take them where they never expected to go.

For many years now, I have been a great fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans' wonderful Ethshar and Lords of Dus series. Having finished all of the Ethshar and Dus books currently available, I have moved on to his Three Worlds series. This book is another great read; one that shows off the author's writing ability. I loved the author's three, mutually exclusive worlds, finding each one fascinating.

If it's so great, then why did I only give it four stars? Frankly, towards the end of the book, the storyline turns to images of rape, brutality and murder, and became just a little too intense for me. This is definitely not a book for younger or more sensitive readers.

But, that said, I did enjoy this book, and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Lawrence Watt-Evans is a great author, and this book is another shining example of his abilities. I highly recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Midline Review, March 20, 2000

By 

Brad Juhala (Vancouver, BC, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of This World (Three World Triology) (Hardcover)

I'll start this review by stating the Lawrence Watt Evans is my favourite author. Sadly, I can not recommend this trilogy. I heartily enjoyed ALL his books save this series. Other reviewers have pointed out that characters they cared about were killed for no reason, sadly, I wasn't drawn to any of the characters enough to care about their deaths.

If you have read another Lawrence Watt Evans book, and are looking to read more of his work, don't make this trilogy it. Read ALL his other books first, then wait for new books to come out as you will be disappointed by this work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the bland, October 18, 1999

By 

"vnesh" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of This World (Three World Triology) (Hardcover)

The main reason i gave this book five stars is because it isn't the normal clap trap where no one gets hurt because they are good guys. The author is to be applauded because he brings a certain amount of realism to the fantasy genre. People are injured and killed not because they are inherently bad but because generally this sort of thing happens to people who don't have the power to defend themselves. If you are the kind of person who believes the tooth fairy should beat the Incredible Hulk just because she has a nice smile and a dimple then this is not the book for you.