Amazon.com Review
Only two issues of Tad Williams's popular TechnoComics Mirror World series were ever printed--issues 0 and 1.
Mirror World laid down an imaginative alternate history for Earth worthy of such an unpredictable and original author: Just before the turn of the millennium, giant mirrors sprang up all over the world, and an army of super-sized insects poured out, capturing countless thousands and dragging them back through the mirrors into the unknown. The mirrors stuck around, and eventually some humans made the (one-way, they realized later) trip to the other side, to an Earth-like--and mysteriously superbug-less--parallel dimension. A number of these intrepid souls were souped-up "biotroopers," sent by the UN in pursuit of the giant bugs. These biotroopers were the focus of
Mirror World, and they also provide the common thread in this release.
Strangely, Williams didn't write any of the three stories in the richly illustrated Tad Williams' Mirror World. While he did hand-pick the book's authors, none is quite the equal of the talented and creative Williams. The writers clearly understand and appreciate Williams's world, though, and while not entirely polished, their efforts show enthusiasm and innovation. This book would definitely be at home on the bookshelf of any Mirror World fan, with dozens of illustrations and computer-readout-style dossiers on notable biotroopers. --Paul Hughes
From Publishers Weekly
In 1999, enormous mirrors appear around the world, creating gates into the mysterious Mirrorworld. At first the mirror-portals are two-way, allowing explorers to return at will, but then the gates within Mirrorworld itself disappear, leaving the explorers trapped. Meanwhile, giant insectoid aliens called "Bugs" begin using the mirrors to invade Earth. Thirty-seven specially bio-enhanced UN soldiers are sent through the portals to find the source of the Bugs and stop the invasion?but Mirrorworld turns out to be a mere stepping stone in an unknowable chain of planets connected by the mysterious mirrors. With no way home, the "biosoldiers" and others must band together for safety, in this setting invented by Tad Williams (Otherworld) and here sharecropped through lengthy stories by, respectively, Kreighbaum (The Eyes of God), West (The Broken Crown) and Helfers. Kreighbaum's "Mirror in Time" is a jumbled tale of a biosoldier whose lack of closure over his mother's death years ago hinders his determination to prevent two fellow soldiers from causing havoc in Mirrorworld. In Helfers's "Serpent in the Garden," a biosoldier must hunt down a fellow trooper whose enhancements have driven him insane. West's "Childhood's End," the most thoughtful piece of this generally weak trio, depicts yet another biosoldier, one whose silence harbors a grim past. These stories provide only a lackluster introduction to Williams's setting, merely hinting at wonders and mostly ignoring the much larger population of mundane folk who struggle to survive in this universe without superhuman reflexes or special training. Full-color border art throughout, plus 50 pages with full-color illustrations.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
