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A Fine First First Offering From Newcomer CE White

Revisado: 08-23-18

This review comes with the disclaimer that I know the author, having worked with her husband some years ago. However, I'd mostly lost touch with them when I found out to my surprise and fascination that Mrs. White had written a book. Even more to my delight, it has an audio production, as well!

Knowing that this was an independently-published work, I was prepared for a wide range of possible experiences, and I can happily say that I came away satisfied and impressed.

The main thrust of the story is very reminscent of many famous teen adventure novels, but I was at once struck with the exploration and development of the dimension-traveling mechanism. There are some obvious science-fiction writing chops on display in the first act, providing a setup that was delightfully original and fanciful. I was reminded of the imagination and wonder in C.S. Louis' first space adventure as the setup was revealed.

I would assume this novel to be classified under a pre-teen/teen Christian fiction, as it does provide some moral messages which parallel the Christian tradition, so parents of faith will find something deeper in the book. To her credit, I found the author does a nice job of avoiding heavy-handed messaging which may have weighed down the narrative. I'm not a person of faith, yet I never felt the book to be too "preachy," as works by many young authors are inclined to do.

The voice of the narrator is smooth and calming, although keen ears for accents may be bothered by some inconsistencies in his numerous deliveries of diction given to various characters. However, he does a fine job of imbuing each character with enough vocal distinction that the listener can follow which character is talking at any given moment with ease. Audio quality is top-notch.

If I were to pick some weaknesses, I think there are spots where pacing and character motivation could have been fleshed out a bit more, and I would have loved even more focus on the sci-fi elements, as they are done so well in the opening exposition of the story. Still, in light of the worlds ("next door") provided and the adventure at hand, I foresee the target audience of this book will have no issue connecting with the characters and quest on display.

Part "Chronicles of Narnia," part "Out of the Silent Planet," with a delightful bit of approachable sci-fi a la "Star Trek" and Disney's "Treasure Planet," "The Worlds Next Door" is a fine first offering from CE White. I will be reading her next work, without a doubt!

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