Doors of Sleep

Pratt (the Axiom series) takes readers on an exciting if repetitive chase through parallel universes in this standalone adventure. An encounter with a mysterious woman leaves Zax Delatree with the power to travel to different “branches in the tree of worlds” when he falls asleep. He has no control over what new universe he’ll land in upon waking, but he can take others with him by holding them close. Traveling with his new friend Minna, a skilled “senior grafter” from a “garden world,” Zax finds his life doubly dangerous when his former traveling companion, a scientist called the Lector, reappears hoping to violently steal the key to Zax’s ability. With the Lector on their trail, Minna and Zax hop from “non-Euclidean” mansions to “post-scarcity” pleasure domes and abandoned techno-utopias, struggling to learn how to control Zax’s ability. Part high adventure and part travelogue of alien locales, this sci-fi romp has plenty of YA crossover appeal and will prove just the thing for mature readers who appreciate a classic Golden Age vibe. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (Jan.)