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The Nex
Teenager Miranda Candle finds a mysterious necklace and is suddenly transported to The Nex, the bizarre city at the center of all possible universes, where she falls in with a pair of would-be revolutionaries -- the skinshifter Howlaa and the bodiless Wisp -- fighting the oppressive regime of the city-state's Regent and his army of steam colossi, cynical cyborgs, and the depraved royal orphans.
136 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 30, 2020
The world building in this book is so imaginative and distinguished. I was so glad to see a strong female character who showed her strength by taking action rather than being angry all the time.
Randy (awful name) conceded points when she was wrong and the diversity of creatures she met was immense and the ending made me smile. Definitely worth a read!
Randy (awful name) conceded points when she was wrong and the diversity of creatures she met was immense and the ending made me smile. Definitely worth a read!
May 13, 2012
A breezy young adult novel by one of my recent favored authors, The Nex felt--like many YA stories--a bit underdeveloped to me. Some of this is possibly due to the serialized nature of the novel as well.
Miranda is a 7th grade girl who snatches an unusual necklace from her brother's car and is soon transported to another world called The Nex. She is immediately thrown into a series of adventures that pit her against the Regent, the ruler of the Nex, who wants back the necklace as it is vitally important to his plans.
While many of the details of Pratt's novel are fun--the characters of Wisp and Howla, the special powers of the necklace, some of the unusual residents of the Nex, etc.--other areas are somewhat lacking. I teach 7th grade, and Miranda's characterization seems unrealistic. She accepts being thrown into another world way too easily. She is far too clear thinking and pro-active for your average 13 year old. Pratt also tells us that she's a shoplifter and a bit of a troublemaker, but she never acts that way, other than stealing the necklace from her brother. Other aspects, such as WHY her brother has the necklace in the first place, are sketchy and not well explained.
I wanted to like this book more, but it felt like it needed another editorial pass to tighten it up. The kindle version was free on Amazon, so I cannot complain, but I was hoping for more from an author I enjoy.
Miranda is a 7th grade girl who snatches an unusual necklace from her brother's car and is soon transported to another world called The Nex. She is immediately thrown into a series of adventures that pit her against the Regent, the ruler of the Nex, who wants back the necklace as it is vitally important to his plans.
While many of the details of Pratt's novel are fun--the characters of Wisp and Howla, the special powers of the necklace, some of the unusual residents of the Nex, etc.--other areas are somewhat lacking. I teach 7th grade, and Miranda's characterization seems unrealistic. She accepts being thrown into another world way too easily. She is far too clear thinking and pro-active for your average 13 year old. Pratt also tells us that she's a shoplifter and a bit of a troublemaker, but she never acts that way, other than stealing the necklace from her brother. Other aspects, such as WHY her brother has the necklace in the first place, are sketchy and not well explained.
I wanted to like this book more, but it felt like it needed another editorial pass to tighten it up. The kindle version was free on Amazon, so I cannot complain, but I was hoping for more from an author I enjoy.
June 8, 2018
Since Pratt couldn't find a publisher for this book (and for stupid reasons, like it's an techy adventure tale with a female protagonist), he posted it online. I do like Tim Pratt's short stories. They're some of the best on EscapePod and PodCastle. This book is pretty good too, but doesn't feel... I don't know, original enough? I can't help but draw parallels to "Alice in Wonderland". Which is fine, but this is much a milieu book. It's more about discovering a fantastic world than about the characters. Which is fine, I guess, if you're into that sort of thing. Maybe I'm getting too old.
The characters consist of a shapeshifter and a non-corporeal entity composed of micro-particles. I've seen those done, but never together. The main enemy is a power-hungry dictator, but there's nothing special about him. The macguffin is a device that can teleport yourself or something else anywhere, and works on applied phlebotium.
The main character's character is not particularly touched on. The main character's power is a little too powerful. The ending is wrapped just a little quickly. But really, it's a fun novel. They go to fun places. They do fun things. The voice is fun. And the price is right. I'd say there is no reason not to read this book.
The characters consist of a shapeshifter and a non-corporeal entity composed of micro-particles. I've seen those done, but never together. The main enemy is a power-hungry dictator, but there's nothing special about him. The macguffin is a device that can teleport yourself or something else anywhere, and works on applied phlebotium.
The main character's character is not particularly touched on. The main character's power is a little too powerful. The ending is wrapped just a little quickly. But really, it's a fun novel. They go to fun places. They do fun things. The voice is fun. And the price is right. I'd say there is no reason not to read this book.
February 8, 2017
A perfectly serviceable YA sci-fi steampunk fantasy adventure.
After stumbling across some alien technology here on earth, thirteen-year-old Miranda Candle is suddenly abducted to The Nex, the hub of all the multiuniverses. She's immediately plunged into a rebellion against an evil overlord because that's how these things works. Along the way she encounters shapeshifters, giant robots, fairies and cannibals. Sure, for the most part this book is one chase scene after another, but at least something is happening. The pacing is phenomenal.
After stumbling across some alien technology here on earth, thirteen-year-old Miranda Candle is suddenly abducted to The Nex, the hub of all the multiuniverses. She's immediately plunged into a rebellion against an evil overlord because that's how these things works. Along the way she encounters shapeshifters, giant robots, fairies and cannibals. Sure, for the most part this book is one chase scene after another, but at least something is happening. The pacing is phenomenal.
May 5, 2012
A little too linear for my tastes: problem arises, problem investigated, solution conceived, solution implemented, everybody goes home. I prefer stories that unfold a bit more... organically. Having said that, The Nex is still pretty engaging. Our heroine, Randy, is an unremarkable figure, rather bland in her familiar, no-nonsense "she-hero who just wants to go home" kind of way. But she is more than balanced by two rather extreme accidental henchmen: Howlaa the skinshifting violence specialist and Wisp, a sort of loose conglomeration of non-corporeal blinking lights with a tendency to lecture. The world this all takes place in - The Nex - is also a fairly unusual world, and it's populated by enough oddities and misfits that most readers probably won't notice the too-simple story structure.
Overall, a fun read, but not as meaty as I would have liked.
Overall, a fun read, but not as meaty as I would have liked.
September 2, 2012
The Nex was a fascinating world to return to -- and a little easier to explore in a YA novel. The main character was neither too goody-two-shoes nor an angst puddle whining her way through the adventure of her life time, so I was pretty pleased. Sometimes she did seem a bit too simplified... But not to the extent that it ruined the story any.
I'm hoping to hear more about this world because the novel really highlighted origins to a hundred more stories set in the Nex!
I'm hoping to hear more about this world because the novel really highlighted origins to a hundred more stories set in the Nex!
July 29, 2013
A fantastic Steampunk book for teens. I'm a huge fan of Tim Pratt's other works, but this is was something much lighter. The heroine was a fun, interesting teenage girl and her companions, a shapeshifter and a will of the wisp were unusual and made a great conterpoint to her inexperience.
March 28, 2011
An interesting read, especially considering the nature of how it was written. Tim's imagination is as complicated as ever, and carries you easily through the weaker parts.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews