Twinned Universes

Catalyst Chronicles #2

by Sandra Ulbrich Almazan

Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live the role first.

In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21st century Earth, Paul discovers he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple question in comparison....

Genres: Science Fiction

274 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan started reading at the age of three and only stops when absolutely required to. Although she hasn't been writing quite that long, she did compose a very simple play in German during middle school. Her science fiction novella Move Over Ms. L. (an early version of Lyon's Legacy) earned an Honorable Mention in the 2001 UPC Science Fiction Awards, and her short story "A Reptile at the Reunion" was published in the anthology Firestorm of Dragons. She is a founding member of BroadUniverse and a long-time member of the Online Writing Workshop for Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror. Her undergraduate degree is in molecular biology/English, and she has a Master of Technical and Scientific Communication degree. Her current day job is in the laboratory of an enzyme company; she's also been a technical writer and a part-time copyeditor for a local newspaper. Some of her other accomplishments are losing on Jeopardy! and taking a stuffed orca to three continents. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, Eugene; and son, Alex. In her rare moments of free time, she enjoys crocheting, listening to classic rock (particularly the Beatles), and watching improv comedy.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy follow-up to "Lyon's Legacy" this continues the story about 18 years later. When his mother is murdered, Paul Harrison travels to a parallel universe that's over a hundred years in the past--or 1980 to be exact. Paul needs to track down his ancestor Sean Lyon, who is like an American version of John Lennon, to find out who killed his mother and to try and prevent Sean's death. But there are forces at work who want to prevent both of those events.

This was a taut and fast-paced sci-fi yarn that gripped me from beginning to end. Since Paul and his friends are teens, it works for YA audiences and older readers.

Recommended.

[Erica Ravenclaw]

This fucking cover.

[Alla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely fantastic! An excellent marriage of science fiction and classical ideas - Twinned Universes was an amazing, fast-paced book that had me turning the pages, eager to finish but not wanting the story to end. Young Adult readers will really be able to connect to Paul and his struggles. The plot was very well-written, while also being creative and exciting. This is a book that you won't be able to put down. From the very first page of the prologue, I was absolutely mesmerized. It's definitely a book that I will recommend to everyone, and I will be sure to keep an eye out for other books by this author!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

[a cup of coffee and a fairytale · Rating 4 out of 5]

i received this book in exchange for an honest review.

i am very skeptical while choosing a sci-fi book to read because most of the times i fail to relate with it. also, most of them are so badly written that it makes me abandon the book in middle. which i hate doing. to my pleasant surprise i could not stop turning pages of the book. this book grips you from the beginning itself. with a very interesting concept and Strong characters this book qualifies as a must read sci-fi. i am sure most of the readers who despise the genre will relate with mw once they read the book. highly recommended!!

[Masquerade Crew · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

ABHA'S REVIEW

Twinned Universes is about Paul Lyon Harrison who finds that he is a part of two universes. This is a fast paced book with a very interesting premise. I must say it has been a while since a book kept me turning the pages or rather scrolling along till the very end! For all the sci-fi fans out there, this book has it all: Other worlds, clones, space travel and crazy quantum quirks!

This is a great book for the young adult readers as well. Paul is a teenager that suffers a family tragedy and finds a way not just survive but thrive. Sandra Ulbrich Almazan’s narration gave me the right amount of background information along with moving the story forward that it kept me wanting more. Although this is part of a series having not read the first book in the series did not cause any difficulty in following the story. This is a must read for me and gets four and a half stars from me.

Review Disclaimer: Book provided in exchange for an honest review.