Infinite Drift

by Brent Hartinger

“It’s a tank full of warm water. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Seventeen-year-old Ollie is out with his best friends on a Saturday night, and they decide to try the “sensory deprivation” tanks at a store called Infinite Drift.

But when he gets out again, the world seems vaguely… different. And it feels like he’s being watched.

Could he have somehow crossed over into a different dimension? Or is he going insane? After all, he’s still distraught over the death of his little brother eight months earlier — an event no one knows he accidentally caused.

Ollie tries to "reset" things by going back into the tank. This time, he emerges into a world where the Yellowstone "supervolcano" erupted four years earlier, almost wiping out human civilization, and one of his best friends is dead.

But Ollie’s little brother is alive again.

Unfortunately, Ollie is being watched — by the robot-like creation of a cosmic monitoring station left in operation by a civilization that died out eons ago. And the being is ruthlessly trying to eliminate a strange "disruption" in the Ollie!

And so he has no choice but to go back into the tank yet again…

Infinite Drift is the latest book from Brent Hartinger, the author of the LGBTQ teen classic Geography Club, but it’s unlike anything he’s ever written a page-turning mind-bender with a bonkers bisexual love triangle.

REVIEWS

“A nonstop thrill ride filled with great twists and turns. Both exciting and thoughtful, the story asks us to consider what makes us who we are, even when the world all around us turns upside down.”
- Michael Thomas Ford, author of Suicide Notes and Every Star That Falls

“Hartinger gives a master class on the modern queer coming-of-age sci-fi/mystery story… I laughed, cried, gasped, anticipated, and ultimately smiled.”
- Abel’s Reviews

“This is a truly original story with an intriguing plot, vivid characters, and artful twists, delivered in sharp prose with great pacing. Brent Hartinger has created yet another winner!”
- Matt McMann, USA Today bestselling author of the Monsterious series

PRAISE FOR BRENT HARTINGER

"Hits the narrative sweet spot."- NPR's All Things Considered

"Downright refreshing."- USA Today

"I really think this guy could be the next Judy Blume." - Pop Candy

BRENT HARTINGER is a screenwriter and author of many books for teens and adults, including Project Pay Day, which he adapted as a 2021 feature film co-starring Superman’s David Corenswet. Geography Club was also adapted as a feature film.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Queer, LGBT

236 pages, Paperback

Published August 27, 2025

About the author

I am Brent Hartinger, a novelist and screenwriter. I’ve published fourteen novels and had two of my books turned into feature films — with several more movies still in the works. One of my movies even co-starred SUPERMAN's David Corenswet.

I try hard to write books that are page-turners and commercial (and movies that are fast-paced and accessible). If I had to describe my own writing projects, I would say, “Strong central concept, strong plot, strong character and voice. Not artsy, self-indulgent, or pretentious, but still thoughtful and smart with something to say.”

I mostly write YA books — LGBTQ and thrillers, sometimes LGBTQ thrillers. My first novel, GEOGRAPHY CLUB (2003) was one of the first in a new wave of break-out LGBTQ young adult fiction, and it was adapted as a feature film in 2013.

My latest book is INFINITE DRIFT (2025), a mind-bending YA supernatural thriller with a bonkers bisexual love triangle.

Here are all my books:

STANDALONE BOOKS
* Infinite Drift
* Project Pay Day
* Three Truths and a Lie
* Grand & Humble
* Shadow Walkers

THE OTTO DIGMORE SERIES
* The Otto Digmore Difference (book 1)
* The Otto Digmore Decision (book 2)

RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK: THE FUTON YEARS
* The Thing I Didn't Know I Didn't Know (book #1)
* Barefoot in the City of Broken Dreams (book #2)
* The Road to Amazing (book #3)

THE RUSSEL MIDDLEBROOK SERIES
* Geography Club (book #1)
* The Order of the Poison Oak (book #2)
* Double Feature: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies/Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies (book #3)
* The Elephant of Surprise (book #4)

I answer all questions, so feel free to contact me on social media, or through my website: BrentHartinger.com

Cheers!

Brent Hartinger

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️

I shouldn’t have gone back in the tank again. I hoped that the tank would make things better. I didn’t consider that it might make them worse.

After accidentally ending up in an alternate dimension, Ollie hopes to find one where his brother is still alive. But he’s not alone. Something is watching him.

Infinite Drift was a wild ride, and it would’ve been a solid five if not for that ending. But I’ll get to that.

YA sci-fi, alternate dimensions, a bisexual love triangle, a story of grief and guilt.
This was such a fun read, with crazy dimension hopping and a lovable main character. I loved Ollie and his fate-destined friendship with Matilda. The other side characters were more brushed over, and they lacked depth compared to Ollie and Matilda.

How do you know all that? Are you from an alternate dimension or something?” I look up at her. She smiles like it’s all a big joke. But I don’t smile back. At all. “Yes.”

Although I knew it was going to go for the cliché ending, I was hoping for more. It was too rushed and unresolved, and I still have so many questions. While I get that it’s YA, so maybe it couldn’t get too technical with the sci-fi aspect, I would’ve liked more explanations about the alternate dimensions.
The love triangle was also left unresolved, which just made the ending feel even more unfinished.
Still, I loved the journey this book took me on, and as a teen I would’ve loved this even more.
A great concept and an exciting read.

I have no idea where I’m going. Maybe I’ll know it when I finally get there.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, and am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Shul A. T. M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I'm not going to lie, this book takes a sharp turn into "what is even happening?" territory pretty early on. But here's the thing: that's exactly when it hooked me. It was delightfully disorienting. I went in expecting one thing, and came out the other side completely satisfied by a bizarre, genre-bending adventure.

Initially I requested this for the LGBT representation, and it delivers on that front, but what I wasn't expecting was the science fiction twist. The concept of our protagonist potentially crawling into a tank and emerging into an alternate reality? Brilliant. The story explores the idea that reality can always tweak even just a little.

One of the things I loved most was watching the protagonist's mind work. The wheels are always turning as he tries to adapt to these wildly different realities, figuring out how each variable led to another outcome. And the author does a fantastic job of showing how, even with the world changing around them, people retain core qualities. It's like the essence of who they are intensifies, suggesting we're all born with a predetermined set of traits, no matter the reality.

Oh, DWL I literally DIED of laughter when Ollie barfed and wondered how the flies got there so fast 😂😂 wipe tears. It's this perfect blend of bizarre and humor that makes the book so enjoyable. Also, the whole crew: Raina, Matilda, and Alex are fantastic characters.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. It's weird, it's funny, it's thought-provoking, and it's got characters you'll actually care about. If you're looking for something a little different, something that will challenge your expectations and leave you questioning reality, that’s also very easy to consume then definitely give this one a read!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and BK Books for providing and eCopy of this novel!

I could not put this book down! I was pulled in right from the start and had no idea what was going to happen next. This book is odd. When I think of all the individual components, nothing really stands out. This book was written in first-person perspective and does a good job of capturing the main characters voice. It really does sound like a teenage boy is narrating the story. However, this means that the writing is quite simple and direct. This isn't a bad thing, the writing style just doesn't really add anything to the narrative.
As for the characters, I liked Ollie. He was pretty wishy-washy, but that was the point. He is struggling with grief and guilt and just doesn't know how to handle it. I also liked Matilda. She was mostly there for exposition, but I liked how she always trusted and believed in Ollie. His friends are fine. I liked Raina a lot in one of the different universes. I don't remember ever really liking Alex though. I think in general I just wasn't a fan of how they handled Ollie's grief. I get that they were kids too, but I still just wasn't a fan.
I did not like the romance aspects at all. Ollie, Raina, and Alex had a kinda love triangle thing going on and I was not a fan. I especially didn't like the way that Ollie basically experiments with the other universe's Raina and Alex. It just felt icky and like he was using these "fake" Rainas and Alexes since he couldn't be with the real ones. This was really the only part of the book that I actively disliked.
I'm going to be honest, this book has a lot of flaws. Despite this, I couldn't put it down and still loved it.

[Zach Hruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the earlier access to the eARC.

Infinite Drift by Brent Hartinger is described as a page-turning mind-bender of a sci-fi YA novel following a young man as he tries out a sensory deprivation tank and stumbles his way across multiple dimensions while dealing with the loss of his younger brother.

I really appreciated the imagery throughout the book. The opening scene with the funhouse mirrors was both beautiful and eerie. I could tell that the author had spent a good chunk of time envisioning this moment as it is the anchor to their story as they come back to this imagery throughout several scenes in the novel. The worlds that the main character encounters also had very strong imagery.

While the imagery was well developed, I think that the writing of the character’s emotions and decisions needed a little more focus and description. Things moved quickly and I didn’t get a chance to connect fully with the MC’s emotions and decisions or build any strong relationships with the supporting cast. Additionally, the ending felt a bit rushed and choppy.

Overall, even though it was a bit rushed, I did enjoy this lively romp through dimensions. Infinite Drift is a fun, unique concept of a YA sci-fi read. I loved having a bisexual/pansexual male MC. I was unfamiliar with this author before reading this, but I am absolutely interested in reading more of their work after this one. If you’re looking for a condensed, YA sci-fi read that is a thrilling adventure, then this one is for you!

[SebFox · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been a while since we have heard from this brilliant author, and its the first book I’ve read of his outside the Russel Middlebrook universe. And he’s certainly making up for that by setting this book in not just a new character’s single “universe”, but in his own “multiverse!” Now I’ve read quite a lot of science fiction and seen many movies about parallel universes, heck I even studied it at a quantum level at university. So I was extremely excited to hear he’d written a new book but set in the multiverse. After all the multiverse been quite envogue of late, particularly when it comes to Marvel: Spider-Man, Loki and Dr Strange. All with varying degrees of success.

The one thing I find though that makes these kind of stories work effectively in literature or in the movies, is that connection we have with characters themselves and the changes we see in the worlds as we cross the multiverse. The subtle shifts we see in each reality as we move across universes. When the thing we expect to see is ever so slightly different in a new universe hinting that something is not quite right. As a reader we start to see that shifting reality that makes us start to question things, including our own sanity. But to do that, you have to have a grounding in who the characters are and the exact makeup of their “prime universe”. Sadly though I don’t think we really got that here.

The book opens in a carnival fun house. After a creepy scene where Ollie believes he is being stalked by some mysterious guy reflected in the mirror, the story moves straight into the setup of the major focus of the book. This quick shift in scenes doesn’t give the reader chance to get to know the three main characters and we move straight into a tense scene where Ollie is second guessing himself and his friends. There isn’t enough setup given to the friendship these three have and so it is hard for the reader to connect emotionally with them as characters. We are told so much by Ollie over the course of the book but we’re not really shown enough. Sure we learn things about them as we move through universes, but we are told more than we get to see. We don’t get to feel as much. I never once felt a connection between the three central characters. In fact the only connection I felt was between Ollie and Matilda, and that was because we got to see their first meeting and get to experience it with them rather than just being told about it. Their repeated encounters in different universes, with repeated conversations meant something. And that was because we got to experience their fun meet-cute in person rather than being told about it.

And this is very much the problem with Ollie as a character. He tells us so much about his past, his brother, his parents divorce but we don’t have a foothold in his “prime reality” to have the “emotional shock” when we see different versions of them in the parallel universes. This gives the reader the feeling of being an observer in his story, rather than a participant. It almost felt like the story was being played out through a distant haze as I felt detached from Ollie emotionally. Very different to Russel Middlebrook who I felt connected with and emotionally invested in, despite the crazy choices the character made over the years. I cared about him. Not so much Ollie. And not so much his version of Earth. The author could have shown us a day in the life of Ollie in the prime universe, and we would have gotten a better sense of who he was and where life in his universe was like. The fun house scene just wasn’t enough.

As we, or Ollie, move between the different parallel universes we see different versions of Earth. From the subtle to the extreme. But the shock of finding out someone was alive or had died in a universe didn’t impact me as much as I hoped it would. If anything it was more the changes that had happened to humanity as a whole that garnered more of an emotional response. It was a little more interesting. But even that aspect has been written about more powerfully in sci-fi back in the 60s and 70s, so I don’t think this book offers anything new.

If you’re someone new to sci-fi and stories set in the multiverse, then you might enjoy this more than I did. Maybe you won’t struggle as much not having that emotional connection with the characters. For me, I was expecting something as deeply personal as his Russel Middlebrook series, so maybe I was looking for something that was never intended to be there. But I like to think that in a different reality there is a book by this incredibly talented author that gives me all the things I felt were missing here. One where I care about the characters and travel through the multiverse alongside them rather than as an observer.

2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lilou · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
The story hooked me immediately but the writing was a little bit choppy.
Some of the internal dialogue Ollie was having just seemed like it didn’t flow from one though to another just like the author had loads of things they wanted to say all at once and so they put it in altogether. The story then started to feel like it was written a bit by a child. I finished it because i wanted to know what happened. *Spoiler alert*
we find out that it’s the same ollie in all
the dimensions but one min he’s with Raina and it’s the best ever and the next dimension he’s with Alex and it’s the best ever. it felt super super rushed and we didn’t get proper explanations or world building of some of these places.
The ending and Ollie’s conclusion felt super rushed - he figures out it’s just basically dreams and he can make whatever he wants and he wants to make a world with Dylan back and then in the place he finishes in, Dylan is still dead.
If my sister ever died; id keep dreaming until i had the world with her back no matter what.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a quick read. Whilst the premise had potential, it didn’t grip me unfortunately. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters, though it does provoke you to question a lot. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the e-ARC for this book. 2.75⭐️.

[Jessica Meats · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book as a free e-ARC and my feelings about it are somewhat lukewarm. I really like the premise - the main character is adrift from his own place in the universe, moving between parallel worlds by a method he doesn't really understand and can't control. The worlds he moves through start off similar to the one he started from but get more and more different as the story goes on. 

Despite the interesting premise, it took me a while to get invested in the book. By the time I reached the half-way mark, I was invested and wanted to keep reading and find out more about why Ollie was drifting and whether he'd get home - but I had to get through quite a bit of the book before I felt that connection. 

Another thing I liked was the answer we get to a question that had been bothering me. I won't spoil it by giving the answer here, but at a certain point, I was wondering how it was that the same people were around even though the world was so vastly different. There was a moment when the protagonist also wondered about it, and I was left with the feeling that it was going to remain unexplained and that the author had simply had this moment to acknowledge how weird it was, before dismissing the question - but the information that comes later in the book does give a satisfying explanation for this. So I was really please to find that and I won't spoil it by telling you what that answer is. 

I like that there's a world we barely get to see. At one point, Ollie ends up in a new world, figures out that something is really wrong, and just gets out of there without us, as the reader, really getting to see what's actually happening. Ollie speculates a bit, but we don't really know if he's right, and I found that fun. That whole world is a mystery because Ollie spent maybe ten minutes there before moving on. 

Despite there being things about the book I liked, on the whole, the execution of the premise was just a little lacking for me. There was nothing majorly wrong, but nothing that stood out to be as outstanding either, and there were a few very minor things that stood out to me and made the experience less enjoyable. 

One in particular was the way that Ollie's sex life and sexual attraction was handled. There were multiple moments of him noticing the smell of his potential love interests in a way that felt weird and unrealistic. Their smells were described weirdly as "vanilla" for one and "lime" for the other, rather than something that an actual person would smell of - and he notices the smell in situations where he's not particularly close to them, like when he's sitting in the backseat of a car and they're in the front. There was also a moment where Ollie's thought process jumped from thinking about his dead brother to reminiscing about his sex life in a way that struck me as unlikely, especially as it was then followed by the contradictory line, "These days I barely even think about sex." Despite being in the middle of doing exactly that. 

The other thing that jumped out more than others was an exchange that happened during one of the other worlds, where there has been a major, global disaster. There is a comment that America is better off than the rest of the world because they have a lot of guns and spent the first year after the disaster shooting at each other. The implication is that a lot more people died from gun violence in America, so now there's more food to go around than in places where other people didn't die at such high rates - but the idea that it's a good thing that a lot of people got shot and killed is horrific and was incredibly jarring to read. Yet this is accepted at face value within the narrative. That was very off-putting. 

There were a few other things too minor to list out, but overall I was left with the feeling that, while the book was okay, it wasn't great. 

[Shiney Readss · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

Wow! The description of this book was so interesting! If only the book actually pulled it off...

Going into it I thought this book was going to have this classic and well loved plot; the main character Ollie goes into a universe where bad things seem fixed but he ultimately realizes this isn't where he's supposed to be and decides to go home. I've seen literally 2 movies in the past week with this trope (the map of little things and happy death day 2). This book takes quite a different route where instead of focusing on the symbolism of letting go and accepting his brothers death, it overloads Ollie with new and confusing information so he never really gets the chance to deal with his grief.

A big issue I had with this book was the writing. Almost every idea was repeated and different clauses were awkwardly tacked onto the end of sentences. I don't know if anyone is going to get this but Ollie's inner monologue reminded me a skit Drew Gooden (youtuber) would do about a dumb kid. The main ideas were there but an editor probably would've helped streamline a lot of things.

On the other hand, the author really struggled to explain more complex scenarios. It was clear the author had an exact idea of how everything worked, but why did Ollie have that too? There were many times here Ollie would definitively say things like 'this MUST be because of that', but there was absolutely no reason for him to instantly come to that conclusion. It honestly felt like the author was trying to take the cheapest way out.

I think the author really needed to figure out exactly what story he wanted to tell with this book. Ollie does in a way come to terms and heals about his trauma, but we never see why. We only see all these crazy things happen and that one paragraph at the end just wasn't enough (maybe it was a little more than one paragraph idk). Also his sudden romance with BOTH of his friends?!?! Like girl...Is this book about healing or friendcest.

Ultimately, this book had a lot of potential. Key ideas were on the page and the explanation as to how everything was happened really saved the book (I was getting really mad about the scientific inconsistencies so it put my mind at ease). It was honestly kind of a fun time. My favorite character was off brand Ramona Flowers. I wouldn't fight with anyone who had overwhelmingly positive opinions about this book, but it's not my favorite.

Thanks so much for the arc.

[Kaje Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of dystopian scenarios (particularly right now) so I think there was some inner stress that drove me through parts of this book faster than it deserved. This is a fascinating ride with our main character, Ollie, who is hanging out with two friends, trying to fight his own depression and stress. His brother Dylan died recently in a skateboarding accident, and his friends know that. What they don't know - what no one but Ollie knows - is that he feels responsible for goading his younger brother into trying a dangerous trick that went wrong. Ollie believes he effectively killed his brother, and he's drifting, unable to connect with his life over the combination of loss (including the divorce of his parents) and guilt and secrecy.

Then, in a random moment of impulse, Ollie tries out a sensory deprivation tank. And when he emerges from it, the world is just slightly different. Only in small ways - his best friends are still there, his brother is still dead. But words, facts, minor details have changed. And that launches Ollie on an adventure of seeking a world where his brother is alive and all is well. Except that's not what he gets.

There is tense emotion and action as Ollie moves forward, with a shadowy antagonist on his heels. The scenarios are imaginative, and his reactions feel plausible. I liked that his bisexuality, and his on-and-off attraction to both male and female friends, was a fairly minor sideline to the quest/dystopian story. I loved Matilda and the role this new friend played across scenarios.

This feels more like SciFi than fantasy - the multiverse theories are presented like potential facts, but it is very accessible with no real hard-science underpinnings. We don't get big emotional closure at the end, but the story wraps well enough. And perhaps encourages us to make the most of the timeline we're in.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow wow wow. What a cool story! Seriously, I had no idea what to expect when I started this, but I was pleasantly surprised. I kept thinking how cool all of this imagery would look if it was adapted into a movie.

And I specifically say movie and not series because my only felt flaw in this is that I thought each alternate universe was not explored to its full potential. The author created such intense realities but we only spent a day or so in each world that felt like it deserved its own full novel. Not to mention the variations of characters that we didn’t get to fully explore in each universe! Of course I understand exactly WHY it was done in this time crunch, but that doesn’t change my longing for a fully realized modern Rome alternate universe!

Besides that, I felt this story was extremely creative and an enjoyable read. Though it did not end the way I expected/hoped for, I’m glad this is the book I chose to read outside of my current hyper-fixation genre because it is definitely worth your time to go on this strange and wild journey with Ollie <3

My personal rating system forces me to rate this 3 stars because of my own inability to see re-read potential since I now know the twists and ending.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc and opportunity to review :)

[En · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a mystery thriller with a dash of sci-fi elements on the surface. But beneath that, Infjnite Drift is a story about coping with the grief of losing a brother, and the subsequent dissolution of his family.

Ollie blames himself for the death of his younger brother. His friends, Alex and Raina, try to cheer him out by taking him out where they stumble upon a shop that offers sensory deprivation experiences via water tanks. Ollie takes a dive and finds that the world has gone weird after he exits the tank.

The story gets messy thereafter (a good kind of messy) and we are thrown between dimensions, alongside an unreliable narrator. And we are tugged along on a journey of recovery and self-discovery.

However, the attempts to include a diverse cast were weak. They feel like forced tropes, with the main character's best friends simply described to readers as "Asian swole", "Black Girl Passion". Putting these descriptions into the mouth of the characters is a lazy way to give readers a generalization of who they are. There are hints of LGBT rep, but the execution is superficial.

Thank you BK Books and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC.

[Abel Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I’d like to thank BK Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of Infinite Drift in exchange for an honest review.

Infinite Drift is a touching queer coming-of-age story full of inter-dimensional travel and mystery. The Main character Ollie feels real, he is an honest and raw portrayal of many queer kids growing up. He learns things we all learn. The only difference being he must move through different dimensions to learn this. Topics such as processing grief, shame, guilt, depression are discussed in such an eloquent way.

Hartinger gives a master class on the modern queer coming-of-age sci-fi/mystery story. I want more of Ollie, I want to know what happens next for him. Hartinger is able to make Ollie so relatable that you can help but feel every emotion he is feeling. I laughed, cried, gasped, anticipated, and ultimately smiled.

Infinite Drift will now hold a special place in my heart because I really could’ve used more queer stories growing up, representation is important, in my late twenties I am now able to finally see myself represented in media

Thank you Brent! For representing and for creating more queer literature.

[Reading Xennial · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and BK Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.


Ollie is grieving and going through some anxiety after a tragic loss.  He's spending time with some good friends and they decide to try a sensory deprivation tank with them but when he comes out of the tank it seems something is different.  


This had an interesting premise.  I like the idea of alternate universes or multiverses. This book fell flat for me.  I know it's labeled as YA and it also says “teen” but it felt like middle grade.  The writing was very simple and the pacing was so direct that it made it feel like it was for a much younger audience but some of the content was not middle grade. It was very much telling and not showing.  Maybe that's what “teen” means. I'm not sure if the writing style was author experience or was it on purpose.  


The story was still interesting and the characters were likeable.  The characters lacked depth and the dialogue was off. I would still recommend you try this book because the plot was good

[Paloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Infinite Drift, a thought provoking, sci-fi adventure with great characters.

Ollie crawls into a tank and ends up in a different dimension. During these travels, we see how he manages all these changes while also having some fun and learning from these experiences. The book is fun, thrilling, and very unexpected. I loved how things were different. Sometimes, what was going on in the book was odd, but very interesting. I liked Ollie's character and how the author really captivated his essence. There is LGBTQIA representation, but there is so much more to this book. I highly recommend it!
Thank you, Netgalley and BK Books, for this eArc. All opinions are entirely my own.

[Ron Haislip-hansberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I'd like to thank #netgalley and the author for letting me review this book early. This book took me back to my youth. The setting and the overall feel, is very reminiscent of Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes". An overarching theme is the age old question, "if I could reverse a terrible loss in my life, as if it never happened, would life be better or worse?" It's difficult to share details without giving too much away. Read the book. I couldn't put it down until I read the last word.

[A.K. Adler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleased to see that Hartinger had written a sci-fi, as I'm a huge fan of Geography Club. But maybe the shift into speculative wasn't such a great idea. The worldbuilding is laboured and over-explained. The themes are great, but in an Adam Silvera way (read: so in-your-face it feels like being punched). If you like They Both Die at the End, etc, then this will probably be your cup of tea. It also has none of the humour that made Geography Club stand out, which is a shame.

Overall, A for effort, C- for, well, everything else.

[Lisa Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and suspenseful read! The writing style is simple and easy to understand. I loved the perfectly eerie vibes and the creative sci-fi aspect! The representation of LGBTQIAP+ characters was decent. I can recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading sci-fi or already is a fan of the genre. I wish we got a few more pages so the ending didn’t feel as rushed.

Thank you to „BK Books“ and the author for providing me a digital copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest review in my own words.

[Louis Ceci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hartinger has written a face-paced multi-dimensional adventure which manages to dive deeply into the psychology of guilt and the limits of compassion. Ollie's journey through multiple worlds that embody both his wishes and his nightmares makes his ultimate decision at the end fascinating. Given infinite choices, accepting of his own flawed nature is the only way he can prevent drifting forever. I was unable to put it down.

[Urban Andenius Skeppstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird, but oh so wonderful

This book was a surprise to me. Having read all of Hartinger’s previous books.
Bur once I got into it I really liked it, and I think it would be a great movie.

[Yvonne Marks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read but not really my cup of tea. The alternative universes were different but I didn't like the strange switches between them as I didn't think they were developed well.
Thanks for the free book.

[Brent Hartinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author. Of course I loved it!

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARc of this novel.

Infinite Drift was not on my radar but after reading what it was about I was excited to read it. I will say I did enjoy this book but not as much as I thought I would. It had a really fun and interesting concept that I thought was a little cheesy but in a good way. The book itself was enjoyable but I found myself not really caring what was going to happen to our main character. I wanted there to be more depth it felt very fast and surface level. I thought more could have been done with the story.

[Lena Grey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown ways.” ~ Bram Stoker, Dracula

Ollie, the main character in ‘Infinite Drift’ by Brent Hartinger, is struggling after his younger brother’s death. Isolated and weighed down by loneliness, he finds it difficult to express how dull and off-kilter he feels. Although his friends, Raina and Alex, try to support him, activities like the carnival—once a source of joy—now fail to lift his spirits.

After their outing, Ollie and his friends wander past a store called Infinite Drift. Ollie is curious about their services and wants to go in and ask about them. Kathy, who works there, explains that they offer sensory deprivation tanks that may change one’s perspective. Desperate for relief, Ollie decides to give it a try.

Ollie follows instructions and gets into the tank. A sense of unease creeps in as he wonders why there are lights if it should be dark. The tank is not what he expected, and a wave of anxiety washes over him, amplifying the disorientation he already feels. Eventually, he gets out, relieved but puzzled. The room looks almost the same, but his clothes are different and in a new spot, deepening his confusion. Ollie starts to think that Raina and Alex might be playing a joke on him, but a gnawing doubt leaves him unsettled.



Ollie quickly notices that things are different after his time in the tank. For example, his friends say a book is called ‘Hansel and Greta’ instead of ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ and when he checks online, it really is ‘Hansel and Greta.’ Other small things start to confuse him as well. Parts of his life are almost the same, but just a little off. Now his best friends are dating, his oatmeal is called Quicker Oats instead of Quaker Oats, and the Amazon sign is upside down. Ollie starts to wonder if he is having visions or if he is losing his mind. After meeting Matilda at the library, she suggests that he may be switching from one dimension to another. After discussing it further, Ollie decides to return to the tank and hopefully “reset” whatever got skewed when he first entered.

Determined to fix these growing inconsistencies, Ollie rushes back to the now-altered Infinite Drift. The tanks are in disrepair: there is no water, and the tops won’t open. Ollie forces his way into one in hopes of restoring normalcy. Instead, reality grows even more confusing, as each new tank experience takes him farther from what he knows. Although Ollie was hoping to turn back time, particularly to before his brother died, he realizes that to do so isn’t possible, or advisable, considering all the other changes that will occur to do so.

‘Infinite Drift’ is, indeed, a departure from Brent’s earlier books. Ollie’s journey left me feeling unsettled and oddly enlightened. It was challenging to understand Ollie and his friends; their personalities truly felt unreachable. Part of me wonders if that was intentional; Ollie’s struggle to know himself was palpable, and I shared that confusion. Raina and Alex were Only Matilda, whose own pain seemed to bring her closer to Ollie, and they offered a connection that felt real. Thanks, Brent, for guiding me through a journey that was as trippy as it was raw.