BETWEEN

In Miller’s SF novel, Marda Scorch will do whatever it takes to bring her missing husband and two daughters home—but a trip into the “BETWEEN” may be more than she bargained for.

Marda is a longtime resident of the planet Carpes and the warden of the Eastern Quadrant Stellar Bridge. Marda has spent the last six years searching for her family, ever since they were caught in the BETWEEN—the mysterious space connecting the Stellar Bridge to its secret counterpoint in New York City’s Central Park, where locals don’t even know the bridge exists. When three New Yorkers accidentally pass through it and catch a glimpse of the alien planet, it attracts the attention of the ruling Council and, specifically, council member Spellen, who seems intent on destroying the bridge, despite the fact that people may still be trapped within it. The New Yorkers include workaholic stock trader Ben Hendrick, who struggles to accept his elderly parents’ cross-country move to a rest home; recent college graduate Lily Barker, who dreams of escaping her emotionally abusive parents; and HVAC mechanic Tony Scalzi, who’s reeling from the fact that his mother is hospitalized with pancreatic cancer. The blip in reality that they experience changes their lives forever and eventually causes their paths to cross. Miller’s novel spends time on the complicated science that underpins the Stellar Bridges, made by ancient aliens: “whoever created these bridges supposedly used gravitational fields to sync the movements of Earth and Carpes—and depending on that flux, either the eastern or southern portals activated accordingly.” However, what stands out is the compelling strength of its central character, and the emotional turmoil she faces; Marda’s fight to save her family, despite Car Spellen’s schemes, is often affecting. However, Lily, Tony, and Ben lack convincing character arcs—in part, because Marda receives so much more attention. Similarly, the relationships that eventually form between the characters, while sometimes heartwarming, ultimately feels rushed and shallowly developed. Hopefully, a stronger sequel with remedy this.

An entertaining start to an interplanetary adventure with high stakes and complex science, but little depth.