Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane

Omnitopia Dawn is the start of a new series by Diane Duane, who is probably best known for her excellent Young Wizards fantasy series. Young Wizards has always been a fantasy with some science-fiction underpinnings, but in Omnitopia Dawn Duane reverses that balance, giving us a near-future science fiction tale with some fantasy possibilities. It’s mostly a fun read, though I don’t think it so far matches the quality and depth of Young Wizards… A few info-dumps and extended interior monologues aside, Duane’s plot zips along, changing point of view regularly. The scenes in Omnitopia itself are rich with potential and Rik’s hollow-world microcosm allows us to pop into a slew of tantalizing alternate history, science fiction and fantasy worlds. Though Omnitopia Dawn resolves all the major plot issues, it leaves room for a wholly new storyline to develop in future books. While the characters could be more developed and the plot a little more complex, Duane has used both elements well enough in Omnitopia Dawn to draw me back in for its sequel. Read the rest.