The Long Earth is a clear example of a great idea that's been poorly executed.They are both great writers, but the plot goes nowhere and many pages later you're wondering why were you reading this in the first place.

3.5Though this book feels in many parts like an awkward blend of The Hitch-hiker's Guide and The Time Machine, but lacking in Adams' trademark humour and oddities (and Pratchett's, come to think of it) The Long Earth is still an interesting read. Focusing on ideas rather than plot has been pretty unusual in recent releases so it's quite refreshing to be allowed to explore all these worlds - different earth versions - without having to keep up with multiple relationships and character developments.

This was quite the infuriating book to end up enjoying. A strange blend of young adult and science fiction written for the novice and almost as many pop culture references as Ernest Cline. If I'd only been informed in advance to expect a young adult novel I would have been less annoyed, Pratchett has written some of the very best YA there is, but as it stands this is apparently a book for adults. Stephen Baxter has written some of the most complex science fiction I've ever picked up let alone read and to witness such feats of imagination and imagination stirring ideas watered down in to the fluff contained within these pages was incredibly disappointing. The constant referring to films and the references to the blogging and wikipedia and dead tree technology etc. also felt completely arbitrary, the kind of thing that will immediately date this book unlike the work Asimov and Heinlein et al that The Long Earth is seemingly trying to emulate. Don't get me started on the absurdity of two great English storytellers choosing to set their story in America which can only be seen as a crass attempt to shift units in my opinion. But still, these complaints aside, this is a decent piece of science fiction writing by two natural born storytellers, it isn't bad it is just a disappointment. If I hadn't discovered science fiction before this I just might have become a convert overnight thanks to the imagination firing that takes places during Joshua's quest. My frustration extends to the denouement which after 400+ pages felt more than a bit rushed and anticlimactic followed by a tacked on set up for a sequel. Yes I wanted another several hundred pages but an ending which justified the journey would also have been appreciated.

This is a fun, "feel-good" science fiction novel about a world where people can "step" from one Earth to another. The story centers on Joshua, one of the few people who can step spontaneously. Most other people need a relatively simple device to aid in their stepping. One can step "east" or "west", and proceed over and over again, stepping into parallel universes.The Earth in each universe has a geology that has developed differently, and life has evolved into different forms. Some Earths are very similar to our own, while others are very different. The best aspect of this book, is the uniqueness of this stepping idea, and how the authors develop the features of each Earth.There is an unknown pressure that is driving sapient creatures back toward our own Earth; this is the central mystery in the book. Nevertheless, there is hardly any conflict in this book--there is a little bit, but it doesn't occupy a central place. Most of the book is occupied with the interplay between Joshua and an organic/mechanistic hybrid person. Does this person have a "human" mind, or is it some sort of artificial intelligence? Sometimes, the hybrid person has to pass a "Turing test".There isn't much of a plot. It is an adventure story, but without conflict or major obstacles. A "feel-good" atmosphere envelops much of the story, sort of reminiscent of Heinlein. However, in this book it seems rather banal. A lot of science fiction books, though futuristic, are believable to some extent. This story, unfortunately, lacks even a shred of believability.I didn't read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Michael Fenton-Stevens. He is an excellent reader, and varies the characters' accents to make them quite distinctive. This undoubtedly raised the enjoyment factor for this book, that would otherwise have been a bit dull.

Everyone loves Sir Terry. I love Sir Terry. I love the books & have great respect for the man. This review is simply my opinion of the success of this particular collaboration. I'll be 1st in line for the next T.P book and I'd even give T.P + S.B another go. From the slew of 4 & 5* reviews already on show I may be out on a limb on this one - so don't listen to me - give it a try.-------------Collaboration. Its a word with an unfortunate aftertaste. Collaborators get a bad rap. Sir Terry Pratchetts collaborations with other notable authors have been limited. In 1990 we saw Good Omens, produced with Neil Gaiman. On the crest of that success Pratchett found another partner in Larry Niven but this effort floundered with Niven producing Rainbow Mars in 1999 as a solo work built upon some of their shared ideas. And now 2012 sees The Long Earth, a collaboration with Stephen Baxter. The accompanying promotion contains a photo of the two grandees locked in combat before a laden bookshelf. A certain degree of dynamic tension does help in collaborative writing, too little and you get compromise writing, too much and its never going to get finished. I think here both men were pulling punches and the pages could have benefited from a good blooding!Collaborations can be port and stilton good, or marmite and custard bad. I suspect its impossible for two fine writers like Baxter and Pratchett to serve up anything wholly unpalatable, but the Long Earth feels long, although it is short, and is decidedly blah. Think porridge.The Long Earth is science fiction. In science fiction the IDEA tends to overshadow the characters and even the story. Here the IDEA has flattened both. Glimpses of story and character may be seen poking out from the margins of the IDEA, vital juices pooling. You cant see much but you can see enough to know you dont need an ambulance.The Terry Pratchett of Discworld fame has not shown up to this party. Theres rarely a smile in The Long Earth, and never a laugh. The idea explored is that Earth sits in one of an infinity of parallel universes and that these become opened up to humanity such that pretty much everyone can step through them like moving from one card to the next in a deck of cards. We get to hear a lot about the impact this has on humanity, both social and economic. Sometimes we hear this from characters who pop up and are not heard of again, giving the book a disjointed feel. Of the hundreds of thousands of Earths open to Joe Public almost all are Earth as it would have been without us. A lot of time is spent detailing minor evolutionary variations in the flora and fauna, to the point where you just dont care about one more slightly smaller elephant or slightly uglier crocodile. A lot of time is spent hopping from one forest world to the next. Its an idea that is interesting in a paragraph but becomes increasingly dull over 300 pages.The writing, line by line, is fine. It lacks trade-mark Pratchett sharpness but it does the job. The story arching over chapters is . . . not gripping. Theres essentially no tension in it. Our heroes (a young man who is very good at moving through the worlds, and an artificial intelligence named Lobsang) are exploring, they dont have any clear goals stated, nothing is after them, they have no serious problems, they dont appear worried or even to care that much, and thus as a reader one tends to a similar disposition.The book ends with a bang, but its a rather ineffectual one that is, like the bulk of the book, hard to care about. Im a fan of Sir Terrys work and I applaud his willingness to experiment with new styles and new writing partners. I hope he keeps doing it. I cannot though, hand on heart say I enjoyed this book. Not even a little. Edit: RIP Sir Terry - you left us many great books to remember you by.Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes....