There is not just one you, there are many yous. We're part of a multiplicity of universes in parallel dimensions – and Everett Singh's dad has found a way in.
But he's been kidnapped, and now it is as though Everett's dad never existed. Yet there is one clue for his son to follow, a mysterious app: the Infundibulum.
The app is a map, not just to the Ten Known Worlds, but to the entire multiverse – and there are those who want to get their hands on it very badly. If Everett's going to keep it safe and rescue his dad, he's going to need friends: like Captain Anastasia Sixmith, her adopted daughter and the crew of the airship Everness.
About the Author
Ian McDonald is one of Britain's most awarded and critically acclaimed SF writers; both The Dervish House and Brasyl have won the British SF Award and have been shortlisted for the Hugo Award. He currently lives in Belfast.
Industry Reviews
'Snappy, inventive language, lively characters and world-building on an epic scale' Sci-Fi Now magazine. * Sci-Fi Now magazine * 'Shining imagination, pulsing suspense and sparkling writing make this one stand out' Kirkus Reviews. * Kirkus Reviews * 'Right from the word go, Planesrunner has the reader sucked in .... McDonald has an incredible economy of style ... this is a sterling piece of hard SF' Starburst magazine. * Starburst magazine * 'McDonald writes with scientific and literary sophistication, as well as a wicked sense of humour. This first volume of the Everness series is a winner' Publishers Weekly. * Publishers Weekly * 'Has the high quality of writing that engages the reader and carries the plot forward at a furious pace ... Ian McDonald is one of those writers who is capable of charming any reader with his story-telling abilities. This does not disappoint' Birmingham SF Group. * Birmingham SF Group * 'Breakneck action ... This is vintage McDonald, with beautifully drawn settings, complex characters and deft plotting' Guardian. * Guardian * Snappy, inventive language, lively characters and world-building on an epic scale * Sci-Fi Now * Equal enjoyment for adults and teenagers . . . high quality of writing that engages the reader and carries the plot forward at a furious pace . . . adventure and hormones . . . is one of those writers who is capable of charming any reader with his story-telling abilities * Brum SF Group * A marvellous treat of adventure, science and balderdash . . . mixes science fiction with high adventure . . . Fancy weapons, crazy-cool clothes and a sweet air ride that you so so need to stow away on! * myshelfconfessions.com * Sharply imagined and inventive . . . first-rate adventure writing . . . Planesrunner is not only excellent YA SF but is simply good SF in a way which almost reinvents, and possibly makes addictive, the old parallel universe trope. It's fun * Locus * Promises to be another hit for the award-winning author * British SF Association * A sterling piece of hard SF. And with cultural references including everything from Doctor Who to Pulp Fiction, there's much for readers of a finer vintage to enjoy * Starburst, 9/10 stars * An incredible read * Speculating on Speculative Fiction * Exhilarating * Speculative Scotsman * Science fiction adventure at its best, and at its core is Everett, the heroic little geekling that we all wanted to be as kids . . . I want an interdimensional passport ASAP. . . Snappy dialogue and fascinating details round out this marvellous series debut * Speculative Fiction Examiner * Smashing adventure fiction that spans the multiverse without ever losing its cool or its sense of style. Ian McDonald is one of the greats of science fiction, and his young adult debut is everything you could hope for: romantic, action-packed, wildly imaginative and full of heart * Cory Doctorow * In Ian McDonald's ripping yarn, a youngster with a map of the multiverse pursues his kidnapped father from modern London into a parallel world of coal-fired, brass-bound internet terminals and - of course - duelling airships. Engaging * Seven (the Telegraph) * Similarities to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, yet McDonald's story differs by grounding the reader in reality at the start by using a normal boy from North London, and opening his eyes to worlds and universes so different from our own * Telegraph * McDonald writes with scientific and literary sophistication, as well as a wicked sense of humour. Add nonstop action, eccentric characters, and expert universe building, and this first volume of the Everness series is a winner * Publishers Weekly Starred Review * What joy to find science fiction based on real scientific concepts . . . In his debut for teens, established science-fiction writer McDonald builds a world just different enough to charm readers into believing . . . Shining imagination, pulsing suspense and sparkling writing make this one stand out. As Sen would say, "fantabulosa bona" * Kirkus Starred Review * Breakneck action . . . vintage McDonald, with beautifully drawn settings, complex characters and deft plotting * Guardian * Planesrunner is chock-full of awesome. Ian McDonald's steampunk London blazes on a vast scale with eye-popping towers, gritty streets, and larger-than-life characters who aren't afraid to fight for each other. The kind of airship-dueling, guns-blazing fantasy that makes me wish I could pop through to the next reality over, join the Airish and take to the skies * Paolo Bacigalupi, Michael J. Printz Award-winning author of Ship Breaker *
