Those Beyond the Wall is a "stand-alone" sequel to Micaiah Johnson's "The Space Between Worlds". I say "stand-alone" in quotes because to be honest, this book relies too heavily on the character and background setup of TSBW for me to really believe that a reader could skip TSBW and not be very confused here. But well The Space Between Worlds is one of my favorite books of the last five years as it used its story of multiversal travel to tell a story about class, race, family and love, and even included a F/F romantic subplot. So a sequel was something I really was excited for, although I was a bit nervous due to how perfect I found that book's ending.

Those Beyond the Wall warns the reader however that this is a very different kind of book from the start (via an author's note) and that while this is still in some ways a story about love, it is very much also a story about righteous rage. It uses the multiversal-rules of the first book, along with its setup of a rich city with walls and tech that keeps out the poor and undesirable who are thus forced to live in a Mad Max-esque desert land, to tell a story of inequality and rage against injustice, with our main character Mr. Scales meaning well at heart but more and more willing to channel violence towards solving the injustice she and those around her suffer. And the story deals well with issues of love, self-hate, abuse, and more, for what should be a pretty powerful tale. And yet, my feelings towards this book were complicated by how it sort of took apart The Space Between Worlds' happy ending, reinterpreted certain characters from that book in ways that didn't quite make sense to me, and sort of made it hard for me to concentrate on this book's ideas and message.


Plot Summary:
To everyone else, Mr. Scales is just a mechanic who works for Emperor Nik Nik, the warlord who rules Ashtown...even if Mr. Scales is known to some for being an incredibly strong fighter and a loyal runner. But Mr. Scales hides a wild and sometimes tragic past, one that connects him to the Emperor in a way no one else knows. And Mr. Scales also only barely hides a fury within her, a rage that her time living in and working at The House could only temper, one which she tries hard not to let out of control.

But when a House worker whom Scales knows dies horribly in front of her in mysterious fashion, Scales is desperate to find out who is responsible. And that investigation will force Scales to work with a runner whom she can barely stand and to look into the doings of the rich, wealthy and spoiled who live inside the walls of Wiley City...and whose actions might be responsible for dooming them all. And Scales will find out that saving them all from both the murderous force and the ungrateful oppressing bastards of Wiley will require her to grow into a role she never wanted....and to unleash her rage in a way that will change both Ashtown and Wiley....forever.

Let me be upfront here: Those Beyond the Wall is sold as a stand-alone, but I have no idea how it can be read without reading The Space Between Worlds first. Besides the fact that numerous major characters here originated in that book (main character Mr. Scales is a very minor character in that book), a large part of this book's setup requires you to understand this story's take on multiversal travel and its consequences, and the book doesn't ever stop to re-explain it. I suppose you might be able to figure it out from context, but I doubt you will, and certain character relationships here come straight from that book, which took place a few years before this one.

This is, however, extremely awkward because Those Beyond the Wall takes a VERY different tone - full of righteous fury and absolutely against any ideas of reconciliation between the wealthy Wiley city and Ashtown - than The Space Between Worlds and in trying to set this tone, it uses some of the old characters in ways that didn't really seem to make any sense based upon their actions in that first book. It also kind of rips apart some of the hopeful happy ending of that book's main character Cara (who is a major character here), which didn't love, and the inconsistencies in characters from book to book can't really just be explained by the change in first person narrator. For some readers this won't be a problem I guess, but for me this was something that constantly bothered me throughout reading this book as I just had a hard time believing how certain characters were acting. So I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who hasn't read TSBW, but at the same time I suspect TSBW readers are going to have more problems with character actions than nonreaders - which is just awkward.

That's a lot of text in this review for what seems like a negative, and I really don't want to give the impression that this book is a negative, because it's not. The main protagonist, Mr. Scales, is a fascinating character to follow and her character arc is incredibly strong. Scales is a young woman who hides a powerful rage from abuse, and feels constantly overlooked due to her "ugly" looks - one personal issue for her is her crush on her best friend Mr. Cheeks, which he never seems to ever realize and no one ever seems to suggest could become reciprocated seemingly just because he's known for being so pretty, which bothers her even more than the fact that he doesn't reciprocate. She hates those who are privileged and who enjoy protection of the City or who hate on people due to dogma just for being who they are - for being sexually active, for being queer, etc. (Scales takes no preference in the gender/sex of her partners and is very clear about calling people only how they want to be called) - and finds it hard to let go of that hate and anger when dealing with people who were once part of those circles - such as her new partner here, Mr. Cross (a man who used to spread hate filled dogma of the Rurals Church before the church and Mr. Cross changed). And she is desperate to help the Emperor because he, even if he can't show it openly, is the first one to ever make her feel wanted like family. There's also a lot of self-loathing in Scales due to the abuse she's suffered, and the story uses all of the above to tell a tale about love, hate, and learning to both share one's self, love one's self, and be willing to be honest to one's self in terms of what one wants and loves. It's a really good arc.

Also a strong and powerful arc - which fits in with the above even if it is a major tonal shift from TSBW - is the story's plot arc as Scales and the Ashtown characters struggle with first saving themselves from multiversal invaders and from the backstabbing greedy ways of the peoples from the more literal other "world" - those from Wiley who need the Emperor and his allies' help to survive but would sooner then betray them than share the results of such help. Scales and the book comes to realize that the walls that keep Wiley-ites separated from Ashtown and keep its good atmosphere and land in are untenable if justice is ever to be served...there is no way that people can live in the ways they deserve if this segregation and apartheid system is ever allowed to continue. And so the book argues, this system must be torn down, no matter possibly the cost....although Scales and her allies need to find a way to do so without the greater world being so offended at their actions that they bring down unstoppable weapons of war to kill them all.

It's not at all a subtle plot, with its themes of violence and rage being necessary to correct such horrible injustices being worn right on its sleeve, but it mostly works really well and powerfully. The book kind of forgets near the end its issues dealing with the multiversal invaders (who are at times thought of seemingly by the book as refugees from a dying world, but the book never deals with the implications of that or how the characters' react to that) but for what it's going for, the book's themes and powers really work. I just wish the story had been set more clearly in a different setting so that it didn't have the disharmony issues with TSBW to frustrate me. Or perhaps that discomfort is the author's point and the author intended to repudiate TSBW....but it doesn't quite feel like it. All in all, well worth a read, with the above caveats.

Micaiah Johnson has created such an intriguing world in this series of books. I absolutely loved the first book (The Space Between Worlds) and have been eagerly anticipating this one as well. This is one of those books that I loved so much that it has found its way into my soul and I can no longer describe it because it is simply a part of me.

I loved her first book! It took a minute for me to get into because this author takes her time setting scene and the characters. This is definitely a page turner! Hang in for a RIDE!!!

Scales is a runner, basically an enforcer in an extremely brutal society. And she deservedly angry at the differences between Wileytown and Ashtown. In fact, this book is full of rage, and has a lot to say about discrimination both in our world and in the world of the book. I was very drawn in by the story, although for awhile I kind of figured it was something set in the same universe as The Space Between Worlds, but not with much other connection. The story was brutal, sad, and hopeful at the same time.

What a wonderful ride and a creative world. This is my first foray into Micaiah Johnson and I came to this book having not read "The Space Between Worlds."

What I loved most about this story is that there seemed to be a secret in the story that you as the reader was allowed to ferret out. I loved the references that I didn't know and the clues left throughout to piece together. The story is well crafted and wonderfully entertaining, shocking, and mysterious. I especially liked the complicated relationships and depth of knowledge of each of the characters backgrounds and histories and how that played out.

This author is very skilled at moving the plot along while also peaking and maintaining your curiosity.

I got this as an ARC from Netgalley (thank you Del Rey!) and did not realize it was a sequel. However, I did not feel lost at all in this insanely brilliant dystopian sci-fi future. It feels like a bit of Mad Max infused with real-world inequalities and struggles. The author’s anger at real-life situations shines through in the writing and does not hold back and that made me really love this story. I now know I need to go back and read Book 1, The Space Between Worlds, which follows Cara as the main character, though she is a side character in this story. Mr. Scales is the main character and it is easy to not know how to feel about Mr. Scales.

There are so many traumatizing events in Mr. Scales’s life and in the current timeline of the story, that the characters just never get a breath - of which, “I can’t breathe” is directly referenced in this story. The action and tension kept me flipping through the pages quickly to see what wild thing might happen next. I loved the sci-fi side of things too and this ability to essentially reality-hop and by doing so, potentially kill your doppelganger there.

I loved the first book in this series- The Space Between Worlds. I struggled with this second book. Those Beyond the Wall makes very thinly veiled references to real-world issues. These are indeed important issues, and are clearly deeply personal to the author.

Follow up to The Space Between Worlds follows the mechanic and fighter Scales as she works to solve a series of mysterious and gruesome deaths. I found this book tedious and slow, overusing descriptions of the desert world and hints as to character motivations. I found the pace of the book too slow, making it a laborious read. I was not able to finish it, stopping early in the read.

I loved The Space Between Worlds and here we get to revisit that universe. This story felt more adventure/traditional sci-fi than the contemplation of how our choices shape us found in volume 1 but it was still an intriguing story and masterful world building. Johnson is excellent at using sci-fi to create metaphors of social issues recognizable in our modern world. Definitely recommend but reread TSBW first!

Probably one of the best books I've ever read.

This is a book of black rage disguised as a dimensional travel sci-fi novel. The writing is so amazingly well done, the characters have so much depth, all around its amazing.

You could technically read this as a standalone but I'd definitely recommend picking up The Space Between Worlds first. Its great, but this one is so much better.

Rage, rage, rage!

Micaiah Johnson's follow-up to The Space Between Worlds, is a rage-filled adventure.

Do yourself a favor and read or re=read the first book again right before reading this. While it is brilliant, it does not have the same amount of world building and relies heavily on the first one.

Michaiah Johnson should be better known, as she is an amazing author.

Thank you to Net Galley & Ballantine for the ARC.

I was so thrilled when I learned that there was going to be a sequel to The Space Between Worlds - and while I didn't love this one as mush as the first, I did really enjoy it.

Those Beyond the Wall did follow a character that, at first, I had a really hard time following. She is a tough, badass character that I struggled to want to follow. By half way, I was invested.

This felt much more dystopian than the first book, which I surprising really enjoyed. There is just something about this world that the author created that I am so intrigued to learn more of.

Overall, while this took me a while to get invested I enjoyed my time!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I had high hopes for this one! I always love a sci-fi thriller and I enjoyed The Space Between Worlds by this author. However, I couldn’t finish the book. I really just cannot connect to the writing style. It feels very discombobulated & all over the place. I’m interested in the mystery, but I know that I can’t get past this writing. But, the writing style may work out better for others, so if you don’t mind a more chaotic feel to writing, you could try this out!

Unfortunately this one was just okay for me. The Space Between Worlds is one of my favorite sci fi books so I had high hopes for this one and it just felt flat for me. I did like the mystery plot itself. However I deeply did not enjoy Scales as a main character or as a narrator so that just really put a damper on it because I never wanted to be in her head. Stream of consciousness style narration can work for me but I gotta like the character who's doing it.

And while I liked the mystery plot, often it felt like the book would veer off to other focuses for chapters at a time and I just never felt engaged and interested in those other parts either

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Because I’m very silly, I actually put in the request for this a couple of weeks before I actually picked up The Space Between Worlds, which had been hyped up to me by anyone and everyone (and! they were right! it’s a banger). Still, I was excited to read this one, especially after seeing other early reviews (I love Mad Max: Fury Road). And I did, in fact, really like this one, if only a bit less than Johnson’s debut.

Those Beyond the Wall trades the multiverse for one iteration of Ashtown and Wiley City and focuses on the disparities between the two. This really does shine when it comes to interpersonal relationships and rage. I loved the relationships that Johnson portrayed here: they were interesting and complex and messy and so, so human. Though I guess I’d been expecting there to be more world hopping, I did think Johnson’s approach to depicting rage and justice and what is and isn’t acceptable was well done and forced the reader to engage in some chewy questions. This really does shine when it comes to interpersonal relationships and rage.

I found the quality of Johnson’s writing excellent. Scales is a strong narrator, though at times her narration didn’t perfectly work for me. I do think that’s more on me not being in the mood for a character breaking the fourth wall than anything else. I really liked that the narrative didn’t pull any punches, though it did mean Scales was a little harder to get on with than Cara (I do actually like her, though!!). While it didn’t hit as hard for me as its predecessor, I do genuinely think it’s a book I will come back to and re-read at the right time for it to be a homerun.

Unsurprisingly, what made the first book a strange delight is still here to some degree, and I'm glad for the kind of sequel this is, taking the opportunity to tell a different story that in some ways is a direct continuation yet in others feels utterly disconnected. Science and mythology/religion continue to merge in interesting ways, and the worldbuilding (well, universe-building. or multiverse-building) is as strong as ever. I appreciate too that the edges of this novel are even more gnarly than the first. Maybe it overcorrects in that regard, but Johnson's ability to write a strange sort of tenderness into an incredibly dark story comes through a lot here. That all being said, what I loved about the first book is definitely here to a smaller extent. It takes around half the book for a lot of those elements to really kick in, and the multiversal exploration of technology and spirituality is less present overall in favor of a focus that isn't as up my alley. For the first half of the novel, the voice felt somewhat more generic than in the first, making it hard for me to fully connect with Scales. I mentioned about the first that the revelations could be somewhat unnatural, and here I feel that extends to much of the backstory and exposition around the main character, whereas Cara's story felt more casually intertwined with the narrative in the first. Still, the web of characters and relationships is well-done here, and I'm impressed with how clearly the complex feelings characters have for one another are conveyed.

I'm not usually one to read sequels, but this one is very strong, and I continue to relish in the weird, dark vibes Micaiah Johnson concocts.

I requested this but didn't realize it was a second book in a series, so I appreciate the opportunity to read, but will likely not have time to provide early feedback.

Visceral, violent and vibrant-a narrative that wounds and characters that cut, this sequel to The Space Between Worlds gives us the even grittier side of the multiverse. You’ll never find a better antihero!

I think you’ll love the stark imagery and raw rage that infuses this story. And you’ll be mesmerized by the glowing heart at its center. So well done!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

This book is a book that you revisit in different areas of your life. Very “growth” type of book and the author gave me a perspective of it may not be great today but it gets better and better as time progresses.

Those Beyond the Wall is a searing sci-fi thriller about a woman reckoning with her past to solve a series of sudden and inexplicable deaths in the face of a coming apocalypse.

Takes place some years after the events on the first book. Written from the point of view of one of Ashtown gang. Cara does appear, as doe many other characters from the first Novell.
I loved revisiting this world. Didn’t think it needed a sequel, but I was proven wrong.