I read this years ago and forgot to post a review for some reason, but it had some fun moments that I enjoyed!

This was a fun read! How could you hate any book with cowboy sloths? The characters were well drawn, and I enjoyed it through the end.

The Math Suggests That In All of the Universes There is Humor

Sometimes books like this tilt heavily towards pseudo-physics mumbo jumbo. Sometimes the idea is to capture high school angst. Sometimes we get all serious about character development or coming-of-age or other messages. Not so much here, where the snappy one-liner or deadpan throwaway observation is primo.

The authors have a comedy improv background, and it shows. Sure, there's a plot. Alternate, parallel universes are collapsing into our own, and our heroes have to deal with intrusions into our plane and with being catapulted into other universes. It's comedy existence/reality improv with a twist of demented.

There are also characters. Actually, much more realized and engaging characters than one might expect. The book is narrated in alternating, (but thankfully not overlapping), chapters by Scott and Davey. They're sort of standard types, but with appealing and clever tweaks that keep them fresh. Scott is the nerdy keep-his-head-down type who filters everything through movie/TV/pop culture references. Davey is the mean girl who is actually a very unapologetically mean girl. We immediately sympathize with Scott, (at least I did), who is inoffensive and has a little bit of the hero-within. We wait for Davey to thaw, but after a while her commitment to meanness becomes sort of interesting. The two of them are joined by circumstances, the plot, and the universe, and their odd coupleness provides a lot of the story's energy. Well, that and the whole collapse of all creation thing.

Now, that's all well and good, but, c'mon, we've been here before. Why is this special? Well, it's funny. And it's every kind of funny. There are jokes. There are puns. There are Scott's frequently apt cultural references. There is snarky, edgy and deadpan humor. There is a good deal of double-act comedy dialogue. There's everything from don't-call-me-Shirley jokes to pretty subtle throwaways. We stay away from politics and just touch on sex, but we have lots to say about music, celebrities, teen spirit, high school, and, of course, the deepest existential questions regarding life, the universe and everything.

The book moves through three stages. I particularly liked the first third, in which Scott and Davey experience slight and brief reality displacements, and question their own sanity. In the middle third we have a full on reality collapse and it sometimes feels like we're trying too hard to be as bizarro and gonzo, and violent, as possible. After a while this drags a bit, but it's still peppered with Scott and Davey's jokes and comments, so it's O.K.. For the final third we actually have to wrap things up and either save the universe or not. This wrap up is more creative and interesting than I expected, so it was nice of the authors to get us home safely.

The upshot was that this was entertaining, edgy in a basically good-humored fashion, and fun. A nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Practical applications for Multiverse Theory was a fun fantasy novel that any Syfy fan will enjoy. though at times some of the context gets muddled and confusing for those who are not familiar with this type of genre. Overall it was an engaging read with some genuine funny moments.