“Jump (aka Twinmaker) is a gripping scifi story of friendship, identity + accidentally destroying the universe.”—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of These Broken Stars and Illuminae
“The final act is packed with surprises that make perfect sense in retrospect. A philosophical marathon.”—Kirkus (on Hollowgirl)
“This is the sort of modern Young Adult fiction that I would be glad to see my kids reading. It could be as prophetic for them as Arthur C. Clarke was for the last two generations!”—KIWIreviews (on Fall)
“A clever blend of teen buddy fiction and philosophical sci-fi. They double as entertaining adventure stories and explorations of the ethical and political dimensions of powerful technologies … Big on action. Huge on ideas.”—Sydney Morning Herald (on Hollowgirl)
“…never stops dishing out the twists and turns that keep his great overarching plot moving at near breakneck pace. (The shockers in Hollowgirl are unreal!) The cast of characters is diverse and interesting and Clair is the right balance of self-assured heroine and frustrated teenager. The many layers to this whole story, the many players involved and the multitude of self-serving interests that are explored, is mind-boggling and yet wholly believable. Sean Williams gives readers a great action packed adventure with the Twinmaker trilogy but just as importantly, he issues a clarion call about how we live today, and where it might be leading us to for tomorrow.”—Locus
“will haunt readers as they grapple with deep questions of reality, humanity, and how to strike a balance between opposite ways of thinking. Williams’ world shares many qualities with modern polarized human society, and it is this intelligent consideration that continues to set these books apart.”—Booklist (on Hollowgirl)
“more Return of the Jedi than Matrix Revolutions, with plenty of action as well as big ideas.”—West Australian (on Fall)
“A great deal more complex and intelligent than the average YA action thriller, with an original and exciting premise” – Annabel Smith
“The story powers on to a relentless, shocking conclusion that will leave readers howling for more. Recommend alongside other sci-fi titles with ethical complexity and logical quandaries, like Mary E. Pearson’s The Adoration of Jenna Fox (2008), William Sleator’s The Last Universe (2005), and Neal Shusterman’s Unwind (2007).”—Booklist (on Crashland)
“Twinmaker took my breath away. A triumph of thrilling action and vivid imagination.”—Alison Goodman, author of Eon and Eona
“A mind-blowing adventure about what it means to be human, and what it means to find ourselves.”—Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies and Leviathan
“A gripping YA thriller, coming of age and love story that transports the reader to a future that looks a whole lot better than it really is … Highly Recommended.”—Garth Nix, author of Sabriel
“Twinmaker asks smart questions without easy answers, and presents a future so simultaneously wonderful and terrible you can only believe in it–and maybe wish you could be there, too. A thrilling, existential head trip worthy of my favorite anime, I couldn’t stop reading this book. More importantly, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”—Alaya Dawn Johnson, author of The Summer Prince
“In a time when every second book seems to be a dour dystopia TWINMAKER is a breath of fresh air. Not just because it’s hugely fun, or because it’s so smart, but because behind its vision of a world in which distance has been eliminated by matter transportation lies a book urgently engaged with the ways social media and technology are transforming us, and unafraid of their possibilities. I loved it.” —James Bradley, author of The Resurrectionists
“Williams marries accessibly explored moral ramifications of future technologies-a hallmark of mature science fiction-with a strong, capable teen heroine and heart-pounding action” —Kirkus
“In the masterful hands of Williams, the technology, which has eerie parallels to contemporary life, provides a solid platform for great storytelling, and teens will revel in the drama, Clair’s tenacity, and the memorable characters who discover that their utopia isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”—Booklist, starred review
“a sprawling and complex tale, built on an impressively well-constructed premise and held together with intrigue and tension. . . . Williams’s exploration of technology and its implications fuels a fascinating story.”—Publishers Weekly
“Give this one to teens who enjoy action-packed books such as Veronica Roth’s “Divergent” trilogy.”—School Library Journal
“handily juggles ethical debates, swift action, and a well-developed setting, while also carefully following each story thread. The resulting novel is rich . . . readers will easily slot themselves into [Clair’s] spot as they consider how to cope with a world on the verge of simultaneous technological brilliance and meltdown.”—The Horn Book
“This first book in the Twinmaker trilogy is a fast-paced action thriller with intriguing plot twists and a gutsy protagonist who’s determined to succeed at any cost. Highly recommended.”—Readings
“some knife-in-the-gut twists and a gasp-inducing ending”—Kirkus (Crashland)
“The final act is packed with surprises that make perfect sense in retrospect. A philosophical marathon.”—Kirkus (Hollowgirl)
More reviews here.
The final scene of Twinmaker took a lot of work. Here’s the first draft. (v1) “Things will work again now, but probably not the way you’re used to.” So many layers. So many meanings. Q had moved on from quotes, alliteration and [puns]. grown up. Clair stayed right where she was. Finally, the alarm died. […]
(So . . . in early drafts the issue of Clair being invaded by Mallory was played a lot harder. Here, in the train, is where Clair first confronts that fear.) The dream was hard-edged and sharp, like a machete. She tried to worm free of it several times, but once it had her pinned […]
“Zero Temptation”, the account of an earlier adventure featuring Clair’s friends Ronnie and Tash, was previously only available as an exclusive in the Australian edition of Twinmaker. Now you can read it for free at Lightspeed Magazine, with a bonus interview. Here a couple of excerpts: Story: “A young blond god rising up out of […]
(This takes place on the train to New York, a sequence that was much long in early drafts, to the detriment of the story. I’ve always liked this conversation, though. Q’s bad jokes were a source of fun for me. Also: there were a bunch of extras in this scene that we ended up leaving […]