Stumble Into An Alternative Universe With "Out of the Blu"

§ I received a copy of this book by the publisher but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. §

After a turbulent flight the Cs could not be happier to be back in the UK. Now the only thing they want to do is relax in the comforts of home. The plan shatters when they see an almost identical Volvo parked in front of their house, and even worse, they find exact copies of themselves inside. There are only small deviations between the couples, such as the spelling of their names - Victor versus Viktor.

Soon they come to the conclusion that they must have ended up in an alternative universe where "police" is spelled "polise" and the "world wide web" is the "lace." Since neither the Ks nor the Cs feel at home, both realize that there must be a third version. As quickly as possible, they are trying to find a way to return to their respective realities. They become even more eager when the police notice that something crooked is happening ...

When Trust Books contacted me if I wanted a PR copy of "Out of the Blu" I said yes. But why? For one, I was really curious why the title contained a spelling mistake. Second, while the idea of alternative universes is not exactly new, it can be explored in many ways:

For example in "Star Trek" we have the evil mirror universe. "Stargate" picks a similar but doomed world, while FanFiction tends to pick the "Coffee Shop" variation. Meanwhile "Out of the Blu" choose a variation in which two couples end up in an universe that belongs to neither of them and unlike in "Stargate" or "Star Trek" these people are not highly trained scientists who know exactly what they're doing.

It took them one forth of the book to figure out what had happened. Then they were left with no clue on how to get back into their respective realities. This made for a refreshing treasure hunt as they stumbled around clueless, running from one obstacle into the next.

However, while reading I made the discovery that halfway through the book, the pace started let go. At the beginning when everything was still fresh and new, it was fun to read and you enjoyed emerging yourself into the alternative universe mystery. Then it became a bit tiring and you weren't sure if the plot was still moving forward or losing its edge. And while the dairy entries added a little perspective, the diary entry's method of story-telling didn't differ a lot from the way the main story is told. Meanwhile, the comic relief is better timed and brings a light-hearted component to a story that would otherwise be quite heavy.

"Out of the Blu" offers a new perspective on an age-old topic. While I feel like it needs a little revising, you can tell that Vitaliev has the right ideas and just needs to sharpen his tools a bit more for future books. In the end, it's a good and lazy read for when you're lounging at the lake side or are on a longer flight.

... just be careful that you don't end up in an alternative universe yourself during the flight.