By Ian Whates

PS Publishing, out mid-October

London – a city of many facets… particularly for someone with the abilities of Chris…

If you’ve watched or been intrigued by the idea of Counterpart, the new Starz series about a parallel world whose occupants can step between dimensions, then you’ll definitely want to pick up The Smallest of Things, Ian Whates’ latest adventure for his hero, Chris. (It doesn’t matter if, like me, you’ve not read others – but you’re bound to want to find them after you’ve completed this.) Chris has the ability to cross between different dimensions, and can take others with him – travelling to London that may be completely different from our own, or superficially the same. The catalyst for his travels this time is a call for help from an old friend, Claire, whose boyfriend was apparently killed by people who came from nowhere…

Whates doesn’t waste time delving too far into the science behind his tale – plot points rely on some of the differences between worlds, and overexplaining would, I suspect, spoil some of these. For much of the story, it’s a chase thriller with mysterious browncoats pursuing Chris and Claire until, unsurprisingly, he’s able to turn the tables.

As Whates explains in his piece on the PS Publishing website, he’s barely scratched the surface with the tales told so far and I hope there are more to come – perhaps told on a wider canvas, as this one finishes rather abruptly.

Verdict: An enjoyable take on the parallel world idea with an engaging hero. 8/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from PS Publishing