A fantastic follow-up to The Space Between Worlds, one of my favorite books I read in 2023. Those Beyond the Wall focuses on a different character, Mr. Scales, a number of years after the first book, but it's a clear continuation of the first story, with plenty of character and story continuity with its predecessor.

Johnson has done an amazing job building out an elaborate but plausible future, a post-environmental-collapse society that is a thought-provoking reflection on our flawed present. Ashtown can be brutal or accepting, deadly or supportive. Wiley City is a depressing evolution of late-stage capitalism. Both places, and the social structures within, are wonderfully crafted and consistent, and never feel implausible or preachy.

Johnsons' characters, and their evolution as they deal with the circumstances that made them into who they are, have an engaging depth. Everything about the story, from the action to the relationships to the revelations, had me excited for the next moment where I'd have time to read a few pages.

Highly recommend both books in The Space Between Worlds series, and I'm anxious to see what Micaiah Johnson comes up with next.

This review is based on a galley copy received from NetGalley.

This didn’t have the magic that The Space Between Worlds did for me. I kept getting confused with who was talking, who they were talking about, who was who, etc.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I devoured Micaiah Johnson's debut The Space Between Worlds, so I had high hopes for Those Beyond the Wall. I'm delighted to say I loved it!

Those Beyond the Wall is a sequel to The Space Between Worlds (even though it doesn't seem to be described as such? Which feels misleading to me, but I'm not overly familiar with sci-fi as a genre, so maybe I'm missing something here - either way, it's not a book I'd recommend approaching if you don't have the rich context of the first). That said, it's a creative rather than straightforward continuation - in the first book our protagonist was Cara, and while she's still present in Those Beyond the Wall (twenty or so years after we last saw her), she's no longer the focus. Rather, our. protagonist is Scales, an enforcer for the emperor of Ashtown. She's not the most reliable of narrators, as we quickly discover, but she's got good reasons for keeping secrets.

I won't go deep into the synopsis, but at a high level, this is a powerful, propulsive book - and as futuristic as it is, it's got more than a few gut-punch connections to contemporary society. I'll also say that, as with The Space Between Worlds, the world-building is spectacular - AND there's very little hand-holding. This isn't the kind of book that serves up maps, or lists of characters, or explicit definitions on a silver platter; you're thrown into it and expected to figure it out (which in many ways mirrors the experiences of Cara in book one and Scales in book two). The first few chapters aren't confusing but they are disorienting; they're well worth pushing through.

Thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This pains me to say, but I'm DNFing at about 27% or just over 100 pages in.

I absolutely loved The Space Between Worlds. It was my favorite book the year it came out.

However, I did not like this one. I did not like the narrative voice. I did not understand what was going on (in plot or character relations). I usually can forgive a lot of the plot if I care about the characters. But here I wasn't.

I also don't see how this connects to the first book. Maybe this should have been a standalone because I came in with expectations that were not met. I really wanted to try more with this, but it took me a few days to read the first 100 pages, and I keep avoiding picking it back up.

I know that the author's note said that this was a book that was written to express her anger, which is very valid, but I just don't think that this is doing what I thought it was going to.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and the way we got a different perspective of the same world that was created in the first installment of this series. I think it added more layers to the lore and understanding of the people of Ashtown and their way of life. My one and glaring critique of this book is in the ending. No spoilers here....even though I thought the pacing throughout the book was well done, the climax left a bit to be desired as well as a lack of suspense and believability for the outcome of some of the characters we had been following throughout the course of the story.

I feel that Micaiah is brilliant with the way she parallels this story with issues of today. A separate issue I have, but not with the book itself..... I've seen commentary that believes these connects distract from the story but I think the crucial point being missed here is that the point of the dystopian genre is to have you think critically of how their issues parallel ours. There are a lot of "dystopian novels" that have this underdeveloped baseline of what are considered popular tropes that make it feel like it fits the genre when really it doesn't (examples like Divergent come to mind). This, in my opinion, waters down the intended messaging for this genre which in turn makes novels that are actually trying to say something (like this one) fall under the scrutiny of "trying to say too much".

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more stories that Micaiah Johnson is willing to grace us with. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this piece of work early.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This review was originally posted on Goodreads.

This book was right up my alley. I loved it. It is raw and honest and twisty and relevant. And it even made me choke up at the high moments, which is very rare for me.

For the first pages of the book my brain was full of ???, making me question my decision to jump in without a reread of Space Between Worlds and even question my understanding of language. I adjusted fairly quickly--the language adds flavor to the world--but it still required a lot of focus. Slip and you'll miss things. This isn't a book that lets you skim or mind-wander. It tosses you in the deep and just zooms away.

But I like how the book doesn't make it easy. Connections are given in flashbacks where you have to watch for the details. Information is earned. Reveals are doled out in crumbs and then puzzle pieces before finally confirmed with a punch. It's tough though, because the book makes me want to read fast--or at least, each chapter ends with a hook for the next. Some chapters bogged down a bit in the middle, but they always picked up speed by the end--and the last half just went bam-bam-bam.

I especially like how this series treats ... everything. Race. Gender. Orientation. Ability. "We like genders like landmasses here, like puddles that congregate, evaporate, and re-form." The book is flush with a spectrum of identity, and even includes conversations on etiquette regarding pronouns and choice. It doesn't shy away from the elephants in the room, but faces them head-on and welcomes them in.

The book is thick with thought--the current political climate oozes through the cracks at the beginning but then smooths into the climate of the story itself. The MC--Mr. Scales--her rage is palpable. She is a very different narrator from Cara (and I understand from other reviews that that dissonance can be jarring--so maybe it's a good thing I skipped a reread). But her rage is also very... honest. And her self-journey, especially in regards to Mr. Cross, is an exploration of rage and its internal and external sources.

I loved the worldbuilding--given through *living* the traditions, a true example of show-don't-tell--balanced with universal human topics like crushes and unrequited love, and that "wanting to shift someone else’s boundaries is a burden and a threat, not a gift or a compliment." That Scales is mature enough to know this, and injured enough not to believe herself worthy of love--made me love *her*, and want her to have people around her to prove her beliefs wrong. I *felt* for Scales, in every emotional punch and shock hit me as they did her, reminding me of my own ghosts, insecurities, and times when my illusions and security blankets were torn away.

So I also love that in the midst of all this rawness and chaos, we get a solid found-family and even a little bit of a romance. Johnson-sensei even mentions in the Acknowledgments, a nod to fans who enjoy arguing about ships: "have fun with this one lol"--and oh I did, I did!

I loved the first book, The Space Between Worlds, in this series.

Those Beyond the Wall is even better. In this book, about a decade after the end of The Space Between Worlds, we meet the protagonist, Mr. Scales. Mr. Scales, a runner for the emperor of Ashtown, has secrets only few know and even fewer acknowledge. As conflict with the City comes closer and closer, Mr. Scales and her friends, family, enemies, and heroes scheme and eventually fight to protect their people. Relationships come full circle and flip back again. Truths come into shocking focus.

Johnson weaves for her readers a thoughtful, lyrical, and futuristic tale of family, obligation, violence, friendship, and what it really means to be an anti-hero. In fact, the entire book is from Mr. Scales's POV and so we see it all from her (anti-hero) perspective. Those Beyond the Wall addresses climate change, colonialism, racism, misogyny, police violence, the abuse of marginalized communities by the powerful, gender fluidity, consent, and trauma with such a graceful skill I really don't have the words to describe how moving it is.

Johnson is officially an auto-buy author for me.

While this novel certainly stands alone, I think the experience is made richer by reading book 1 first. Plus you get a glimpse of important characters from that book.

I read Those Beyond the Wall with my eyes and ears and while I certainly recommend both, I thought the narrator was perfect and added even more to the story.

Lots of CWs - this book is gritty, violent, bloody, and frightening.

This was a stunning follow-up to The Space Between Worlds, and in many ways, functions as theoretical counterpoint to that narrative. Where TSBW tells us the story of a hero, Those Beyond the Wall tells us the story of an anti-hero. Where TSBW shows us evil being held accountable, Those Beyond the Wall shows us the extent to which evil will avoid accountability. Where TSBW focuses on change from within, Those Beyond the Wall focuses on revolution from without. Micaiah Johnson is explicit in her inspiration for this book, telling readers in the dedication that this book was born out of her experience as part of the 62-day sit-in at The People's Plaza in Nashville, and you feel it on every page. This is the book you write about revolution when your peaceful resistance was met with state-sanctioned violence.

Most interesting is the return of Cara from TSBW as an on-page foil to our main character and narrator in Those Beyond the Wall, Mr. Scales. As Scales and Cara circle each other on page, you can see warring philosophies played out, and as readers, we are challenged with uncomfortable questions: can abusive people be redeemed in their lifetimes, does violence ever engender peace, can apartheid states ever achieve equity without retribution? This is a violent narrative, dark and unforgiving and at times incredibly bleak, but Johnson has this unparalleled ability to weave into even the darkest moments glimmers of human connection and community. She credits this, too, to her experience in resistance movements, and you can feel its authenticity.

Foundational to Johnson's beyond-the-wall community is The House. We were introduced to The House and its sex workers in TSBW, but we see so much more of its rehabilitative work in this installment, and Johnson's portrayal of healing - physical, sexual, emotional, communal - is remarkably nuanced. We also have a broader discussion of gender identity and gender fluidity in this installment that speaks to the battles we've seen play out over trans rights in the years since TSBW was published.

This duo should, ideally, be read in order, because the two books are speaking to each other in a way that evidences Johnson's own political experiences and the years in which they were written. That said, she does an excellent job rebuilding the world in a way that I think even a new reader would be able to connect to the world-building and character arcs in Those Beyond the Wall as an entry point.

This book is an example of sci fi at its most relevant and its most insightful. As Johnson notes in her author's note at the book's start:

"Science fiction is fueled by dreams of a different, but possible, future. The same is true for Rage. While bitterness is an isolator, a repellent to community, Rage is a beacon calling out to others. It is as much a communal invitation as any bonfire.

Come join me, Rage says, at this spark that is lit by the distance between what the world is, and what we could make it."

"Those Beyond the Wall" by Micaiah Johnson is a gripping sequel that immerses readers in a world of intrigue, danger, and complex characters. Set in a divided society where the rich reside in the walled city of Wiley and the poor struggle to survive in Ashtown, the novel follows protagonist Scales, a mechanic/runner with a fiery disposition and a troubled past.

As mysterious murders plague both cities, Mr. Scales is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the killings. With the help of allies from both sides of the divide, including her partner, Cross, and a scientist from Wiley City, she navigates a web of secrets and betrayal that leads to shocking revelations about her own identity and the world she thought she knew.

The novel excels in its character-focused narrative, delving into themes of class, race, and the quest for justice in the face of systemic oppression. Johnson's writing is raw and visceral, capturing the simmering rage of her protagonist and the harsh realities of life beyond the city walls.

While the plot takes some time to unfold fully, the payoff is well worth it, delivering a gut-wrenching conclusion that leaves a lasting impact. My only criticism lies in the development of the romance subplot, which, feels somewhat lacking in depth.

Overall, "Those Beyond the Wall" is a thought-provoking and action-packed novel that builds upon the strengths of its predecessor. Johnson's skillful storytelling and compelling characters make this a must-read for fans of speculative fiction and social commentary alike.

Genre: science fiction

Beyond the rural outskirts of sophisticated Wiley City lies Ashtown, a sprawling town where Emperor Nik Nik holds unrelenting power by way of force. Mr. Scales (she/her) is a runner in the brutal fighting forces for the Emperor and a mechanic - Mister is an honorific, a holdover from a rebellion against the Wileyites - and, known only to her and Nik Nik, the Emperor’s half-sister. She’s seen brutality in all its forms, has been tortured and has killed others. A string of occurrences with mangled bodies but no apparent murderers brings Scales to her other half-brother, the mad-scientist Adam Bosch, and the legendary Traverser Cara. Yet again it becomes Ashtown vs Wiley City, even as they all try to work together to uncover the cause of the deaths.

The heavy lift of worldbuilding comes in book one: Technology and science exist to allow people to travel between worlds. Cara is from Ashtown, but lives in Wiley City as a world-traverser. She’s selected because her counterpoint in most other worlds is dead, and traversing is limited to realms where your counterpoint does not exist; but this power gives her very little privilege. Wiley City is climate regulated towers, with the wealthier living on high floors. Ashtown has a bit of a Mad Max feel: desert rules for desert survival. High tech equipment exists in both Wiley City and Ashtown, but Ashtown relies on the gritty force of the runners to keep people in check while Wiley City appears more “civilized” (the overall point, though, is that they conveniently ignore the problems of others.)

Those Beyond the Wall is a sequel to The Space Between Worlds. That said, the book takes place ten years later and from the perspective of a side character who gets fewer than ten mentions in the first book. It focuses on the runners of Ashtown, the wastelands of the world, and the lives of the less privileged. It’s gritty. The characters are messy because their lives are messy.

The shape of Scales’s life is complex, and she navigates her brutal life with equal brutally, and also still compassion. Scales has faced abuse, torture, and death, bridging a complicated gap between unwanted in Wiley City and in the shadows in Ashtown. She recognizes her unique position in her world and doesn’t flinch when she’s called to act. “Family is what we choose, not what leaves us behind,” Nik Nik says, and Scales knows what she’s chosen: Ashtown and the runners, Nik Nik, the House. And ultimately, the choice of the future of her world is in her hands.

Those Beyond the Wall engages with social science fiction as well. Johnson is engaging with critical race theory with her writing, but also embraces a queer normativity on a level I don’t often see even in queer normative science fiction. Gender is removed from the Ashtown titles - Emperor and Mister are genderless - and has no relationship with power: you have a job and you do it or you don’t, whether it’s as a runner or in the House (a pleasure house with a unique philosophy and social structure). There are nonbinary and trans characters throughout both books. Many of the characters are explicitly bisexual as well, and Johnson writes that in such a way that makes the sexual encounters feel ordinary no matter the genders involved. It’s a worldbuilding element that she captures to give not only more character depth, but a vision of the rules outside of the box (or, the literal walls of Wiley City, as it were).

Micaiah Johnson’s writing is insightful and sharp, but never veers towards preachy. The balance between Wiley City science, the Ruralites’ spirituality, and Ashtown’s mistrust of both could easily overshadow the plot and character development, but Johnson guides each with a firm hand. It's gritty science fiction at its best: asking readers to analyze science, religion, social structures, and the shape of reality through an action-driven and high stakes plot.

I can't recommend these two books enough. Those Beyond the Wall effortlessly engages with gender, time and space, and power.

What a stunning follow up to The Space Between Worlds - this is a story that delivers itself like a punch straight to the gut. In Those Beyond the Wall, Micaiah Johnson shifts her focus from multiverse traveling to one specific version of Ashtown and Wiley City, and more closely examines the relationship, history, and divide between these two communities, through the character of Mr. Scales, a side character from SPACE given the main stage here.

The plot focuses on a series of deaths, the cause of which is mysterious and unknown to Scales, but very familiar to those used to traveling the multiverse. While this investigation is interesting in its own right, with further exploration of the science behind multiverse travel and familiar faces popping up, where BEYOND really shines is in its depiction of relationships - the relationship between the rich and powerful Wiley City and the poor and resource-starved Ashtown just outside its wall, and the relationships between Scales and those in her lives - and its depiction of power and justice.

BEYOND simmers with rage, forcing the reader to consider what is acceptable, what is right, when the path forward for justice and equality can only be paved with violence and sacrifice. Johnson paints a stark contrast between the brutal but straightforward justice of Ashtown, and Wiley City's insidious cruelty in the name of the law, hidden behind a veneer of policy and politeness. In between the violence and injustice shown, Johnson also depicts a community that deeply prioritizes caring for one another, respecting each other's choices and identities, and embracing love and kindness where and when it can be found - despite or because of the violence that surrounds it and that it itself commits. With this underpinning of respect and loyalty, BEYOND reaches beyond its rage to add a note of hope as well.

The writing in this book is beautiful and Scales is a complicated character with a lot to their growth. I loved that even if you haven't read the book before this one you can still understand the world building and the characters. I did get confused a few times cause of the nicknames but it's my own fault. I enjoyed this read and the banter between a few characters.
Thank you Micaiah Johnson for the opportunity to an advanced reading of your book.

"I can’t breathe, but I won’t say it. I never want them to hear another of us say those words again."

Hi, I just finished this and no I'm not okay. Thanks for asking.

The Space Between Worlds was my favourite book of 2021 and I remain in awe of what Michaiah Johnson achieved in a debut. She's back at it again and has poured all her heart and her hopes and her RAGE into this one and it was just as incredible.

We're primarily following different characters than in the first book as they face a threat that was, let's face it, kind of inevitable. The hurt and trauma and empathy and comfort from the first book are all there, as are the yearning and deeply passionate relationships that Johnson excels at. To see someone stripped of everything and at their most raw and vulnerable... and to want them anyway? It's deeply touching to see, every time she does it.

Beautiful and heart-wrenching; I will read everything Micaiah Johnson puts out.

Since I got approval for this ARC on release day, I was able to simultaneously listen to the audiobook while I read it and I also think the audio delivery by Angel Pean was immaculate, 10/10 no notes.

Finding out Micaiah Johnson was publishing a sequel to The Space Between Worlds was some of the best book news I got last year. That Those Beyond the Wall lives up to the promise of its predecessor is some of the best book news of this year so far.

We return to the world of Wiley City, Ashtown, and the religious Ruralite zealots, ten years after the events of the first novel. One of Ashtown’s deadliest runners bears witness to a horrifying and strange death, and it soon becomes clear there’s more — much more — at stake. Not only thousands of Ashtowners and Wileyites alike at risk of a death they can’t predict or prevent, the conflict between the Wileyite haves and the Ashtown have nots will come to a bloody, explosive head.

What makes this book, and its predecessor, such a standout is the pitch perfect human drama providing the foreground to a spectacular sci-fi story. Mr. Scales has loved her best friend and fellow runner Mr. Cheeks for practically their whole lives, with no hope of him retuning her feelings. And as much as she loves Mr. Cheeks (and Estlee and the Emperor Nik Nik), she loathes former Ruralite-turned-runner Mr. Cross. And yet she keeps getting paired up with him on assignments, forcing her to confront what’s really at the root of her loathing.

Those Beyond the Wall is, as Johnson says in her author’s note at the front, a book filled with Rage. Written against the background of infuriating and intransigent real-world injustices, the conflicts of race and class map beautifully into the fantastical world of the story. Yet the deep connections between Mr. Scales and those she loves — friends, mentors, lovers, and blood — is the steady beating heard of the novel. Power, loyalty, and betrayal are all key themes.

It doesn’t seem likely (though it’s not completely impossible) that Johnson will return to this version of Earth in future stories. I can’t wait to see what she dreams up next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is the walled Wiley City and neighboring desert community of Ashtown, which Wiley City has tried to beat into submission. The Emperor rules Ashtown tightly and relies on Scales in her roles as mechanic or fighter to keep people in line. An invisible killer is on the loose between both places, so Scales must now work with a partner from Ashtown and a scientist from the City to track down the killer. Answers will dredge up secrets not just of the City, but about Scales herself.

In a world with a sharp divide between the rich of Wiley City and the poor of Ashtown, stories carry multiple layers of meaning. Scales is angry, and her origin is told and retold in different ways. She is sent to investigate the deaths, which had occurred in both cities and has complicated relationships with the people closest to her. She wants to be needed, to be important without being in the spotlight. The deaths are troublesome, with bodies crumpled and barely recognizable. It turns out to be the precursor to travel between dimensions, with people trying to enter their world, but unable to do so if there's already a version of them present.

If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's because multiversal travel was the heart of Micaiah Johnson's first novel, The Space Between Worlds. Don't worry if you haven't, this makes sense without reading that book because Scales doesn't know all the details anyway. Nik Nik is the Emperor, and he and his runners had been present before. Cara and Dell are back, but in bit parts compared to the first novel. It's ten years later, and Cara has a strained relationship with her sister Esther. We see more clearly what it's like living beyond the wall surrounding the city, not just the flashes when Cara visited her family before. The trauma of living in Ashtown on a regular basis, of being in the shadow of privileged Wiley City, is not an easy life to live. There's hardship of different types in Wiley City, different abuses, and things to fear. Scales plays off this fear, and would rather fight than give in to softer emotions. She must be the tough runner, the enforcer, to protect the secrets in Ashtown.

We have a lot of action as the secrets slowly unfold. There are also emotional beats as well, even though Scales doesn't like to acknowledge anything but anger. This is her way of dealing with past trauma, and it influences how she sees the world and reacts to it. Ashtown shaped her, and Ashtown has her loyalty. Seeing it through her eyes, we understand why it's home, and why it's worth saving.

This was pretty damn good!! Like, I am a fan of Micaiah Johnson. I will admit though, just like in the first book, some scenes were confusing, I didn’t fully grasp what was going on but Johnson’s writing style and the rage she put into this book and in her characters was just so good! So good!

And I liked Mr. Scales. She was frustrating and complicated and did something I will never forgive her for at the end of the book but underneath her mess, I found her to be a vulnerable, likable character.

Overall, I highly recommend that you read this series and I look forward to future works from the author!

When I first read the space between worlds, it was full of worlds and characters I wanted to know more about. Micaiah Johnson delivered just that in Those Beyond the Wall.

First I would say you don't necessarily have to read the Space between Worlds before reading this one as it does a good job providing necessary information. I personally think you're missing out if you don't because it provides a more robust understanding of the world and of some characters.

We have a few returning characters, but Mr. Scales and Mr. Cross come to life on the pages of this book. Two of Nik Niks runners, one a former Wileyite and resident of the house and the other a religious convert. The history between these two characters and how it shapes their relationship through out the book is wonderful.

The world that Johnson built is beautiful and dark. I picture it as a Mad Max esque world with an emperor and violent when they need to be followers. While just a bit away in the distance is Oz.

Loved this one and hope that we get another story in this world!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I received an eARC of this book for review from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

• The Brief: Scales is a survivor and a storyteller devoted to Ashtown and the Emperor, both of which are feared by the elite citizens of Wiley City. There is a new threat now, though. It is familiar, unpredictable and targeting both Ashtown and Wiley City. Scales is in the center of the first attack, and is compelled by love and loyalty to fight to the end.
• This follow up to Johnson's first novel isn't a direct sequel, but it will help if you've read the The Space Between Worlds. If you like the idea's explored in N.K. Jamison's most recent works, give this one a shot.

I was very excited for this book. The Space Between Worlds was one of my favorite books of 2022, and I was not disappointed with Those Beyond the Wall. Johnson was clearly inspired by recent real-world deaths of innocent civilians at hands of the entitled, something she acknowledges in her author's note. This could have become overly preachy, but while the message is clear it doesn't overwhelm the narrative. The character work appears effortless and deep. The worldbuilding is at times conflicting. The descriptions of Wiley seems inconsistent, or at least unclear. Is it one building where people are house in floors based on their status, or many buildings with streets and neighborhoods? The culture of Ashtown, though, is well-developed and compelling. It's another great entry in this dystopian world!

5 Stars

Book #2 in THE SPACE BETWEEN WALLS series. THOSE BEYOND THE WALL is a continuation of the story started in the 5 star 1st book. The continuing story line follows closely so many of the war and violence events that we read in every headline or newsletter today. But Micaiah Johnson has given her world and characters a chance and the means to end the violence, if they work together, sharing information and leaning into a shared resolution. The book/ storyline is excellent, even though it hits home on so many levels. Read these books with an open mind and see them as the moving picture of the past, present and future that they are.

Almost three years ago, I was absolutely stunned by Micaiah Johnson’s debut novel, The Space Between Worlds. So even though her standalone sequel promised a very different sort of plot from a very different perspective, there was no question about whether to give Those Beyond the Wall a try. 

Those Beyond the Wall takes place years after The Space Between Worlds, with the major characters from the first book taking on secondary roles here and the primary point of view provided by Mr. Scales, an Ashtown enforcer with plenty of righteous anger directed at the wealthy Wiley City where she spent her youth. When bodies start showing up dead and brutally disfigured, it’s clear that something dangerous is happening with the multiverse travel that was the focus of the first book. And that danger threatens both Wiley City and Ashtown, bringing the simmering class conflict to the forefront in a political struggle that may mean Ashtown’s salvation or their total destruction. 

I alluded in the opening to a very different plot from The Space Between Worlds, and it is indeed a wildly different sort of book, despite being set in the same world. The Space Between Worlds certainly included a struggle against people abusing their power, but the heart of the story was an exploration of how the characters’ lives played out differently in slightly different worlds. Those Beyond the Wall includes almost nothing of this, for all that the inciting threat comes from another world. Instead, the focus is almost entirely on Ashtown’s internal politics and their struggle against Wiley City. 

And there are times where the very different plot works well. Johnson’s prose style is just as propulsive and powerful as in the first book, even with a perspective character just as concerned with her relationships with a pair of fellows as she is the overarching conflict. And the narrative focus on the power of stories is wonderfully woven throughout, from Scales’ various explanations for how she got her name to the battle for control of the narrative that would serve a central role in the novel’s primary conflict. It’s a powerful element of Those Beyond the Wall, while it’s easy to see how the message is meant to apply to the real world, it comes across as storytelling more than preaching. 

On the other hand, there are plenty of elements that do feel like preaching, to the point of breaking immersion more than once. Scales often feels like an author mouthpiece, and there are times where her commentary feels more directed at our world than hers—it was odd, for example, to hear the caustic commentary directed at white Christians in a story where almost every major character was atheist and the remainder were part of a mystical religion that didn’t believe the Bible. That same feeling of the lead as an author mouthpiece also makes it more to swallow her uncritical conviction that the extreme violence in Ashtown’s power structure is ultimately for the good of the people. There’s nothing wrong with a morally gray lead, but this felt like a gray lead being propped up as a moral authority. 

And while the focus on the Ashtown/Wiley conflict made for an interesting main story, there were times that the details felt a little off. The deadly incursion from another world kicked off the plot and provided the impetus for so much of the conflict, but there were times it felt like a sideshow, being rushed along in order to get to the next stage of the Ashtown/Wiley conflict. And when the major figures from The Space Between Worlds did reappear, at least one was nearly unrecognizable from the first book. Some of that is explicable in terms of the perspective shift, but I’m not quite sure it explains everything. 

Ultimately, Those Beyond the Wall has flashes of the brilliance that characterized The Space Between Worlds, but it’s quite a bit messier, with key plot elements given short shrift, some confusing character decisions, and a main point-of-view character expected to bear more weight than she’s probably able. The strengths are enough to incline me to round up, but this one is firmly in the 3.5-star range after the first hit five.

Recommended if you like: class warfare with pointed political commentary. 

Overall rating: 14 of Tar Vol’s 20. Four stars on Goodreads.