I've read a bunch of Carey's other books, and the first book of this series, Infinity Gate, so I was thrilled to be able to read Echos of Worlds.
It did not disappoint! What a ride.
If you enjoy science fiction, alternative realities, found family, trying to save all of existence you will like this book!

I just reviewed Echo of Worlds by M. R. Carey. #NetGalley

Infinity Gate sucked me right in, so of course I was going to read the sequel. Echo of Worlds didn't disappoint. There was always this impending doom and I began to love Paz so much. She was such a brave, courageous character that I could have done without all the other POVs. She's a Bunny, what more could I ask for? But I did like the way the story was broken up into multiple POVs, including the AI which I felt was written so well. The characters that are put together, don't exactly get along, but the way the story is written I was interested in each one.

I didn't know how I'd feel about reading a multi-verse book but I'm so glad I read this duology. I found the world building interesting with the step plates and how each planet was like Earth but yet....nothing like Earth. I agree with other reviewers about pacing. There were a few parts that kind of dragged. I loved Moon in Infinity Gate, but in Echo of Worlds her dialogue felt so forced.

Overall, I really liked the book. It kept me turning pages throughout. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

I liked this, but it was sometimes hard to sink into the story. This is definitely a series that should be read close together. Book two picks up right after book one, and for me it’s been quite some time since I read the first book. So not only trying to remember the plot, but also understanding the language- selfs, et, and other things. But once in the story, it is fascinating. It’s a multiverse but there is a threat of a scourge event, that would kill everything and everyone. And the main group of characters are trying to stop it. Paz ended up surprising me the most.

As the battle for existence continues between artificial and organic life; the war puts both on the path of a major extinction event called the Scour. Rupshe, an artificial intelligence, has put together a team of unlikely hero’s to save the multiverse. The hope is that an entity known as Mother Mass, potentially the origin of life, may be able to help. Their mission will be dangerous, not all of them will make it back alive, but they are the last hope for all “selves” both organic and artificial.

Echo of Worlds is the exciting second novel in the Pandominion series. I absolutely loved this series and the characters that Carey created. This action packed thrill ride takes you through a multiverse of different version of Earth where you never know what to expect from the inhabitants. This novel picks up where the first book left off. The assembled team finally gather to meet Rupshe and determine their rolls in saving the worlds. Everyone will have a mission to accomplish for the plan to work and Rupehe might be keeping a few secrets from the team as a plan B. This series has been one of my favorite reads this year and is one of my recommended must reads for 2024!

Second in a duology about a genocidal war between machine intelligences and organic sentients, focusing on the small group of organics, machine intelligences, and hybrids that is trying to stop it. Interesting use of the idea of group consciousness—both machine and organic—and how that changes one’s stances on extinction events.

A fresh take on the often-trod setting of the multiverse, Echo of Worlds is the gripping conclusion to the Pandominion duology, following the well-received Infinity Gate.

The sequel continues the high-octane conflict between the multi-Earth governance Pandominion, as they face the looming threat of the Machine Hegemony, known as the Ansurrection. This greater conflict was set up in the closing chapters of Infinity Gate. The first book dealt with the worldbuilding of the reality-teleporting “step plate” technology and how that gave rise to the Pandominion. It also introduced and fleshed out the key players of the series, brought from various factions and various realities, forced together to face the larger threat facing the entire Pandominion. Thereby setting up the central premise of Echo of Worlds.

Echo of Worlds follow our rag-tag group of unlikely protagonists, the artificially enhanced rabbit-analog Topaz “Paz” Tourmaline FiveHills, her friend-but-actually-imposter-Hegemony-traitorous AI being, Dulcimer “Dulcie” Standfast Coronal, the fox-analog grizzled Pandominion jarhead Moon Sostenti and human-soldier-dealing-with-battle-PTSD Essien Nkanika, the treacherous Watchmaster Orso Vemmet, as well as the scientist-turned-AI Hadiz Tambuwal and her faithful benevolent super-AI friend, Rupshe. Forced together by the culmination of the events of the first book, this multi-species, the multi-allegiance group has to work together to come up with a plan to thwart the inevitable Mutually Assured Destruction event, the Scour, from annihilating both the Ansurrection as well as the billions of lives across all realities of the Pandominion.

With stakes as mind-bogglingly vast as this, Carey does an amazing job zooming in and out between the “bigger” picture of the reality-spanning conflict, as well as the smaller set-pieces of our protagonists navigating various subquests to effect a change in the larger conflict. While many of these set-pieces felt a bit too “checkpoint-y” and not properly motivated beyond “benevolent AI says this will help the war effort so we must push on”, it does help to ground the reader into a more familiar territory rather than getting lost in the technobabble that multiverse sci-fi usually devolves into.

The compression of this series into a duology caused uneven pacing issues and a rushed second half as the plot raced toward its conclusion. Carey does a serviceable job tying up all the loose ends in a reasonably satisfying way, I cannot help but feel a wee bit shortchanged in the journey to get there. There was plenty of material and an expansive plot structure to spend the requisite time fleshing out a more robust second act to make even the dreaded “middle book” a rewarding setup for the final conflict in what could have been an explosive conclusion to the trilogy.

A particular gripe was that the Mother Mass was set up to be a key plot element (not a spoiler since it is mentioned in the official synopsis). Still, the entire plotline felt quite lackluster and left me scratching my head about its ultimate need in the overall story. It was also the aspect of the book where the story dived into the metaphysical side of SciFi which is often my least favorite aspect of this genre, and I find myself glossing through the overly philosophical sections. Again, Carey does a much better job than other writers, but if your name doesn't begin with Adrian and end with Tchaikovsky, these overtly abstract set pieces are best left out.

The author tried his level best to give some level of depth, to varying degrees of success. I preferred the more morally grey characterization of all the protagonists in Infinity Gate and the switch to “we have to be on the same side, the side of good” felt a bit hamfisted, with only Sostenti’s character devolving into the stereotypical naysayer. Paz’s character too felt too hero-washed and her character became more of a caricature of the “even a small creature can change the universe” trope, again, a little too heavy-handed. To repeat, many of these issues would have been assuaged greatly by the luxury of having a third book to flesh out the characters, their motivations, their roles in the plot, and the overarching conflict to yield a more thorough product.

Still, Echo of Worlds is a satisfying and largely enjoyable read, with cool concepts, and a fresh take on the tired multiverse trope that Marvel has driven into the ground. With influences ranging from the Culture series to the Children of Time series, along with a smattering of other classic and modern sci-fi elements, Echo of Worlds and the Pandominion duology can largely be called a success!

I was so interested in Echo of Worlds as the next book in the Pandominion Duology, however, this second book fell a little flat for me. The premise for this duology was exceedingly interesting and the idea of the characters and their missions had such great promise. I do, however, believe the author fell into an info-dumping trap that can happen easily in the Sci-Fi genre.

I was able to give the first book a pass for the overwhelming amount of information with very little plot because I believed it was being set up for the second book, but that was not the case. I still finished Echo of Worlds without caring about any of the characters because of the incredibly weak character building in this story. There were some great scientific theories explored throughout the duology, but to me, the way they were presented was more like a college lecture than reading the epic story it was meant to be.

An intricate, brilliant, and thoroughly mind-bending conclusion to Carey's multiverse duology. I love the vast scope and propulsive energy of this book, and the way it manages to weave profound emotional connections (and adrenaline-pumping action scenes) into a story that, at times, seems to almost fly off the handle into some seriously dense, hard scifi territory. While the multiverse and the science powering it are at the heart of the plot, it is the characters that make it work for me. The bonds between them, both of friendship and sharp conflict, is what gives the story the heart and soul it needs. Also, Carey's choice of narrator for this duology is inspired.

Echo of Worlds is a satisfying conclusion to the duology which began with Infinity Gate. The five main characters begin looking for a way to end the battle between the Pandominion and the machine hegemony, which threatens to destroy not just their world, but every world. A complex and fascinating narrative.

The sequel in the Pandominion duology, Echo of Worlds is a VERY satisfying conclusion – but what else do you expect from M.R. Carey, everything this man writes is gold!

Humanity is at risk of extinction in a no-holds-barred war with an AI civilization. The Pandominon – an empire consisting of countless alternate Earths spread throughout the multiverse – is desperately seeking a weapon that can defeat them, consequences be damned. But what if there’s a way to end this conflict peacefully? Are the AI’s really an evil, mindless force? And will the very weapon the Pandominion seeks to use be their own undoing?

We return to the same wonderful characters, a mix of ‘selves’ from different evolutionary chains on different Earths. We have soldiers, AI’s, children, and spies, working together to save their worlds and atone for their own pasts. M.R. Carey seamlessly blends action and a well paced story with the emotional stakes. Thorough world building and character development are a hallmark of this author. I always know when I pick up any of his work, I’m going to drop right into a whole new world where I don’t see gaps or holes in the story. It feels like a world that has always existed and will continue to exist once I put down the book; I’m just here visiting for a bit. The science is futuristic enough to feel exciting and novel, but realistic enough to not feel absurd. The ending feels earned and extremely satisfying.

I’m a sucker for multiverse stories, and if you are as well, then I strongly recommend this duology. It hits all the sweet spots with a complex world, human vs AI, the question of what it is to be human and sentient, rich characters, great science. The first book, Infinity Gate, is just as great, and Echo of Worlds will be out June 25.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This was definitely one of the best sci-fi books I’ve read so far this year.

A wonderful science fiction adventure with an uncommonly hopeful core of empathy. This follow-up to last year's "Infinity Gate" delivers breathless action, terrifc characters, and quite literally mind-blowing high concept sci-fi.

I"m not so sure about Mike Carey but I will follow M. R. Carey until the ends of the earth. I didn't get the musically inclined demon fighter( yes I'm oversimplifying) but the Girl with All the Gifts is probably one the greatest zombie books ever written.
Infinity Gate was amazing and the world building second to none. Echo of Worlds cuts back on the world building and serves up the character development and the action.
If I had to pick between the two books Infinity Gate would be my first choice but Echo of Worlds will high on my list of any sci fi novel. I'm not sure if I was completely sold on the ending but getting there is one of the better reads this year.

I was very interested in the first book of this series which introduced some interesting characters in interesting locations but was a little annoyed that the first book was merely world building and character introduction.

The second book was much worse. After a few side missions, the end of the book was wrapped up in less than 15 pages with tropes that not even the most mediocre writer would attempt. I felt no connection to the plot or the book and I was actually glad I finished the book.

Would not recommend.

[Blurb goes here]

Echo of Worlds is the conclusion to the Pandominion duology, (the first installment was Infinity Gate, 4.16 stars on Goodreads).

Where we left off: the physicist Hadiz Tambuwal is given a second chance at life, if her current state could be called that. She has been working with Rupshe, an AI. Their mission still unknown. Both have been building a team: Essien Nkanika, Moon, Paz and Dulcimer and putting them in every danger imaginable in the process, but that’s nothing compared to what’s coming.

In Echo of Worlds, our characters have escaped death and now are working with Rupshe and Hadiz to solve a bigger than life problem: the war between the machines known as the Hegemony and the organic beings called Pandominion. Both empires have been taking over multiple parallel Earths until they encounter one another. Chances are that the obliteration of the two factions will follow.

Rupshe is bent on sending his team on a wild search: they have to find the strongest being in the multiverse: the Mother Mass. The planet-like entity, with powers surpassing the warring rivals, could be the one being to stop an unimaginable death toll, since both the Hegemony and the Pandominion are creating weapons of mass destruction. According to Rupshe, this deadly event has happened before in the multiverse, it’s called “The Scour”.

M.R. Carey has done it again: he takes you on an action packed journey, one where every player is expendable. One that makes this novel impossible to put down. He complements the story will well-rounded characters, some will redeem themselves, some will perish in ignominy.

Each character has a unique voice and a unique backstory, something very “Carey-esque.” Each member of the team has their own misgivings about the impossible assignment. If they can’t put their differences behind, how can they stop the scour? Even when the AI has calculated every risk and planned for every possible contingency, the reluctant players are not machines, everything that can go wrong could go wrong.

The world building, detailed settings and the unrelenting peril make this story one near impossible to put down.

I loved this duology from start to finish.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

Fitting sequal to Infinity Gate the Pandominion duology. I absolutely loved the premise behind these books. I found the writing smart, imaginative, heavy at points but an exceptionally good Sci-Fi book. M.R. Carey is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.

Discover the conclusion to the spectacular Pandominion duology - an exhilarating science fiction series from the author of the million-copy bestseller The Girl With All the Gifts . Perfect for fans of The Space Between Worlds, The Long Earth and Children of Time.

Another great installment into another great space opera series. I think the decision to make this a duology rather than the usual trilogy was a great idea, given that everything was pretty much wrapped up in two books and ending very satisfyingly. If you've read and enjoyed other space sci-fi series like Red Rising, Sun Eater, or The Expanse and want more of that type of story, check this one out. A fun 4 star read:)