Implied Spaces

I was so wowed by Williams with the Dread Empire series that Implied Spaces was a real let down. Solid writing, but with the stakes so low - there is no real death, and new universes can be crafted from the quantum foam directly - I had a real hard time investing interest in this novel. Another reviewer likened this book to a late Heinlein novel (we all know what that means), and I have to agree. Not bad, but not great, with a sort of boyish save the multiverse mentality.

Walter Jon Williams, one of my favorite writers, has a wide ranging imagination. All of his stand-alone novels are quite unique. Implied Spaces does not disappoint in that regard. In it, he takes on big subjects – the origin of the universe, the purpose of life, the meaning of identity, and basis of morality just to mention a few – and he wraps them in a damn good adventure story.
The main character, Aristide, is a scholar/scientist turned swordsman. While studying implied spaces, the unplanned consequences resulting from the architecture of universes, he discovers a truly evil plot. The entire human race and their AI creations are threatened. He journeys through man-made pocket universes with a seemingly magical sword Tecmesssa and his very special cat Bitsy while seeking to uncover what it is that is literally taking control of people's minds. The answer he finds is quite unexpected. Good book; read it.