Be My Enemy

By Ian McDonald

The next installment of the multiple award-winning author's exciting YA series.

Everett Singh has escaped with the Infundibulum from the clutches of Charlotte Villiers and the Order, but at a terrible price. His father is missing, banished to one of the billions of parallel universes of the Panoply of All Worlds, and Everett and the crew of the airship Everness have taken a wild, random Heisenberg Jump to a random parallel plane. Everett is smart and resourceful, and, from a frozen earth far beyond the Plenitude, he plans to rescue his family. But the villainous Charlotte Villiers is one step ahead of him.

The action traverses the frozen wastes of iceball earth; to Earth 4 (like ours, except that the alien Thryn Sentiency occupied the moon in 1964); to the dead London of the forbidden plane of Earth 1, where the remnants of humanity battle a terrifying nanotechnology run wild--and Everett faces terrible choices of morality and power. But Everett has the love and support of Sen, Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth, and the rest of the crew of Everness. He learns that the deadliest enemy isn't the Order, or the world-devouring nanotech Nahn--it's yourself.


From the Hardcover edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781616146795

Ian McDonald

Ian McDonald is the author of many award-winning and critically-acclaimed science fiction novels, including Brasyl, River of Gods, Cyberabad Days, The Dervish House, and the ground-breaking Chaga series. He has won the Philip K. Dick Award, the BSFA Award (five times), LOCUS Award, a Hugo Award, and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award. His work has also been nominated for the Nebula Award, a Quill Book Award, and has several nominations for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Reviews for Be My Enemy

[ericrosenfiel-494150 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Everything you want in a parrellel universe spanning, steampunk ship flying, nanotech monster fighting, cyborg duplicate facing ya science fiction novel.

[pabkins · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Something deadly moves in the heart
High stakes adventure isn’t even half of what you’ll get in Be My Enemy, the sequel to Planesrunner. These characters and storyline continue to amaze me with how inventive they manage to be. Some of you might have seen it coming because yes, we are immediately introduced to an alter Everett at the start of this book. He will play a pivotal role in the fate of Everett’s future as well as possibly everyone in the known worlds. But something has twisted in his heart, he hasn’t lived the same life Everett has and while he might think like him, he most certainly isn’t acting or feeling like him.

Meanwhile fade to white
In a frozen wasteland world, time is running out and something lurks beneath the ice…Everett is still in possession of the Infundibulum but can he hold onto it?

Everett and the crew of the Everness are marooned on this frozen alternate version of Earth, with power running out and everything on the ship quickly freezing. Soon they are chased even here and must travel to where no one would dare follow – to the off-limits Earth1 (E1). When they arrive at their destination they are in for a surprise. This world is home to an almost unimaginable horror: Sentient nanotechnology that has made themselves the ruling force in that world, bent on consuming the whole of humanity.

Exploring the reality of alternates
In the first book the alternate Earths is given prime focus but in book two while we still have that focus we also see the possibilities of alternate individuals. Along with Everett’s alter we see two members of the order, the devious Charlotte and her alter Charles, who are members of The Order that’s been chasing the Everness. Not to mention Everett’s alter family members. It was such a neat way to explore how different circumstances and experiences could change the very nature of a person.

The relationship dynamics between the crew of the Everness please me in how well thought out and slowly building they are. There is a marvelous chemistry between Everett and Sen that feels so natural and real that that I can safely say they are currently one of my favorite young adult pairs that I have read in the last few years. Sen is snappy and Everett is the calm collected type. Together they make quite the team.

While this series features young adult characters to me it is by no means the typical young adult books. Where many other books are light and fluffy reads that you can breeze through without it asking much from you as a reader – the Everness books tempt you into deeper thought and reflection. Those other books are but a snack – but these, these are the meal.

[stefferoo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

With its intriguing application of quantum physics and topic of parallel earths, Planesrunner secured its spot as one of the most unique young adult novels I read last year. And of course, who could forget the heart-pounding airship battles? When it comes delivering excitement and adventure, Ian McDonald knows his stuff, and I could not wait to get my hands on the next book. Seeing as the third installment of the Everness series is already on the horizon, I thought it best to get right on that post-haste.But first, bear in mind that this review may contain spoilers for book one, since Be My Enemy immediately picks up where Planesrunner left off. Last time we saw Everett Singh, he had managed to escape his enemies by transporting himself and his new Airish friends to another parallel earth. His computer device holding the Infundibulum and the key to the multiverse is safe for now, but it's only a matter of time until their pursuers catch up. Plus, Everett still needs to figure out a way to rescue his father, a seemingly impossible task, seeing as Tejendra Singh is now stranded somewhere on any one of the possible parallel worlds -- 10 to the power of 80 of them, to be exact. Yep, it's a big multiverse. Everett's search for answers eventually leads him to E1, the first Earth to develop a way to jump between parallel universes. It's also the only world amongst the ten known Earths that is sealed off, quarantined, nothing going in and nothing coming out. I won't deny it, I was thrilled that the characters ended up here. The speculations drove me insane in the first book, leaving me wondering and guessing what could have happened to E1 to make everyone so afraid, and now thanks to this sequel, I finally know why. And the reasons are hair-raising indeed! I doff my hat to you, Mr. McDonald.But wait, that's not all. One thing about this book is that it simply does not stop with the surprises, and not least of them is the lengths the bad guys will go to in order to get what they want. Everett's enemies have some wily tricks up their sleeves, stopping at nothing to gain control of the Infundibulum. All I'll say is that in time, the perplexing introduction to Be My Enemy, not to mention that curious title, will be explained. I can't even begin to ponder the future implications of everything that happened here. Take everything that made Planesrunner so great, dial it all up and you get this book:Action? Check. In fact, this story has it in spades.Cleverness? Check. No doubt the book fudged a lot of the science, but it's done for the sake of top-notch storytelling. In spite of that, this book does not patronize the reader, which makes me think this series would appeal to adults and young adults alike. Interesting characters? Check. This book gave me a more in-depth look into Everett's personality, in the most unexpected and unique way possible. As for the supporting cast, I feel like I finally have an idea of who they are. I never gave much thought to Sen in the first book, but now I find her to be a delight. I loved the brief glimpses of the story told from her perspective, and couldn't help but think how awesome an entire novel in her point of view would be. I can dream, can't I?And what about the world building, you ask? Big check. Absolutely fantabulosa.After all, anything can happen when it comes to a story about parallel earths. I was impressed with Ian McDonald's imagination at work in Planesrunner, the way he brought the Airish culture to life and the incredible way he described the world of E3. True to form, he does not hold back for the sequel either, giving the same creative treatment to settings like E1 or the frozen wasteland at the beginning of the novel, despite these being much bleaker and darker worlds. You never know where the story might take you, or what amazing things you'll see next, and that's one of the main reasons why I'm having so much fun. Bring on the third book, I'm ready!

[alcarinqa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Taking up soon after Planesrunner, Be My Enemy follows Everett Singh as he jumps across parallel universes to rescue his father, with the help of the crew of the airship Everness. I really enjoyed this novel and feel it's even better than the first in terms of action and world-building. The author has delivered an amazing sequel.The plot of Be My Enemy is clever and well executed, with the author taking the opportunity the jump gun provides to show readers some new parallel universes. Each version of London presented is unique, with an interesting history, architecture and culture. I enjoy learning about how those worlds diverged from out own; I think it's interesting to find out the main points of difference between their histories and ours. We also finally find out more about E1, the first world to ever create a gate between worlds, and why it's so mysterious and no one likes talking about it.All my favourite characters make appearances in this book, including the vivacious and unknowable Sen Sixsmyth (navigator on the Everness) and her adoptive mother Captain Anastasia Sixsmyth. I liked the range of female characters McDonald wrote in the previous book, and continue to admire them now. One of my favourite aspects of this book is the focus on the relationship Everett and Dr. Singh have. Their father-son bond has always been mentioned, but it was great seeing it in action.Everett's intelligence, goodness and general lack of flaws hadn't bothered me much in Planesrunner, but have to admit that he's just too perfect in Be My Enemy. Where are his insecurities, his self-doubt? His unrealistic nature is contrasted with that of his interworld doppelgänger, who struggles with his identity and purpose, and has a particularly emotive scene where he realises just now un-special he is. It's saddening that the Everett Singh we've been reading about doesn't suffer from this: he's well versed in how awesome he is, and never hesitates to remind us; "It was not just this London spread at his feet. It was all the Londons, all the worlds. He had mastery of them all. His enemies were many, and they were subtle, powerful, and clever and Everett did not doubt that he had only seen a fraction of what they could achieve, but he had a thing they did not: he had the Infundibulum, the jump gate, and the ability to work them both. He was the Planesrunner."Ian McDonald introduced us to the idea of different versions of the same person; called alters, in the previous book, but Be My Enemy allows for a deeper exploration of this concept. Since I felt this consequence of inter-world travel had been neglected in Planesrunner, I was glad that it takes center-stage in this book. In particular, when faced early on with two versions of Everett Singh, the reader is forced to consider how (seemingly) small changes in one's life can drastically alter a person's personality and outlook. We are reminded that while physical traits may remain unchanged, the underlying psychology of a person can be very different. I think it's a clever way to ask what, exactly, makes us us.The romance in this novel, in the whole series, is one of the most unconventional dalliances that I have ever read. While Sen obviously fascinates Everett, she also intimidates him quite a bit. Their interactions are largely stilted, hampered by the fact that they are often running for their lives, and I was gratified to find that the romance never overshadows the action packed plot of the novel. But I can't deny that I would have liked more resolution on the romance, and would have liked to see things progress a bit more than near-violent kissing just before Everett gears up for a mission.I enjoyed Be My Enemy a lot and think that McDonald has written a solid follow-up to Planesrunner. These books are perfect for those looking to read a little science fiction but are unsure of a suitable starting point. I am looking forward to the next book, Empress of the Sun, which will be published next year.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.

[fledgist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Everness moves from alternate world to alternate world as Everett Singh searches for his father. Meanwhile Charlotte Villiers, the villain of the piece, finds an alternate Everett Singh to put on the tail of the protagonist. This is a lovely YA alternate history series set in multicultural Britain with (as is so appropriate) zeppelins. Also aliens, evil nanos and Polari-speaking air-pirates. All I can say is bona and fantabulosa (which makes it sound as if I'm quoting Julian from Round the Horne).

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Everett Singh is aboard the airship Everness, and still in control of the Infundibulum - the powerful computer that allows Everett to map anywhere in the multiverse. But the ruthless Charlotte Villiers and other members of the Order are still in hot pursuit, and they've got a new weapon: a parallel Everett. He's been pulled from a world of advanced alien technology, had his very body has been turned into an armory, and who has been given a single task: kill the other you. Everett is smart and resourceful, but how can you defend yourself against someone who looks - and thinks - exactly like you? And even if the parallel Everett can be stopped, how will Everett be able to rescue his father, lost on one of the infinite number of parallel Earths? Review: While this book had a lot of the elements that made me absolutely love Planesrunner - the non-stop action, the cool mishmash of genres and ideas, the interesting and subtly done interpersonal dynamics - in the final analysis, it didn't quite draw me in the way first one did. Part of that was surely due to my state of mind when I read it but I think at least part of it had to do with the book itself. While this book has a good amount of worldbuilding - they visit the forbidden Earth 1 - it didn't capture my imagination in the same way as the steampunky Earth that's home to the crew of the Everness of the first book. This book also deals with a lot of interesting psychological quandaries, especially between Everett and his double, but I thought that meant that the secondary and tertiary characters didn't get as much attention as they deserved. Even Everett's budding relationship with Sen, while still well-done, felt like it was confined to relatively few scenes compared to Everett's internal struggles and the extended action sequences. So, this series has a lot of really awesome things going for it. It is fast-paced and exciting and has a diverse protagonist and is very original and has people solving problems with science and plenty of airship chases and things exploding and parallel universe jumping. I didn't think this installment was quite as strong as the first one, but it was good enough to keep me entertained, and definitely enough to make me want to see what happens in the next book in the series. 4 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Not at all stand-alone, but the series as a whole should definitely appeal to fans of smart, quick-paced sci-fi.