Hollowgirl

September 1, 2015
The conclusion of the teleportation-based science-fiction Twinmaker trilogy. Starting immediately where Crashland (2014) left off, this novel tosses readers right into the complicated, character-dense plot with little in the way of recap. Following the d-mat attack that obliterated all d-mat-replicated material as well as nearly everyone who traveled through it, Clair and Q have successfully uploaded themselves into the Yard, which is the backup server of villainous Ant Wallace. The Yard is a virtual world mimicking the real one and populated by people whose patterns Wallace has used (such as dupes) or people he deems important (such as powerful politicians or people he's used as leverage against his enemies). Clair immediately encounters new versions of herself and friends, replicated from the very beginning of Twinmaker (2013). But having two Clairs destabilizes the Yard, causing glitches-and the glitches are exploitable by the heroes as they flee from Wallace and other enemies. Meanwhile, outside of the Yard, the devastated Earth has some survivors-mainly, Abstainers and the few who were in protected locations, among them Clair and Q (in a borrowed body). Both in and outside of the Yard, unlikely alliances form for the battle over what humanity does next. At times the pacing is repetitive, but the characters charm. The final act is packed with surprises that make perfect sense in retrospect. A philosophical marathon. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

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November 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 Clair finds herself at a crossroads once the d-mat world is in a smoking heap. The Twinmaker trilogy comes to a thundering conclusion with dupes upon dupes inhabiting the Yard, a parallel world based on the data of the original world. The technology that made instantaneous travel possible now puts Clair face-to-face with her pre-Improvement self, as well as her fellow Lucky Jumpers from the original Crashlander's Ballas well as several other Clairs. Also returned is Q, whose intelligence seems less and less artificial as the series progresses. While the future of humanity hangs in the balance, Clair relishes a reunion with her former best friend, Libby, as they arm themselves for one last epic battle. The idea of Qualia (the perceived realness of things, as well as Q's name) will haunt readers as they grapple with deep questions of reality, humanity, and how to strike a balance between opposite ways of thinking. Williams' world shares many qualities with modern polarized human society, and it is this intelligent consideration that continues to set these books apart. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Williams' status as a number-one best-seller ought to propel this one high, even without the planned Comic-Con and outreach promo plans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)