utter randomonium

Exchange by Dale R. Cozort: When the Exchange occurs, seemingly at random, a small portion of our world switches places with that from an alternate reality. This other Earth, known as Bear Country, is a wild, dangerous land where humans either died out or (more probably) never evolved at all, inhabited instead by strange animals such as enormous bears, twittering wolves, and minuscule poisonous bats. When Sharon’s hometown of Rockford, Illinois, is Exchanged, she is stuck in a strange world of religious cults, escaped convicts, and demanding Marines. If that weren’t headache enough, her abusive ex-husband has kidnapped their special-needs daughter and escaped into Bear Country with her. I haven’t read such an action-packed book in quite a while. There’s never a dull moment. I am fascinated by the idea of the Exchange, and can imagine many more stories set in this universe. I wish there had been some mention of Exchanges happening in the middle of the ocean, but that’s a petty quibble. I also enjoyed how I was never quite sure when people were telling the truth, without feeling like the drama emerged purely from people not telling each other things. In short, this was a fun SF adventure and a quick read. I look forward to Cozort’s future works.

Also posted on BookCrossing.