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Everworld #1
Search for Senna
There is a place that shouldn’t exist. But does. And there are creatures that shouldn’t exist. But do. Welcome to a land where all of your dreams and nightmares are very real—and often deadly. Welcome to Everworld.
David’s life was pretty normal. School. Friends. Girlfriend. Actually, Senna was probably the oddest aspect of his life. She was beautiful. Smart. But there was something very different about her. Something strange.
And on the day it began, everything happened so quickly. One moment, Senna was with him. The next, she was swallowed up by the earth, her screams echoing from far, far away. David couldn’t just let her go. Neither could the others. His friends—and hers. So, they followed. And found themselves in a world they could have never imagined.
Now they have to find Senna and get home without losing their lives. Or their minds. Or both�
David’s life was pretty normal. School. Friends. Girlfriend. Actually, Senna was probably the oddest aspect of his life. She was beautiful. Smart. But there was something very different about her. Something strange.
And on the day it began, everything happened so quickly. One moment, Senna was with him. The next, she was swallowed up by the earth, her screams echoing from far, far away. David couldn’t just let her go. Neither could the others. His friends—and hers. So, they followed. And found themselves in a world they could have never imagined.
Now they have to find Senna and get home without losing their lives. Or their minds. Or both�
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 346 reviews
April 24, 2020
Rereading for the very first time. These books hold a very special place in my heart. I was amazed by them when I was growing up and with Corona in full effect, I was wondering if they could actually hold up to the pedestal I’ve been placing them on after all those years.
This was an absolute blast. I tore through the pages like a starving lion. What stood out most: crisp writing and amazing world building are what keep this book afloat. I’ll explain. This is the first book in the series. This is all about introducing the reader to the cast and welcoming the reader to a new world. But, with so much to throw at the reader, especially in terms of world building, other areas do seem to lack a bit. Which is something I did not expect. Rocky start. Still, easy recommendation as I know there is still a lot of awesomeness to come.
This was an absolute blast. I tore through the pages like a starving lion. What stood out most: crisp writing and amazing world building are what keep this book afloat. I’ll explain. This is the first book in the series. This is all about introducing the reader to the cast and welcoming the reader to a new world. But, with so much to throw at the reader, especially in terms of world building, other areas do seem to lack a bit. Which is something I did not expect. Rocky start. Still, easy recommendation as I know there is still a lot of awesomeness to come.
December 3, 2015
Not as good as I remember it being. Kind of meh.
David, David’s girlfriend Senna, Senna’s ex-boyfriend Christopher, Senna’s half-sister April, and a random kid named Jalil are dragged by a giant wolf into EverWorld, a place where all mythologies across the globe mingle, and which may currently be under some sort of alien invasion.
OK, it’s a little messy. It’s establishing EverWorld for us, the patient viewers. The tricky concept is the idea that our four leads (minus Senna) are both present in parallel world EverWorld and the real world, and their real-world bodies get a mind-update every time the Everworld bodies fall asleep. So in this concept, we the viewers are following the EverWorld bodies through their adventure and occasionally slip back into the real world, where time passes at a faster rate.
Unlike the first Animorphs book, there’s not a lot to say about the first Everworld book. There’s a lot of set up � a painful lot. We’re introduced to the characters even before the jump occurs. We meet Loki (yes, that Loki, no, not the Marvel anti-hero/villain, but yes, that Loki!) who interrogates our four leads to find the whereabouts of Senna, because she’s vitally important to whatever nefarious plans he has.
The four escape through the ingenious use of ‘they went that-a-way� against the poor, naïve, uncynicle and unsuspicious Loki’s army only to fall in with a bunch of Vikings who are sailing off to save Odin Allfather (yes, that Odin, NO NOT THE MARVEL GUY BUT YES THAT ODIN) and then the book ends rather abruptly as David picks up a sword to join a battle.
At this stage, I’m not sure whether I want to complete Project Everworld. For a start, I’m a good 15 or so years older than I was when it was first published. Since then there has been plenty of good media about Norse mythology overshadowing just about everything else. I’m no longer the primary demographic and while Animorphs clearly stood the test of time, and although Everworld is aimed at a slightly older audience (though not by much), it doesn’t quite have the same magic. I’m pretty pissed off at the ending of this book, which had no climax and serves to leave a cliffhanger to get into the second book. Also, they don’t actually do much ‘searching for Senna�, it’s more like ‘trying to stay alive�
We’ll see. But at this stage I promise nothing.
David, David’s girlfriend Senna, Senna’s ex-boyfriend Christopher, Senna’s half-sister April, and a random kid named Jalil are dragged by a giant wolf into EverWorld, a place where all mythologies across the globe mingle, and which may currently be under some sort of alien invasion.
OK, it’s a little messy. It’s establishing EverWorld for us, the patient viewers. The tricky concept is the idea that our four leads (minus Senna) are both present in parallel world EverWorld and the real world, and their real-world bodies get a mind-update every time the Everworld bodies fall asleep. So in this concept, we the viewers are following the EverWorld bodies through their adventure and occasionally slip back into the real world, where time passes at a faster rate.
Unlike the first Animorphs book, there’s not a lot to say about the first Everworld book. There’s a lot of set up � a painful lot. We’re introduced to the characters even before the jump occurs. We meet Loki (yes, that Loki, no, not the Marvel anti-hero/villain, but yes, that Loki!) who interrogates our four leads to find the whereabouts of Senna, because she’s vitally important to whatever nefarious plans he has.
The four escape through the ingenious use of ‘they went that-a-way� against the poor, naïve, uncynicle and unsuspicious Loki’s army only to fall in with a bunch of Vikings who are sailing off to save Odin Allfather (yes, that Odin, NO NOT THE MARVEL GUY BUT YES THAT ODIN) and then the book ends rather abruptly as David picks up a sword to join a battle.
At this stage, I’m not sure whether I want to complete Project Everworld. For a start, I’m a good 15 or so years older than I was when it was first published. Since then there has been plenty of good media about Norse mythology overshadowing just about everything else. I’m no longer the primary demographic and while Animorphs clearly stood the test of time, and although Everworld is aimed at a slightly older audience (though not by much), it doesn’t quite have the same magic. I’m pretty pissed off at the ending of this book, which had no climax and serves to leave a cliffhanger to get into the second book. Also, they don’t actually do much ‘searching for Senna�, it’s more like ‘trying to stay alive�
We’ll see. But at this stage I promise nothing.
June 6, 2012
I don't know. On one hand, I should have loved it. Mythology spewing out from everywhere. (And no Greek gods in sight yet? Thank you, Applegate, for your originality.)
On the other hand... PLEASE let me kill the main characters. Oh my word. I couldn't stand any of them. Except maybe Jalil, but he was still annoying. And Senna? She had better turn evil because I desperately want to pour snake venom on her face.
And don't get me started on how terrifying Loki and his minions were supposed to be. He reminded me of Hades in the Disney Hercules movie - he even burst into flame once. Ha ha. Except Loki wasn't hilarious like Hades was. And his trolls were the Stormtroopers of the Everworld universe only without the sleekly awesome uniform. And maybe half their brains. I will, however, give Jormungandr points for being as creepy as a snake can be with maybe three sheets of page time.
Overall, not particularly impressive. I have the second and fourth book, so I will be continuing to see if it gets better - K.A. Applegate's series usually do - but not with a whole lot of enthusiasm.
On the other hand... PLEASE let me kill the main characters. Oh my word. I couldn't stand any of them. Except maybe Jalil, but he was still annoying. And Senna? She had better turn evil because I desperately want to pour snake venom on her face.
And don't get me started on how terrifying Loki and his minions were supposed to be. He reminded me of Hades in the Disney Hercules movie - he even burst into flame once. Ha ha. Except Loki wasn't hilarious like Hades was. And his trolls were the Stormtroopers of the Everworld universe only without the sleekly awesome uniform. And maybe half their brains. I will, however, give Jormungandr points for being as creepy as a snake can be with maybe three sheets of page time.
Overall, not particularly impressive. I have the second and fourth book, so I will be continuing to see if it gets better - K.A. Applegate's series usually do - but not with a whole lot of enthusiasm.
October 17, 2022
Wow! A fun ride down memory lane for me. I first read this book in the 90’s. It was the first fantasy series I ever read and completed. I recently found this series at a local bookstore. Long story short I was thrilled.
Does this story hold up? Yes although the prose is a bit dated with late 90’s colloquiums. I grew up in the 90’s so it was charming in a nostalgic way.
As for the story it was adventurous and dealt with themes of loss, found family, friendship, war, societal expectations (based on the 90’s standard of expectations ) The pace was great and character consequences moved the plot forward with intensity and mystery. I can see why my younger self loved this story. Based on today’s reading standards this book is better suited for YA readers. I would NOT recommend this for middle grade readers upon re-read. There are some adult themes that may be intense and mature for younger readers.
Would I recommend this series! Sure but I am biased. The nostalgia hits me really hard with this one. 💜 Another series to finish! We love to see it 💜
Does this story hold up? Yes although the prose is a bit dated with late 90’s colloquiums. I grew up in the 90’s so it was charming in a nostalgic way.
As for the story it was adventurous and dealt with themes of loss, found family, friendship, war, societal expectations (based on the 90’s standard of expectations ) The pace was great and character consequences moved the plot forward with intensity and mystery. I can see why my younger self loved this story. Based on today’s reading standards this book is better suited for YA readers. I would NOT recommend this for middle grade readers upon re-read. There are some adult themes that may be intense and mature for younger readers.
Would I recommend this series! Sure but I am biased. The nostalgia hits me really hard with this one. 💜 Another series to finish! We love to see it 💜
February 7, 2017
I'm rereading these for about the fourth or fifth time now, but the first since I left behind my teen years. I'm leaving the rating where it was originally, just because I'd still recommend these to a younger audience. It was written in 1999 though, so I might have to explain some stuff (Discman, Lilith Fair, Rodney King). But all the mythological stuff from many different cultures and the thrill of adventure are still there. It is very bare bones compared to modern YA & the closest I can equate it with is those serials that are published on Amazon. Seeing this through adult eyes, I'm fond but I don't loooove it anymore. I think I'll still keep rereading as long as it strikes my fancy, as there are eleven more books. :)
April 4, 2008
I read this book as a teenager and only recently bought the last books, so I re-read it last year. This is the first book in a 12 book series about a group of teenagers who find themselves transported to another universe where mythical gods and people reside. It all surrounds one girl, Senna, who is the key to opening a portal back to the "real" world for the gods to escape to (because a god-eating god is threatening their existence). This series is great for younger adults, especially those who are into mythology.
January 6, 2016
My Grand KAA Reread continues, this time with her sophomore series: a fantasy about a group of unwilling teenagers dragged into a world where magic reigns and various mythologies all rub elbows. This was totally my jam after Animorphs: it had a wolf on the cover and Norse mythology and Vikings, of course it would've hooked a 12-year-old Julie!
The maturity picks up nicely from where the end of Animorphs left off, written for an older audience: this writing is darker, the violence more explicit and detailed, and Applegate includes serious issues like child abuse, homophobic slurs, racism, even briefly police prejudice against young black males. (And I know there's other things coming down the pike.)
The start of the book immediately struck me for how lovely, dream-like, and introspective the writing was -- Applegate has started using a more literary style than in Animorphs. This sort of contemplative mood persists until they reach Everworld, at which point it's action-action-action and sharp clarity; which I'd say is exactly the point, that the characters (or at least David specifically) were existing in a haze until this experience woke them up. Everworld becomes real, to the detriment of their lives back in the 'old' world.
Applegate has to establish a lot in this introduction, which means it suffers a bit as a book. The characters are only thinly characterised at the moment (you'll get more in each of their POV books), and a lot of different factions and details are tossed at the reader, along with a cliffhanger ending.
But I just love this setting & premise & its central conflict (once you find out what it is, which is not yet), and the melting pot: black Vikings, poor harried servants having to clean up after Fenrir's knee-high pile of dogshit, people sighing wistfully about various power struggles and contracts and negotiations between gods. Each appearance of another mythological reference was -- and is -- a delight for a myth nerd like yours truly.
David, as our introductory character, is interesting -- not a leader and not a hero, though he so desperately wants to be. He's a coward who wishes he wasn't. He's throwing everything aside in pursuit of a cipher, a girl he hardly knows at all (and I love that she uses him, getting her hooks in deep and planting metaphorical seeds to be useful later).
In fact, I'm even sort of starting to look at these characters as dark mirrors of the Animorphs tropes/archetypes:
- David, the wannabe hero, who would wish he was a Jake but doesn't measure up;
- Christopher, with Marco's humour, but it's scathing and used to hurt and bully others;
- Jalil, with Marco's coldly analytic side and maybe a bit of Ax's stuffiness, but you'll find out more about him later and why exactly he is that way.
I don't know where to fit April, though, and I like that about her, that she doesn't just come off as a re-tread of someone like Rachel; I'm interested in finding out more about her, and her complicated relationship with her half-sister. I love that she calls out the boys on their macho bullshit. It comes up a bit in one of my quotes below, where she basically goes "UUGGGHHHH" at David's stupid toxic masculinity. I love her!!
And, you know, I actually like how unlikeable these teenagers can be. They're an abrasive group with no real positive connection to each other at the start, rubbing each other the wrong way, trying to find a way to survive together, tearing into each other; it's a different sort of careful balance and group dynamic to juggle than in KAA's previous series. It makes me want to see how their relationships with each other will change going forward.
I also appreciate David's issues about college and a career, because it's something that would resonate with teenagers -- that feeling of uncertainty and dread, not knowing where you're going, the fear of real life spinning out ahead of you, inevitable and dreary. In his monologue, Applegate utterly nailed it, because I remember experiencing those same anxieties about working life (and in fact, still do!).
It's a bit of a messy start, but I have such fond memories of this series and think it'll get better as it digs deeper into its characters and world, now that the setup is complete. And I trust KAA with pretty much everything, tbh. Plus, just, Everworld is a dark ensemble action-adventure through varied worlds of myth, which means it's catnip for me.
Favourite quotes, not very many recorded because I'm reading from a physical book rather than ebook:
The maturity picks up nicely from where the end of Animorphs left off, written for an older audience: this writing is darker, the violence more explicit and detailed, and Applegate includes serious issues like child abuse, homophobic slurs, racism, even briefly police prejudice against young black males. (And I know there's other things coming down the pike.)
The start of the book immediately struck me for how lovely, dream-like, and introspective the writing was -- Applegate has started using a more literary style than in Animorphs. This sort of contemplative mood persists until they reach Everworld, at which point it's action-action-action and sharp clarity; which I'd say is exactly the point, that the characters (or at least David specifically) were existing in a haze until this experience woke them up. Everworld becomes real, to the detriment of their lives back in the 'old' world.
Applegate has to establish a lot in this introduction, which means it suffers a bit as a book. The characters are only thinly characterised at the moment (you'll get more in each of their POV books), and a lot of different factions and details are tossed at the reader, along with a cliffhanger ending.
But I just love this setting & premise & its central conflict (once you find out what it is, which is not yet), and the melting pot: black Vikings, poor harried servants having to clean up after Fenrir's knee-high pile of dogshit, people sighing wistfully about various power struggles and contracts and negotiations between gods. Each appearance of another mythological reference was -- and is -- a delight for a myth nerd like yours truly.
David, as our introductory character, is interesting -- not a leader and not a hero, though he so desperately wants to be. He's a coward who wishes he wasn't. He's throwing everything aside in pursuit of a cipher, a girl he hardly knows at all (and I love that she uses him, getting her hooks in deep and planting metaphorical seeds to be useful later).
In fact, I'm even sort of starting to look at these characters as dark mirrors of the Animorphs tropes/archetypes:
- David, the wannabe hero, who would wish he was a Jake but doesn't measure up;
- Christopher, with Marco's humour, but it's scathing and used to hurt and bully others;
- Jalil, with Marco's coldly analytic side and maybe a bit of Ax's stuffiness, but you'll find out more about him later and why exactly he is that way.
I don't know where to fit April, though, and I like that about her, that she doesn't just come off as a re-tread of someone like Rachel; I'm interested in finding out more about her, and her complicated relationship with her half-sister. I love that she calls out the boys on their macho bullshit. It comes up a bit in one of my quotes below, where she basically goes "UUGGGHHHH" at David's stupid toxic masculinity. I love her!!
And, you know, I actually like how unlikeable these teenagers can be. They're an abrasive group with no real positive connection to each other at the start, rubbing each other the wrong way, trying to find a way to survive together, tearing into each other; it's a different sort of careful balance and group dynamic to juggle than in KAA's previous series. It makes me want to see how their relationships with each other will change going forward.
I also appreciate David's issues about college and a career, because it's something that would resonate with teenagers -- that feeling of uncertainty and dread, not knowing where you're going, the fear of real life spinning out ahead of you, inevitable and dreary. In his monologue, Applegate utterly nailed it, because I remember experiencing those same anxieties about working life (and in fact, still do!).
It's a bit of a messy start, but I have such fond memories of this series and think it'll get better as it digs deeper into its characters and world, now that the setup is complete. And I trust KAA with pretty much everything, tbh. Plus, just, Everworld is a dark ensemble action-adventure through varied worlds of myth, which means it's catnip for me.
Favourite quotes, not very many recorded because I'm reading from a physical book rather than ebook:
April 15, 2019
I had originally read this book as a junior high kiddo when it first came out 20 years ago. I was obsessed with Animorphs so of course I wanted to read Everworld
I remember at the time thinking I was cool because my mom would NOT like me reading Everworld at that age and I got away with it. Re-reading it now, there’s a lot of things that I’m glad I didn’t pick up on them because they really weren’t age appropriate (in my opinion). For instance, the story very briefly touched on a child being sexually abused by a staff member at a summer camp. The books are also pretty violent for that age.
I can’t say that I’ve enjoyed the books as much as an adult. There’s some thing I love... these books are quick reads and I love the mythology (some of it reminds me of Marvel characters!). There’s not a whole lot of depth though. The characters go back and forth between worlds and yet they are just kinda popping in and out... nothing that really pulls you in.
If you are looking for a quick read with a bit of mythology and some tense/violent scenes, you may enjoy these books!
I remember at the time thinking I was cool because my mom would NOT like me reading Everworld at that age and I got away with it. Re-reading it now, there’s a lot of things that I’m glad I didn’t pick up on them because they really weren’t age appropriate (in my opinion). For instance, the story very briefly touched on a child being sexually abused by a staff member at a summer camp. The books are also pretty violent for that age.
I can’t say that I’ve enjoyed the books as much as an adult. There’s some thing I love... these books are quick reads and I love the mythology (some of it reminds me of Marvel characters!). There’s not a whole lot of depth though. The characters go back and forth between worlds and yet they are just kinda popping in and out... nothing that really pulls you in.
If you are looking for a quick read with a bit of mythology and some tense/violent scenes, you may enjoy these books!
April 28, 2023
I honestly really enjoyed this! Definitely for teens, or grade 7 and up. Nothing really inappropriate or horrible. Writing was good, and of course it’s K Applegate. I honestly would have rated this 3.5 but goodreads doesn’t let you do that. I don’t know if I will reread over and over again, but I liked it! Onto the next book in the series!
January 23, 2019
If I had reviewed this when I first read it (around 2001), this would have been 5 stars. I loved this series in HS.
But, I'm 31 now and can see its faults. It still a good first book, and I'm excited to see what I think of the rest of the series.
It was a fun time, traveling back to EverWorld after all these years and hang out with these cool cats from Chicago.
But, I'm 31 now and can see its faults. It still a good first book, and I'm excited to see what I think of the rest of the series.
It was a fun time, traveling back to EverWorld after all these years and hang out with these cool cats from Chicago.
December 3, 2014
Being an Animorphs diehard, I'd always meant to take a plunge on the Everworld series. Plucking it off a used bookstore shelf a couple weeks back (and being that dreadful person who takes book #1 when the rest of the series is also on the shelf), I was looking forward to Ms. Applegate's mature and mindful take on the lives of teenagers, often in fantastic situations with lovely world building abounding. Since two stars in ŷ means "okay," it was definitely okay in the average. There are some stirring surrealist psychological moments when we drift into David's mind that are the book's standout moments, in large part because much is intimated and little is actually explained. As ever for Applegate, there are really lovely words here as well (many relating to boating terminology which was a nice surprise). Plus her trademark taste for the dark and edgy which so enamored me with Animorphs, since even in Ani #1 we were faced with the human tragedy of resistance efforts against militarily superior forces.
Those are the nice bits. The less nice bits are sadly more ample. There is a thoughtful, almost meditative, slowness to the book's beginning that is so fascinating and engaging, where we learn a lot about our leads. Then the moment they hit Everworld the characters practically freeze in place. Fitting since the rest of the book feels glacially slow and I had to keep prodding myself to finish it. Christopher makes a joke, April complains or flirts, Jalil plays skeptic and David is scared or angry. Apply to every scene and lather, rinse, repeat. And while we meet a variety of new characters, we only get very surface impressions of them, and the rest of the book is either action scenes or worrying. But no sense of place. Maybe because Animorphs had a baked in world (modern day Earth) it was more of a challenge to have to ground the reader in a new world altogether, but I feel nothing about where they are. Castle, boat, farm, boat. Animorphs could take a barn and have an entire book revolve around it and who is in it and I could see it so clearly in my mind and care so much about what happened in it.
Then there is the flimsy and weird reasoning behind what is going on in the "real" world, based on auto-pilot rules that don't make a lot of sense and moreover don't seem to add a lot to the narrative. Though this does, near the end, make a nice impetus for a revelation about how David seems himself and his life which was super intriguing because it uncovers some of the intricate damage so often inherent to Applegate's characters.
About Everworld I've read that you should "just wait" because "it gets better," which if I hadn't started re-reading Animorphs a couple years back I'd say "Okay, sure. I've probably got a rose-colored view of Animorphs and that's tainting my enjoyment. I was a kid then and I bet that series doesn't even hold up anymore." Animorphs does, however, completely hold up. So while I'd love to wait around and see if Everworld gets good, I'd rather just go back to Animorphs.
(Though I totally want to explore the Summer series which sounds like it could make a nice contrast to the speculative fiction works of hers I'm mainly familiar with.)
Those are the nice bits. The less nice bits are sadly more ample. There is a thoughtful, almost meditative, slowness to the book's beginning that is so fascinating and engaging, where we learn a lot about our leads. Then the moment they hit Everworld the characters practically freeze in place. Fitting since the rest of the book feels glacially slow and I had to keep prodding myself to finish it. Christopher makes a joke, April complains or flirts, Jalil plays skeptic and David is scared or angry. Apply to every scene and lather, rinse, repeat. And while we meet a variety of new characters, we only get very surface impressions of them, and the rest of the book is either action scenes or worrying. But no sense of place. Maybe because Animorphs had a baked in world (modern day Earth) it was more of a challenge to have to ground the reader in a new world altogether, but I feel nothing about where they are. Castle, boat, farm, boat. Animorphs could take a barn and have an entire book revolve around it and who is in it and I could see it so clearly in my mind and care so much about what happened in it.
Then there is the flimsy and weird reasoning behind what is going on in the "real" world, based on auto-pilot rules that don't make a lot of sense and moreover don't seem to add a lot to the narrative. Though this does, near the end, make a nice impetus for a revelation about how David seems himself and his life which was super intriguing because it uncovers some of the intricate damage so often inherent to Applegate's characters.
About Everworld I've read that you should "just wait" because "it gets better," which if I hadn't started re-reading Animorphs a couple years back I'd say "Okay, sure. I've probably got a rose-colored view of Animorphs and that's tainting my enjoyment. I was a kid then and I bet that series doesn't even hold up anymore." Animorphs does, however, completely hold up. So while I'd love to wait around and see if Everworld gets good, I'd rather just go back to Animorphs.
(Though I totally want to explore the Summer series which sounds like it could make a nice contrast to the speculative fiction works of hers I'm mainly familiar with.)
May 28, 2009
This will serve as my review for the entire Everworld series.
They are pretty great books, all in all. I've never encounter any writing style quite like K.A. Applegate's; she is unafraid to make almost painfully real characters and address touchy subjects with zeal. The dynamic between the four main characters, and the way it grew and shifted, was extremely interesting to follow. The clash of all the different mythologies was explosive; the author should be commended just for managing to cram the deities and cultures of so many different races into one series.
Some books were definitely better than others; there were a few that seemed to be filler books with little real development. But these were punctuated with cool, action and humor-filled installments, so it worked out well in the end. Everworld is a great, laid-back fantasy series to read when you want some lighter fiction that still packs plenty of punch here and there.
They are pretty great books, all in all. I've never encounter any writing style quite like K.A. Applegate's; she is unafraid to make almost painfully real characters and address touchy subjects with zeal. The dynamic between the four main characters, and the way it grew and shifted, was extremely interesting to follow. The clash of all the different mythologies was explosive; the author should be commended just for managing to cram the deities and cultures of so many different races into one series.
Some books were definitely better than others; there were a few that seemed to be filler books with little real development. But these were punctuated with cool, action and humor-filled installments, so it worked out well in the end. Everworld is a great, laid-back fantasy series to read when you want some lighter fiction that still packs plenty of punch here and there.
September 21, 2017
I'm currently reading this series after a friend’s recommendation and so far I’m enjoying it and really curious to see how it how it’s going to play out.
I’m actually a little bit conflicted, and I think it’s going to be a struggle that is going to stay with me for the entire twelve books, because these books are extremely hard to rate and review.
You see, like I said they’re a really enjoyable and fast read, but they’re also slightly weird Middle Grade books and really, really short. The rating I’ll give them will never actually do justice to the thing itself; so, I guess I’ll just leave a note in the beginning of my really insignificant reviews as in the rating isn’t really accurate with what it usually means to me.
My favorite parts so far is all the mythology and how even being pretty much a Middle Grade, has some darkish things to it.
Thanks for the recommendation. <3
I’m actually a little bit conflicted, and I think it’s going to be a struggle that is going to stay with me for the entire twelve books, because these books are extremely hard to rate and review.
You see, like I said they’re a really enjoyable and fast read, but they’re also slightly weird Middle Grade books and really, really short. The rating I’ll give them will never actually do justice to the thing itself; so, I guess I’ll just leave a note in the beginning of my really insignificant reviews as in the rating isn’t really accurate with what it usually means to me.
My favorite parts so far is all the mythology and how even being pretty much a Middle Grade, has some darkish things to it.
Thanks for the recommendation. <3
Read
August 5, 2011Well, I'd like to thank my childhood friend, Katie (a huge bookworm), for shoving these little novels down my almost-non-reading throat when I was twelve. This series was so suspenseful that I ate it up. I, who was so resistant to reading and still preferred being read to. lol I enjoyed these so much that I was apparently compelled to imagine other books might be as enjoyable and started cracking them open. If not for my dear, long-lost friend's skilled recommendation, I may never have grown into the book-lover I am today. : )
October 9, 2015
Such an amazing start to the book, still searching for the 2nd one. I loved this book, i love how it always made me feel like i was there in a dream cx
October 23, 2021
I don’t necessarily seek out YA books—not that there’s anything wrong with them!—but in the last couple of years I recalled a youthful passion for K.A. Applegate’s ANIMORPHS series and got it in my head that I wanted to re-read a few and see if they held up. I felt they held up *very* well; so well, in fact, that I ended up buying and reading the entire 62-book series. Since then, I’ve been fairly obsessed. At the end of some of the Animorphs books there were advertisements for another series by Applegate: EVERWORLD. I’d never read any of this series as a child but based on my fondness for Animorphs I felt it might be worthwhile to give it a go. I hoped to read the first book to get a taste so I could decide whether to continue. Used bookstores in my area had a handful of entries from the series but not the first book. When I went online to buy this first book, SEARCH FOR SENNA, well� one thing led to another and I ended up buying the entire series. Luckily it’s only 12 books this time, not 62. So! With all that preamble out of the way, was it worth it?
To be honest, at first I wasn’t very enthusiastic, and to be even honester I don’t know how *enthusiastic* I am now that I’m done, but by the end I felt like it was compelling enough to soldier on. There are two elements in particular which really got my attention. But at the start it’s a little rough going.
We’re introduced to David, our narrator, the generic white boy—the Jake—who will end up leading a group of teens who don’t yet know they’re destined to be heroes. The group is rounded out by Christopher, David’s frenemy, and who is the jokester—the Marco—of the group; April, the sardonic female member of the squad; and Jalil, the intelligent and skeptical black teen. April and Jalil don’t map neatly onto Animorphs characters the way that David and Christopher do. I think of them more as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Raphael and Donatello, respectively. This group is on a search for the titular Senna: April’s stepsister, David’s new flame, and Christopher’s ex. Jalil has no connection with her that I am aware of at this time. Senna is a “manic pixie dream girl� with no personality except being an ethereal enigma; in fact, she’s not so much a “pixie� as a “witch� and not so much “dream� as “nightmare�. Our four get drawn into the title land, Everworld, when a giant wolf tears through the fabric of space-time to snatch Senna and the rest of the group gets caught in the wake.
From there, it’s a bizarro fantasy world with trolls and the Norse god Loki (long before his MCU debut), and of course all sorts of other alien-type creatures with odd names and descriptions. This felt kind of dumb to me at first. I also fairly loathed Christopher’s constant hamming it up, even when they’re hanging from chains by their wrists with possible dislocated shoulders. It’s like he’s completely incapable of being serious and it is very obnoxious. The plot turns into something about Vikings trying to save Odin by fighting Sun-Worshippers and actually that’s still not that interesting to me now. Whatever is going on with Senna, who seems to be a god herself maybe (?), is also highly uninteresting. It’s called SEARCH FOR SENNA, but I never cared if they find her and David’s insistence that they must doesn’t feel understandable at all since she’s almost a nonentity to the reader.
Ah, but there are two things that make the book work. First, there’s the suggestion by Jalil that *something isn’t right* here; that some unseen hand is directing the events that occur. Maybe it’s just Senna somehow, but lampshading the stupidity of the setting helps to make it less dumb. It adds a bit of mystery beyond the politics of the gods. Second, and more importantly, it is revealed that when the kids fall asleep in Everworld they return to the real world. And not just that, but they have been living in the real world continuously—that is, they are living both lives simultaneously, seemingly on auto-pilot in our world while they’re in the other. So when they return to their real lives, they have memories of the days they’ve missed because they HAVE lived them despite not being present for them. It’s enough to drive a person mad, and in fact there’s an excellent scene where David nearly breaks down working a part-time job at Starbucks because he was just en route to a war with Vikings. He feels that making mocha grande frappucinnos for hipster douchebags is so frivolous compared to the life he’s been living in Everworld� yet at the same time recognizes that, in his regular life, this *is* important. He feels compelled both to stay and to run away. That exploration of a mind struggling to make sense of two realities is very exciting.
And then there’s just Applegate’s writing generally, which is strong. A couple of moments I liked were early on when David describes Senna’s teeth glittering blue and gold in the reflection of a Blockbuster sign, and later when he looks up at a wall he had previously been chained to in Everworld and thinks, in a paragraph all its own: “My blood was on that wall.� Also, like Animorphs, this book does go dark and violent fairly quickly. The seriousness of battle is certainly well-communicated.
Maybe I’m being too lenient going four stars on this? I don’t know. I was very impressed by the two-worlds conceit and that’s largely the reason for the rating. I wouldn’t say it’s *great* yet, and I kind of hate that the book ends mid-scene in a “To Be Continued…� style but I feel like there’s definitely a lot of potential. Let’s hope the next eleven live up to my expectations.
ONE FINAL THING—I can’t end this without mentioning that this book features *cussing*! Get the kids out the room right now! We got your damns, your asses, even a stray bitch. No shits or fucks, but fingers crossed that we might see those in the future books. Definitely a difference from Animorphs; I think the worst we might have gotten there was a “crap� or two. It’s definitely a difference between the two series. I wonder how this series will develop, and whether 12 books is enough for it to do so fully. We’ll see.
To be honest, at first I wasn’t very enthusiastic, and to be even honester I don’t know how *enthusiastic* I am now that I’m done, but by the end I felt like it was compelling enough to soldier on. There are two elements in particular which really got my attention. But at the start it’s a little rough going.
We’re introduced to David, our narrator, the generic white boy—the Jake—who will end up leading a group of teens who don’t yet know they’re destined to be heroes. The group is rounded out by Christopher, David’s frenemy, and who is the jokester—the Marco—of the group; April, the sardonic female member of the squad; and Jalil, the intelligent and skeptical black teen. April and Jalil don’t map neatly onto Animorphs characters the way that David and Christopher do. I think of them more as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Raphael and Donatello, respectively. This group is on a search for the titular Senna: April’s stepsister, David’s new flame, and Christopher’s ex. Jalil has no connection with her that I am aware of at this time. Senna is a “manic pixie dream girl� with no personality except being an ethereal enigma; in fact, she’s not so much a “pixie� as a “witch� and not so much “dream� as “nightmare�. Our four get drawn into the title land, Everworld, when a giant wolf tears through the fabric of space-time to snatch Senna and the rest of the group gets caught in the wake.
From there, it’s a bizarro fantasy world with trolls and the Norse god Loki (long before his MCU debut), and of course all sorts of other alien-type creatures with odd names and descriptions. This felt kind of dumb to me at first. I also fairly loathed Christopher’s constant hamming it up, even when they’re hanging from chains by their wrists with possible dislocated shoulders. It’s like he’s completely incapable of being serious and it is very obnoxious. The plot turns into something about Vikings trying to save Odin by fighting Sun-Worshippers and actually that’s still not that interesting to me now. Whatever is going on with Senna, who seems to be a god herself maybe (?), is also highly uninteresting. It’s called SEARCH FOR SENNA, but I never cared if they find her and David’s insistence that they must doesn’t feel understandable at all since she’s almost a nonentity to the reader.
Ah, but there are two things that make the book work. First, there’s the suggestion by Jalil that *something isn’t right* here; that some unseen hand is directing the events that occur. Maybe it’s just Senna somehow, but lampshading the stupidity of the setting helps to make it less dumb. It adds a bit of mystery beyond the politics of the gods. Second, and more importantly, it is revealed that when the kids fall asleep in Everworld they return to the real world. And not just that, but they have been living in the real world continuously—that is, they are living both lives simultaneously, seemingly on auto-pilot in our world while they’re in the other. So when they return to their real lives, they have memories of the days they’ve missed because they HAVE lived them despite not being present for them. It’s enough to drive a person mad, and in fact there’s an excellent scene where David nearly breaks down working a part-time job at Starbucks because he was just en route to a war with Vikings. He feels that making mocha grande frappucinnos for hipster douchebags is so frivolous compared to the life he’s been living in Everworld� yet at the same time recognizes that, in his regular life, this *is* important. He feels compelled both to stay and to run away. That exploration of a mind struggling to make sense of two realities is very exciting.
And then there’s just Applegate’s writing generally, which is strong. A couple of moments I liked were early on when David describes Senna’s teeth glittering blue and gold in the reflection of a Blockbuster sign, and later when he looks up at a wall he had previously been chained to in Everworld and thinks, in a paragraph all its own: “My blood was on that wall.� Also, like Animorphs, this book does go dark and violent fairly quickly. The seriousness of battle is certainly well-communicated.
Maybe I’m being too lenient going four stars on this? I don’t know. I was very impressed by the two-worlds conceit and that’s largely the reason for the rating. I wouldn’t say it’s *great* yet, and I kind of hate that the book ends mid-scene in a “To Be Continued…� style but I feel like there’s definitely a lot of potential. Let’s hope the next eleven live up to my expectations.
ONE FINAL THING—I can’t end this without mentioning that this book features *cussing*! Get the kids out the room right now! We got your damns, your asses, even a stray bitch. No shits or fucks, but fingers crossed that we might see those in the future books. Definitely a difference from Animorphs; I think the worst we might have gotten there was a “crap� or two. It’s definitely a difference between the two series. I wonder how this series will develop, and whether 12 books is enough for it to do so fully. We’ll see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2022
Plot: Four teenagers get dragged into a parallel universe where gods and myths and legends are real, and they are insignificant pawns in constant danger of losing life and limb.
1. I first tried reading Everworld when I was in my late pre-teens and enamored with Animorphs. I soon decided that while I really liked the idea the books were based on, it lacked an undefinable something Animorphs did. Now that I'm older, I'm pretty sure I can define that something as "camraderie" and "hope" and "characters who are not selfish prats far from the traditional ideals of heroism."
2. Look, I'm absolutely going to be evaluating Everworld by comparing it to Animorphs and if you know anything about me that should not surprise you at all.
3. Every Everworld character is kindof an asshole. Christopher is funny, but his humor is sometimes crude and hurtful- he's an edgier version of Marco. April is condescending. Jalil is a cynic. All three of them are very obviously only out here for themselves. And David- David is steeped in oh so much ingrained toxic masculinity and reading a book from his pov has been fascinating.
4. My tolerance for assholes is stories is a lot higher than when I was a kid- maybe not enough to put up with whatever the fuck was happening in Prince of Thorns, but I've definitely mellowed enough to indulge a bunch of terrified teenagers running for their lives and not actively harming anyone.
5. This book is told from David's pov, and David is... interesting, so long as you don't take what he says at face value. He's very invested in how he's seen in the world- very interested in being a hero, being a man. He chafes at the mundanity of his life, and acknowledges his obsession with Senna has more to do with his feeling that he will get what he wants if he has her, and less to do with Senna as a person. Which you know, would normally irritate me but I already know Senna is jerking him around like a puppet so it's kinda funny instead.
6. David spends most of the book seeing all the fights and blood and mayhem around him and deciding that this is a life worth living. April understandably yells at him about this in a particularly memorable scene;
But that doesn't deter him. David doesn't just want to be a hero- he wants to be seen as a hero. He speaks of himself, derogatorily, as a boy while the Vikings around him- battle-scarred and off on an impossible quest, are men. He wants to save Senna, despite his growing disquiet about her, partly because she's playing wounded gazelle with him to the hilt.
David is, in short, such a fucking boy and not in a fun way; which makes the few scenes where he has a point or does something actually useful a little bemusing. It's a weird book, man.
7. In going to hold off on commenting on the rest of the characters till we get to their books, but I need to talk about the worldbuilding. And the concept. Because wow it's so good? I love this idea? I know there's a sort of mini resurgence for Animorphs happening right now, but I feel like Everworld would actually fit very well into today's YA market. Revise it into a longer, more detailed, more involved quartet or quintet, and I think this whole thing could be really fucking good.
8. Anyway, worldbuilding. Search for Senna takes place in Everworld!Norselands. Only things are a little different- Loki is in charge and he's afraid of something and very mad about this plans getting foiled. The local Vikings are multiracial and on a quest to save Odin. There are references made- to the Aztecs and Atlantis and Egypt. Time and space seem to work differently here, and seeing the effects of years- possibly centuries- of intermingled cultures (who still have a vested interest in sticking to traditions because uh- gods) is pretty interesting.
9. My favorite part of this book is every bit where the kids fall asleep and All of these scenes are so fucking surreal and I love the juxtaposition of normality with the madness, and how it's starting to influence their regular lives. I wince at the thought of how these kids are not actually getting ANY mental downtime and boy that sounds exhausting.
10. To conclude, I may be expecting a bit too much from these books because Animorphs based nostalgia, but I'm curious to see what older me thinks about it.
“I think that’s his point,� April said. “Not dumb, maybe. Just naïve. I mean, we come from a cynical age. Suspicious of everything. Maybe that’s an advantage we have.�
“Yeah, our bad attitudes versus their swords and axes and giant wolves,� Christopher said darkly.
1. I first tried reading Everworld when I was in my late pre-teens and enamored with Animorphs. I soon decided that while I really liked the idea the books were based on, it lacked an undefinable something Animorphs did. Now that I'm older, I'm pretty sure I can define that something as "camraderie" and "hope" and "characters who are not selfish prats far from the traditional ideals of heroism."
2. Look, I'm absolutely going to be evaluating Everworld by comparing it to Animorphs and if you know anything about me that should not surprise you at all.
3. Every Everworld character is kindof an asshole. Christopher is funny, but his humor is sometimes crude and hurtful- he's an edgier version of Marco. April is condescending. Jalil is a cynic. All three of them are very obviously only out here for themselves. And David- David is steeped in oh so much ingrained toxic masculinity and reading a book from his pov has been fascinating.
4. My tolerance for assholes is stories is a lot higher than when I was a kid- maybe not enough to put up with whatever the fuck was happening in Prince of Thorns, but I've definitely mellowed enough to indulge a bunch of terrified teenagers running for their lives and not actively harming anyone.
5. This book is told from David's pov, and David is... interesting, so long as you don't take what he says at face value. He's very invested in how he's seen in the world- very interested in being a hero, being a man. He chafes at the mundanity of his life, and acknowledges his obsession with Senna has more to do with his feeling that he will get what he wants if he has her, and less to do with Senna as a person. Which you know, would normally irritate me but I already know Senna is jerking him around like a puppet so it's kinda funny instead.
6. David spends most of the book seeing all the fights and blood and mayhem around him and deciding that this is a life worth living. April understandably yells at him about this in a particularly memorable scene;
I waved my hand, dismissing it all. “There used to be adventure. You know? Going west in a wagon train, or going to war, or exploring someplace no human being had ever been before. Now what do we have? Look at Sven. Look at that guy. He’s my age. Look at his life. Then look at mine or Jalil’s or yours.�
April barked out a laugh. “He can barely talk because someone rammed a sword through his mouth.�
I nodded. “You know the difference between him and me? We’re both about sixteen. But he’s a man. And I’m a boy.�
April made a face, angry, dismissive, frustrated. “What is it with you guys? Is it the testosterone? You know, David, it’s the dawn of the twenty-first century, and you live in the richest, most powerful nation on Earth where there’s almost no one starving and no one enslaved and no one invading to murder and pillage and rape. And finally, finally, after thousands of years of men slaughtering men, women, and children over nonsense, we have a few places on Earth where there’s a little peace, a little decency. A few places where most people get to be born and live their lives without total horror being rained down on them, and your reaction is, ‘This has to stop!�"
But that doesn't deter him. David doesn't just want to be a hero- he wants to be seen as a hero. He speaks of himself, derogatorily, as a boy while the Vikings around him- battle-scarred and off on an impossible quest, are men. He wants to save Senna, despite his growing disquiet about her, partly because she's playing wounded gazelle with him to the hilt.
David is, in short, such a fucking boy and not in a fun way; which makes the few scenes where he has a point or does something actually useful a little bemusing. It's a weird book, man.
7. In going to hold off on commenting on the rest of the characters till we get to their books, but I need to talk about the worldbuilding. And the concept. Because wow it's so good? I love this idea? I know there's a sort of mini resurgence for Animorphs happening right now, but I feel like Everworld would actually fit very well into today's YA market. Revise it into a longer, more detailed, more involved quartet or quintet, and I think this whole thing could be really fucking good.
8. Anyway, worldbuilding. Search for Senna takes place in Everworld!Norselands. Only things are a little different- Loki is in charge and he's afraid of something and very mad about this plans getting foiled. The local Vikings are multiracial and on a quest to save Odin. There are references made- to the Aztecs and Atlantis and Egypt. Time and space seem to work differently here, and seeing the effects of years- possibly centuries- of intermingled cultures (who still have a vested interest in sticking to traditions because uh- gods) is pretty interesting.
9. My favorite part of this book is every bit where the kids fall asleep and All of these scenes are so fucking surreal and I love the juxtaposition of normality with the madness, and how it's starting to influence their regular lives. I wince at the thought of how these kids are not actually getting ANY mental downtime and boy that sounds exhausting.
10. To conclude, I may be expecting a bit too much from these books because Animorphs based nostalgia, but I'm curious to see what older me thinks about it.
January 20, 2024
I started reading this book when I was probably in 5th grade, but never finished it. I decided I would revisit it a couple decades later to see if it holds up. It turned out to be quite a lot different from what I remember, but in a good way. It's evident that I am not the target audience for these books, but I enjoyed it and will be continuing the series.
April 17, 2020
Ovo je bilo super. Veselim se ostalim nastavcima 😊
January 20, 2008
So I read the first couple chapters and it sucked. I left it on the counter to return to the library and My dad picked it up and started reading it! He loved it! That really made me sad because the entire concept was flawed and the detail, storyline, charactors, ect. all sucked!!!
May 12, 2016
This is my first trip into Everworld, and what a ride it was! It was rushed and confused, but not in the poorly-written way � no, it was rushed because there was so much to cover, and confused because the narrator himself (David Levin) was confused about everything that was going on. And can you blame him? A girl he’s been dating for an indeterminately short amount of time tells him that something horrible is going to happen, and when it does, will he save her? Plus he’s the new kid at school, presumably trying to stake his place in the teenage boy hierarchy with his posturing head-to-head with Christopher (who also happens to be his girlfriend’s ex) and all-around tough-guy attitude.
Then the horrible thing happens. A giant wolf snatches up Senna in his jaws, and not knowing why they were all there at that moment or why they pressed forward to follow her, David, Christopher, Jalil, and April get pulled through the proverbial wormhole into Everworld.
Where they wake to find themselves hanging in manacles dangling from the wall of a castle belonging to no one less than Loki the Trickster God himself.
Still following?
Good. Because it only gets weirder from there. An alien from a race called Hetwans is all but threatening Loki, an emissary of Ra is thrown in a pit, Thor is missing, Odin is a prisoner, oh and the Vikings instead of raiding Atlantis are headed off to war against the Aztecs. Yes, that’s right: Vikings, Ra, Atlantis and the Aztecs. All together, in Everworld.
And our unlikely group is thrown into the middle of all this, just because they followed a strange girl named Senna.
Summary aside, and taking into account that this book is the first in a wide-spreading series, this book is a mish-mash of different mythologies, teenage hormones and angst, dangerous dilemmas, life-or-death situations, with threads throughout which bring up tough issues in the real world. Racism, sexism, child molestation, abuse by authority, fear, coming back from war, and not to mention one of the big Questions of Life: What makes a life meaningful? (In this case, though, I don’t think the answer is �42�.)
It’s a very busy book as far as being the first book in a series goes, but I enjoyed getting the references to different cultures (I adore world mythologies!), seeing these reluctant would-be rescuers navigating a world of yesterday which is so incredibly foreign (Viking longboats! swords! fur hides for clothing!), and being confused right along with the main characters about what was going on. Their different personalities are brushed upon, and I’m sure will be more fleshed out in the books to come. We have the taste of who they are, and even a hint of who they might want to become, and the promise that things are going to get a lot more crazy before this book, let alone this series, reaches its end. Along the way David, Christopher, April, and Jalil might even find themselves getting going to where they will go, both spatially and psychologically.
So, given how much I have gushed about Animorphs after my recent re-read, why didn’t 11-year-old me pick up this series? The simple reason: at 11, I was frustrated and angry at how Animorphs ended, and had no desire to read anything else by K. A. Applegate, no siree! Animorphs ended in what was probably the far outreaches of my ability to understand adult themes, and Everworld in the first 50 pages already far outdistanced that, I think. Everworld is decidedly “young adult� from the get-go.
As an adult reading this for the first time, though, Everworld is more of a continuation of the mature themes and harsh realities introduced and explored in Animorphs, and a great read for teenagers. (Even if I had picked this up at 11, my own self-policing style of reading would have meant that I would have showed my mom the first swear word in the book because I wasn’t sure it was okay to read it, and given the context � that they were expletives and not part of set accepted phrases or even necessarily said in the heat of the moment or battle- she probably would have told me she didn’t think I should be reading it. Maybe.)
Yet, I also can’t help but try to draw parallels between the Everworld teens and the Animorphs. So far, I am seeing that end-of-series melding of Jake/Rachel in David (leader-type, having a military strategy mindset/in the family, living for the fight), a mix of Marco/Ax in Jalil (cool-headed, connecting the dots, almost seeming aloof from everything going on, having lots of seemingly random facts and information to offer to the general knowledge), and Marco/Cassie in Christopher (the “funny guy�, not wanting to be in the fight). April is harder to pin, and I don’t think any mix of the Animorphs quite gets her (yet?) � though maybe a bit of Aldrea, with being able to adapt to a strange situation and make it work despite the dangers? Senna � is anyone’s guess. If anyone, she has a bit of the Ellimist in her (though not Toomin) with a dash of Crayak (dream-Senna, anyone?) � mysterious, hard to pin down her motives, more than she appears.
Quotes and comments � spoiler cut mostly for length, though there are a couple additional cuts inside for actual spoilers:
Christopher is a funny guy. I mean, he has a real talent that way. You know a guy is funny when a week later you can still feel the little knives he stuck in you. � page 2
A swear count, because I was curious what I would have encountered if I had read this as an 11-year-old (under spoiler for hopefully obvious reasons) :
Then the horrible thing happens. A giant wolf snatches up Senna in his jaws, and not knowing why they were all there at that moment or why they pressed forward to follow her, David, Christopher, Jalil, and April get pulled through the proverbial wormhole into Everworld.
Where they wake to find themselves hanging in manacles dangling from the wall of a castle belonging to no one less than Loki the Trickster God himself.
Still following?
Good. Because it only gets weirder from there. An alien from a race called Hetwans is all but threatening Loki, an emissary of Ra is thrown in a pit, Thor is missing, Odin is a prisoner, oh and the Vikings instead of raiding Atlantis are headed off to war against the Aztecs. Yes, that’s right: Vikings, Ra, Atlantis and the Aztecs. All together, in Everworld.
And our unlikely group is thrown into the middle of all this, just because they followed a strange girl named Senna.
Summary aside, and taking into account that this book is the first in a wide-spreading series, this book is a mish-mash of different mythologies, teenage hormones and angst, dangerous dilemmas, life-or-death situations, with threads throughout which bring up tough issues in the real world. Racism, sexism, child molestation, abuse by authority, fear, coming back from war, and not to mention one of the big Questions of Life: What makes a life meaningful? (In this case, though, I don’t think the answer is �42�.)
It’s a very busy book as far as being the first book in a series goes, but I enjoyed getting the references to different cultures (I adore world mythologies!), seeing these reluctant would-be rescuers navigating a world of yesterday which is so incredibly foreign (Viking longboats! swords! fur hides for clothing!), and being confused right along with the main characters about what was going on. Their different personalities are brushed upon, and I’m sure will be more fleshed out in the books to come. We have the taste of who they are, and even a hint of who they might want to become, and the promise that things are going to get a lot more crazy before this book, let alone this series, reaches its end. Along the way David, Christopher, April, and Jalil might even find themselves getting going to where they will go, both spatially and psychologically.
So, given how much I have gushed about Animorphs after my recent re-read, why didn’t 11-year-old me pick up this series? The simple reason: at 11, I was frustrated and angry at how Animorphs ended, and had no desire to read anything else by K. A. Applegate, no siree! Animorphs ended in what was probably the far outreaches of my ability to understand adult themes, and Everworld in the first 50 pages already far outdistanced that, I think. Everworld is decidedly “young adult� from the get-go.
As an adult reading this for the first time, though, Everworld is more of a continuation of the mature themes and harsh realities introduced and explored in Animorphs, and a great read for teenagers. (Even if I had picked this up at 11, my own self-policing style of reading would have meant that I would have showed my mom the first swear word in the book because I wasn’t sure it was okay to read it, and given the context � that they were expletives and not part of set accepted phrases or even necessarily said in the heat of the moment or battle- she probably would have told me she didn’t think I should be reading it. Maybe.)
Yet, I also can’t help but try to draw parallels between the Everworld teens and the Animorphs. So far, I am seeing that end-of-series melding of Jake/Rachel in David (leader-type, having a military strategy mindset/in the family, living for the fight), a mix of Marco/Ax in Jalil (cool-headed, connecting the dots, almost seeming aloof from everything going on, having lots of seemingly random facts and information to offer to the general knowledge), and Marco/Cassie in Christopher (the “funny guy�, not wanting to be in the fight). April is harder to pin, and I don’t think any mix of the Animorphs quite gets her (yet?) � though maybe a bit of Aldrea, with being able to adapt to a strange situation and make it work despite the dangers? Senna � is anyone’s guess. If anyone, she has a bit of the Ellimist in her (though not Toomin) with a dash of Crayak (dream-Senna, anyone?) � mysterious, hard to pin down her motives, more than she appears.
Quotes and comments � spoiler cut mostly for length, though there are a couple additional cuts inside for actual spoilers:
Christopher is a funny guy. I mean, he has a real talent that way. You know a guy is funny when a week later you can still feel the little knives he stuck in you. � page 2
A swear count, because I was curious what I would have encountered if I had read this as an 11-year-old (under spoiler for hopefully obvious reasons) :
November 26, 2021
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I'm a bigger fan of Animorphs than of author K. A. Applegate in general, and I had never previously read any of Everworld, her series that launched in 1999 right around when the former saga switched to being heavily ghostwritten. Based on this first volume, however, I don't think I've been missing much for all these years. Although it has its bright spots and is generally fine for a YA story of its time, neither the characters, nor the worldbuilding, nor the plot has really gripped me yet.
The title figure, our narrator's girlfriend who vanishes into a strange land of blended world mythologies, is an absolute manic pixie dream girl at this point, with him even openly acknowledging that he sees their relationship as a status symbol rather than a true partnership of mutual interest and emotion. When those two nominal lovebirds do show signs of personality in their interactions, they're basically just angry and mean to one another, and the rest of the core cast -- Senna's ex, her half-sister, and their random other friend -- seem likewise disengaged. The struggle of their adjustment to the fantasy realm and inability to break free of its hold is more compelling than the unknown location of the witchy teen who helped bring them there, at least in my opinion.
I do enjoy that Loki of Norse renown shares this domain with Aztec, Greek, and Egyptian gods as well as a few alien species, and the mid-novel reveal that our protagonists are somehow still carrying on their home life too, with a consciousness swap whenever they fall asleep, is intriguingly and unsettlingly mind-bending. But the central quest storyline feels pretty generic, and the book ends on a flimsy cliffhanger of the group rushing into battle alongside their new Viking allies, with no effort to resolve any of the arcs or issues introduced before then.
I'm being so critical here because I've seen the writer produce such higher quality material elsewhere, but my three-star rating should reflect that I like this one more than I dislike it, on balance. I simply don't believe the work puts forth a very good argument for continuing on to the sequels to find out what happens to these kids next.
[Content warning for racial profiling, torture, gore, sexism, slavery, sexual assault, and homophobia including slurs.]
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I'm a bigger fan of Animorphs than of author K. A. Applegate in general, and I had never previously read any of Everworld, her series that launched in 1999 right around when the former saga switched to being heavily ghostwritten. Based on this first volume, however, I don't think I've been missing much for all these years. Although it has its bright spots and is generally fine for a YA story of its time, neither the characters, nor the worldbuilding, nor the plot has really gripped me yet.
The title figure, our narrator's girlfriend who vanishes into a strange land of blended world mythologies, is an absolute manic pixie dream girl at this point, with him even openly acknowledging that he sees their relationship as a status symbol rather than a true partnership of mutual interest and emotion. When those two nominal lovebirds do show signs of personality in their interactions, they're basically just angry and mean to one another, and the rest of the core cast -- Senna's ex, her half-sister, and their random other friend -- seem likewise disengaged. The struggle of their adjustment to the fantasy realm and inability to break free of its hold is more compelling than the unknown location of the witchy teen who helped bring them there, at least in my opinion.
I do enjoy that Loki of Norse renown shares this domain with Aztec, Greek, and Egyptian gods as well as a few alien species, and the mid-novel reveal that our protagonists are somehow still carrying on their home life too, with a consciousness swap whenever they fall asleep, is intriguingly and unsettlingly mind-bending. But the central quest storyline feels pretty generic, and the book ends on a flimsy cliffhanger of the group rushing into battle alongside their new Viking allies, with no effort to resolve any of the arcs or issues introduced before then.
I'm being so critical here because I've seen the writer produce such higher quality material elsewhere, but my three-star rating should reflect that I like this one more than I dislike it, on balance. I simply don't believe the work puts forth a very good argument for continuing on to the sequels to find out what happens to these kids next.
[Content warning for racial profiling, torture, gore, sexism, slavery, sexual assault, and homophobia including slurs.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
--Follow along on ŷ here!
/user/show/6...
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
May 12, 2021
Things I remember from reading I think just the first Everworld novel as a kid: grimdark/crapsack portal world (and, specifically, that hanging in chains scene). Things I did not remember: the portal world is home to the gods and their peoples from lost religions. (The aliens, meanwhile, feel totally on-brand.) "Ancient gods are present characters" tends to make for shoddy historical research and unconvincingly inhuman gods, so it's a trope I'm negatively predisposed to despite that this doesn't do anything too awful with it yet.
The grittiness here is almost affected: older protagonists, older audience, a lot of allusions to older subject matter that doesn't feel necessary given that Animorphs is so dark and robust without it. But I like how this strands the characters in the setting, rendering them viscerally exhausted and isolated; and I like Senna flitting through the background, fey and untrustworthy, as the promise of plot to come. I'm not enthusiastic about this but I'm willing to continue, mostly because I loved Animorphs so much as an adult reader that I'm down to try the Applegate I tried but never got into as a kid.
The grittiness here is almost affected: older protagonists, older audience, a lot of allusions to older subject matter that doesn't feel necessary given that Animorphs is so dark and robust without it. But I like how this strands the characters in the setting, rendering them viscerally exhausted and isolated; and I like Senna flitting through the background, fey and untrustworthy, as the promise of plot to come. I'm not enthusiastic about this but I'm willing to continue, mostly because I loved Animorphs so much as an adult reader that I'm down to try the Applegate I tried but never got into as a kid.
January 18, 2024
This is the first in a 12 book series so I know that things are going to go through some big changes. At the moment I'm not overly invested in all the characters. In fact David annoys the crap out of me. But he is a teenage boy so that makes sense. So far I am the most invested in Jalil and April. Everworld being a mix of all of these old world cultures is very interesting, I'm excited to learn more about how and why Everworld was created and what the Hetwans are. I'm invested enough to keep reading but man am I tired of David.
April 19, 2022
I don't necessarily know if my lower rating is just because this isn't the animorphs or because it's just 'not as good' to me or what, but I'm about to dive into book two, so we'll see.
Interesting premise at least.
The back of the book doesn't explain much.
David, Jalil, April and Christopher are pulled into the Everworld in an attempt to save Senna one morning as she is sucked into the earth. They discover a place where gods... and monsters walk freely.
Interesting premise at least.
The back of the book doesn't explain much.
David, Jalil, April and Christopher are pulled into the Everworld in an attempt to save Senna one morning as she is sucked into the earth. They discover a place where gods... and monsters walk freely.
January 4, 2022
I enjoy this nostalgic trip through some weird world where Vikings battle Aztecs and there's mentions of all sorts of other myths from our world. There's a weird thing where the main cast is trapped in both this world,, trying to survive, and yet living their normal life in the normal world at the same time (well, the timing is different between worlds but eh). Light reading for the edgy, gritty, horror and fantasy YA lover. From the same author of the more popular Animorphs. I was really into this in middle school and never did finish so here I go.
February 15, 2019
I read this series as a kid and it's always resonated with me. These days I was looking for some light fiction to read before bed and thought I'd reenter the world of Everworld. And... it's pretty good! It stands up surprisingly well.
January 6, 2020
The book of my childhood. I read this and Redwall and thought I had read it all! This is my all time favorite Scholastic Book Fair book.
February 6, 2022
i thought the book was detailed and intense,i like how the author changed from place to place in the book
March 11, 2025
Well written childrens/youth fantasy. Easy read. Short and easy, part of a longer series.
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