The Top 8 (+1!) Books or Series Employing Parallel Universes

“Time could bifurcate, like a pair of trousers. You could end up in the wrong leg, living a life that was actually happening in the other leg, talking to people who weren't in your leg, walking into walls that weren't there any more. Life could be horrible in the wrong trouser of Time." —Terry Pratchett . 

Well, we have a winner! Haha! Perhaps not the one we expected, and while you guys direct the outcomes with your nominations and votes, we think many of you will be head-scratchingly surprised by the results here as well.

The unexpected.

Isn't that one of the things that keeps whatever universe we're conscious in exciting? Is your curiosity sufficiently piqued? Want to know why we are so perplexed by the results? Why our "Top 10" is a "Top 8 + Bonus Read?" Read on! 

As always, these top ten lists are not meant to be all-inclusive or definitive, but give a great finger on the pulse of our community's interests and favorites. Want to see who missed out? Here's the original nomination list from the blog.

And now, without further ado, based on the combined nominations and votes here on the Discover Sci-Fi blog and the Facebook Reader group, here are your top choices for the best books or series employing parallel universes... 

8. The Crossroads of Time by Andre Norton

We were surprised this short, adventure driven novel didn’t get more love! Andre Norton's The Crossroads of Time landed on the list with just a handful of votes; perhaps that simply means many of you haven't had a chance yet to enjoy it.

In an odd twist on the theme of time travel, Norton has her characters traveling across time, rather than forward or backward. The dates do not change as the men travel from one timeline to another, but the histories of those worlds differ from each other. Tacitly postulating a kind of two-dimensional time, Norton anticipated Hugh Everett III's many-worlds interpretation of the quantum theory by one year. She called it the "possibility worlds" theory of history.

7. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

“And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!"

In 7th place, we have a more contemporary selection: Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch. In Crouch's mind-bending science fiction thriller Dark Matter, Jason Dessen is living the lyrics of the famous Talking Heads song. I mean, sure, parallel universes wasn’t really what they were on about, they weren’t talking about waking up in and finding that, literally, your house was not your house, your wife was not your wife, and so on. Still, we think of him now when we hear that song…

Jason Dessen is walking home through the chilly Chicago streets one night, looking forward to a quiet evening in front of the fireplace with his wife, Daniela, and their son, Charlie—when his reality shatters.

It starts with a man in a mask kidnapping him at gunpoint, for reasons Jason can’t begin to fathom—what would anyone want with an ordinary physics professor?—and grows even more terrifying from there, as Jason’s abductor injects him with some unknown drug and watches while he loses consciousness.

When Jason awakes, he’s in a lab, strapped to a gurney—and a man he’s never seen before is cheerily telling him “welcome back!”

Jason soon learns that in this world he’s woken up to, his house is not his house. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born.

And someone is hunting him.

Read Dark Matter here on Amazon.

6. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Of all the books that lean toward fantasy on this list, the title landing in 6th place leans the hardest. Perhaps a little too hard to be properly included in a list celebrating science fiction works, and while we generally attempt to ferret out all pure fantasy titles, this one slipped through but is, nevertheless, a splendid example of a book employing parallel universes.

The Sword of Shannara is an epic fantasy novel by American writer Terry Brooks. It is the first book of the Original Shannara Trilogy, followed by The Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara.

Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revealed that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara--Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him.

Get your copy of The Sword of Shannara  here on Amazon.

TIE! 5A. Apprentice Adept by Piers Anthony

And here we have the first of our selections which tied for 5th place! Once again, if hard sci-fi is more your jam, this is another great book that might have gone unnoticed by you.

The Apprentice Adept series by English American author Piers Anthony takes place on Phaze and Proton, two worlds occupying the same space in two different dimensional planes. Phaze is a lush planet of magic, where Proton is a barren mining planet of science. As the series opens, each person born on Phaze and Proton has an alternate self living on the other world. But if a person on either world lacks a duplicate (for instance if a Proton citizen immigrated there from another planet, or a counterpart from the opposite frame died), he can cross to the other through an energy "curtain" that circumscribes each frame.

On the technological, decadent world of Proton, someone was trying to destroy Stile, serf and master Gamesman. His only escape lay in Phaze, a world totally ruled by magic. Soon he learned that his alternate self had already been murdered, and that he was next. On Proton, his fate depended on winning the great Games. On Phaze, he must master magic to survive. And if he used any magic at all, his friends were determined to kill him at once!

Get your copy of Split Infinity, book one in the Apprentice Adept series,  here on Amazon.

TIE! 5B. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan 

Sharing 5th spot is the EPIC sci-fi fantasy series, The Wheel of Time. While some members questioned the inclusion of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series to this poll, we feel that—unlike other questionable nominations that found their way onto the list—this one is in keeping with the theme of the poll. Of course, if you have strong opinions either way, we'd love to hear more from you in the comments here or in our facebook group! 

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Grab the first book in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World, here on Amazon.

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4. The World of Tiers by Philip José Farmer

Coming in at number 4 on our list is The World of Tiers, a series of science fiction novels by American writer Philip José Farmer. Farmer is known for his incredible world-building, and this series is no exception!

The World of Tiers novels are set within a series of artificially-constructed universes, created and ruled by decadent beings who are genetically identical to humans, but regard themselves as superior, who are the inheritors of an advanced technology they no longer understand.

When Robert Wolff found a strange horn in an empty house, he held the key to a different universe. To blow that horn would open up a door through space-time and permit entry to a cosmos whose dimensions and laws were not those our starry galaxy knows.

Get your copy of Volume One of Philip José Farmer's The World of Tiers  here on Amazon.

3. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson

If you’re a sci-fi purist, you may have missed reading this award-winning series, another which blends science fiction and fantasy. That said, clearly enough of you have read it that it made and placed high on the final list; for those of you who haven’t though, maybe the stamp of approval from your fellow sci-fi fans is the push you need to consider diving in?

Lord Foul’s Bane, the first book of Stephen R. Donaldson's series, follows Thomas Covenant on a journey through another land, one in which he wakes following an accident where he is hit by a police car. Believing that he is unconscious from his collision with the police car, and therefore experiencing a fantastical dream or delusion, Covenant refuses to accept the reality of the Land. Appalled and indignant at the expectations the people of the Land have for him as their new-found saviour, he gives himself the title of "Unbeliever."

Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick; now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero--Berek Halfhand--armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of Despiser, Lord Foul. Only...Covenant had no idea of how the power could be used!

Pick up your copy of Lord Foul's Bane here on Amazon.

2. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King 

Many fans cite this deeply immersive series as being their favorite work by the author, Stephen King, so we definitely expected to see this one here. How about you? The main story takes place in a world somewhat similar to the Old West but in an alternate timeframe or parallel universe.

In the first book of this brilliant series, The Gunslinger, Stephen King introduces readers to one of his most enigmatic heroes, Roland of Gilead, The Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting figure, a loner on a spellbinding journey into good and evil. In his desolate world, which frighteningly mirrors our own, Roland pursues The Man in Black, encounters an alluring woman named Alice, and begins a friendship with the Kid from Earth called Jake. Both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike, The Gunslinger leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next chapter

Get your copy of The Gunslinger, the first book in this iconic series, here on Amazon.

1. The Number of the Beast by Robert A. Heinlein

The subtitle says it all: "A Parallel Novel About Parallel Universes." How could this, written by a sci-fi master no less, NOT have made the cut? Based on the votes this title landed in second place, but considering the criteria and adjusting for that, this excellent selection easily takes the place it deserves: Number 1! 

The Number of the Beast, by legendary author Robert A Heinlein follows the adventures of Zeb, Deety, Hilda, and Jake when they are ambushed by the alien “Black Hats” and barely escape with their lives on a specially configured vehicle (the Gay Deceiver) that can travel along various planes of existence, allowing them to visit parallel universes.

Heinlein had already wrote a “parallel” novel about the four characters and parallel universes in 1977. He effectively wrote two parallel novels about parallel universes. The novels share the same start, but as soon as the Gay Deceiver is used to transport them to a parallel universe, each book takes the readers to a totally different parallel world.

When two male and two female supremely sensual, unspeakably cerebral humans find themselves under attack from aliens who want their awesome quantum breakthrough, they take to the skies -- and zoom into the cosmos on a rocket roller coaster ride of adventure and danger, ecstasy and peril.

The novel lies somewhere between parody and homage in its deliberate use of the style of the 1930s' pulp novels. How can you NOT read this?

Read Heinlein's legendary, pulp fiction inspired The Number of the Beast, here on Amazon.

BONUS Selection: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

“How does the Foundation series qualify?” 

“A very good series, but no indication that it was in a parallel universe.”

“Can't vote because Foundation is not a parallel universe!” 

Indeed.

The statements above are just some of the many comments some of you added to the thread about this poll in the Discover Sci-Fi Facebook Group. And rightfully so!

We concede that despite pulling in the most votes in the opening poll and landing in top spot here in the final account, Isaac Asimov's Foundation doesn’t fit the criteria.

We take full responsibility for letting this slide into the final round of voting, but we are curious to hear from those who did nominate and vote for this selection, and we hope you will chime in in the comments: what made you select Foundation for this particular best of poll?

Maybe all that means is that it is time for a refresher. When was the last time you read this award-winning and, one might say, “foundational” work of science fiction? Decades ago? <gasp> Never? Parallel universes or not, perhaps it’s time to take a read. (or re-read).

For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future -- to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire -- both scientists and scholars -- and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

Get your copy of the sci-fi classic, Foundation  here on Amazon.

With infinite possibilities, is there ever a real conclusion?

What do you think of that list? Do you agree, or do you feel as though your best-loved parallel universe narrative should have placed higher on the list? What do YOU think of Foundation showing up here? Are you a hard sci-fi lover shaking your head at all the sci-fi fantasy selections? We want to hear from you! Feel free to join us here in our Facebook group to chime in on the debate, and then check out our most recent poll while you're there. Don't have Facebook? Feel free to add to the comments below

*All book-related copy in this post was pulled from Amazon, Goodreads & Wikipedia, unless otherwise credited.