Best of All Worlds
Will be published approx. on 2. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-916558-43-4 (ISBN)
Description
When Xavier wakes up on the first morning of an enforced family weekend away with his pregnant step-mum and dad, he doesn't recognise where they are; it's as if the house has inexplicably been transported to the set of a video game, inside an impenetrable dome where the family have been 'donated' chickens, goats, wheat to help them survive. There is no trace of their mysterious captors and no way to escape.
Three years later, he's sixteen and resigned to life without the internet, other people, let alone a girlfriend... when suddenly another family appears, one with vastly contrasting political ideologies and priorities. In the confines of this strange world, Xavier and 17-year-old gorgeous Mackenzie are thrown together, Mackenzie's erratic father becomes obsessively fixated on escape, and tensions between the two families begin to rise with devastating and tragic consequences...
Kenneth Oppel's most thrilling novel to date is challenging, provocative and unforgettable.
Three years later, he's sixteen and resigned to life without the internet, other people, let alone a girlfriend... when suddenly another family appears, one with vastly contrasting political ideologies and priorities. In the confines of this strange world, Xavier and 17-year-old gorgeous Mackenzie are thrown together, Mackenzie's erratic father becomes obsessively fixated on escape, and tensions between the two families begin to rise with devastating and tragic consequences...
Kenneth Oppel's most thrilling novel to date is challenging, provocative and unforgettable.
Reviews / Votes
Hugely thought-provoking, frequently frustrating, this speculative YA novel will stay in the mind long after it's finished * The Guardian * I love Oppel's control of menace and there's deep disquiet in this dystopian thriller -- Sally Morris * The Daily Mail * An electrifying story for young adults. It reads like a thriller, but has the soul of a 'sandbox' video game with an eerie element of The Truman Show thrown in for good measure. * The Times Children's Book of the Week * Hugely thought-provoking, frequently frustrating, this speculative YA novel will stay in the mind long after its finished. * The Guardian * Racism, divisive politics, conspiracy theories and the environment all feature in a spellbinding and chilling fable. * The Financial Times * The prolific Canadian author Kenneth Oppel is on form with his latest, a quietly tense thriller... There's much to discuss in this smart, engaging book. * The Irish Times * A creepy, uplifting, head-scratching fairy tale. * SFX Magazine *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Target group
Young adult
Interest Age: From 12 to 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
266 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-916558-43-4 (9781916558434)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Kenneth Oppel is the bestselling author of numerous books, including Airborn, which won the Governor General's Award for children's literature and a Michael L Printz Honor Book Award, and the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. Some of his other books include The Boundless, Every Hidden Thing, and Inkling. The Nest and Half Brother both won the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award. His latest novels are Bloom and its sequels Hatch and Thrive. Kenneth lives in Toronto with his family.