Ryan Leslie: "The Garden of Before" (ARC Review)

Title: The Garden of Before  [on Amazon | on Goodreads]
Series: The Between (2nd of 2 books)
Author: Ryan Leslie [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Supernatural (technically it would be Portal Fantasy, but since I don't have a Fantasy Room on the blog, I decided to shelf this one as Supernatural - that's the closer I could get), Multiverse, Sci-Fi, Thriller/Mystery
Year: 2025
Age: 18+ (but it can be read by mature teens)
Stars: 5/5
Pros: Imaginative, engaging and visually stunning. Rich in worldbuilding and character development/dynamics.
Cons: The main characters' unusual inner strength requires a little suspension of disbelief.
WARNING! Horror and gore, fires, death of a sibling, dismemberment/decapitation, run-over, violence, depression, miscarriage (off-page).
Will appeal to: Everyone who loves game-like structures and larger-than-life scenarios/adventures in their books.

Blurb: For Paul Prentice things have gotten much worse. His house was destroyed in the battle with the Koŝmaro. He's on thin ice at his job, where instead of working he loses himself in the Between's computer game, trying in vain to find explanations. His best friend Jay has transformed into a shadowy killer. Corinne and Supriya have vanished. And it appears his wife, Julie, has finally had enough and left him. Alone and near ruin, Paul receives a familiar visitor with a dire message: they are all back in the Between. Hunted, captured, doomed. For Paul, still wearing the serĉilo's artifact on his wrist, escape was never an option. The game must be played until the end. (Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary eARC from the author, since I had already enjoyed and reviewed Book 1 in the series, The Between, in 2021, and his second novel, Colossus, in 2024. That didn't affect my opinion and rating in any way.

Also, to help you get your bearings, a small recap of Book 1, for those of you who haven't picked it up yet, but might be tempted to after reading my review for the sequel...

While landscaping his backyard, Paul discovers an iron door buried in the soil. His childhood friend Jay pushes them to explore what's beneath. When the door slams shut above them, Paul and Jay are trapped in a between-worlds place of Escher-like rooms and horror story monsters, all with a mysterious connection to a command-line, dungeon explorer computer game from the early '80s called The Between. Paul and Jay, along with new and old acquaintances, find themselves filling mind-warping roles in a story that seems to play out over and over again...

CHARACTERS SHAKEUP

Now this is how you write a sequel/end of series.

If The Between was an exciting, rich and well-written foray into a terrifying multiverse nexus that you can never really escape even if you manage to get out - not if one of the roles it entails gets a hold of you - The Garden of Before ups the stakes, not only because the main characters are trying to save themselves and/or their loved ones (and in some cases, even to dismantle the place), but also because all their strengths and weaknesses, lights and shadows, come into sharp focus, raising questions about loyalty, revenge, love, sacrifice, and ultimately, what it means to be human. On one hand, Leslie introduces new characters (or, in some cases, not really...I'm not going to spoil the surprise 😉), and even manages to bring back old ones with a clever, poignant stratagem; on the other, he expands the roles of a few protagonists and secondary characters from Book 1, and creates fresh, powerful dynamics. Julie, Supriya and Corinne (along with two "new" female characters, if to a smaller extent because of their limited screen time) steal the scene in this one, which is a welcome change after the abundance of "dude talk" in Book 1 (I have to admit that I wish Jay would have been toned down a bit back then); and all the protagonists, despite being damaged in different ways - or precisely because of that - elicit empathy and/or a fierce attachment on the reader's part. [...]

BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER, MORE!

Four years ago, upon closing the last page of The Between, I was excited at the prospect of getting a sequel, and with it the chance to explore other levels of the complex, visually stunning game-like world Leslie had created (yep, reading The Between was such an immersive experience that I felt like I was seeing that world - or more like, those worlds - with my very eyes). And though, in the economy of the storytelling, we end up getting only a glimpse of those levels (except the titular Garden), what we get absolutely makes up for the missed opportunities. Whether we're revisiting familiar settings or exploring new ones, the amount of ingenuity and detail is off the charts, and coupled with the action and character development, produces a genuine treat. Also, the concept of an IRL command-line game that mirrors the Between (introduced in the first installment) is put to excellent use, with Leslie strengthening the bridge between fantasy and sci-fi he laid the foundation for in Book 1. If the Between retains a dose of mystery as to how it came to be (which, to me, is actually a good thing), both its connection with the game and its very structure - or even more precisely, its essence - get an explanation that makes for a series of smart twists and paves the way for an exhilarating finale. Seriously - if you enjoyed the first installment, you will love the sequel even more, even if it will break your heart here and there (but then again, that's the prerogative of the best books), with its handful of damaged, yet indomitable characters who know how to love fiercely, its array of dizzying landscapes and imaginative monsters, its sympathetic look towards human miseries, some well-placed comic relief, and a satisfying ending that, however, leaves room for the imagination. And if you haven't picked up Book 1 yet instead, what are you waiting for? 😉

For my "The Between" review (first installment in the series) click here.

For more Adult books click here.

For more Supernatural books click here.

For more Multiverse books click here.

For more Sci-Fi books click here.