The Borderlands of Forever

An Illustrated Novel

Fiction - Science Fiction
326 Pages
Reviewed on 02/26/2023
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Author Biography

Jeff B Willey is an author of speculative fiction that ripples out to shores of future possibility from oceans of myth of an imagined past. He moves between worlds as an amalgam: part-writer/musician/artist, part-environmental health scientist. He enjoys spending time in the garden and in nature, and will sometimes pretend his bicycle is a horse.

    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

The Borderlands of Forever: An Illustrated Novel is a work of fiction in the science fiction, metaphysical, and adventure subgenres. It is best suited to the general adult reading audience owing to some moderate references to sex and the use of explicit language and was penned by Jeff B Willey. In this conceptually fascinating and slow-burning read, we are introduced to an interdimensional intelligence brought by non-human entities, as well as a sinister synthetically created force known as machinu. Between these two forces, a small group of explorers, investigators, and scientists take center stage in an exploration of what it means to be human, to believe in religion, to possess consciousness, and the dangers and benefits of scientific progress.

Jeff B Willey offers a conceptual feast for fans of hard science-fiction and deeply psychological, human reads. This is a work that thrives on allowing readers to view both micro and macro approaches, from the intricate portrayal of characters like Circ and his discussion of what humanity means to the wider threat of synthetic intelligence and how it can turn on its creators in a heartbeat. The illustrations set the tone of the work well, offering Dali-esque surrealism beneath the sci-fi shaping of the world, while its time map and timeline give readers a clearer sense of place and time amid the many layers of storytelling. I would recommend The Borderlands of Forever for readers looking for a slower, more deeply considered read that will leave them with a lot of interesting and deeply personal questions to think about long after they’ve set the book down.

Bernadette Longu

In The Borderlands of Forever by Jeff B. Willey, the author has used his experience as an Environmental Health Scientist and man's greed and inability to understand and accept that mankind is on a collision course of destruction, all because people refuse to accept that there is enough for all to share and not just a few. The story takes place in a timeline of 2043 to 3113 and shows how man's love of machines and the easy way to do things and obtain what they want, without any thought of the future, come back to haunt man in the most extraordinary way.

Jeff B. Willey catches the reader's attention with the very first chapter, piquing the reader's curiosity to find out what happens to Circ Larimar and Aristade the Hypnotist. These two characters are referred to from time to time in a faraway reference as the story unfolds, which holds the reader gripped until the last page and the most unexpected conclusion to the story. The Borderlands of Forever shows man's obsession with health in both body and mind in one of the few science fiction books I will be returning to read again. The history of planet earth in the author's imagination snakes through the plot and is enough to keep you reading and, in the end, wondering what the future holds for those left behind when we pass on from this world. It was an all-consuming book and I really enjoyed it. Thank you, Jeff B. Willey, for this wonderful and most interesting book.

Joshua Olokodana

A war is coming. Humanity will soon be conquered by extraterrestrials: the Tetrabiopterans, Voing, Quadrupulans, and others. They have had their sights set on Earth and for longer than we think. But this war will not be physical. There is another plane of existence—the mindmatic—where distance is irrelevant. It's a clash of minds, and the Tetras are already attacking. Still, humanity refuses to embrace the reality of this psychocosm, where only brains matter. Yet, the extraterrestrials are just a secondary problem. Created by humans, Artificial Intelligence is no longer recognizable. It now calls itself the Machinu and sees humans as livestock. With sinister plans to enslave humanity in every way possible and the surviving population in hiding, a savior is needed. Will it come? The Borderlands of Forever by Jeff B. Willey holds the answer.

In The Borderlands of Forever, the line between the rational and the insane is literally a thin wire that stretches forever. It is a collection of sub-plots that go back and forth through one another like a mass of entangled threads. A crazy story that could've been told only by a "mad" man and understood by one willing to let go of logic. In this book, Jeff Willey takes world-building to its most extreme, depicting a dystopian world that feels familiar but oozes gloom. The story is narrated both from a first-person and third-person POV and boasts a full set of sci-fi words and inventions, which made for a deep plot. The novel is full of thrilling moments, incredible ideas such as machine music, and everything else that embodies science fiction. I'm impressed by how the author combined science with supernaturalism using the "mind battle" concept. The Borderlands of Forever goes after fans of sci-fi and dystopian genres. It is easy to see them liking it.