A Hundred Thousand Worlds

A Hundred Thousand Worlds by Bob Proehl, 357 pages

Nearly a decade removed from her hit sci-fi TV show, Val Torrey is embarking on a cross-country tour of comic book and sci-fi conventions, signing autographs, and pretending to be someone she hasn't been for years. Val brings along her son, Alex, a precocious 9-year-old who, with the help of a comic book artist he meets on the journey, is trying to create a story based on a fragment of an idea given to him by an old friend of his mom's. At the end of their road trip is Andrew, Alex's dad and Val's ex-husband and costar, who wants something that Val isn't ready to give up. Meanwhile, we also get to know Gail, the only female writer at one of the two big comics publishers, who is trying to break out of the "token woman" role she's been given, and Brett, a comics artist who is having trouble with his creative partner as they attempt to wrap up their series.

That's a horrible description of a wonderful, wonderful book. Proehl creates the world of cons so well, filling them with cosplayers, washed-up actors, comics writers and artists, but also gives so much depth to his main cast of characters, who all grow and evolve as the story spins out. I also enjoyed the guessing game of figuring out the real-world analog to Proehl's creations (for example, it's obvious that Val Torrey was the Scully to Andrew's Mulder on a time-bending X-Files-type show; "The Curator," a face-changing, long-lasting British character Val meets at a con, is obviously Proehl's take on Doctor Who). I absolutely loved this book. Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in comics or nerd culture.