Electric Story

Sally Altschuler writes in a straightforward style and with a twinkle in his eye. His prose and his characters have humour. And he happily operates on several levels at once.

By : Damian Arguimbau, 2003

Sally Altschuler’s new novel, Verdens navle (The Hub of the Universe), is no exception. The story centres on The Castle, an isolated part of the Internet, which has appeared from nowhere, and which does not on the face of it have anything to do with the rest of the Internet or the real world. Inside The Castle they have their own creation myths (their God is, of course, called Volt …) and every single door opens onto a different world. But as in every paradise, there is also a snake and an Achilles' heel. The snake, Aranea, is plotting to steal the key to the door that opens onto the Internet and thereby release the dangerous virus programmes that threaten to wipe out The Castle. Aranea hates The Castle and wants to live in our reality.

Only someone from the outside can save The Castle, and the chosen one is the rather reluctant Allan who, using virtual reality equipment, is able to contact the little group in The Castle actively working against Aranea. In our reality, there is a parallel story about Allan’s parents who quarrel, split up and are then reconciled, and a somewhat similar situation between Allan and his girlfriend, Beatrice. There is also a love story involving one of The Castle’s most remarkable characters, Delia Dobell, and another of The Castle’s unusual heroes, Boganis.

Altschuler also tries to reconcile book and Internet, in keeping with the motto “If you can’t beat them, join them”, by associated websites which go into more detail about the issues raised in the book. Altschuler’s novel contains a wealth of stories, characters and entertainment. The reader does not get lost along the way, but marvels and enjoys.

Danish Children's Literature 23, 2003

Translated by Don Bartlett