The Thirteenth Reality is an imaginative look into the life of Atticus Higgenbottom (but you can call him Tick) and how his life is transformed by a mysterious letter from "M.G." requesting his help. If he doesn't want to help the author of this mysterious letter, all he has to do is burn the letter. However, if Tick doesn't burn the letter he'll soon receive twelve more letters, each with another puzzle he'll have to figure out if he wants to be ready when the day comes.
While Tick works on solving the puzzles in these mysterious letters strange things start occurring to him. He meets some very unusual characters who turn out to be partners in this great puzzle. As friendly and helpful as they are to Tick, they only serve to add more frustration to things for a while because they're no allowed to answer some of Tick's questions. They do help though in telling Tick about some of the dangers he's faced and what they are as well as what they could do to him. Tick also notices that something unusual is going on because he knows that a certain even had occurred, but the people and objects around him all point to that the event never happened (You'll know it when you read it!)
There are a few unusual things about the book though which I feel only add to the appeal in the end. The first is that Tick is up front and honest with his father and looks to him for guidance and support throughout the ordeal. In return his father does whatever he can to help his son succeed, but not once does he out and out give Tick any other the answers (Not that dad would know all of it anyway). This is such a refreshing relief from other young adult books now where all the adults are to be avoided, not trusted, and many times just downright nasty. Another item that I was very pleasantly surprised with was the mention and use of quantum physics interspersed throughout the story. It's a short introduction to some of the basic concepts, but it's there nonetheless. Maybe it's just the scientist in me that was thrilled by this, but it's nice to see that despite the fantasy world(s) that exist(s) within the story, science is accurately used as a key part of the plot.
A few of the characters and plot lines are probably not as built out as some people may like, but there's plenty of room for future books in the series to fill in all the holes. In the mean time though there's still plenty of action and adventure
The Thirteenth Reality is a relatively fast paced book that readers of all ages should enjoy. I had trouble putting it down, even though I knew I had to get some sleep to be able to make it through work in the morning. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
