I'm quoting Llaneel's excellent post from a discussion in the Non-DW books forum because he raises an excellent narrative point:
This is a great question. If you're not a natural stepper like Joshua or Sally, and don't have access to a ship, you generally have to wait a minute or so when you step from one world to the next. But if step into this world, you're instantly underwater and likely to drown before you can step to the next place. Or what happens if you step into one of the uninhabitable worlds? Or how did they step across a "gap" world? Was that possible to do without a ship? I suppose one could argue that non-expert steppers never went beyond this particular water world--only those who could negotiate the "soft paths" did--but that seems a bit spurious.
This is a real narrative flaw that Baxter and Pterry didn't really think through.
Llaneel said:
I am reading the long earth. After the first few pages, I was hooked. But......
I had to stop at chapter 25.
It is the chapter where Joshua and the ship pass over the world that was completely underwater.
I think it is world 175k+. Joshua is about to take a dip aand the ship sends an aquatic autonomous unit to check it out.
Anyway....
I could not continue. Why? Because I'm trying to figure out how the humans are getting passed this world? I understand the flying ship but what about all the humans walking?
I had to stop at chapter 25.
It is the chapter where Joshua and the ship pass over the world that was completely underwater.
I think it is world 175k+. Joshua is about to take a dip aand the ship sends an aquatic autonomous unit to check it out.
Anyway....
I could not continue. Why? Because I'm trying to figure out how the humans are getting passed this world? I understand the flying ship but what about all the humans walking?
This is a real narrative flaw that Baxter and Pterry didn't really think through.